Michael Jensen in Hobart: Necessary Heresies

I went to meet Michael and hear him speak yesterday afternoon. His material was stimulating and fascinating. A highlight was when he got in an extended discussion with a member of the group about the nature of Pelagianism and the member concluded by saying he would happily call himself a Pelagian!

A stand out comment from Michael (I quote loosely):

The great heretics were not lone, heroic individuals standing against the oppressive institutional church, as the modern story often goes. Rather the reason they were so dangerous was because they were extremely popular. Heresies were not immediately obvious as heresies when they appeared....

Orthodoxy often treads the harder path. The appeal of heresy is that it provides a satisfying solution to theological difficulties.