In The Heretical Imperative, sociologist Peter Berger de-fangs the term “heretic,” helping us see the forces at play in producing heretics as natural and inevitable. No group, once formed, remains pure. Some members of that group will notice the changes and suggest ways in which the group has lost its original purity, and how to get it back. Is there a limit to “heresy” before it becomes “apostasy”? If so, what are the boundaries that separate loyal dissenter and outsider enemy? How can we understand the dynamics of our dissents?

Charles Randall Paul