Loving Jesus the Wrong Way:
Christological Heresies and How They Hurt Us

(thanks to Kristina Doernte, fall 2003 rs20 student, for the illustrations)

I. "Heresies" (cf. 1 Cor. 11:19, 2 Pet. 2:1) as Compromises
Incarnation is a set of new relationships between Creator and creation
Heresies can be well-intentioned, but still deny the incarnation
Their compromises leave the old rules alone, or change them
Heresies hurt or destroy our relationships with Jesus Christ
(A heretic is one who refuses the correction of the Church)
Adolf von Harnack: Ancient heresies cluster into Antiochian 'adoptionism' (II-IV) and Alexandrian 'docetism' (V-VIII)

II. Jesus as Exemplar: Ebionism
Jesus is a man chosen for special divine sonship (like David)
Jesus is created, not begotten; not God made human, but an inspired prophet
Jesus is totally on the human side of the divine-human divide
Effect: No personal relationship, God remains unknowable
Contemporary school: Islam, Unitarianism
Converse: A church stressing Jesus as merely a teacher is functionally Ebionite
 
III. Jesus as Overachiever: Adoptionism
Jesus becomes divine at some point in his life (usually his baptism)
Jesus is chosen for his prior virtue as a human being
Sonship is reduced to obedience; Jesus' relationship with God is just moral
Effect: "Salvation" is imitating Jesus' perfection in order to be adopted too
Contemporary school: Mormonism?
Converse: A legalistic church is functionally adoptionist
IV. Jesus as Alter Ego: Nestorianism
Nestorius objected to the Alexandrian use of theotokos for Mary
God the Son and the human Jesus are still two persons, morally united
Effect: Divine and human are never really reconciled
Contemporary school: Churches of the East
Converse: A Jesus struggling between divine and human is Nestorian
 
V. Jesus as Poseur: Docetism (cf. 1 John 4:1-3a)
Some Gnostics: the body of Christ wasn't real, but like a hologram
Appealing to those who respect God's transcendence and Christ's divinity
Jesus is Clark Kent, or the Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager
Jesus is now entirely on God's side of the divide
Effect: God is unknowable, and we are unknowable to God
Contemporary school: some New Age Gnostics
Converse: Christians who concentrate on Jesus' divinity are Docetic
 
VI. Jesus as Alloy: Monophysitism
Eutyches (not Acts 20:9!): "Two natures before, one after, the union"
Not "hot iron," but bronze
Infinity plus one: Unity comes at the cost of humanity (and perhaps divinity)
Effect: What good is he to us who have only a human nature?
Contemporary school: some Buddhisms?
Converse: Spiritualistic or otherworldly spiritualities are often monophysite

VII. Jesus as the Terminator: Apollinarianism
Apollinarianism: Jesus has a human body and a divine mind or soul
Effect: Jesus' humanity is partial; is he tempted? did he suffer? has Jesus really redeemed humanity?
Converse: Churches where Jesus' mind or intelligence is not human are Apollinarian
Contemporary school: some evangelicalism?
Irony: These groups are trying not to be docetic, but are
 
VIII. Jesus as Dilbert: Arianism
Arius the Presbyter: Only God the Father is uncreated
God the Son was made first, then adopted
Jesus mediates as an archangelic "third party" between God and us, not as a member of both parties
Appealing to ancients used to the idea of mediating demigods (and moderns used to bureaucrats)
Effect: God remains unknowable; Jesus no longer represents humanity
Contemporary school: Jehovah's Witnesses
Converse: Churches where Jesus is "middle manager" are functionally Arian

IX. Two Antidotes: How Do We Avoid These Mistakes?

1. Christmas: "Emmanuel" (Isa. 7:14 and 8:8-10, Matt. 1:23) affirms all three affirmations
Heretical traditions often resist observing Christmas
Christmas' history: Not a pagan accretion, but nine months after Easter/Annunciation
Christmas was popular and useful when Arianism was the biggest threat

2. Mary: Respect for Mary honors her role in incarnation, and protects Jesus
Jesus is divine, human, one from the beginning; Mary is "mother of God"
Scripture asks for respect for Mary (Luke 1:48)
Mary confers Jesus' humanity (and thus our salvation!)
Easy to misunderstand (Islam, medieval Catholicism, evangelicalism)
Yet adoptionism is a problem in liberal Protestantism where respect for Mary is weakest