I've been reading McGrath's book - Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth, which contains a forward by Rick Warren -not a big selling point to me, but the book is still a benefit for those concerned about doctrinal standards. To my readers, it is important to note that there are two basic types of heresies. One is a heresy of a secondary level, that is to say, it does not touch upon a core identity of Christian doctrine. (I will see Wesleyans in heaven, even though I think their view of sanctification to be semi-Pelagian). However, there is another kind, which is first level heresy, or we may say "damnable heresy", in the sense it falls outside acceptable boundaries and undercuts Christian belief. With this nuance, I will share some good quotes by McGrath, which by the way, is a top notch Anglican scholar and apologist.
"The essential feature of heresy is that it is not unbelief in the strict sense of the term, but a form of that faith that is held ultimately to be subversive or destructive, and thus indirectly leads to such unbelief. Unbelief is the outcome, but not the form, of heresy." pg. 33.
"[Heresy] smuggles rival accounts of reality into the household of faith. It is a Trojan horse, a means of establishing (whether by accident or design) an alternative belief system within its host. Heresy appears to be Christian, yet it is actually an enemy of faith that sows the seed of faith's destruction." pg. 34
More than once, I have heard a reference to doctrinal purists as being "heresy sniffers", as if they are blood hounds out to track down any and all heretics to purify the church. Perhaps that is a danger, but little is said in our current tolerable age to point out the dangers of heterodoxy. Orthodoxy, rightly understood, is a place to live and enjoy the truth of God's grace as a distinct community with clear boundaries. Once this is tossed out as irrelevant, then unbelief breeds like mold in a damp swamp.
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