About This Project

Are You a Heretic? is an interactive exploration of Christian doctrinal history — 2,000 years of councils, condemnations, and shifting orthodoxies, presented through an 18-question quiz that maps your beliefs against the real rulings of real councils.

What This Is

An invitation to intellectual humility. Most Christians have accidentally believed at least one ancient heresy. The Trinity, the nature of Christ, the mechanics of salvation — these are genuinely difficult concepts, and the historical church spent centuries working out the precise language to describe them. The debates were fierce, the politics were brutal, and the results were often surprising.

This project makes that history accessible, engaging, and — dare we say — fun. Every question in the quiz corresponds to a real theological controversy. Every "condemnation" points to a real council, confession, or authoritative body. The deep dive pages provide fuller explanations of each heresy, its historical context, and its modern relevance.

What This Is NOT

This is not an attack on faith. We are not mocking anyone's beliefs. We're showing that the history of doctrine is far more surprising and more fascinating than most people realise. The goal is wonder, not cynicism. The truth has nothing to fear from honest questions.

The core insight: "orthodoxy" is contextual and shifting. "Heresy" describes the consensus of a particular community at a particular time. What's affirmed at Nicaea in 325 is condemned at Rimini in 359 and re-affirmed at Constantinople in 381. The belief most Christians consider most basic — the Trinity — was officially heretical across the Roman Empire for twenty years.

If the labels shift, maybe they were never the point. The gospel invites us into a relationship with God — we shouldn't mistake the means for the end, or hold our version of truth so tightly that we lose sight of the truth-maker himself.

How the Quiz Works

18 questions cover the major areas of Christian theology: the Trinity, Christology, salvation, the sacraments, eschatology, church authority, and more. Every answer option maps to a historical heresy — there is no "safe" answer. After each question, you learn which council condemned that view, when, and why.

At the end, you receive your "heresy profile" — a summary of every council, confession, and tradition that would condemn your particular combination of beliefs. The payoff: everyone who takes the quiz discovers they're a heretic according to someone. That's not a bug. It's the point.

Sources and Methodology

Every condemnation cited in this project is based on the historical record of actual church councils, confessions, and synods. The primary ecumenical councils (Nicaea I through Nicaea II) are supplemented by regional councils, Reformation-era confessions, and modern doctrinal statements. The anti-Nicene councils of 341-360 AD are included to show that "orthodoxy" has always been contested.

Key scholarly sources consulted include the works of J.N.D. Kelly, R.P.C. Hanson, Lewis Ayres, Jaroslav Pelikan, and Alister McGrath on the history of Christian doctrine.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback? This project is open to scholarly critique and historical correction. If we've gotten something wrong, we want to know.