This is Communio Sanctorum, the history of the Christian Church, season two.

This episode is titled Heretics Part 4, Compelling Issues.

And this episode of Communio Sanctorum is going to be significantly different from our usual

fair.

Whereas when I give commentary on things, I usually verbally mark them off by giving a caveat

and saying I'm offering an opinion.

This entire episode is that.

And here's why.

Hang with me for a bit because it's going to take a little time to explain.

This series on Heretics, of which this is part four, assumes a right and wrong perspective on Christian doctrine.

To call a belief for a person heretical means accepting some standard of orthodoxy.

To say someone is out means knowing what in is.

And not a few of the subscribers to CS no doubt find that assumption to be hideously arrogant.

Many more will at least consider it at best to be arbitrary. I wish I had solid figures,

but there's really no way to know what percentage of the CS audience hails from the various

faith and non-faith perspectives. But speaking anecdotally, I can say with confidence that a

significant part of our audience is religiously unaffiliated. Some are agnostic, others

are atheists, but they've shared their enthusiasm for the podcast because it's helped fill

in a hole in their education and their knowledge of what they admit is an important part

of history. While there have been a couple of non-theists over the last few years that have

expressed their hostility, both to the podcast and to me personally, the vast majority have been kind, civil,

even respectful while expressing disagreement on theological issues.

...