Dr Paul Allen

I have many times wondered why God created a world in which we could stray so horribly. If you live long enough you will undoubtedly see many people fall away from the faith sometimes to their misery and disaster. You will see others challenge orthodoxy and set themselves against it in the name of preserving or purifying the church. Some who do so will foment from within its circle, others will break away to start their own thing that over time diminishes and is forgotten. I recently bought a Kindle and on an impulse purchase picked up  Alister McGrath’s 2009 book entitled “Heresy” . I was curious about the title, stared reading the introduction and haven’t been able to leave the book alone. I’m most familiar with the word “heretic” or “ heresy ” either as a verbal hand grenade thrown to discredit someone or a self-selected label by someone who wants to appear edgy and rebellious against uncaring or smothering institutional religion. The word actually comes from the Greek and it...