The theological importance of criminal profiling, or The case for church history, Part 1 Carl Trueman

I wonder whythere are few errors or heresies around today that do not have clear parallels and antecedents in church history? 

Which are the newer heresies, and what do they tell us about our own Zeitgeist?  Or is modern heresy the monopoly of a few notorious clerics who can safely be ignored by us, just as they are feted-and-promptly-ignored by the rest of the world?

Philip Griffin08/07/2009 03:35 AM

What a great challenge, Carl!  Recently, I did a Master’s subject on the doctrine of Cranmer, which combined church history with systematic theology. I just loved this course, and it helped inform many current debates and heresies concerning the means of salvation, church and the sacraments. 

Thanks for your very timely challenge.

Thanks for the post Carl - a really good challenge. It intersects with what I’ve been writing about lately - the need for pastors to be reading and engaging with literature. It seems to me one of the great advantages of reading church history (apart from the great points you make) is that it gets pastors reading! Church history is exciting stuff. As well as being useful for thinking through current issues etc, its really engaging.

Michael Jensen08/07/2009 07:14 AM

It is great to hear historical theology defended!
However, as one who has been accused (by association) of Arianism, I am aware of the abuses to which history may be put. In the wrong hands, historical theology can be a blunt instrument with which you can batter your opponents heads in. Throw around words like ‘Arian’ or ‘Socinian’ without due care, and you have tarred your opponent with a nasty brush.

Michael Jensen08/07/2009 07:17 AM

For that reason, I would be wary of the ‘criminal profiling’ analogy - especially when the criminal profiler is self-appointed!

Paul Grimmond08/07/2009 08:46 AM

Hi Michael,

What’s wrong with the criminal profiling analogy. If the heretics were biblically wrong and studying them helps us to see the patterns repeated, then the analogy fits. Like anything in life, it’s possible to take “good” things and use them sinfully. But isn’t the problem in your case that people misunderstood the history or misapplied it to you rather than that the process was in and of itself flawed?

michael jensen08/07/2009 09:13 AM

Well - I guess so long as the criminal profiler is accountable to the court of law, all is fine. But as a signed up Sydney Anglican, I stand accused of Arianism (as I suppose you are too) in several international scholarly publications. It’s a hard accusation to shake - a nasty piece of guilt by association. So, speaking as the criminal in the analogy, rather than the profiler, i can’t say I like it one bit!

Paul Grimmond08/07/2009 09:34 AM

Yep, I too would be accused of Arianism in said publications. And I’m none too happy about it either. I guess I’m just suggesting that the answer isn’t to declare the practice of profiling illegitimate but rather to be a better profiler.

michael jensen08/07/2009 09:50 AM

The problem isn’t the profiling so much as asking ‘who’s the judge?’
But I wouldn’t want to take away from Trueman’s point about the value of history and the amnesia of contemporary evangelicalism.

Roger Gallagher08/07/2009 03:28 PM

Hi Mike,

How well do you think that Moore teaches church history?

As a B&M student, I missed out on the usual church history subjects. But from the comments of my classmates, I got the impression that they felt that 2nd year church history (Reformation) was better taught than early church history in first year.

I suspect that partly this was due to greater familiarity with the subject matter on my classmates’ part. But I also got the impression that people struggled to understand how everything fitted together. At least in 2004, it seemed that the subject could have done with more structure, and fewer lecturers.

Just to say thanks to all who have commented.  As Mariah Carey `doesn’t do stairs’ so I don’t do `threads’ (unlike Mariah, I don’t do ghastly Jackson Memorials either—truly, God has been good to me) but I’ll try to respond privately to as many comments as I can.  Again, thanks for the kind and stimulating responses

HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH! Well said! Well said! HEAR HEAR! HEAR HEAR!

I love Church History. It is a great tool that aids us in critiquing our culture and ‘church culture’. I love church History at College so much that I failed it 1st year so I could do it again!!!(I did fail it but not for that reason).

What I realised is how much owe to men like Luther, Ridley, Latimer, Augustine, Tertullian, Calvin, Cranmer. I also realised how I have bits of them theologically in me and did not even know it until I studied church history. And also to avoid the mistakes of the theological boofheads (who probably did not start out that way) was a very helpful thing.
So when it comes to Church History and the study of it I say “Huzzah!”

This was so good. Intellectually and spiritually entertaining! wink

It seems one of the main heresies that the enemy loves is evolution. (better yet, believers who spiritualize Darwinism).

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