I say that discernment must be both doctrinal and pastoral: Tertullian diagnoses heresy as social and ritual disorder that faithful discipline corrects; Augustine comforts the pilgrim who waits for bodily redemption while pursuing spiritual maturity; Aquinas supplies a workable scheme—test the proximate object, ask after the end, assess circumstances and consent—so pastors can form consciences without excusing culpability or condemning the weak. (Matthew 7:15; Romans 13:11; Romans 7:15)

Readings:

Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics, Chapters 39–41

Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions, Book 11, Chapter 14

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part 1–2, Question 20

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