I used to joke that my goal as a teacher within the Christian church is to one day be labeled as a "heretic". This anomalous aspiration is not an attestation of a peculiar pursuit of a pagan personality but rather a quirky love of being different. The truth is that I never want to be labeled a heretic because I am in disagreement with the Bible and the truth of God but I have no problem standing against interpretations of man.
The root of the word "heretic" is actually opinion. Over the years this term developed into a word representing, "a person who thinks what is contrary to what is generally accepted". The reality is that the Bible has been subject to a myriad of human interpretations from the very beginning and after filtering through cultural and personal presuppositions, the "generally accepted opinions" may still fall short in light of the perfection of God's message and character.
Over the centuries very Godly and well-intentioned men and women have come to differing opinions and understanding of what is orthodoxy (right thinking) and orthopraxy (right living). Sometimes these differences led to unfortunate results for both the individuals and for the collective reputation of God's gathering of followers (the Church).
It seems no matter what stand one makes, he or she may be labeled as a heretic from others with a different view. So with this in mind... if you were to be labeled a "heretic" for one of your beliefs, in which belief are you okay with earning this reputation?
In other words, what belief do you hold that are so sure of that the label of "heretic" would not offend you?
