Metochoi Learning

The ad hominem fallacy—attacking a person’s background, pedigree, or character rather than addressing their actual argument—is as old as debate itself. In theological discussion, however, it does more than derail dialogue: it obscures the clarity of God’s Word. When theological traditions substitute personal dismissals for careful biblical exegesis, truth is eclipsed. The Scriptures call believers to test every teaching against God’s clear revelation, not against the credentials, perceived motives, or personal reputations of the messengers.

The false dilemma—often termed the bifurcation fallacy or the either/or fallacy—occurs when an argument presents two mutually exclusive options while deliberately or naively ignoring viable alternatives. In theological debate, this error reduces rich biblical tension to an unyielding, artificial choice: either a professing believer lives in sustained, visible victory, or they were never truly born again at all.