I have finished this lovely little book. It is short (only 160 pages) and divided neatly into chapters focusing specifically on various heresies. There is one on Montanists, Gnosticism, and Pelagius to name a few. This book allows a reader to closely examine the heresies, the responses, and results of various heretical issues that the early church dealt with. It also includes a chapter on the Trinity and Christology which helps provide greater understanding of those two basic Christian beliefs. This book was expertly written, easy to understand and neatly designed for referring back to various issues. I'm intrigued too, because apparently there are a whole series of Armchair Theologian books.
The Back Story...
A Few months back I wandered into Borders during their buy four get one free sales. I was low on books and so began searching for the perfect collection of four great reads. My most beloved of the collection is a book I have been slowly savoring over these last months. Heretics for Armchair Theologians. The book caught my eye as I was perusing the religion section. Then I saw the authors Justo and Catherine Gonzalez. At that point I begin to believe in the book's potentials.
A few years back in my Graduate school class, Christian history, I read a pair of books, that remains on my top 5 textbook list. It was Justo Gonzalez's books on the History of the Church. The information was presented in such a way that it was enjoyable and attainable. I've recommended them numerous times to people. Nonetheless the nuances of heresy in the early church is tricky to keep clear in the mind, especially when it comes at the rapid pace we had to learn in class. Crushed between all the other course work and pressed to move quickly through the literature, I finished not really being able to state more than what some of the major heretical movements were called.
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