‘Should I do events if there is a false teacher present?’ Navigating cultural moments with discernment (edited)

By Elizabeth Prata

SYNOPSIS

In this post, I discuss the importance of maintaining theological integrity and not compromising the Gospel despite cultural moments that seem to indicate a softening or readiness for the Gospel. I critique Alisa Childers’ self-announced shift towards softening her stance on not associating with false teachers and indicating she may now do so in the future, if asked. I state that this undermines credibility and dilutes the message of Christ. We need clear separation from falsehood in ministry.

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When hundreds of thousands gather to hear testimonials and speeches honoring a departed Christian’s life and they hear the Gospel, hope rises in the weary heart.

We have seen the recent outpouring of emotion and the fervent desire of countless Christians to see people come to faith. It’s what we are here on earth for. It’s what glorifies Jesus. It’s the whole point.

We all feel it. We all want a modern day Pentecost.

But we need to be careful we do not compromise the Gospel or our witness or our ministry in order to capture a fleeting cultural moment. We need to be careful we do not squander our theological credibility by partnering with false teachers.

But that is what is happening in some quarters of the faith.

Popular podcaster Alisa Childers announced on Wednesday, September 24 on her podcast, that “Revival Is Here — And It’s Going to Be Messy. Thoughts about the Charlie Kirk Memorial.” In the podcast, Mrs Childers shared a new policy regarding her future speaking events. She saw the TPUSA listing of speakers for the upcoming tour that included Catholics, Hindu, agnostics, and Christians. She thought about the push-back such a listing has received from Christians. Here is Alisa Childers’ announcement about that change, quote from the transcript-

In the past, I have approached public events in a very specific way. I have approached them from a very guarded place and I believe that was right up until now. I  just I’m not actually going to go back and say what I did was wrong because I think I was being to the best of my ability applying my principles to how I work out public events. So there were many public events that I declined because there was going to be on the platform somebody that I believed was a false teacher or somebody that was in error enough that it would lead somebody astray to see my picture next to them. And that was my conviction.

But my view on this has changed. [declining invites where a false teacher would be on the same platform as Childers].

The moment that we’re in right now, people’s hearts are soft. They want the Lord. They’re searching for meaning. They see the darkness of our culture. They are drawn to the light. Not everybody, but many are drawn to the light. And I’m of the mindset right now that I don’t want to abandon them to the false teachers. And so, you might see my name on something. I’m not saying it would be that [TPUSA]. I don’t know if I’m big time enough for that. I would love to do it, but you might see my name on something like that. But I want to go on record and explain why you’re going to see my name on something like that.

–end Alisa Childers quote

She was correct in her past stance. She is incorrect in her new stance. Let’s look at the Bible.

Ephesians 4:17, James 4:4, 1 Peter 1:18, 1 John 2:15 all warn about the pagan’s thinking, which is futile, and the Christian’s thinking, which is righteous. The verse says friendship with the world is enmity with God. Our former way of life is empty. Flee from sin (2 Timothy 2:22). Separate from false teachers and false organizations, do not even greet them. (2 John 1:10-11).

Demas was partnered with Paul. There was no stronger, more effective Christian at the time on earth than Paul. And Demas STILL fell away and partnered with the world. Did Paul say he would still be platformed with Demas, because Paul didn’t want to abandon Demas or Demas’ friends to false teachers? No. There are doctrinal lines for a reason.

Concerns:

1.If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; (2 John 1:10). This verse and others warn to stay AWAY from false teachers. It is not OK to be platformed with them.

2. Alisa is changing her conviction because of a cultural moment, NOT because it is what the Bible says to do. Only the word of God is transcendent. We cannot be chasing every cultural moment. They come and go. They are fleeting. There have been ‘revivals’ over and over, some genuine and most false. Jumping onto a bandwagon is a poor choice.

3. ‘We can’t leave them to the false teachers’ Underlying this shift in Childers’ conviction not to be platformed with false teachers, is a DIStrust of God’s power to save those whom He will save. It’s not a lot different than when false teacher Rick Warren said you have to “catch the wave and surf it”. How does Alisa know that peoples’ heart are soft or hard, anyway? Only God knows the heart. That is why we refer again to concern #1 & #2, we can’t be catching ‘this moment’ because we are human, and only God knows who is ready for conversion. That is why we keep plodding faithfully with the one direction we are given. Preach the word in season and out of season. (2 Timothy 4:2). Alisa Childers has no clue what season this is. Only God does. It’s arrogant to pronounce it as revival. Is it ‘revival season’? I don’t know. Alisa doesn’t either.

Even Jonathan Edwards, credited with ‘starting’ the Great Revival of the 1700s, viewed the emotional excesses accompanying the Revival with guardedness and suspicion. He urged caution. In Edwards’ biography of David Brainerd, Edwards assessed the Great Awakening’s failure, “An intemperate imprudent zeal, and a degree of [fleshly] enthusiasm soon crept in, and mingled itself with that revival of religion; … neither people nor ministers had learned thoroughly to distinguish between solid religion and its delusive counterfeits;”

4. You squander your theological capital. Being yoked with false teachers, squanders one’s credibility.

We build social capital. Dr. Rick Mask at Southern New Hampshire University explains social capital is “the value derived from positive connections between people. It’s all about the relationships we have with others, the knowledge we have to contribute and our individual brands.” The concept was fleshed out in the seminal 2000 book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam.

We develop theological capital too. Like social capital, theological capital is intangible, but it’s a foundation we share with other Christians of values, morals, and beliefs gained from the Bible and expressed in our daily lives. ‘Life and doctrine.’ It’s not being a hypocrite. It’s a steady progression in an upward direction.

How will it be if a person who chooses to be platformed with false teachers, and one of those same false teachers later does something outrageous? Mrs Childers will have NO basis to point any finger or rebuke that person, for she was with them.

**5.Added. Brandon Kimber commented on Facebook, saying “The one important point that was left out of this critique was that Alisa said she would only speak at these events if she could say what she wanted to say (rebuke/correct the false teacher, similar to what Matt Chandler did at Furtick’s conference). Please consider this and add this to your critique, because I think it makes her change in practice worse than it is.”

My reply to Mr Kimber states the following concerns: The important point is NOT that Childers says she’d go ‘only’ if she was allowed to say what she wanted to say. The important point is that 26 out of 27 NT books warn about false teachers and remind us to be separate from them. Period.

Also, it makes Childers sound as if she was prepared to compromise before, but she isn’t going to compromise now, which IS worse for her.

Thirdly,  as another commenter said, “It wouldn’t be wise [for Alisa] to say, “These other guys are false. I’m the real deal.”

As Amy Spreeman has said about a past situation not related to this one, “One thing is for sure: a discerning speaker cannot affiliate and participate in a conference like this, even if their reasoning is to go and expose the other speakers’ false teaching. This is not “guilt by association,” but harm by AFFILIATION“.

Let’s take Childers’ words and change them to Apostle Paul saying he will be platformed with false teachers because he can’t leave them to the false teachers. Can you envision it?

“The moment that we’re in right now, people’s hearts are soft. They want the Lord. They’re searching for meaning. They see the darkness of our culture, especially in Corinth. They are drawn to the light. Not everybody, but many are drawn to the light. And I’m of the mindset right now that I don’t want to abandon them to the false teachers. So to that end I might be platformed in the Hall of Tyrannus speaking at the debate with Alexander and Hymenaeus, Philetus, and the Nicolaitans.”

No, you can’t envision this hypothetical scenario because Paul would never do it.

No. If God wants to save a person out of false teaching, He will. We preach and minister steadily, like a hard line in cement. God will bring those He wants to hear the truth, to us. Yes, we go into the world. Yes, we plead, ‘send me!’ But we don’t associate with false teachers to do it. We don’t abandon our position because of a feeling and go chasing waves. Waves subside. The Gospel doesn’t. The naive newbie, the seeking heart, the unsure penitent needs to know where there is a clear line between truth and false.

The people in the first century knew. Acts 5:12 says they were all of one accord in Solomon’s portico. In Acts 5:13 we read, But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.

Matthew Henry said of the Acts 5:13 verse, “The separation of hypocrites, by distinguishing judgments, should make the sincere cleave so much the closer to each other and to the gospel ministry“.

SEPARATION is called for

Jesus said ‘Get behind me satan’, not ‘let me partner with satan’. It is a fierce rebuke-

John MacArthur said of Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, “You’ve taken up Satan’s cause. You’re in partnership with the devil. You are a skandalos, you’re a stumbling stone. You have gone from being a rock to becoming a stumbling stone in just a few moments.” John MacArthur, Be Ye Separate

MacArthur said, “The contrast [in 2 Corinthians 6:14] is profound. You have a kingdom of righteousness, a kingdom of light, the kingdom of Christ, a kingdom of believers, the kingdom of God. Then you have in opposition to that: lawlessness, darkness, Satan, unbelievers, and idols. There is no possibility of those two working together in any kind of partnership, any kind of ministry alliance or fellowship, any kind of common cause…. “What fellowship has light with darkness?” You can’t bring the children of light and the children of darkness together; they have different behavior, and that’s because they have different character.”

I have no ill will against Mrs Childers or any Christian who decides to step into platforms containing false teachers. Disappointment, yes. Jesus is worthy of a pure bride, not a compromised one.

I would plead with Mrs Childers and any person who is considering partnering on a platform with any false teacher not to do it. I get it. I do. We want to share the Gospel when and where we can. But there is a right way to do it and a wrong way. A right place and a wrong place. When you drop a white glove into the mud, the mud doesn’t get glovey, said Chuck Swindoll. Sisters, stay untainted. Please take heed and consider these things.