Apostasy in Christianity
Repudiation of the Christian faith / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Apostasy in Christianity is the repudiation of Christ and the central teachings of Christianity by someone who formerly was a Christian (Christ-follower).[2] The term apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia ("ἀποστασία") meaning "rebellion", "state of apostasy", "abandonment", or "defection".[3] It has been described as "a willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christianity. Apostasy is the rejection of Christ by one who has been a Christian. …"[4] "Apostasy is a theological category describing those who have voluntarily and consciously abandoned their faith in the God of the covenant, who manifests himself most completely in Jesus Christ."[5] "Apostasy is the antonym of conversion; it is deconversion."[1]
This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations. (November 2022) |
B. J. Oropeza, who has written one of the most exhaustive studies on the phenomenon of apostasy in the New Testament (3 Volumes, 793 pages),[6] "uncovered several factors that result in apostasy."[7] Some of these factors overlap, and some Christian communities were "susceptible to more than one of these."[7] The first major factor in a believer committing apostasy (i.e., becoming an unbeliever) is "unbelief."[7] Other factors potentially leading to apostasy include: "persecution," "general suffering and hardship," "false teachings and factions,"[8] "malaise,"[9] "indifference and negligence towards the things of God" (specifically, "the command to love one's neighbors"),[10] and engaging in sinful acts ("vice-doing") or assimilating to the ungodly attitudes and actions reflected in a non-Christian culture.[11]