COULD YOU PLEASE DEFINE THAT?
When it comes to recognizing false teaching, one of the things we must do is ask teachers to define their terms.
A good example of this is, if someone says they're a Christian, ask them to define what makes someone a "Christian". Some people think that just because they were born in America, which is touted as a "Christian" nation, then that means they're "Christian". Others think because their parents or grandparents were Christian, it automatically makes them one. Still others think by walking an aisle and repeating the "Sinner's Prayer" and getting dunked in the baptistry means they're a Christian.
Remember when Kanye West claimed he had become a Christian? Remember how he came out with a "gospel" album? Yeah, that didn't last too long, did it?
We must familiarize ourselves with what some people call "Christianese". We have false teachers going around using "Christian" terms and we think, "Oh, okay, so he SOUNDS like he knows what he's talking about." Anyone can throw around "Christian" terms within their teachings, but do they really know what those terms mean?
If we want to be truly discerning, we need to find out if their definition of certain terms line up with Scripture or are they making up their own definitions to suit their beliefs. People like to use the phrase, "What this means to me......" and that is the wrong way to practice proper hermeneutics (interpretation). See, when we study Scripture, it's not what does this passage/verse/scripture mean to us, it's what did GOD mean when He put it in the Bible?
So, going back to my earlier example, when someone says, "Yes, I am a Christian," our response should be, "Oh, and what makes a person a Christian?", and if their answer doesn't jive with the biblical definition, they've either been taught wrong, or they've made up their own definition of what it means to be a Christian.
There are so many deceivers out there. I hate to admit that I, at one time, was a big time TBN and GOD TV watcher. I had certain pastors I liked to listen to, but after doing research on my own, I found out they were teaching false gospels. They like to use "Christianese" in their teachings, but they make up their own definitions knowing that many of their followers don't do their due diligence to check them. Lazy people are the most vulnerable and most gullible when it comes to doctrine and discernment. They like being spoon-fed with no desire to learn for themselves. These are also the hardest people to convince that their pastor could be a false teacher. And, unfortunately, women are the hardest to convince about their favorite women's teachers. Teachers like Priscilla Shirer, Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, Christine Caine, Lisa Bevere, Lysa TerKeurst, and others have been known to teach errant doctrine, but pointing this out usually sends women into a frenzy. Because these women claim to be "Christian" and use Scripture, they have deceived many women.
Let's look at Priscilla Shirer. Priscilla has preached at Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen's church). BIG red flag because just because her teaching was to women, the fact she associates with a known false teacher is concerning. She's also been to The Potter's House North Church in Dallas whose pastor is a woman (Sheryl Brady). I found a video on YouTube where she was at a church called Oasis Church in Valley Village, California, and she was preaching to a mixed audience. This goes against the Bible because she is teaching men and that is unscriptural. If a Bible teacher doesn't practice proper biblical discernment in their life, then I will say their teachings are errant and we should avoid them.
All of us, men and women, need to do the work to learn the essentials of Christian doctrine so that our warning bells are ready to go off when a "Christian" teacher passes off their teachings as sound and biblical. We need to know exactly what they mean when they say certain, vital words because if their definition doesn't line up with sound, biblical doctrine, their teachings are flawed.
We must familiarize ourselves with what some people call "Christianese". We have false teachers going around using "Christian" terms and we think, "Oh, okay, so he SOUNDS like he knows what he's talking about." Anyone can throw around "Christian" terms within their teachings, but do they really know what those terms mean?
If we want to be truly discerning, we need to find out if their definition of certain terms line up with Scripture or are they making up their own definitions to suit their beliefs. People like to use the phrase, "What this means to me......" and that is the wrong way to practice proper hermeneutics (interpretation). See, when we study Scripture, it's not what does this passage/verse/scripture mean to us, it's what did GOD mean when He put it in the Bible?
So, going back to my earlier example, when someone says, "Yes, I am a Christian," our response should be, "Oh, and what makes a person a Christian?", and if their answer doesn't jive with the biblical definition, they've either been taught wrong, or they've made up their own definition of what it means to be a Christian.
There are so many deceivers out there. I hate to admit that I, at one time, was a big time TBN and GOD TV watcher. I had certain pastors I liked to listen to, but after doing research on my own, I found out they were teaching false gospels. They like to use "Christianese" in their teachings, but they make up their own definitions knowing that many of their followers don't do their due diligence to check them. Lazy people are the most vulnerable and most gullible when it comes to doctrine and discernment. They like being spoon-fed with no desire to learn for themselves. These are also the hardest people to convince that their pastor could be a false teacher. And, unfortunately, women are the hardest to convince about their favorite women's teachers. Teachers like Priscilla Shirer, Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, Christine Caine, Lisa Bevere, Lysa TerKeurst, and others have been known to teach errant doctrine, but pointing this out usually sends women into a frenzy. Because these women claim to be "Christian" and use Scripture, they have deceived many women.
Let's look at Priscilla Shirer. Priscilla has preached at Lakewood Church (Joel Osteen's church). BIG red flag because just because her teaching was to women, the fact she associates with a known false teacher is concerning. She's also been to The Potter's House North Church in Dallas whose pastor is a woman (Sheryl Brady). I found a video on YouTube where she was at a church called Oasis Church in Valley Village, California, and she was preaching to a mixed audience. This goes against the Bible because she is teaching men and that is unscriptural. If a Bible teacher doesn't practice proper biblical discernment in their life, then I will say their teachings are errant and we should avoid them.
All of us, men and women, need to do the work to learn the essentials of Christian doctrine so that our warning bells are ready to go off when a "Christian" teacher passes off their teachings as sound and biblical. We need to know exactly what they mean when they say certain, vital words because if their definition doesn't line up with sound, biblical doctrine, their teachings are flawed.
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