Monday, September 17, 2007

50 years of the Australian Unity Agreement (12)

From the pen of John Thomas:
I have received the conclusion to which Paul leads me. Did he tell the orthodox Corinthians to cast their heterodox friends out of their synagogue, or to non-fellowship them? No; and further than this, he still fraternised with the church, although they gave him so much annoyance ... His object was to enlighten and reclaim, not to cut off ...

Robert Roberts, Dr. Thomas: His Life and Work, p. 263
Orthodox means those who uphold the 'standard' or 'official' view, especially in matters of doctrine, while heterodox refers to those who hold a contrary, unorthodox or 'heretical' view, differing from the accepted beliefs or standards. Apparently John Thomas (at least at one stage) was all for allowing those with different views (even 'heretical' ones) to remain 'in fellowship' and not to cut them off.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How right you are. For many years the small minded have sought to control the 'open hearted'. Thank you for such an interesting insight into the dark side of the Christadelphians. Fortunately there are a growing number of Christadelphians who do not allow themselves to be brow beaten by the far-right.