There's been a lot of activity in the comments section under my post regarding Brian McLaren. The word "heretic" has been thrown around quite liberally by someone who believes he is justified in doing so. In light of that, I've been thinking about what is essential and what is non-essential. If I'm a Calvinist (which I am) and you're an Arminian, am I justified in calling you a heretic? If I believe in a literal six-day, twenty-four-hours per day, view of creation (which I do) and you are a theistic evolutionist, can I shout "heretic!" from the rooftops, the newspapers, and my blog? Continue reading →