Heresy and Christian growth

  One of my theology professors commented once that without exception all of the early church fathers believed things that we would now consider serious heresy.  That was a bit jarring.  Nearly ten years later, it makes a bit more sense, but it's still jarring.  It's almost like some of us subtly believe that heaven is reached by good theology, or at least by not having bad theology. So, here's the question: How much bad theology is allowable in order to be given relationship with God the Father and His Son Jesus?  Does enough bad theology cancel out faith? (The question is put a bit tongue-in-cheek, as I believe I am entirely orthodox on this point.)   

  My physical context is a country with Christian roots that go back to Antioch and Acts 11, and there is evidence of this ancient history all around me.  Thus I followed a friend's recommendation to read Philip Jenkins' The Lost History of Christianity about the history of the church in Asia and Africa.  It has been a very enjoyable read, but it has also revealed the ignorance of so many statements I have made and agreed to across many areas of Christian thought for most of my life.

  See, the Eastern church was never really part of the church history I have known.  After the 400's I assume that's because many of them were declared heretics for their beliefs on the nature of the union of Christ's human and divine natures.  But, while the Western view certainly has more biblical basis in my mind, does that mean that members of those other churches were automatically unregenerate because of this?  

  For instance, if we say that the Catholic church was corrupt in the Middle Ages (an obvious understatement at points), are we saying that there were not true Christians or even true churches within the Catholic church for 1,000+ years?  No, we are making a millennial generality.  In the same way then, why should we be taught nothing of the Asian and African churches from the earliest centuries onward.  Incidentally, numerically, the Asian and African churches likely made up 30-50% of the professed Christians in the world, especially during the early Middle Ages; while geographically the Church of the East would have been larger than either the Catholic or Orthodox Churches for much of this time.

The Three-Fold Christian world, centered on Jerusalem

  While parts of Jenkins' perspective may be controversial, the history hardly seems more difficult than sorting through the mess of European Christianity during that same time period.  Much of it is simply a history which is generally forgotten because as the author says, "the elimination has been so thorough as to obliterate any memory that Christians were ever there."  Other than professional historians, who knows that for centuries there were major Christian centers in Turkmenistan, Persia, Japan, China and Tibet, and possibly Java?  

  In any case, this book offers a history that provides insight into diverse areas from persecution (It wasn't all expansion.) to miraculous gifts (These were commonly reported, regardless of what we think of that. This should be acknowledged in the gifts debate.) to history (Paul's call at Troas took the church to Europe instead of Asia?) to the spread of the good news (Why didn't it reach China before Taylor?).  Maybe most importantly, the book asks the question of why the church can get wiped out in its most native context and why it might also survive when faced with terrible persecution.  What makes the difference?

  So, we are left wondering how much bad theology is too much?  Or, to frame the question the right way, how much of Jesus as He actually is and has revealed Himself does one have to know and acknowledge in order to love Him who has first loved us?  I am thankful to have learned of more of those who have loved the same Savior in hard times and places, even though the theological conundrum is beyond my ability to dissect.

  *Much of this history is also available in "The Church of the East" and other articles on Wikipedia.  However, the book is well worth the $10, as it is very well written.