Jackie Hill Perry is a problem — I get that. I understand the importance of researching her and warning people to avoid her, just as I’ve warned against Sarah Young, Ann Voskamp, Joyce Meyer and (especially) Beth Moore. Scripture mandates that we mark false teachers who divide the Body Of Christ from sound doctrine.
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. ~~Romans 16:17-18 (ESV)
If my posts reach women who follow the false teachers that I evaluate, praise the Lord! If you use them to help friends and family members understand the errors these teachers propagate, hallelujah! And if you show them to your pastor in an effort to keep your church from problematic teaching, glory to God! I’m honored to be one of many resources to steer women away from harmful teaching and toward a Biblical understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the popularity of my articles that name names far exceeds the attention given to those that discuss doctrine or those that examine passages of Scripture. This fact troubles me.
It’s necessary, I agree, to expose false teaching. The 16th Century Reformers and their 17th Century offspring at the Synod of Dort served as the consummate discernment ministry, bringing the Body Of Christ back to Biblical teaching. Historically, Christians have always had to publicly oppose those who corrupt Biblical teaching. Again, I sometimes write about teachers like Beth Moore and Jackie Hill Perry because church history establishes such a model.
Having said that, I don’t like encouraging my readers to devour evangelical scandal. I much prefer encouraging you to love the Word of God that directs our focus to Christ. Since we will spend eternity adoring Him, shouldn’t we begin that practice now?
As I write this essay, I can’t help thinking about Paul’s letter to the Colossians. He wrote that letter in response to the variety of false teachers overrunning that port city. Those false teachers confused the Christians with all sorts of philosophies that sounded very spiritual. Some of those philosophies even appeared compatible with the Gospel.
In this particular letter, Paul didn’t name any of the false teachers, nor did he specifically identify any of the teachings. Rather, he constantly brought the attention back to Christ. He didn’t counter error because he wanted his readers to admire his discernment skills. Instead, he wanted to lead them into exalting Christ.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ~~Colossians 2:8-10 (ESV)
If and when I write about Jackie Hill Perry, it won’t be to feed you tantalizing bits of Christian celebrity gossip. And I strongly urge each of you to examine your motives for reading those types of blog posts while you shy away from the doctrinal posts that would naturally draw you away from teachers like her. Think about it.
The Outspoken TULIP 
Amen!
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Personally, I am very grateful to be warned about particular false teachers in our day, but I much prefer and enjoy reading Bible study/doctrinal posts. They are so empowering to me! 🙂 I love to learn more about the Word of God and the Lord I serve. Theology is such a fascinating topic to me now. ☺️
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Great attitude, Emma! A mark of genuine salvation is a hunger for God’s Word.
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Mmm….I thank God for those who boldly excoriate error and out of the necessity of the ignorance of the “professing” church, name names for the love of truth- who hate error as much as they love Christ, for they are few, which is part of the reason guys like Tim Keller have taken over the visible church. Fiery language is very much necessary when a clever false teacher is loose in the church (and there are many)- the “puff pieces” just aren’t getting it done- people are widely deceived and deceiving others as they follow the wolves. I have seen it, I have grieved it and I have experienced chronic insomnia over it- perhaps that is what a believer must experience in order to see these folks for what they are: demonic.
Your assertion that those who name names and excoriate horrendous teachings do it to gain admiration of their discernment skills or for the love of gossip and “evangelical scandal” is quite troubling, as it demeans a lot of Godly saints. Paul named names (Hymenaeus, Alexander and Demas come to mind) and Peter put out a devastating warning to believers that would get him thrown out of the 21st century church- they simply would not tolerate his offensive and damning language (2 Peter chapter 2). Yes, he damned false teachers to hell.
You shouldn’t be troubled that your “naming” articles outweigh your doctrinal articles in popularity- take it from a victim, the sheep are starved for believers who boldly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints- who warn in the strongest of language that a wolf has entered the gate. Who screams wolf! rather than whispering caution. Exposing error always exalts Christ, as it points people back to the truth.
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You make some valid points that I will prayerfully consider. But will you also consider my perspective? I’m not advocating silence about false teachers by any means, but I do believe Paul only named names rarely. As I study his epistles, I see him refuting error primarily by teaching sound doctrine. Please examine his letters for yourself, and pray for wisdom.
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Agreed. But understand this, when I see these folks on a stage I do not see a 6 ft 180 lbs man, or a 5 ft 120 lbs woman- I see a wolf, and I treat them as such. It would do the average Christian and pastor well to do a biblical study on why it is that the term wolf is used in scripture for these people, they are an ominous threat and they must be treated as such. “Loving” Christians will spew some of the most offensive language to disparage a polemicists for using offensive language to expose a wolf. To quote a popular polemicist: We are called to be salt, not sugar.
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If you’ve construed this blog post as saying that we should never call out false teachers, I’d invite you to read it again. I firmly believe that teaching sound doctrine is the most effective approach to guarding against deception, and Paul’s epistles set an overarching example of this principle. Many polemicists focus so much on exposing wolves that they forget to provide proper nourishment for the sheep.
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