Sunday, January 17, 2010

John Piper: Is it ever appropriate to call out prosperity gospel teachers by name?

A friend sent me this video of John Piper discussing the dangers and merits of naming false teachers. I've admired Piper for a long time and really appreciate his approach to the subject. In typical fashion, he's balanced, Scriptural, and self-effacing.



Back in 1985, author Dave Hunt published a book titled The Seduction of Christianity. He was widely criticized for naming specific teachers and pointing out the harmful effect their doctrine was having on Christianity. Even though the critics agreed with his general assessment for the most part, they objected strongly to his publishing the names of these teachers.

Me, I had no problem with it. Still don't. My position has always been that if you're going to accept the call to teach the Word of God to the people of God, you are publicly accountable for what you say.

Honestly, what's the big deal? If you're teaching is in line with Scripture, you're not afraid of criticism. If your teaching is off base, you should be humble enough to accept the truth and repent.

Anyway, I'm curious about your response: Are you offended or put off when a minister publicly outs another minister?

1 comment:

Kristin said...

I think that it depends on what they attack. If it becomes personal attacks, that's not acceptable. But, criticism of a specific teaching is well within bounds - I think it's highly necessary and good to do!