Posted with full permission by my annonymous brother-in -Christ.
Being as how I have lately needed a lobotomy because of frustration of all the false teaching surrounding me, and also because I have the spiritual gift of nitpicking, I decided that my doctor was right. I NEED TO WRITE THIS DOWN!! My top 4 most frustrating false teachings and how to identify them are as follows...
1. Health wealth and prosperity
a) What do they teach?
Self esteem. God want’s you to be rich, happy and healthy. God is your buddy, or your business partner, helping you succeed in life. People are poor because they aren’t “go-getters” like you. The poor have chosen their lifestyle, so don’t worry about them. “God helps those who help themselves.” Although not ALL bad teaching, they most likely do have a number of true converts, but I suspect it’s in spite of their bad teaching, not because of it. They tend to focus on your overall well being in relation to others. And often have healing campaigns where people fall over or get kicked in the stomach, by the pastor. Completely ignoring the tenth commandment, they seem to be obsessed with material things and health as a sign that God is pleased with you. The more stuff you have, the more God will like you. (or is that, the more God likes you the more stuff you will have?.. Ah whatever, it’s false anyway)
b)What do their churches look like?
HUGE!! Super bowl huge! Lots of people, large parking lots. State of the art equipment with all the latest bells and whistles. Big screen TV’s everywhere. Church building comes complete with a Starbucks, studio, Lazy-Boy recliners that replace pews, and a worship team that would make Brittney Spears look like an amateur.
c)Why are they wrong?
They appeal to natural human lusts thereby insuring a large congregation. They talk very little or not at all about sin, or judgment. Very man centered instead of God centered. They twist the meaning of the Bible to fit their own agenda. Low view of scripture, even lower than that… lower, LOWER.. Yah about that low.
d)How do they evangelize?
Typically they will simply invite you to their church. Since their church is chalk full of entertainment and very friendly people, the sinner will feel compelled to stay, thinking that they’ve finally found a place where they can “be themselves“. (just like everyone else) Other techniques of evangelism might include signing a card saying that you’ve given your life to Jesus. No repentance of sin necessary, and the Card can be redeemed for 50 dollars off at the Church’s Starbucks.
e)Who are their leaders?
The high profile leaders are Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland. There are MANY others though, scattered all over north America. Ironically, these leaders are rampant in the US and Canada, but are much fewer in other parts of the world… I wonder why.
2. The Emergent Apostasy
a)What do they teach?
Who knows? Seriously, I don’t even think they know for sure what they teach. They don’t appear to adhere to any clear or long held doctrine. They redefine words, making it impossible to have a conversation about beliefs without massive confusion. The only thing they seem to know for sure is that you can’t know anything for sure. (which still makes my head spin) Trying to figure them out is like nailing Jell-O to the wall. They are more concerned with acceptance, the environment, treatment of animals, and feelings, than the truth of scripture. They can be indifferent to sex outside of marriage, pornography, homosexual activities, and abortion along with other obvious sins, but not necessarily always indifferent. The only thing they are dogmatic about is that you can NOT be wrong, you can’t put God in a box, and Everything is up for interpretation. Preferring to base their theology on the Matrix movies, being “enlightened” and the like, this makes for one confusing church. They tend to be pragmatic rather than adhering to scripture, replacing “Thus sayith the LORD” with “I think God meant this…(insert whatever you “feel” at the moment here)” They can be as heretical as universalists or atheists, yet somehow, by the grace of God, they can STILL have true Christians in their midst.
b)What do their churches look like?
Just like any other church building, they can be as small as an apartment room, or as large as the super bowl. They do tend to gravitate towards trends, and being hip and relevant seems to be a major goal for them. Some extreme congregations no longer have a pulpit or pews, opting instead for chairs in a circle with a bar stool in the middle. Incense is a must, and sometimes even play U2 music for worship songs. (seriously) Bibles are scarce, but not always completely absent. I once attended a Church that was expositing Rick Warrens book, “the propose driven life“. I’ve lost a few friends but, I’ve never gone back.
c)Why are they wrong?
Their hatred for being clearly defined leaves them foundationless, and ultimately makes most of what they believe pointless and self refuting. This in turn makes their teachings very easy to identify and dismantle for Mature Christians who are drenched in Biblical teachings. Since this apostasy is quickly sweeping across my home town, I’ve had the privilege of speaking to a few dedicated Emergents. While they are very interesting and fun to talk to, it should be forewarned that they tend to be very unstable and/or emotional. Specifically if they even get a small hint that you might flat out disagree with them, they might label you intolerant, legalistic, or worse. Ironically though they will avoid saying that you are wrong, even if they don’t think you’re right.
d)How do they evangelize?
“what does ‘evangelize’ mean to you?”
e)Who are their leaders?
Some of the more public leaders of this ‘leaderless’ movement include Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, and Rob Bell. These types of leaders are becoming increasingly popular, probably due to their obsession to popularity, the latest trends, and fashion . Their churches and groups are growing at an astounding rate, due to their acceptance of anyone with an “open mind”. Unfortunately that excludes us “close-minded fundamentalists” who believe Jesus is the ONLY way. They gotta be ‘intolerant’ only to people that have made up their minds.
3. Seeker sensitive (self help)
a)What do they teach?
God is interested in fulfilling you needs, He’ll help you with whatever you ask for. Philippians 4:13 is their foundational teaching. Prosperity preaching not far behind, God will grant you whatever you want, even if it’s in opposition to what He wants. Basically they think of God as a bellhop or a magic genie. Focusing on evangelism, they think that a big church is what God wants and they strive to grow their congregation to the exclusion of what the Bible says. Meeting the needs of their followers is of first priority. They are always happy to change everything to get a few more pew warmers, and they have multiple programs to keep everyone happy. Some good Bible teaching can be found, but I’ve also heard of seeker sensitives preaching from … drum roll please…….DR. SEUSS!?
b)What do their churches look like?
Just like any other church, but with a LOT more programs, and I’m not talking theology or gospel centered programs, I mean addiction programs, marriage counseling, jail ministries, with the youth doing car washes every week, going on “mission” trips without preaching the gospel, but instead helping in soup kitchens, handing out blankets to homeless people, and singing at old folks homes… all of these things in and of themselves are great, and theirs nothing biblically wrong with them, but because they hardly ever preach the Gospel they are simply making the world a better place to go to hell from.
c)Why are they wrong?
The biggest problem is that they take polls from non Christians to find out what kind of Church they want, and adjust it to suit the heathen. Being very VERY man centered, they are obsessed with self esteem, keeping people happy, and changing things to make church more appealing to everyone. They will twist scripture so as to not offend. Hardly ever preaching the gospel, there are few true sheep in the congregation who are starving to death.
d)How do they evangelize?
Knock-knock “who do you want God to be? What kind of church would you attend?” sending out questionnaires, or going door to door. When an answer is given they change a few things in church to make it more accommodating, and invite the people they polled. Thus they fill their churches with false converts, and spend the rest of the time teaching them how to “act” Christian. In other words they are teaching how to be a hypocrite.
e)Who are their leaders?
Bill Hybels, and Rick Warren come to mind, they are as numerous as sand on the seashore. Seeker sensitives aren’t always bad, and I do agree that a Church should be seeker friendly, but NOT to the exclusion to how the Bible says we ought to do church. Thus I label a Church “seeker sensitive” only if Biblical Church authority is completely ignored.
4. New age
a)What do they teach?
Close your eyes, empty your mind, and imagine you are a flowing river, breath in deeply and repeat after me “hummmmmmmwalla walla ring the ding dong bell whoooosaaaaaa whooooosaaaa hummmmmm likeanidiotitumbleandfallintoatranceandannoypeoplearondmeeeeeeeeeeee” now rub some stones, play with the doll with the pins and the needles, and bow down to your wooden statue. Walk around with a robe and a candle, and if any ‘fundy’ quotes scripture, even though in ancient history we would burn ‘em, lynch ’em, or hang ’em, today we can only scare ’em, threaten ’em or ridicule ‘em.
b)What do their churches look like?
From television shows to Buddhist huts, to school gymnasiums, to cult temples, to regular church buildings, This ’buffet style’ religion will find dwelling anywhere they can.
c)Why are they wrong?
Your kidding right? How are they NOT wrong? For one, they are as postmodern as you can get. Believing that all roads lead to God, this universalistic ’all inclusive” religion very closely trails the Emergents with their open mindedness. As heretical as you can get, this religion can even lead to Satan worship. The only thing that really ticks them off is Scripture quoting (especially King James)…. Lucky me!
d)How do they evangelize?
They don’t. If you’re a true Christian I think they’d sooner kill you than convert you.
e)Who are their leaders?
Eckhart Tolle and Oprah Winfrey, are a few of the more famous but less obvious ones.William P. Young is a newbee, but vastly popular due to his “Christian” book that has more than a hint of the new age smell.
Now that I’ve vented on what my most frustrating false teachings are, you might wonder what does the Bible say?
The Bible
a) What does the Bible teach?
Mankind was created in God’s image, but since the fall, all mankind has been radically depraved and God-hating. Rebellious to the core, we have no desire to get saved from our sin filled nature. We love our sin, and drink iniquity down like water. This in turn makes us subject to the wrath of God and destined for hell. Being innately fear filled of hell and wrath but still loving our sin and pride, not wanting to give it up, we do not turn from our wickedness to our creator, but instead make idols or remake a false god who is more comforting to us (see the above list) thereby damning ourselves even more. Our only hope is to repent of our wickedness, whereby we turn from all our sin, forsake our sin, confess it to God, and being truly genuine will be manifest in our continued repentance and battle against the sin that once held us in bondage. Of utmost importance is also that we trust in Jesus, which is more than a nod of approval that “yes He exists“. We trust that His ways are better than our ways, we trust that we must put His words into action and not just merely “accept them” or “repeat them“. We trust His character and nature, we trust every word He has spoken, and we trust in His exclusivity of saving grace, that without Him we have nothing to look forward to but hell and the fierce wrath of God. We trust in His finished work on the cross, which is the means in which God can forgive our sin. So when we REPENT of our sins AND TRUST in Jesus for our atonement, He will clean us up from the inside out, forgive our sins and grant us the gift of everlasting life, from there we grow in sanctification by reading our Bibles, (something we now enjoy doing) doing what it says, and praying for increased grace, wisdom and strength, thereby growing into the image of Jesus Christ. Since our conversion, we no longer have any fear of hell for ourselves, because Jesus has been so kind to save us from hell, but we are filled with compassion for people who don’t know Jesus. Knowing where they are headed we are desperate for them to also repent and trust in Jesus and share in His mercy.
b)What do their churches look like?
The body of Christ is in the believers, not a building. Where we do Church is wherever believers are gathered.
c)Why are they wrong?
The Church stumbles, and falls in many ways, but is focused and determined. When a true Church is started, it will be known by the way they conduct themselves, in a godly manner. You will be able to always find faults with the true Church because there are still humans in the Church, but all in all, they will be driven to follow the word of God, and have a passion for the Gospel.
d)How do they evangelize?
Law and then Grace. They will help you understand that you have broken the Law of God, (the 10 commandments) and are destined for punishment. Because God loves you though, He has provided a way for you to be forgiven. They will try to show you the reason why anyone would go to hell, and offer the good news of Jesus Christ to you. Often rejected because it’s an offensive message. They will not alter it in any way to make it more attractive to men. They are being faithful to their King, using HIS method rather than their own. If a work of salvation is done during evangelism, the Church recognizes that it was God who made it possible, not their own efforts.
e)Who are their leaders?
None other than Jesus Himself. Anyone who stands on the word of God is welcome to teach FROM it so long as the message is initially God breathed.
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