Heresy: A Matter of the Heart
You’re invited to Regent's 2026 Evening Public Lecture series! Join us in the chapel or tune in online to explore theology, culture, and much more with this year’s Summer faculty.
To livestream this and other Evening Public Lectures, visit rgnt.net/live.
About the Lecture
We in North America are presently witnessing the way that some professing Christians who affirm orthodox tenants of the faith nevertheless advance a form of Christianity that warps the teachings of Jesus. Such a phenomenon is part of Christianity’s long history. But the Christian faith is more about the imitation of Christ than intellectual assent to propositions. The same can be said about heresy. The way people behave betrays their beliefs. Even so, the scholarly tendency when examining parts of the New Testament is to identify heresies lurking in the background as doctrinal ideas that veer from accepted orthodoxy. New Testament writers, however, focus their attention on the scandalous behaviors of those present within the Christian community and the effect on the believers. This suggests that heresy is primarily a matter of the heart. We will explore three of the Catholic (or General) Epistles: 2 Peter, 1 John, and Jude, considering how the authors define distortions of the Christian faith in ethical rather than doctrinal terms.
Related Course
Dennis R. Edwards is teaching A Biblical Theology of Race & Ethnicity (July 13–17) as part of Regent’s 2026 Summer Programs.
Parking: Regent College no longer has its own parking lot. Paid parking options are available nearby with metered parking on Western Parkway, among other locations, and covered pay parking at the Thunderbird Parkade. See parking.ubc.ca for more info.
Location: Regent College Chapel, 5800 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC
Dennis R. Edwards
Dean and Vice President of Church Relations (North Park Theological Seminary)
Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Edwards is the current Dean and Vice President of Church Relations and former Associate Professor of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character (IVP, 2023).