1 John

What if heresy had grown within the church, maturing secretly over more than a millennium, working ill under the cover of right belief and worship? This startling and provocative book argues that the ancient heresy of Docetism, reappearing in a form resonant with its original denial of Christ's body, has brought the Western church to its current state of disrepair. Docetism has irreparably fractured Western Christendom, reducing the church to a tangled mass of denominations and sects, while also infecting the course of Western society beyond the ecclesia. Progressing from an ontological foundation oriented toward the dissolution of form, Docetism has led peoples convinced of their march toward unity into ever deepening alienation. Although it has repercussions for theological anthropology, this ontological foundation has its profoundest implications for the doctrine of God. The solution to Docetism, as proposed by the author, begins with a theory of the Trinity grounded in the tenets of biblical Wisdom and explicated in terms of the relations of origin between the divine persons. ""Cantey offers a direct challenge to Christians who would look lightly on the divisions that have marked the Church throughout its history. Arguing from an avowedly Orthodox perspective on history, the contemporary Church, and the book of First John, Cantey challenges Christians to consider the problem of disunity as a kind of 'New Docetism.' Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant believers alike will find Cantey's book insightful, confrontational, and provocative."" --Matthew Lynch, Dean of Studies, Lecturer in Old Testament, Westminster Theological Centre ""If the Holy Spirit gathers the Body of Christ in unity, as Israel hearing our God is One and loving thy God with all your heart create unity of people and self at one with God in the Covenant, then what are we to make of division in the Western Church? 1 John offers a profoundly unsettling and challenging answer to this question."" --Steven M. Tipton, author of Public Pulpits and The Life to Come ""In this challenging book, Cantey reminds us that loss of unity is a threat to the church as well as the state. His vigorous call for a renewed appreciation of the body of Christ will trouble some readers, but his championing of ecclesial solidarity and service to God and neighbor can help provide a corrective for the fragmented modern city."" --Timothy P. Jackson, Professor of Christian Ethics, Candler School of Theology, Emory University L. Daniel Cantey Jr. teaches religion and philosophy at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee. He earned his doctorate at Emory University and his master's in theology from Yale Divinity School. Prior to graduate study he served as an officer in the US Army, including participation in the invasion of Iraq (2003). Mr. Cantey converted to Eastern Orthodoxy from Protestantism in 2013.