I suppose what makes heresy so insufferable is the boredom it induces. Perhaps that’s why, over time, the works of those who have departed from orthodoxy fades. The shine wears off, and the books collect dust, go out of print, and disappear.
When you encounter the flashy package of an old untruth, it’s easy to wring your hands and wonder if the Church is going to fall for the same old false teaching under new guise. But year after year, decade after decade, century after century, truth wins out.
Who will be read in a hundred years?
I learned this truth indirectly from G. K. Chesterton’s century-old book Heretics. It was a difficult book to read, primarily because I didn’t always know who he was writing against. He referred to people I’d never heard of, critiquing their broadmindedness, their progressive stances, and their humanistic philosophy.
A few of his sparring partners are still read today (H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, and Rudyard Kipling), but a number of them are all but forgotten. Meanwhile, Chesterton lives on. Or we should say, Chesterton’s truth lives on. That’s why we read him today.
How many books by J. Gresham Machen are in print today? Dozens. What about his liberal foil, Harry Fosdick? A print-on-demand company will print you his book on progress if you ask for it.
I think the same comparison could be made with contemporary pastors like John Piper and Rob Bell. Rob certainly has the flash and glamor, but will his works survive the test of time? (And while I don’t know for sure, I can’t help but wonder if the infamous “Farewell, Rob Bell” tweet refers more to the disappearance and eventual irrelevance of Bell’s teaching ministry rather than to anything personal.)
Truth has an eternal foundation – God’s Word
One of the things you notice throughout history is that the Christian leaders who speak to future generations tend to be the ones who taught the Bible consistently and rigorously. The leaders who spent their time seeking to understand the biblical text are the ones we still read.
Why? Because they anchored themselves to the one book that transcends time. They didn’t hoist their sails to blow with the winds of culture. They put the anchor down deep, and over time, we go back to them again and again.
While writers or nationally renowned speakers may have to respond to the latest twist on old heresies or newest, flashy fad, most church leaders should take the long view to evaluate books and teaching. Will this last? If so, dig in. If not, get what may be profitable from it and get out.
It is a sobering thought, but most of us will be forgotten within two or three generations. The world is littered with neglected graveyards. Chances are, a hundred years after your death, no one will be stopping by your grave to pay their respects.
What will you have done with your life? Take the long view. Drop your anchor in the deep waters of biblical orthodoxy, and stay firm no matter what winds come against you.
It’s been said that those who marry the spirit of the age are soon widowed. No wonder. The ages change, but God stays the same.