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Rating: 
Summary: The Art of Discernment
Review: "Orthodoxy and Heresy" is an excellent and much needed book dealing with doctrinal discernment. Every Christian should be concerned for doctrinal purity in the church (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1).During my on-going research on various religous groups which claim to be Christian, I've found Robert Bowman (the author) to be a very balanced and sound Christian apologist who has a heart for reaching out to those who are deceived. In his preface, Bowman outlines the two extreme approaches of biblical discernment. On the one side, you have those discernment ministries which label everybody who disagrees with them (even on minor issues) as "heretics". And on the other side, you have believers who have no discernment whatsoever. In the first part of the book, Bowman writes on the necessity of doctrinal discernment, and answers those who negatively criticise such a ministry (e.g. "don't judge!"). In chapter 5 Bowman defines orthodoxy and heresy, but in the next chapter, he points out that it isn't always "black and white". Some teachings can be classified, neither as "orthodox" or "heretical", but "aberrant". (At the back of the book there is a glossary). The second part of the book deals with application: "Guidelines for Doctrinal Discernment". It must be noted that Bowman doesn't single out any particular heretical group. In fact, he doesn't mention any names so that "it may be read without conflict by persons in religious groups which discourage reading literature that criticizes their beliefs." (p. 10) Whatever religious affiliation you belong to, I recommend you purchase this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Art of Discernment
Review: "Orthodoxy and Heresy" is an excellent and much needed book dealing with doctrinal discernment. Every Christian should be concerned for doctrinal purity in the church (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1). During my on-going research on various religous groups which claim to be Christian, I've found Robert Bowman (the author) to be a very balanced and sound Christian apologist who has a heart for reaching out to those who are deceived. In his preface, Bowman outlines the two extreme approaches of biblical discernment. On the one side, you have those discernment ministries which label everybody who disagrees with them (even on minor issues) as "heretics". And on the other side, you have believers who have no discernment whatsoever. In the first part of the book, Bowman writes on the necessity of doctrinal discernment, and answers those who negatively criticise such a ministry (e.g. "don't judge!"). In chapter 5 Bowman defines orthodoxy and heresy, but in the next chapter, he points out that it isn't always "black and white". Some teachings can be classified, neither as "orthodox" or "heretical", but "aberrant". (At the back of the book there is a glossary). The second part of the book deals with application: "Guidelines for Doctrinal Discernment". It must be noted that Bowman doesn't single out any particular heretical group. In fact, he doesn't mention any names so that "it may be read without conflict by persons in religious groups which discourage reading literature that criticizes their beliefs." (p. 10) Whatever religious affiliation you belong to, I recommend you purchase this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent tool for developing biblical/logical discernment
Review: I used this book for an adult education class almost ten years ago and found it to be clearly written, well-argued, and biblically accurate. My class responded well to the material. Bowman has a good knowledge of Scripture, theology, and heretical groups. When he is not arguing against biblical egalitarianism, he is generally a good source to consult. Bowman was a researcher at the Christian Research Institute at the time the book was published, 1992.
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