Discernment: Start naming some names!

Todd Friel in a short bit about the heartbreak of false pastors AKA wolves, and how devastating they are to the flock. He spoke of a pastor in Africa who urged his flock to eat grass. They did. When we refuse to name their names it perpetuates their apostasy and does nothing for the faith except allow the chaos to bring death. Here's Todd at Wretched:



Cameron Buettel at Grace To You Blog this past February 2014 says the same thing,

Naming Names

When it comes to false teachers, naming names seems to have become the unpardonable sin for many in the charismatic movement. Certainly, much of the criticism aimed at last fall’s Strange Fire conference focused on that issue. But is “Thou shalt not call out false teachers” really another commandment for the modern church, or is it an unbiblical shield designed to protect heretics from theological scrutiny?

Great question! Buettel continues,

The Arian heresy, the Pelagian heresy, the Sabellian heresy, and the Socinian heresy—to name just a few—were all named after the heretic who taught them. Yes, their names were named, and still live on in modern memory as a reminder of the damnable errors they taught.

When the bubonic plague broke out in London in 1665, the officials who were charged with the health and safety of the populace didn't walk down the street ringing a bell saying, "There is plague here, somewhere, but we won't mention who has it because we don't want to hurt their feelings." No!Their responsibility was the safety and protection of the people, and to contain the spread. So, they marked the door of each house that had plague with a red X. False teaches are like the rats that have plague ridden fleas on them, they bring disease, chaos, and death to the people. We mark them-

 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (Romans 16:17 KJV)

Satan has the false teachers in his pocket. He protects his own, and will not let a thrust go without a parry. A Christian woman friend named DebbieLynne Kespert noticed this week that several of Beth Moore's more controversial (read: critiqued and challenged) videos are disappearing from the web. I linked to several of them on this blog, which unfortunately as of today, if you click on them bring you not to the video anymore, but to this:

As Ms Kespert noted,

"videos give better evidence and are harder to refute. It is harder now to substantiate our objections to her teachings". 

That's true because a person can see the teacher saying it, know the inflection and tone, and witness the context. Ms Kespert wrote about it very well, here, saying

"These videos provided enormous help in evaluating Beth Moore's ministry. ... have no wish to assault Beth Moore's character, nor may we pass ultimate judgment on her salvation. But, like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11, we examine her teaching, ministry and conduct against Scripture. The missing videos troubled us. Their disappearance troubles us even more."

After prayerful consideration and plenty of evidence, we must name names. Mr Buettel advises,

Of course Romans 16:17 is not talking about witch hunts, but it does highlight the responsibility of Christian leaders to identify, expose, and reject false teachers wherever and whenever they appear. 

When we name names, and we must name them, be prepared for push-back by satan, either directly against you and/or on behalf of his false teachers as we've witnessed with disappearing videos, or in refutation books, or in Facebook or other online ad hominem attacks. We cannot mark those who cause divisions without expecting a response from satan, for we are not unaware of his schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

God's sovereignty is supreme. His truth will continue to unfold where He wills it. (John 3:8). Our duty is to the Head of our Church, Jesus Christ. Do not be afraid to name some names

Postscript:

(The grass eating pastor was Legeso Daniel of Rabboni Centre Ministries in Garankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa, it happened in January 2014). The news report sparked a series of online complaints. One said, "Is this a scene in a movie...this can't be real. God created animals to chew grass and made human beings to dominate over animals. Any person who reduces human beings to animals is definitely not of God." (source)