SYNOPSIS: People wonder when it is reasonable to leave off following a teacher. What are the standards for giving loving benefit of the doubt, or assessing them as false and banning them completely from your purview? Both are called for in the Bible.
Continue reading “When to Follow or Reject a Teacher: Biblical Guidance”Tag: false teacher
Navigating False Teachers: Jen Wilkin Exposed by translating her essay into what she’s *really* saying
By Elizabeth Prata
I critique an older essay of Jen Wilkin’s, labeling her a false teacher whose trajectory since 2014 has been downward. I translate her false teacher-speech into what she is really saying, in order to demonstrate that even seemingly soft words and faux-kindness have hidden barbs that destroy. I warn that false teachers use persuasive language, urging discernment when evaluating their messages.
Continue reading “Navigating False Teachers: Jen Wilkin Exposed by translating her essay into what she’s *really* saying”Discernment in Christianity: Learning from Jen Hatmaker’s Fall
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I discuss the decline of Jen Hatmaker’s faith, comparing it to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Hatmaker’s shift towards affirming same-sex relationships and her promotion of faith deconstruction have led to her obvious departure from Christianity. I urge discernment and warns against false teachers who undermine true faith.
Continue reading “Discernment in Christianity: Learning from Jen Hatmaker’s Fall”“What happened to Beth Moore?”
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Discovery of a new discernment critic happily surprised me as his writing was excellent and the structure of the 2 videos I listened to were well-done. Today I share his critique of Beth Moore and make a few comments.
Continue reading ““What happened to Beth Moore?””Is It Sinful For Single Women to Be in the Workforce?
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Today I critique Lori Alexander The Transformed Wife, highlighting her legalistic teachings and their harmful effects on women in faith. I assert that Alexander propagates self-created, unilateral standards about women working outside the home that contradict biblical examples, lack grace, and puts burdens on women. I urge readers to reject Alexander’s burdensome doctrines and instead seek supportive ministries that align with true biblical teachings. Recommendations at the end.
Continue reading “Is It Sinful For Single Women to Be in the Workforce?”Prayers for Leadership: Christians Respond to Trump’s Faith Advisors
By Elizabeth Prata
You’ve heard by now, probably, that President Trump is creating the White House Faith Office led by Paula White. He began the initiative in 2018. One of the people included in the inside of that initiative was Justin Dean, former communications officer for Driscoll’s Mars Hill church, which is also not a good sign-
Dean said on X,
“Trump started the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. He would invite faith leaders to speak into policies and decisions, and sought out their opinions. This led to major prison reform, disaster aid for churches, adoption and foster care reform, and further protections for religious liberty, among others… most notably the appointment of common sense pro- life judges, and the decision on Roe v Wade.”
Good stuff. That is something to praise the Lord for.
The bad part is this: Dean continued, “This initiative included Paula White, Greg Laurie, Jentezen Franklin, Franklin Graham, and many others from all walks of faith and beliefs.”
All those people mentioned are false teachers. Dean continued,
“We have participated in almost monthly calls with political leaders, many times with President Trump joining the calls. He would ask for and listen to our advice, and let us pray over him. We met for many in-person gatherings”…
Good to know that they are so heavily involved, so we can be aware and pray against bad religious advice. We can also pray that the President is searching for truth and will eventually come to the true faith. The alternative is that the bad religious advice he’s receiving will be along the lines of the verse in Matthew 23:15,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Sadly, Dean then said this:
“Trump may not be the best example of a Christian leader, but he does respect and understand the importance of surrounding himself with Christian leaders, and he has proven over the years that he listens and has made many great actions based on their advice. This group has been more influential over his policies and decisions than you’ll ever realize.”
President Trump is not a Christian, nor are the others. It’s good to know, though, that he seems to understand and respect Christianity, such as he understands it. I am old enough to have seen many political leaders simply USING Christianity for their own gain. I don’t sense that here. Of course I am sad that the President’s soul-searching is leading him down this broad path. Perhaps the Lord has a course correction in mind later to the narrow road. I don’t know. The Lord knows.
It’s really no different than Obama being advised by false teacher Rick Warren, or most the the previous generation of Presidents being advised by Billy Graham, who was also false.
What true Christians can do, now that you know how deeply these wolves are involved in governing activities, is to pray for true shepherds to be allowed near the President.
My advice is this: I’ve seen a lot of shock and outrage and distress over Donald Trump’s choice of Paula White. Don’t be shocked. Don’t be distressed. Don’t be outraged. What else can we expect from a non-believer? Why are Christians surprised when non-saved people act like non-saved people? We know Trump is not a believer, so we shouldn’t expect him to act like one. He doesn’t know how to choose a righteous man to help him along the path of righteousness. He can do no less.
What we can pray for is that these wolves will at least even accidentally give the gospel to the President and for him to be saved. And, for him to continue works that align with God’s values, if not the faith, as in opposing abortion, major prison reform, disaster aid for churches, adoption and foster care reform, further protections for religious liberty and so on.
The Lord raised President Trump at this time to lead. He has His reasons. We should do like we always do, pray, watch, and pray some more.
The irreversible destruction of false teachers
By Elizabeth Prata
A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy. (Proverbs 29:1).
Gill’s Exposition explains the intriguing part about broken beyond remedy:
shall suddenly be destroyed; or “broken” (e); as a potter’s vessel is broken to pieces with an iron rod, and can never he put together again; so such persons shall be punished with everlasting destruction, which shall come upon them suddenly, when they are crying Peace to themselves notwithstanding the reproofs of God and men;
I understand that when Christians are developing and practicing discernment, it’s sometimes difficult to detect a false teacher, especially in the early days of the false teacher’s ministry or the early days of the Christian. Other people, though they suspect, find it hard to admit that their favorite teacher is false. “But they teach about Jesus!” they say. I know, it’s interesting to listen to some of the more crafty (Genesis 3:1) teachers who have such eloquence of tongue and then believe they are insincere. But remember that the antichrist is prophesied to gain the world by a smooth tongue and flattery. (Daniel 11:21). These present mini-antichrists (1 John 2:22) are almost as smooth as the prophesied Antichrist will be in the future, so it is no wonder that they are so slick in their speeches.
The main way to detect a false teacher of course is to compare what they say to the Bible (Acts 17:11).
But even then, some are so disguised as an angel of light that they never put a word wrong. Think of Demas who traveled with Paul, Simon Magus who was baptized by Philip, and of course Judas who lived WITH the disciples.
So here is another way to detect a false teacher: how they react when they are corrected or challenged. Doctrine is utmost, but behavior is important. How does the true or the false teacher respond when posed a question, challenged in their interpretation, or rebuked for their teaching?
It’s the behavior when corrected that also indicates the true vs false teacher. If the teacher is God-honoring s/he cares about the word as primary importance. How crushing it is when we say or teach something in error or contrary to proper exposition! We hasten to correct, humbling ourselves to Him and the truth of His word.
The false teacher who rebels when teaching the word will continue to rebel when corrected in the word. As the Proverb says, he will harden his neck. Stiff necked is a synonym for stubborn. Instead of being teachable and gentle, the false teacher will entrench him or herself into stubbornness and double down on their position. This is because they are full of pride, and care not for the truth of God’s word. They SAY they care, but their behavior SHOWS they do not.
The second half of the Proverb is encouraging. I know it’s all the rage to claim love and kindness to and for false teachers, but I do not. If a teacher has abused the name of Christ, twisted His words, and persistently shown that they care only for themselves, money or fame, harming His sheep in the process, the second half of the Proverb is rallying to my soul. It motivates me to leave the judgment of this scourge of fiery ants to the Lord, and to take comfort in His timing. They WILL be broken beyond remedy. Good.
When challenged over these issues the false teachers stiffen themselves, they entrench into their stubbornness. This is a God-ordained exposure. Let us not ignore these exposures seen through their behavior, but heed the wisdom in Proverbs.
It’s OK to take comfort in the knowledge of the coming permanent and irreversible destruction of these wolves. It means that the name of Jesus will eternally remain spotless with no dung thrown on Him or on His people, ever again. What a day that will be!
Q&A: Is warning about a person (ie. Beth Moore) different than gossip?
By Elizabeth Prata
I received this question in my comment section. Here is the question and my answer. I thought it was a good one. See what you think:
Q. I was convicted by the article about gossip, but wondered if you could explain how warning about a person (ie. Beth Moore) is different than gossip. Thank you.
A. Good question. Today’s climate has become so sensitive that anything that is said negatively about another person is screamed to be GOSSIP! (or slander). If warning something negative about a false teacher like Beth Moore is gossip, then Paul gossiped when publicly called out in his letters Alexander, Philetus, Hymenaeus, Demas, Phygelus, and Hermogenes; or John against the Nicolaitans. The instructions in Matthew 18 for church discipline where two go to confront a person in their sin, or if they have to confront the person in front of the church as we are instructed in some cases, would also be gossip.
We are told in Ephesians 5:12-12 Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
Warning the sisters or sharing with your pastor is one way to expose them.
Let’s understand the terms, first. I found this definition online: “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true.”
Meanwhile, discernment is a conscious effort to consider the right and wrong of a situation based on biblical doctrinal or behavioral standards.
Gossip: “I heard that Susie is having an affair and her husband is considering a divorce!” (unsubstantiated negative news and unnecessary to repeat).
Gossip: “Susie told me she flunked the Bar Exam again!” (substantiated because it came from the primary source, but unnecessary to repeat)
Not Gossip: “Pastor, Elder John confirmed to me he is having an affair and divorcing Susie, and he refused to repent when I and Jim confronted him about it”. (Substantiated and necessary to repeat to proper authority as per 1 Timothy 3:2, Matthew 18).
Not Gossip: “Pastor I need to let you know that John, who has recently come to our church and applied for membership and to serve in Kids Club, has a record of child sexual molestation in another state according to that state’s online sex registry, and he is hiding this fact from you.” Obvious why this substantiated information needs to be repeated to proper authority.
While many people warn others about the dangers of a particular false teacher’s teaching, sermons, Bible studies etc, when we begin warning because of their lifestyle, the claim that someone is gossiping becomes more heated.
Yet we are to watch both life and doctrine. Most of the qualifications for teachers of the faith are behavioral. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 has it as well as Titus 1:5-9. Behavioral standards for youths, women, and slaves are contained in Titus 2, among other places (Proverbs, etc).
Joel Osteen is known for his false teachings of the prosperity gospel, (doctrine) but Mark Driscoll was disqualified mainly due to his unbiblical behavior (behavior).
Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. (Titus 2:3-5).
While all gossip is bad, the verse here emphasizes “malicious gossip”. The meaning in Greek is a “false accuser; unjustly criticizing to hurt (malign) and condemn to sever a relationship.” The intention is to hurt another person or to harm a relationship.
Jesus said to test the fruit of the teachers’ lives (Matthew 7:15–20) and this includes behavior- good fruit or bad fruit. Paul urged the Thessalonians to test his fruit in 1 Thessalonians 1:5, saying just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes and then in verse 6 Paul urged the congregation to imitate him. His behavioral witness was part of his qualification.
While it is harder to know what kind of men (or women) they prove to be if they are a celebrity Bible teacher and you know them only by online works, it is still possible to make an assessment and to substantiate it (test the fruit). Except, be careful not to spread secondhand news, OR to spread news of a behavior that has happened only once or twice. Be patient, look for a pattern, like the police look for a MO (modus operandi, which means “mode of operating”.)
Mainly, we can test if it’s gossip vs. a warning if the information is true, if the information be substantiated, and if it is necessary to repeat. Warning someone about a false teacher, if that has been substantiated, is necessary. It’s actually commanded. It would be like if the Sheriff came to your neighborhood homes to warn about an escaped convict in the area and gave you the details of his behavior and what he looks like, and you told him that this is gossip and you won’t listen. The sheriff came to you for your protection. It’s the same with discernment, warning about an evildoer outlaw is for your spiritual protection.
Keep the questions coming, I appreciate them. Finally, I thought this was a good link explaining the difference:
Further Resources
The Masters University- Beware of False teachers
Article by Matt Mitchell: The Scriptures do not provide a definition of gossip in one location. Instead, they describe gossip in action and intimately tie it to the character of the people participating in this tantalizing sin. The Bible often uses the word gossip to describe a kind of person more than just a pattern of communication. FMI- What is Gossip? Exposing a Common and Dangerous Sin
Wolf Week # 5: Why does God allow false teachers?
By Elizabeth Prata
“Beware of supposing that a teacher of religion is to be trusted, because although he holds some unsound views, he yet ‘teaches a great deal of truth.’ Such a teacher is precisely the man to do you harm: poison is always most dangerous when it is given in small doses and mixed with wholesome food”. JC Ryle
Wolf Week Intro: or, We DO know the heart
Wolf Week # 1: My two “starter false teachers”
Wolf Week # 2: Why Wolves?
Wolf Week # 3: Types of false teachers and their different methods
Wolf Week # 4: Has that false teacher REALLY ‘helped’ you?
I’ve spent the last 5 days discussing from the Bible the fact of false teachers, their methods, their characteristics, and their traits. False teachers are destructive to the individual, to the local church body, and to the faith in general.
and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:30)
So that leaves one last important question. Why does God allow false teachers? Why does He allow them to destroy? Why does He use false teachers to pollute the faith, draw away the unwary, and make shipwrecks of whole churches? (Revelation 2:20[Thyatira], 3:1 [Sardis], 3:16 [Laodicea]). What good can a false teacher possibly do in God’s Economy?
For there also have to be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. (1 Corinthians 11:19).
That’s the reason. False teachers are a magnet for the sinner, the unsaved, the fleshly. If these people are drawn to a false teacher, and especially if they stay with a false teacher after evidence is presented, a schism forms between the redeemed and the person who prefers falsity.
God uses the false teacher as a magnet to show which side people are on. And don’t think we the forgiven sinner, is immune to following a false teacher. We have sin in us and are drawn just as the false professing believer is. In fact, we should be grateful for the false teacher’s existence if we follow one for a time, because we can then repent and ask God to help us. And then praise Him for his help, patience, and forgiveness. False teachers show us our blind spots of sin.
In Matthew 7:15 Jesus had warned the disciples that false teachers are like wolves that wear sheep’s clothing. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus said He was sending them as sheep out to where the wolves were. In Acts 20:20 Paul said he knew that after his departure savage wolves will come. Wolves are quite the theme in the New Testament. Wolfish false teachers cause division. And that is a good thing, noting the verse again,
For there also have to be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. (1 Corinthians 11:19).
He did send us a measuring tool to allow us to determine with evidence some who are professors and who actually possesses the Spirit, and that is the wolf. The wolf is a test.
In the verse above, we see the word factions. The word has been translated in different translations as divisions, differences, and even heresies. It is from the Greek word haireomai; properly, a choice, i.e. a party or disunion. It means a self-chosen opinion, a personal (decisive) choice. The term stresses the personal aspect of choice. Sources- Strong’s Greek and NASB Lexicon.
If you ever wondered why a person would defend a false teacher even after having been given evidence of their falsity, this is why. They CHOOSE it. It is a strongly decisive choice according to the word use in the original language.
Now we read this verse,
Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes! (Matthew 18:7).
The world has various and ingenious ways of tempting the Christian to stumble. One of the most direct ways is through a false teacher. How?
By doing like Jezebel, by teaching doctrine that isn’t biblical. I think you commit the most heinous of all crimes. That’s why the Bible speaks so forcefully against false teachers, because they lead God’s people into the worse kind of sin, and that is a misrepresentation of who God is. And that’s the severest of all, because if your God isn’t right, you can’t settle anything. And so false teachers are the ultimate who are guilty in this regard. John MacArthur, The Danger of Causing a Christian to Sin sermon on Matthew 18:5–9.
The false teacher is used by God as a magnet, a curse, and a crowbar to make a separation between the true believer and the false believer. For his part, the true believer/false believer goes along with it by his choice. It is a test.
but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in trickery nor distorting the word of God, but by the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2).
So ultimately the answer to the question, Why does God allow false teachers? As John Piper says, “The result is that we learn the exceeding sinfulness of sin by how we more easily embrace false teaching rather than biblical truth.” So the answer is, to test us.
Secondly, everything He does is for His glory, and our good. So while it is a trial for us to endure false teachers, it is for our good and His glory that they should exist. False teachers test our sinfulness, and they display Gods patience. What we do is pray to stay strong in the faith, trust God, and repent early and often. God is good, all the time.
Wolf Week # 3: Types of false teachers and their different methods
By Elizabeth Prata
Wolf Week Intro: or, We DO know the heart
Wolf Week # 1: My two “starter false teachers”
Wolf Week # 2: Why Wolves?
Wolf Week # 4: Has that false teacher REALLY ‘helped’ you?
Wolf Week # 5: Why does God allow false teachers?
When we read directions telling us to quiet ourselves, to ‘be still’ so we can hear God because too many distractions dampen our ability to hear Him – it says something important about God:
1. It says that God can’t cut through ambient noise to make Himself heard.
2. It says that He created the creation, but can’t control it enough to get His message to the ears of the person to whom He intends to speak.
For years I have written discernment articles about discerning certain movements, trends, and this or that particular false teacher. One of my earliest was a series on Beth Moore, who became one of my ‘starter false teachers’ thirteen years ago. (Joel Osteen was the other). I wrote about that the other day.
2 Timothy 4:3 says, For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
Thus, one way the symbolism of the wolf differs from the actual false teacher, is that the animal wolf preys on mammals who are minding their own business. The false teacher wolf has a partnership with its prey. The ‘victims’ of the false teacher deliberately prop up the teacher. ‘They accumulate for themselves’ teachers who teach something that satisfies an unrepented-of lust in their flesh. It may be sensuality, greed, health, or whatever. But people who cling to false teachers even after being shown how dangerous she is, have culpability for perpetuating the problem.
Repent early and often so the wolf does not smell out your sin and nurse it for you.
So, discernment is more than pointing out this or that false teacher. False teachers also exhibit certain characteristics. As is written at The Masters University, false teachers exhibit a “pathology.” We need to be “spiritual pathologists” to detect them.
To that end, below are some excellent articles outlining the characteristics of false teachers describing the types of things they do to deceive. If you are reading an author’s Christian book or listening to a podcast or sermon, and you begin to wonder if the person is solid or if he or she is a wolf, these are good articles to start ‘testing the fruit’ of their teaching or behavior.
The Pathology of False Teachers
Here is The Masters University with their article The Pathology of False Teachers“, well worth a read. Here’s a gem-
“It takes careful discernment to see that the light is really darkness. Paul taught Timothy how to diagnose satanic darkness masquerading as divine light. Here’s how he described the key symptoms that identify those infected with the spiritual disease of false teaching:”
The article then goes on to describe each symptom of the false teacher disease.
10 Characteristics of False Teachers
Here is Noah Adams, lead pastor of City Park Church in CO, with a list of 10 Characteristics of False Teachers. It’s at Linkedin but you don’t have to sign in to read it, just press the X and the pop-up goes away. He matched each type of false teacher with scripture, then explains.
1.They creep in unnoticed (Jude 1:4)
2. They operate in secret (2 Peter 2:1-3)
3. They have many followers (2 Peter 2:1-3)
4. They create division and obstacles (Romans 16:17)
5. No matter what it seems like, they do not have God (2 John 1:7-11)
6. Some began in sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1-5)
7. Their words seem intelligent (1 Timothy 6:20-21, Colossians 2:8)
8. They look like legitimate apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Matthew 7:15)
9. They target the spiritually naive (Romans 16:17-18)
10. They twist Scripture (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Timothy 4:3-4)
7 Traits of False Teachers
Here is Colin Smith with “7 Traits of False Teachers” from The Gospel Coalition (in 2013, back when they were pretty OK). This is a different article from the similarly named article below. Smith explains why these false teachers are different, with a short answer from the Bible for each question.
1.Different Source—Where does the message come from?
2. Different Message—What is the substance of the message?
3. Different Position—In what position will the message leave you?
4. Different Character—What kind of people does the message produce?
5. Different Appeal—Why should you listen to the message?
6. Different Fruit—What result does the message have in people’s lives?
7. Different End—Where does the message ultimately lead you?
7 Traits of False Teachers
Here is Tim Challies with 7 Traits of False Teachers, which include The Heretic, The Charlatan, The Prophet, The Abuser, The Divider, The Tickler, The Speculator.
If you are thinking of a particular false teacher right now, go to Challies’ article and see if you can match your false teacher with one of his certain 7 traits.
False Teachings and How to Battle Them
Kim Sorgius Jones at Not Consumed has an essay outlining several steps to guarding your kids from false teaching. I am not familiar with this blog or this author, but I liked her approach in this one essay. She identifies 7 false teaching messages that kids are likely to fall prey to in our culture today, including:
Follow your heart,
Godly living brings prosperity,
Right choices will get you the perfect life,
God will never give you more than you can handle,
If you try harder, you can be right with God,
I deserve better,
I need ME time.
More at “7 False Teaching Messages & How to Battle Them“.
Further Reading
Tim Challies “The Spiritual Gift of Discernment” book.
Far too often the gift of discernment is said to be little more than a gift for making good decisions–for knowing God’s will when we need to turn to the left or the right. Yet the Bible tells us that it is more.
Sinclair Ferguson, “What is Discernment?” article.
True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best.
the-end-time.org 