Someone has said that a heresy is any deviation from an accepted standard within a religious group. I can think of at least three distinct areas where deviations within a group and resulting conflicts can take place.

1. A shift in the accepted doctrinal stance
2. A departure from Biblical moral standards
3. and when there’s a departure from normal relational standards.

When Gandhi said, "… if it were only for Christ, I would have gladly become a Christian." He was reacting to the latter of the three. Arguably, (and it's of my opinion) relational heresy is the greatest obstacle to the spread of the Gospel.

Jesus said that you could judge the genuineness of his disciples by their relationships. (John 13:35). Doctrinal purity is necessary; moral purity is essential; but we can have both without relational purity and fail to be His disciple. Paul described this in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 when he speaks of three kinds of churches; the doctrinally correct (verse 1), the spiritually gifted (verse 2), and the socially attuned (verse 3). Without relational purity, Paul says, we’re nothing.

Through the years we've all experienced random acts of love and kindness within our Christian communities. But the present emerging church, it appears, is modeling a standard of relational purity that has the potential of demonstrating the transforming nature of the gospel unlike the previous generations. This is key if there is going to be a penetration of postmodern America. For the Gospel message is best proclaimed out of a community of love.