In recent months there has been some controversy on the American right involving the word heresy. Specifically, something called Christian Zionism has been called a heresy: those who adhere to Christian Zionism (and not all agree on how to define it) have been upset and defended their belief, some who disagree with it have cheered the public labeling, others have thought it improper or unwise to speak of it this way, and still others would prefer to just ignore the whole issue.

But even without getting into the details of what Christian Zionism is and isn’t, it’s important for believers to understand what exactly heresy is and isn’t, because it’s a word that, for generations now, “nice” Christians have been discouraged from using (because it’s “divisive” or “intolerant” or just “unkind”). And that’s not good: the concept is a valuable, even necessary, one, because believers have to be able to recognize what is wrong in order to cherish and protect what is right.

Or maybe it’s better to talk in terms of false and true, because that’s really what we’re talking about when it comes to Christian teaching. Simply put, what is found in and in agreement with Scripture is true, and what is contrary to what God has told us in his Word is false.

And one of the interesting things about truth and falsehood is that while there are gradations of falsehood, truth is singular and indivisible. We can even say that truth is intolerant, because it by definition cannot exist with anything that is other than true — just as nothing that is unholy or unworthy of him can exist with God in his holiness. So there is truth, and there is everything else, and that is on a spectrum of sorts.

When it comes to Christian doctrine (just another word for what is taught), the term we use for true teaching is orthodoxy— ortho means “straight” (think “orthodontics” as straightening teeth) and doxy refers to teaching. When we speak of beliefs and positions that are false — not in agreement with the what the Bible says — that are held by people or churches who still have saving faith in Christ, we refer to those teachings (or people or churches) as heterodox — hetero meaning “other” (think “heterosexual”), in the sense that these ideas are something other than orthodox. We are pleased that these false teachings are not so severe as to destroy their faith in Jesus and leave them unsaved, but concerned that they still adhere to things that are contrary to his Word and will — not just because they are wrong, but also because falsehood in one area can easily spread to others and eventually the gospel itself can be lost (history has shown this to happen far too often).

The term “heresy”, though, is reserved for false teachings that directly contradict the gospel and in their essence make saving faith in Christ impossible. For instance, any belief that maintains that Jesus was just a great man, but not the Son of God himself, means that he was not the One who could save us, and thus is not a saving faith. In the same way, a belief that says what saves us is not the grace of God shown us in Christ but only the quality and quantity of our good works is a trust that can never save anyone.  These are heretical doctrines and the worst kind of falsehoods, because those who teach them lead people away from salvation and into damnation.

So in the proper sense of the term, “Christian Zionism” is only heresy if it takes such a form as to say something like salvation isn’t found through faith in Jesus but only through support of the nation of Israel. But “not heresy” is a very low bar when it comes to doctrine.

If “Christian Zionism” holds to ideas that are not scriptural truth but still allow those who believe them to have saving faith in Jesus, we’re happy that those people are still going to heaven, but no one should be comfortable with the fact that falsehoods are being believed alongside the truth. Christ calls for a much higher standard than that with our faith.  He istruth, and truth should matter to his people just as much as it does to him.

So stay far away from heresy, but steer clear also from heterodoxy. And that means steering clear of churches and preachers, teachers, podcasters, and broadcasters that teach false things and encourage false faith.

And positively, that means staying close to Scripture with your own study of it and associating yourself only with those churches and people who adhere to and advance orthodoxy. When you do that, you’ll not only find it easier to recognize falsehood when you hear and see it, you’ll also be that much closer to Christ, because he himself is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).