The Cluster Bomb of Bad Ideas Exploding Inside the Church (Part 1)
There are bad ideas, catchphrases, and concepts infiltrating the church and doing great damage.
These bad ideas tend to come in clusters and these clusters create an illusion of truthfulness. They’re laying a false foundation that eliminates sound doctrine while asserting that sound doctrine is the real problem. As these ideas get repeated they become “thought-stopping devices” that indoctrinate people into believing things that no “Bible-believing Christian” should ever believe.
Yes, there might be some truth in some of these ideas, but taken as a whole, they have replaced authentic, Bible-based Christianity and are allowing “another gospel” to take its place.
Check out these bad ideas and consider how many of them have been confusing you. It’s time for Christians to stop being so gullible!
1. “You’re just being negative and critical! Don’t you have anything good to say? I can’t believe you’re criticizing (insert famous/popular Christian leader)! At least they’re trying to help-at least they’re doing something! Why can’t you be more positive? I only listen to positive Christians-not haters!”
Christianity is a specific set of beliefs that is based on one holy book: The Bible. “Sola Scriptura” is the Latin phrase meaning “Scripture Alone.” This principle began in the first three centuries of the church (when the canon of scripture was established) and was then further established during the Protestant Reformation in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church, which claimed that church authority was basically equal to scripture.
Because we believe the Bible is God’s Word, we must also believe that some ideas are incompatible with the Bible and must be rejected as false. While it’s true that Christians should not be primarily negative and critical people, we should be willing to say negative and critical things about false teachings, because bad doctrine is very harmful: it leads people away from God. The painful reality is that false teachers are great manipulators and they know exactly what to say in order to keep the trust of their followers, so sometimes it’s necessary to say negative and critical things to confront them and their teachings. The Old Testament prophets, Jesus, and all the Apostles did this.
A lot.
We should not be primarily thinking “positive versus negative,” instead, we should be thinking: “true versus false.” The Bible is not always a “positive” book because it contains the truth that we need to hear. We humans are like disobedient children who need correction from our Heavenly Father, who loves us enough to tell us the truth.
In Matthew 23:27 Jesus says “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Gee whiz, Jesus, that’s not very nice; at least the Pharisees were trying to do something…)
2. “But he’s really famous (he has written popular books, has a huge church, has a TV show, etc.), he must know what he’s talking about!” “That many people can’t be wrong!" Besides, if these things were true, I would have known about it already (or: somebody would have already said something by now.)”
This exposes the common belief that “the group is always right” (my group); which is like saying “consensus equals truth.” Christians say that they believe the Bible, but too often what they really believe is whatever their “guy” (local pastor, TV preacher, famous author/speaker, etc.) says about the Bible. On top of that, even if a local pastor is actually doing a good job of faithfully preaching God’s Word, he’s often being overridden by the surrounding culture.
We have millions of Christians watching 10, 20, or even 30 hours of television per week, yet they "don’t have time" to read and study the Bible. But when the latest famous guru comes along with a new method of “hearing from God” they drop everything to “learn the secret;” yet, they’ve neglected God’s Word-the actual words from God! The situation should be seen as utterly absurd, but because so many people behave and believe this way, it’s been normalized. As a result, false teachers have free reign and a limitless customer base to promote their bad ideas and enrich themselves.
In Mark 7:7 Jesus says to the Pharisees (quoting Isaiah): “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” In Matthew 7:13-14 He says: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Jesus is warning us not to follow the teachings of men (even if it’s a NY Times Best-seller), and not to blindly “go with the group.”
Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man."
On top of being overly trusting of the “experts,” it’s way too common to think that what a person currently understands is all there is to understand, so any other new ideas get rejected. It’s the mistaken idea that the people you currently trust are giving you all of the possible information available.
This is being willingly blind…
This is a common knee-jerk reaction when people first hear about false doctrine in their midst. In essence, this is like saying “I already know everything that needs to be known, and if I get new and different information that doesn’t correspond to my currently held beliefs, then that new information must be wrong. I refuse to look into anything that might threaten my views.” This is sometimes called "confirmation bias." Here's a more detailed article on this topic: Confirmation Bias: Why You are Protecting Your False Beliefs.
3. “Judge not, lest you be judged.” (Similar to: “Who are we to judge?”)
Whenever a false teacher/preacher/prophet is exposed (because of unbiblical teachings, blatant sin, corruption/greed, prophecies that don’t come true, etc.) they can often maintain the unquestioning support of their followers by using this verse (Matthew 7:1) taken out of context, of course. But we are to judge or examine and scrutinize the teachings we hear. This verse is not saying: “don’t ever judge anyone ever!” In reading the whole passage, it’s easy to see that this verse is warning against unjust and hypocritical judgment in our personal dealings with others.
This verse is not about evaluating the teachings that are being taught by a teacher!
Christians have been systematically programmed to ignore all scripture about the accountability of leaders… because their leaders said so. Ironically, the false teacher ends up judging his theological critic who is (supposedly) guilty of being judgmental.
In Paul’s letter to Titus (chapter 1) he rebukes false teachers saying: “For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach-and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”
1 Corinthians 5:11-13 "But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of a brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those on the outside. Remove the evil person from among you." (Wow Apostle Paul, judge much??)
A helpful article: "Jesus Said You Shouldn't Judge"
And here's a longer article on this topic: Does the Bible Tell Christians to Judge Not?
4. “Don’t have a religious spirit!” “That guy has a religious spirit; he’s always quoting Bible verses and talking about theology and doctrine-what a Pharisee!”
This is a vague concept that really helps empower “super-spiritual” false teachers. Want to refute someone who is promoting sound, Biblical doctrine? Just accuse them of having a religious spirit. It’s much easier than searching the scriptures, seeking the truth, and having a good argument to defend your ideas. After all, “God doesn’t care about our doctrine, He cares about our heart…” That might seem correct, but it’s just another catchphrase, too.
Doctrine is important! Doctrine is just another word for “instruction” or “teaching,” and it tells us who God really is, and who we really are. The Pharisees were guilty of unbelief and elevating man-made laws over God’s Word, they were not guilty of being too focused on the Bible. The idea that “focusing on the Bible too much” will somehow cause us to “miss” God or the Holy Spirit is just crazy. Here’s an extensive video that goes into more detail on this issue:
This line of thinking is often related to the next one…
5. “An experience is better than any doctrine!” “I don’t care about theology-I just love Jesus!” “It’s one thing to know the Bible; it’s another thing to know the author!” "Jesus is my theology!"
While it’s true that some people have very real and emotional experiences with God, this should not be where we establish our belief system-God’s Word establishes our belief system. God has graciously given us the safe parameters within which we can understand Him: in His Word. A foundation of experiences will always require greater and more frequent experiences, which will usually escalate into some kind of emotional train wreck. Just ask anyone who has left a Charismatic/Pentecostal church in a state of confusion, never to return.
Saying “I don’t care about theology-I just love Jesus” is a theological statement. It’s just a very weak one. It’s a foundation of sand. We don’t see anything in the Bible about “just loving Jesus” (as if our emotional feelings about Him were the key), but we do see many exhortations to have good, sound doctrine and teaching. Theology is a word that simply means “the study of God.” All Christians are theologians, whether they admit it or not. A solid theological understanding of God’s amazing grace is much better than any emotional experience anyway, because it never changes.
Huh??
By the way, theology is much, much more than a Calvinist and an Arminian arguing back and forth while confusing and/or aggravating everyone else. Good theology helps us to gain a correct and deeper understanding of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
After His resurrection, Jesus met two of His followers on the road to Emmaus and didn't reveal himself; He first asked them a series of questions to see what they knew and believed about Him. When they said that they basically didn't know what was going on (even though the empty tomb had been discovered and angels had said He has risen)...
“Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself." Luke 24:25-26.
Question: If knowing God experientially is more important than knowing the Bible, why would Jesus do this? (Jesus wasted all that time explaining the scriptures to them? He should have been developing a deep and personal relationship with them! He must’ve had a religious spirit!)
In Acts 2 we often see the focus on the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, but notice what comes right after the amazing Pentecost event of speaking in other languages: teaching and preaching!
Peter’s sermon (which takes up much of the chapter in verses 14-36) was powerful and convicting; here’s the conclusion: Acts 2:37 “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Notice how the powerful experience that launched the Church was followed by:
teaching & fellowship,
the breaking of bread,
and prayers
(Wait a minute-this sounds like a church service?!)
Here's another helpful article: The Gigantic Problem Beneath the Really Big Problem
6. “Don’t touch God’s anointed!” “You better be careful if you speak against prophet/bishop/pastor so and so!”
When false teachers can’t defend their beliefs in the clear teachings of the Bible, they use this (partial) verse as a rebuke. It’s taken completely out of context from the Old Testament and it refers to physically harming the Israelite king or prophet. This has nothing to do with questioning bad leadership or false teachings. It’s interesting to note that cult leaders often use some type of threat to establish and hold on to their authority; this is the lowest form of leadership.
In stark contrast, the Jewish believers from Berea in Acts 17:11, “were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
If it was good and noble for these Bereans to question the Apostle Paul and compare his teachings to scripture (which would’ve been the Old Testament at that time), we can do the same thing with any pastor/teacher. Any pastor/teacher who demands special treatment as God’s chosen and untouchable authority is clearly not!
(For more detail on this topic, here's a helpful article: Touch Not My Anointed, and here's another article.)
7. “God offends the mind to reveal the heart.” (Similar to: “it’s all about your heart, not your head” or something like that)
Sometimes, this anti-intellectual sentence is used in a sermon as if it were scripture. But it’s not scripture, it’s just another catchphrase. And it can be very manipulative and confusing. If anybody tries to be discerning (which involves using the mind) they can be dismissed with this catchphrase. God did not give us a mind and then expect us to stop using it. Ironically, when a false teacher says things like this, he is using a type of thinking to convince others to think a certain way. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and MIND.” There is no false dichotomy between our heart and mind in scripture-if anything, our heart is not to be trusted, but God’s Word is.
8. “Look at all the fruit on his tree-he must be blessed by God!” “With all those new people going to that church, you just know it’s being blessed by God!”
Fruit on the tree does not mean “many people coming to church.” Here’s the only thing that can be said for sure about a church with thousands of people attending: the pastor is being paid a large salary. Seriously, that’s about all we can know for sure. Oh, and they probably have a good worship team (soft rock band). When Jesus told us to look at the fruit of a teacher, He was telling us to compare the teaching and the life of the teacher to Jesus-it should “look” the same. Any pastor teaching things that are contrary to Jesus is a false teacher-no matter how many followers he has.
This is often related to the next one…
9. “But he does everything in the name of Jesus-he must be okay!”
Think about it: if Satan wanted to operate in the church (and he does!), would he do it in his own name? Would he show up in church in his bright red jumpsuit and give himself away? Does any deception announce itself ahead of time? Deception is about pretending to be something else. The apostle Paul exposed the false “Super-Apostles” in the Corinthian church and said:
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Jesus said in Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy IN YOUR NAME, and IN YOUR NAME cast out demons, and IN YOUR NAME perform many miracles?’ And I will declare to them; I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
It should be assumed that a false teacher would always use the name of Jesus!
10. “We’re getting lots of resistance, so we must be doing something right! Satan wants to stop us, that’s why people are being so critical! Besides, he just heard/read some negative stuff on the Internet; they can say anything on the internet!”
This line of thinking is, at best, a 50/50 proposition; maybe it’s true that Satan is against your church/pastor/ideas, but it’s just as possible that you’re getting resistance because your teachings are wrong and some concerned people are trying to correct you (not Satan).
The idea that something can’t be true because it’s on the internet is, at best, another 50/50 proposition. It could just as easily be said, “he just read that stuff in a best-selling book; they can say anything in a book!” Do so few people realize that there are no rules for what can be published in a book? The truth is, there’s a lot of information that is only available online; that’s the nature of the world we live in. This idea is very similar to #2, because what people are really saying is: “it might be proven by lots of information online (blogs, podcasts featuring interviews with experts and actual witnesses, doctrinal papers, personal testimony, etc.), but it’s not the consensus view (it isn’t supported by giant book publishers, Christian media companies, mega-churches, etc.) so I refuse to believe it.” We should be testing everything against the Word of God-no matter what anybody says!
It’s important to understand that some giant “Christian” media companies are owned by even larger non-Christian media companies. For example, billionaire Rupert Murdoch owns the global media conglomerate News Corporation (Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, Twentieth Century Fox Films, etc., etc.), which owns HarperCollins, one of the largest book publishers in the world. HarperCollins owns both Zondervan and Thomas Nelson which are the two biggest Christian (or “inspirational”) book publishers in the world. These companies are all about making money. It’s crazy to assume that somebody, somewhere is carefully checking the content of every single book they sell. This doesn’t mean that Zondervan and Thomas Nelson don’t have any good books, by the way; it just means there’s no guarantee.
Whether they’re on the Internet or in a book, all ideas and teachings should be diligently compared to the Word of God.
11. “You’re putting God in a box! As soon as you think you’ve got God all figured out He’ll do something unexpected!”
This is a weird way to spiritualize false teaching, and cover it up under a cloud of supposed “mystery.” The truth is, God has made it very clear in His Word that we are to hold fast to correct doctrine. Period. While it’s true that no one can claim to have God “all figured out,” it’s not like God is always changing His ways to confuse us, like some strange leprechaun in the sky playing games with us. God has given us His Son and His Word because He wants to be known! In John 17: 3 Jesus said: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
12. “Christianity has to adapt and change with the times or else it will die.” “Those discernment people are so old-fashioned and outdated-they’re the problem!”
This idea is just plain false. It’s a pragmatic “let’s fix it ourselves because God needs our help” way of thinking. Think about it; are your religious beliefs so shallow and frail that they can’t stand up against whatever new trend is affecting society? God’s truth is above us, distinct from us and unchanging; otherwise, it’s just something we’re making up as we go. Historically, the Christian church was stronger when it went against the culture of the day. The early church began and flourished under the sometimes very hostile Roman Empire. But it has often been weakened and diluted when it became enmeshed with political and social power.
The constant striving to make church “relevant” is usually counter-productive, and the unbelieving world often views our attempts at “marketing God” as pandering and mere salesmanship.
Please take your time and carefully consider whether or not you’ve been fooled by some of these bad ideas.
There will be more additions and more discussion on this topic here on this website, and on our YouTube channel in the months ahead, so stay tuned!
Steven Kozar started The Messed Up Church; he is an artist (StevenKozar.com is his art website), musician, blogger, and stuff. He makes videos, too, on The Messed Up Church YouTube channel.