Being right is over rated – so said a wise man to me once as he counselled me in being a better husband. And of course he was correct – in many spheres of life the importance we attach on being ‘right’ can be an unhelpful attitude. But is the same true in matters theological?

Most of you today would undoubtedly say yes. But it was not that case back in the fifth and sixth centuries. Indeed being on the wrong side of the argument could get you thrown out of church, thrown out of your country, tortured or even killed. The theological stakes were high and being right was deemed essential when being declared a heretic could be synonymous with a death sentence.

And when we consider why they attached so much importance on theological correctness maybe we can understand why could get so violent. Apart from the political implications of disunity, they saw in their doctrinal debates a ‘cosmic dimension’ (Jenkins page 125). Being wrong meant being influenced by the devil and that meant attracting God’s anger. And God’s anger towards the world was supposedly evident in many different ways – famine, drought, plague, floods, earthquakes and defeat in war. With a worldview such as this, finding the truth and then ensuring everyone else agreed with it was essential.

Being right, therefore, was definitely not over rated. To what extent have we moved on from such views do you think? Or can we still find traces of it in today’s church?

This post forms part of a series based on Jesus Wars by Philip Jenkins. Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 here.