Yes, there are some really bad things going on in the Christian Church, but some people just enjoy driving by the scene of the accident too much. If everybody is a raving heretic (except you and your tiny little group) you probably need a more balanced perspective. This will be hard, but do your homework anyway. Sweeping generalizations can only go so far.

When Christians begin the process of leaving the Messed Up (Apostate) Church, they encounter a whole new batch of difficult issues. Going too quickly to the next thing is a common problem. Let’s call this being too “reactionary.” In the search for certainty, one can often latch onto a teacher or teaching too quickly because the uncertainty appears to be unbearable. People often react against one thing and then grab onto something else that appears to be the opposite. This is understandable, but it’s still a bad direction to go. The Pop Evangelical Church has been telling you for a long time that theology is unnecessary, but now you’re confronted with the truth that your lack of theological training has left you confused and unsure of what to believe.

You are not alone.

This anti-doctrine “doctrine” has been a very harmful component of Pop Evangelicalism for a long time, and many layers of bad teaching have been stacking up on top of it. You will need to peel back the many layers of half-truths and bad ideas if you’re ever going to make real progress. Take your time because these issues are incredibly important!

Here are some common categories of bad discernment:

1. “Discernment is a mystical process where you ‘feel what is true.’”

   No, it’s not! Discernment means digging into God’s Word and being lead by the Holy Spirit to understand what it says. The Holy Spirit does not give you a version of truth that is different from everyone else’s version of truth (no matter how you feel about it). Here’s a really helpful article on this issue: Jennifer LeClaire Gets Discernment 100% WRONG!

2. “Discernment starts with abandoning all previous theological systems and avoiding all previous teachings from church history.”

   It might sound exciting in a “DaVinci Code” sort of way, but this is a really bad way to think. God has given us His Word and we’ve had almost two thousand years of teachers to help us understand it, so why would you want to throw that all away and start from scratch? Here’s an article to help you think through this issue: The Gigantic Problem Beneath the Really Big Problem.

3. “Discernment means latching onto the teacher who is the most extreme ‘smear merchant.’”

   Yes, there are some really bad things going on in the Christian Church, but some people just enjoy driving by the scene of the accident too much. If everybody is a raving heretic (except you and your tiny little group) you probably need a more balanced perspective. This will be hard, but do your homework anyway. Sweeping generalizations can only go so far.

4. “Discernment means ignoring proper categories and using ‘guilt by association.’”

   Now we’re getting to the problem of a number of discernment ministries: they tend to take the easy way out and make assumptions about a pastor, teacher or ministry based on things they never believed or taught. Common example: “Pastor X is a guest speaker at this one conference, and another speaker there is Pastor Y-and everyone knows that Pastor Y is a false teacher! Therefore, Pastor X is also a false teacher.” There are lots of different conferences on many different topics organized for lots of different purposes; sometimes a speaker is invited without knowing exactly who the other speakers will be, or even exactly what the topic will be. Now if a pastor is invited to speak at the “World Dominion Prophecy Awakening Apostolic Signs & Wonders Miracle Event” they know what they’re getting into, obviously. But sometimes we need to get more information-directly from the person in question-before making assumptions about their beliefs. We live in a pretty dumbed-down culture that promotes easy and overly-simplistic answers. Our Christian faith is way too important to take that approach, and our Christian brothers and sisters are way too valuable to treat with such disregard.

5. “Discernment means reacting against the your previous belief so strongly that you now believe the exact opposite.”

   Here’s an example: “I grew up Roman Catholic but now I don’t believe that way, so if I see a pastor with a clerical collar I know he’s a heretic!!” It is much better to base your beliefs on scripture alone. When you’re coming out of a really bad church, it’s understandable to be reactionary for a while, but you need to move on and develop a more thoughtful, careful, and biblical approach to what you believe. In the real world, there are people all over the place, theologically, and it’s best to deal with their own exact beliefs, instead of just lumping them into a category based on outward appearances or unproven assumptions.

6. “Discernment means throwing the word HERETIC around like a wrecking ball.”

   The term heretic is very specific, and too many people use it without really knowing what it means. Here’s the definition from Webster’s: Heretic. Here’s the definition of heresy from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Heresy. There is another term that isn’t used very much called “heterodoxy,” and a lot of times people should use this word instead of heresy. Here’s a definition from Webster’s: Heterodox. Here’s a definition from Theopedia: Heterodox. Basically, it’s a step just before heresy. It means that an idea is not biblical, but it’s not so extreme that it’s heresy. Lastly, there is a term called “adiaphora” that is really useful to understand. It’s a term that describes something that isn’t specifically promoted in Scripture, but neither is it condemned by Scripture.

Here’s a helpful article with more links: Heresy at Theopedia. Here’s a useful definition from the Christian Cyclopedia: Heresy.

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