What is the Definition of a "False Teacher"?

[phillip_macdonald]

George Sarris, an open Evangelical Universalist on his blog “Engaging the Culture’” at *The Christian Post *has written of being confronted by a friend who recently declared him to be a “False Teacher” and cut off all contact with him. George wrote a post regarding what Biblically defines a false teacher which I think is very helpful.

I had the sad experience recently of having a dear friend who I have known well for over a dozen years come up to me at a conference where I was speaking to inform me that, in essence, he didn’t want to be my friend anymore. His reason? He has concluded that I am a “false teacher” who is leading people astray by my blog posts and a yet-to-be published book addressing the issue of ultimate destinies.

He informed me that he had written to the person in charge of the conference to express his concerns and urge that I not be allowed to address those assembled. He also told me that he would continue to follow that practice whenever he heard that I was going to speak somewhere.

Tears actually began to form in my eyes as my friend left, specifically requesting that I not communicate with him anymore. It’s one thing to have people you don’t know - and who don’t really know you – call you a heretic or a false teacher and tell you to take a walk. It’s quite another to have someone you know well do the same thing.
Neither my friend’s words nor the spirit in which they were communicated motivated me to change my beliefs. Those of you who have read some of the comments on my blog posts know that my friend is not the only one who has called my character into question. However, his words did make me think.

What Characterizes False Teachers?

Both Paul (I Timothy 1) and Peter (II Peter 2) expressly warn us to stay away from false teachers. Jesus (Matthew 7) told us to watch out for ravenous wolves who dress in sheep’s clothing. But, what exactly is it that makes someone a true “false teacher?”

Are Calvinists false teachers because their theological understanding of God’s sovereignty and grace differs from that of Arminians? Are Baptists heretics because they disagree with their Presbyterian friends about the mode or age at which people should be baptized? Are Charismatics really wolves in sheep’s clothing because they disagree with non-Charismatics about whether or not the gifts of the Spirit are relevant to life today? Are Pre-Millennial, Amillennial, or Post-Millennial Christians false prophets because they disagree with each other on end times prophecy?

False teachers are deceptive in their dealings.

It would seem reasonable from a quick look at the actual phrase itself to expect false teachers to teach something that is false. Peter pointed out that the false teachers he was referring to lied by exploiting others with stories they have made up. Wolves who come to you in sheep’s clothing are seeking to deceive those they are preying upon.

Jim Jones comes quickly to mind as someone in the religious world who lied about who he was and what he taught. He deceived great numbers of followers.

In contrast, Calvinists and Arminians, Baptists and Presbyterians, Charismatics and non-Charismatics, and end times prophets who differ with one another do not generally lie to their followers about what Scripture actually says. Rather, they each look at the text and come to different conclusions. They definitely believe their theological opponents are mistaken, but they don’t usually see them as being deceitful. As a result, they don’t generally call each other heretics or false teachers.

In my particular situation, it has been my goal to point out truth. In a recent blog post, for example, I noted that the original NIV translators inappropriately used the word “hell” to translate the Greek word “hades” in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, and that those same translators never translated hades that way anywhere else in Scripture. I didn’t lie. I didn’t seek to deceive my readers. I stated the truth. And, in fact, the 2011 revision of the NIV actually corrected the error. With regard to my friend’s correspondence with the leadership of the conference where I was speaking, it had no effect because I had already informed them of my views when they first contacted me.

False teachers are interested in profits.

The false teachers Peter speaks of are greedy for gain. They follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

I have known – or known of – those within the religious community who have been motivated to a great degree by a desire to make money. Some have built large empires that later collapsed when fraudulent fundraising and accounting practices were exposed.

My motivation for writing my book and blog posts has not been to get rich. In fact, I have not earned one cent from what I have written so far. On the contrary, I was terminated from a ministry that I had worked with for over ten years after passing along a copy of my manuscript to the head of the ministry to let him know my thinking on the issue.

False teachers pursue sensual pleasure.

They carouse in broad daylight. Their eyes are full of adultery. They seduce the unstable, and appeal to the lustful desires of sinful human nature.

Major scandals have plagued the religious world in recent years involving well-known figures whose moral failures have brought disrepute on the gospel of Christ.

My wife and I just celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary. I have never been involved in an illicit affair. And, I can honestly say that I love and admire my wife more today than when we were first married.

Respected theologians and sincere Christians throughout history who were clearly NOT false teachers have speculated on many different issues, and have often come up with significantly different conclusions as to what the true teaching of Scripture really is. They were not trying to deceive. They were not purposely trying to become rich in the eyes of the world by promoting false doctrines. And, they were not pursuing immoral lifestyles. They were actually honest men and women who were sincerely trying to understand the truth of God’s Word.

Who Decides?

I honestly love my friend – and, yes, as far as I am concerned he is still my friend. I am honestly sad that he no longer wants to continue in fellowship with me. But, I am also honestly convinced that I am not a heretic, and that my friend does not really understand what actually constitutes a false teacher.

Jesus followed His warning about wolves in sheep’s clothing by explaining how we would be able to know who they are – By their fruit you will recognize them.

Because someone disagrees with you or me, or a teacher or leader we may follow, or the specific teaching of our individual church or denomination doesn’t automatically make that person a false teacher.

We need to look at their lives. Are those we label as false teachers deceptive, or greedy, or immoral? If not, we should be very careful about labeling them that way.

In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that there is really only one true Statement of Faith that the entire Christian Church assembled has ever agreed on – the Nicene Creed which was finalized at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. And, interestingly, that same group specifically prohibited other creeds from being formulated and presented as the official teaching of the Christian Church.

The views I have expressed on these blog posts and in my book are not new. In fact, much of what I have written has been an attempt to inform people in this generation of ideas that were held by the Christian Church in the earliest years of its existence – when it was closest to the Apostles and its influence on the surrounding culture was the greatest.

In a tract written in about AD 1627, a little known German divine named Rupertus Meldenius penned three short and very profound statements about how Christians should treat those with whom they disagree:

In essentials unity. In nonessentials liberty. In all things charity.

We would do well to follow that advice today.

Visit George W. Sarris on Facebook or his website.

[phillip_macdonald]

I would add an additional aspect to the definition of a false teacher:

Paul in 1 Tim 4 says that false teachers will actually convince you that good things (food and marriage) are actually bad while convincing you that things that are very bad are in fact good things. I see an application here: Eternal Conscious Torment of most of mankind keeping alive sin, evil, death and decay forever does not logically translate as good to any redeemed heart but alas the Church gives lip-service that it is “good”. And yet to believe as George does that God will actually do what He says in making “all things new” is condemned as “bad”.

[AllanS]

I found that a very helpful article. Thanks for posting it, Phillip.

[Matt_Wiley]

Thanks for sharing this Phillip I messaged George Sarris on Facebook, and he accepted my friend reuquest, and shared his blog entry on the Evangelical Universalist Invitation and Debate Facebook page.
And thanks for your additional thought as well, bro

Blessings

Matt

[Cindy_Skillman]

Great points in that post. Thanks for sharing it. I’ve subscribed to his blog.

[nimblewill]

I kinda think that we have all been consigned to disobedience so that He can show us all mercy. A little bit of false in all of us. Every man a liar, I think is the way its put.

[Alex_Smith]

Yes, I found it especially helpful after another friend this week decided I was a heretic I sent the link to him on Facebook, I hope he reads it.

[corpselight]

thanks for posting that.
i also think that abuse can give rise to abusive false teachings. as suggested above, ECT is an abusive doctrine, and victims seem to continue the cycle.

also, Calvinism has some utterly vile aspects that are also abusive and spread by victims.
these teachings are false, and cause hurt to those that hear them… it has shed blood in the past and who knows that it wouldn’t do so in the present if society allowed such things.

it’s about time we started condemning the doctrines that deserve it.

when Paul talked about false teaching, it was often legalistic systems of belief that eroded the freedom that Christ brought. “Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?”

[Matt_Wiley]

I commented on George’s blog entry, and got some feedback, and gave some… started a new thread about it, if you’d like to see what I said.

Defending UR On The Christian Post

Today Phillip MacDonald shared on another thread a fine blog article called False Teachers, False Prophets, Heretics and Wolves, by George Sarris, an open Universalist. You can check out Phillip’s thread to read it if you haven’t already, it’s quite good. https://forum.evangelicaluniversalist.com/t/what-is-the-definition-of-a-false-teacher/2787/1 Anyways, I decided to message George on Facebook and he accepted my friend request, and I tried to defend him on the blog, here was m…

[redhotmagma]

I kinda think that we have all been consigned to disobedience so that He can show us all mercy. A little bit of false in all of us. Every man a liar, I think is the way its put.

Yep all creation is subjected to futility of thinking waiting to be set free from the bondage to corruption.

[Melchizedek]

Yes, I found it especially helpful after another friend this week decided I was a heretic I sent the link to him on Facebook, I hope he reads it.

Sigh. Best wishes on that.

[phillip_macdonald]

I am glad you all thought George’s post was as helpful as I did!

I commented on George’s blog entry, and got some feedback, and gave some… started a new thread about it, if you’d like to see what I said.

That’s great Matt that you are interacting with his comments on TCP. I saw how you were ‘tearing it up’ over there…bravo.

thanks for posting that.
i also think that abuse can give rise to abusive false teachings. as suggested above, ECT is an abusive doctrine, and victims seem to continue the cycle.
"

That’s a very interesting thought… we do know that ECT evolved out of an abusive hierarchy of both Church and state. And yes, I agree that it has given way to a cycling pattern across the generations and also creating the need to make up ever more heinous doctrines to cover and explain the original idea (like the creation of Calvinism etc.,)

Yes, I found it especially helpful after another friend this week decided I was a heretic I sent the link to him on Facebook, I hope he reads it.

So sorry to hear that. But glad George’s words were timely for you.

I kinda think that we have all been consigned to disobedience so that He can show us all mercy. A little bit of false in all of us. Every man a liar, I think is the way its put.

Yes! that’s the narrow way, admitting first we are wrong!

[Matt_Wiley]

You may want to check this out, Phillip I think this will really encourage you

Defending UR On The Christian Post

Today Phillip MacDonald shared on another thread a fine blog article called False Teachers, False Prophets, Heretics and Wolves, by George Sarris, an open Universalist. You can check out Phillip’s thread to read it if you haven’t already, it’s quite good. Anyways, I decided to message George on Facebook and he accepted my friend request, and I tried to defend him on the blog, here was my first comment: "Hi, my name’s Matt. I’ve just recently come to embrace the hope of univ…

[pilgrim]

Hi Phillip
I have to say that I like George’s spirit and appreciate the article but I would disagree on some points:
He says:

What Characterizes False Teachers?
False teachers are deceptive in their dealings.
False teachers are interested in profits.
False teachers pursue sensual pleasure.

He seems to imply that he has listed characteristics which define ‘false teachers’
I maintain that he may be correct ONLY if by 'false teacher, he means a teacherwho in his character is FALSE (ie insincere, not genuine). His list by no means defines a teacher who teraches falsehoods which, IMO, is what the scriptures are referring to and to which they give examples which are not necessarily exhaustive.

Then at the end of his article he says:

In essentials unity. In nonessentials liberty. In all things charity.
We would do well to follow that advice today.

• possibly suggesting that if an ‘essential’ is mis-taught, then we might regard the teacher as false.

So which is it?
Whilst I regard his friend’s attitude to be shocking and sad, I think we ought to understand that if his friend truly believes that George is sending more people to hell then it is understandable (though he should have had tears in his eyes).

[Username1]

For fundamentalist ECTers, ‘false teacher’ pretty much equals ‘anyone who doesn’t teach ECT’.

Actually, for far too many Christians, ‘false teacher’ equals ‘anyone who doesn’t teach what they personally believe to be correct teaching’.

Take a look at the Amazon reviews and comments on Rob Bell’s Love Wins if you want to see the vehemence, vitriol even, that ECTers direct at anyone who dares stick their head above the parapet and denounce ECT. The only reason books such as *The Inescapable Love of God *and The Evangelical Universalist haven’t garnered the same opprobrium from the fundies is because they haven’t reached the wide, ‘everyman’ audience Rob Bell has - more’s the pity.

Shalom

Johnny

[Matt_Wiley]

Have you guys checked my thread here?

Defending UR On The Christian Post

Today Phillip MacDonald shared on another thread a fine blog article called False Teachers, False Prophets, Heretics and Wolves, by George Sarris, an open Universalist. You can check out Phillip’s thread to read it if you haven’t already, it’s quite good. Anyways, I decided to message George on Facebook and he accepted my friend request, and I tried to defend him on the blog, here was my first comment: "Hi, my name’s Matt. I’ve just recently come to embrace the hope of univ…

I think you’d be encouraged and given some things to think about.

[phillip_macdonald]

Pilgrim,

You said:

He seems to imply that he has listed characteristics which define ‘false teachers’
I maintain that he may be correct ONLY if by 'false teacher, he means a teacherwho in his character is FALSE (ie insincere, not genuine). His list by no means defines a teacher who teraches falsehoods which, IMO, is what the scriptures are referring to and to which they give examples which are not necessarily exhaustive.

I agree, there is difference between the teachings that make someone a false teacher and the character qualities that make up a false teacher. The Scriptures themselves characterize false teachers as George delineated and we are told “by their fruits we shall know them”.

George said:

Calvinists and Arminians, Baptists and Presbyterians, Charismatics and non-Charismatics, and end times prophets who differ with one another do not generally lie to their followers about what Scripture actually says. Rather, they each look at the text and come to different conclusions. They definitely believe their theological opponents are mistaken, but they don’t usually see them as being deceitful. As a result, they don’t generally call each other heretics or false teachers.

In my particular situation, it has been my goal to point out truth. In a recent blog post, for example, I noted that the original NIV translators inappropriately used the word “hell” to translate the Greek word “hades” in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, and that those same translators never translated hades that way anywhere else in Scripture. I didn’t lie. I didn’t seek to deceive my readers. I stated the truth. And, in fact, the 2011 revision of the NIV actually corrected the error. With regard to my friend’s correspondence with the leadership of the conference where I was speaking, it had no effect because I had already informed them of my views when they first contacted me.

I believe George’s point is that it is a huge clue to the identification of a false teacher when you encounter their “lying, greed and sensuality” underneath the teaching. The other point he was making is that within orthodox Christianity there are enormous differences that are held by Christians who truly believe they are correct and are not trying to deceive anyone. I commented on George’s post that, “…to reject our brothers and sisters in Christ on the basis of universalism would logically call for a rejection of the Calvinists and Arminians of each other. Ironically their doctrines are farther from one another than the Ultimate Restoration doctrine is to either of them!”

But at the base it is, as you say, the fear involved. It all comes down to a vicious cycle of fear which has been activated by the Church: If you entertain any alternative idea about the nature of hell it could be the very thing that sends you there! And like you said, if you really believe that this teaching will send others to hell then it is understandable that George’s friend thinks he is doing the right thing.

[phillip_macdonald]

Hi Johnny,

Take a look at the Amazon reviews and comments on Rob Bell’s Love Wins if you want to see the vehemence, vitriol even, that ECTers direct at anyone who dares stick their head above the parapet and denounce ECT. The only reason books such as The Inescapable Love of God and The Evangelical Universalist haven’t garnered the same opprobrium from the fundies is because they haven’t reached the wide, ‘everyman’ audience Rob Bell has - more’s the pity.

Shalom

Johnny

I wrote a review of Love Wins with my testimony of faith and love in Jesus Christ explaining my “orthodox base” of 40 years. I tried to sympathize with those who had never considered UR before and tread graciously and gently. I didn’t expect people to agree but I was not prepared for the 150+ comments I got where I was called a “spawn of satan”, a “deceiver” and that I was sending others to hell and that I needed to go and fast for a week and cleanse myself of this “demonic teaching”.

Yes, it is unfortunate that people are not grappling with Parry or Talbott and that instead Bell probably has left the Church thinking they have dealt with the issue and put it to rest. I am hopeful that Kevin Miller’s Hellbound will open this up in a far more challenging and exhaustive way. I believe he has included interviews by both Parry and Talbott which may boost awareness of them as legitimate voices to contend with.

[Username1]

Hi Phillip

Sorry to hear you had such a rough time on Amazon. I have found people can be incredibly rude and spiteful in their comments - although not normally so much in the actual reviews themselves. A lot of it is to do with the cloak of anonymity, I suppose. On the one hand I’m amazed Christians stoop so low. But on the other, I know how easy it is to get riled by something somebody else says, and fire off an offensive riposte in return. To my shame, I have done this myself on occasion.

I got involved in a pretty heated debate with some ECTers on Amazon a while back, and said some things in the heat of the moment of which I am not proud. However, in His grace the Lord put me right. And actually, I have found that the stronger my EU beliefs become, the more gracious I find myself being able to be towards those with opposing views. Most of the time, that is. A certain Mr Driscoll still has the power to send me into full fulmination mode .

Now I have a couple of personal rules (which I break as often as I break every other ‘rule’ in my life, ie most of the time ) a) to read though my posts reflectively before sending them; and b) not to post to any forum while under the influence of alcohol .

Serious point: internet trolling - bullying, harrassment, abuse, call it what you will - is a sadly all-too pervasive phenomenon. In certain circumstances it can lead to depression, even suicide, on the part of the victim. Thank God the EU forum is almost completely free of this sort of behaviour - a testament, I would say, to the fruit of EU.

And another serious point - made many times by many others, but well worth repeating: we are made in the image of God, and we *make ourselves *in the image of the God we serve. If our God is a merciless tyrant who punishes sinners eternally, with no hope of redemption, we are almost by definition in danger of in turn becoming merciless ourselves (like John Calvin). The fact that so many Christians who *profess *to a belief in ECT are not actually merciless fiends but good, kind, loving people is highly suggestive to me. Suggestive that a) either they don’t *really *believe in ECT at all - they are ‘functional universalists’, as you so perceptively identify on your website; or b) that the love of God is working in their hearts, and one day they will see the light and convert to EU, as more and more of us seem to be doing.

But as for those who vilify EUs as ‘the spawn of satan’. As for those who pronounce judgement on us so gleefully, the “Rob Bell is going to get his one day, and so will you if you follow him” brigade. Well, perhaps it is *they *who might be in for a shock when the sheep and the goats are separated …

Shalom

Johnny

[Paidion]

If Joe Bloe calls Jim Schlim a “false teacher”, then he means that Jim is teaching things with which he disagrees.

People who are not greatly concerned about those who teach that which is contrary to their own beliefs seldom, if ever, use the term “false teacher.”