Hello! I believe as you do, about women “Pastors” and not usurping authority or teaching over men. Some women, such as Priscilla Schirer(sic) just as an example, who speak to thousands are considered as unscriptural because men are often present. Now I do know some encourage male attendance but what if they don’t but men show up? That’s not really in their control, right? What would you do if men attended an event you’re speaking at? I mean this sincerely, just wondering how this could be handled. Thank you!
This is a great question I’ve received a number of times, so when I was recently asked again by this reader, I thought I’d just drop my answer right into the ol’ Mailbag!
There’s a foundational understanding I need to lay before answering. There are three types of women with public speaking/teaching ministries:
Those who know what Scripture says about women preaching and teaching the Bible to men and strive to obey it.
Those who know what Scripture says about women preaching and teaching the Bible to men, but don’t care and choose to disobey it.
Those who don’t know what Scripture says about women preaching and teaching the Bible to men.
Women in the third category don’t know Scripture well enough to be teaching anyone, so you shouldn’t follow them for that reason regardless of whether they teach men or only women.
When confronted about their sinful practice of teaching men, those “second category” women often cry, “We can’t help it if men just show up!” as though they’re helpless victims of men choosing to attend their women’s conferences and there’s nothing they can do about it.
Hogwash, baloney, and poppycock.
Those women are not helpless victims who have unwittingly had men foisted upon them. They’re rebels against Scripture who are perfectly fine with preaching to men. In fact, Priscilla Shirer and most of the other aforementioned examples of “second category” women, have preached the Sunday sermon in a church multiple times. Don’t tell me they didn’t know men would be present in the Sunday morning worship service!
So when they try to present this “helpless victim of men showing up, otherwise I would have obeyed Scripture” scenario, they are lying to you. They are totally fine with preaching to men, and they will blasphemously twist Scripture to try to make you fine with it, too.
So, understanding that foundation from the get go should help us reframe the way we think about this scenario of men showing up at a women’s event.
How do “first category” women handle this situation? Well, being one, I’ll be happy to explain.
First, before you ever embark on a teaching ministry, you study the Scriptures, come to a biblical understanding of the role of Christian women, and you make a Holy Spirit empowered decision of the will that you’re going to obey Christ regardless of the cost. That’s just what we do – about everything – as Christians. It is the essence of the Christian life.
Next, you make it abundantly clear in all aspects of your ministry that you hold the biblical position of the role of women and that you, emphatically do. not. teach. men. I kinda feel like anybody who’s been following me for more than five minutes knows that about me.
Next, when you create your event speaking information and materials, you again make it explicitly clear that you only teach women. The very first sentence on my Speaking Engagements page says:
“I am available to speak on Biblical topics at women’s conferences, workshops, retreats, breakout sessions, and other women’s events.”
If that’s not clear enough, my event planner FAQs document, which discusses the issue further, is also linked on that page, and my speaking engagement request form requires that the pastor of the church hosting the event be familiar with my theology, especially on hot button issues like the biblical role of women.
When I receive a speaking engagement request, I check out the requesting church. If it’s a church that has female “pastors” or allows women to preach or teach men, my husband (my events coordinator) will specifically address that with the church’s event planner during the booking process.
In ten years of event speaking, that has happened once, and I did not speak at that church’s event. (They weren’t asking me to teach men at their event, but I’m not going to give the appearance of tacitly endorsing a church that allows women to pastor, preach, or teach men by accepting their invitation to speak.)
I have bent over backwards to make it perfectly clear that I only teach women. The “second category” women don’t. In fact, they make it perfectly clear that they’re fine with teaching men by accepting speaking engagements where they already know men will be in attendance, such as preaching the Sunday sermon, or contracting with Lifeway Women, which welcomes men at their women’s events.
If a speaker makes it clear that she only teaches women, event planners don’t usually ask her to speak at co-ed events. If a planner for a co-ed event somehow manages to miss the speaker’s clearly stated information, it’s the responsibility of the speaker to find out about the event and turn down those that invite men to attend. An invitation to speak at an event is not a subpoena. The speaker is absolutely free to turn it down. And if the event is unbiblical (such as a co-ed event for a female speaker), she has a biblical responsibility to turn it down.
When potential event attendees are familiar with the speaker and her position on the role of women, and the event is advertised as a women’s event, men generally get the picture that they’re not welcome or wanted and they don’t show up.
And these days, I request security at my events. It’s security’s job to intercept anyone -whether that’s an armed attacker, a protester, or a man who wants to attend – who shouldn’t be there and could endanger the women attending or disrupt the event.
That being said, this scenario of men just showing up to attend a women’s event actually happened to me. Once. In ten years of event speaking.
I was asked to teach a couple of breakout sessions for women at a doctrinally sound co-ed conference. The host organization and I were in complete agreement that only women would attend my sessions, and that was indicated in all of the publicity materials.
About five minutes after I started teaching my first session, a couple of young men wandered in and took seats near the back. I continued my opening remarks for a minute or two, hoping they’d look around, get a clue, and leave.
When they didn’t, and it had become obvious that they were there as attendees seeking to be taught (not looking for their wives, running the sound board, or some other legitimate reason), I stopped teaching, and as gently and kindly as I possibly could (because I didn’t want to embarrass them or make things more awkward than they already were), I said something along the lines of,
“Hi guys. I’m so honored that you’d like to hear me teach, but I don’t teach men, and this session is for women only. You might enjoy attending Brother So & So’s session. It’s right down the hall.”.
And they immediately and apologetically – with no hint of offense – stood up and and left, and I continued teaching the women. No big whoop. They just didn’t know any better, but I was able to teach them without teaching them!😀
(I did, however, as soon as that first session was over, track down the host of the conference and asked him to announce in the next plenary session that my remaining breakout sessions were for women only!)
I wasn’t a victim. There was a kind, loving, and biblical way to handle the situation, and I handled it. Those “second category” women? They don’t, because they don’t see men in their audiences as any sort of an issue.
The bottom line in this situation is that if you want to obey Christ in your ministry, you’ll make that your top priority and He’ll give you the grace to do so. If you don’t want to obey Christ in your ministry, you won’t. Those “second category” women don’t want to obey Christ, or they would.
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:5
There’s a lot of foolishness masquerading as Christianity these days. Occasionally, I get e-mails and messages showcasing this type of foolishness. It needs to be biblically corrected so these folks can stop “being wise in their own eyes,” repent, and believe and practice the truth of Scripture. From time to time, I share those e-mails in The Mailbag with a biblical corrective, not only so the e-mail writer can be admonished by Scripture, but to provide you with Scriptures and reasoning you can use if you’re ever confronted with this kind of foolishness.
To answer a fool according to his folly (or in the case of most of the foolishness addressed to me – a professing Christian acting the fool by spouting unbiblical folly) is to stand toe to toe with him and firmly and biblically address his unbiblical foolishness without backing down or letting him run roughshod over you – sometimes even mirroring his own words back to him to help him see his hypocrisy.
Some Christians think holding your ground, refusing to compromise on biblical truth, and offering correction in this way is unkind or unloving. It is not. Not if you’re going by the Bible’s definition of love rather than the world’s definition (“be nice” “accept everything” “don’t confront”), and not when you’re dealing with a pridefully stubborn person. One of the most unloving things a Christian can do is to see a professing brother or sister in biblical error and ignore it rather than trying to help that person see the truth of God’s Word. Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude, John, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and many others, did this plenty of times in Scripture, and, often, much more stringently than I and other 21st century Christians do. Sometimes love – real, biblical love – has to be tough in order to reach someone’s heart.
You can read more in the “Answering a Fool” series here.
The following comment was left in response to last week’s Mailbag article, The Mailbag: I Have to Preach Because No Man Will Step Up. I’ve posted the comment in its entirety below, then broken down into manageable parts with my responses. Buckle up.😀
As a believer who has witnessed woman step up in communities all over the world, where no man would to share the Gospel, and lead their community towards Christ (even when their life was at risk), I would argue that she ought to continue preaching. It is one thing to flaunt a leadership position as if women are better than men (and the same would be wrong if a man claimed he was better than a woman). Because at the end of the day, the role is for the called, man or woman. If you research on missionaries of the past, hundreds of people have been saved by women. Are you claiming none of those women should have followed the great commission commanded to ALL believers in Matthew 28 and that all those lives they pointed to Christ weren’t worth it? Paul even asks in Romans 10:14-15, how people are to be saved if no one goes to share the Gospel with them.
Arguments like these are the reason we have prideful men in the Church who take roles they’re not called for and we have obedient women trying to ignore the calling God gave them in fear of judgement from their own community. I am not a feminist in any sense, but when it comes to silencing ANY believer from sharing the love and truth of Christ (man or woman) I cannot sit back and watch the Church divide itself on things that have nothing to do with salvation.
You want to discuss sin? What about the leaders that are liars, jealous, prideful, lustful, and gossipers? What about the pastors that preach love and compassion and go home to abuse their family? Because I’ve seen men and women do that in those roles. It’s not a discussion of whether it be man or woman. It should be a decision based a spirit-led calling.
More so, what is the significant of a claim like this? To bring down Christ followers from living how Jesus called us to? Because that’s all you’re doing when you rather have a community have no one leading them to Jesus over someone who isn’t afraid to obey just because they’re a woman.
As a believer who has witnessed woman (sic) step up in communities all over the world, where no man would to share the Gospel, and lead their community towards Christ (even when their life was at risk), I would argue that she ought to continue preaching.
You can argue that, but it’s an ungodly, unbiblical, worldly argument based solely on your fleshly human desires. It is not based on Scripture, which explains God’s desires to us. If you’re a Christian, God’s Word is your authority for life and doctrine, not your opinions. If you’re a Christian, you’re a slave of Christ, and you’re not entitled to any thought, opinion, belief, position, or worldview other than your Master’s. And if you think you are, I’d be very interested to hear you argue that.
at the end of the day, the role is for the called, man or woman.
You’re half right, here. The role of pastor, and the function of pastor (preaching) is for the called. God does the calling, and He only calls biblically qualified men through the qualifications He has enumerated in His Word. He has already told us this in Scripture, and Scripture is our authority, not some subjective, extra-biblical feeling that God is “calling” you. And again, this is your ungodly, unbiblical, worldly argument based solely on your fleshly human desires. It is not a biblical argument.
If you research on missionaries of the past
“MIssionaries of the past” (or present or future) are not our authority, or any sort of basis for making decisions or formulating doctrine. Scripture is. Directing someone to look to “missionaries of the past” is to say, “Hey, you need to look to broken, sinful human beings to figure out how to do Christianity instead of looking to Christ and His Word.”.
hundreds of people have been saved by women
Nope. Not one single, solitary person has ever been saved by a woman. Or a man. And if you think anyone ever has, you do not know the gospel. God alone is the only One who has ever saved anyone.
And honestly, using this phraseology really decreases your credibility to address this or any other biblical topic. This is not how mature Christians who know their Bibles and are equipped to engage on these topics frame things.
But if what you actually mean by “saved by women” is that people have gotten saved (by Christ) because a woman shared the gospel with them, of course that’s true, and I daresay that it’s been way more than “hundreds” of people over the last 2000 years.
But, so what? That has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
If you’re talking about women sharing the gospel with the lost, that’s called evangelism.
You’re conflating evangelism with pastoring and preaching. Evangelism is sharing the gospel with lost people outside the church, which all Christians are commanded to do. Pastoring and preaching is biblical instruction to saved people inside the church, which God has restricted to biblically qualified men. Evangelism and pastoring/preaching are two completely different, separate things. We have to keep our biblical categories straight.
Evangelism is a completely separate topic from what we’re talking about here, which is women “pastoring,” preaching, teaching men the Bible, and exercising authority over men in the gathering of the Body. Let’s stay on topic.
(For more information on the false conflation of evangelism and pastoring/preaching: Women Preaching the Gospel? at A Word Fitly Spoken)
Are you claiming none of those women should have followed the great commission commanded to ALL believers in Matthew 28
Not at all. All Believers are to carry out the Great Commission. Christian women have been obeying that command -without pretending to be “pastors” or preaching- for the past 2000 years. You don’t have to be a pastor or preach to share the gospel.
One of the primary ways women have historically fulfilled the Great Commission is by pouring the gospel into their children and grandchildren. (Lois and Eunice are a wonderful biblical example to us of this.) This is also why I said earlier that far more than “hundreds” have come to Christ because a woman -their mother- shared the gospel with them. It’s certainly not the only way women can share the gospel, but I feel confident that it’s the primary way.
In fact, women can share the gospel in any way except being a pastor or preaching (or violating any other Scriptures). They can even be missionaries and share the gospel with the lost – men and women – one on one or in any other way that doesn’t violate 1 Timothy 2:11-3:7, Titus 1:5-9, or any other Scripture. I have personal friends who are women who have done just that. I, myself, went on a short term mission trip many years ago and did just that.
Again, you need to learn the difference between evangelism and pastoring/preaching and stop conflating the two.
and that all those lives they pointed to Christ weren’t worth it?
Are you saying it’s only “worth it” or only fulfills the Great Commission if a woman is a “pastor” or preaches to men? Is it not “worth it” if a woman pours the gospel into her children? Shares the gospel with a girlfriend over coffee? Hands a tract to the man ahead of her in the check out line?
And again, the Christian’s measuring stick is rightly handled, in context Scripture, not a sinful human being’s subjective evaluation of whether or not something is “worth it”. You are not qualified to make a Christian argument on this or any other biblical topic until you learn and submit to the doctrine of the authority of Scripture. Right now, you’re trying to remove what you think is a speck in my eye, while the log of biblical illiteracy is protruding far out of your own.
Paul even asks in Romans 10:14-15, how people are to be saved if no one goes to share the Gospel with them.
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of good things!”
Romans 10:14-15
He says, “How will they hear without a preacher, and how will they preach unless they are sent?”.
You do know that God is the author of Scripture, right? And that God doesn’t contradict Himself, so His written Word doesn’t contradict itself, because God is not a liar?
God cannot (not just “does not,” but “cannot,” because He cannot lie) say something in Romans that contradicts what He says in 1 Timothy. (And not only that, Paul is the human writer of both Romans and 1 Timothy, and he’s not contradicting himself in these passages either.)
In 1 Timothy, God forbids women from pastoring, preaching, teaching the Bible to men, and holding authority over men in the gathering of the Body. So we don’t even have to read the Romans passage to know – beyond any doubt – that the Romans passage does not allow women to do those things.
Any time the Bible talks about preachers and preaching, it is talking about men. God doesn’t call or send women to preach. Women can share the gospel without preaching or being pastors.
Arguments like these are the reason we have prideful men in the Church who take roles they’re not called for
No, ignorance of and rebellion against Scripture -which you’ve amply demonstrated in your comment- are why we have those things.
Pride is a sin for both men and women. Anyone who commits the sin of pride needs to repent.
Men “who take roles they’re not called for”. I can only assume that by this you mean “men serving as pastors who shouldn’t be pastors”. Your (or anyone else’s) worldly, fleshly feelings and opinions are not the standard by which a man is determined to be fit for (“called” to) the pastorate (that’s unbiblical judgment, and a violation of Matthew 7:1), Scripture is, primarily 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.
and we have obedient women trying to ignore the calling God gave them in fear of judgement from their own community.
I’m sorry, but do you actually hear yourself saying this?
Women who defy God’s commands in His written Word are not obedient And they should be fearful of God’s judgment.
Christians who who rightly judge things according to properly handled Scripture are obeying Scripture. Professing Christians who argue for the defiance of Scripture and then denigrate Christians who are obeying Scripture are the ones who are unbiblically judging in violation of Matthew 7:1.
I am not a feminist in any sense,
Yes, you are. You may not realize it, but the unbiblical position you’ve taken on this issue wouldn’t exist if it werent for feminism. So, at the very least, you are feminist in that sense. You’re holding a feminist position while claiming not to be a feminist, just like you’re claiming to be a Christian while standing in defiance of Christ and His Word.
but when it comes to silencing ANY believer from sharing the love and truth of Christ (man or woman) I cannot sit back
I’m a woman and I’m sharing the love and truth of Christ, and you’re trying to silence me. More Matthew 7:1-5 hypocrisy. How about not “sitting back” against yourself?
If you think that women not being allowed to pastor and preach is “silencing women,” then you’re accusing God of silencing women. He is the One who issued the command, not me or any other Christian. All we’re doing is repeating what His Word has said for the last 2000 years. Your argument is with Him, not us.
and watch the Church divide itself on things that have nothing to do with salvation.
So you’d say it’s OK for homosexuals and “trans” people and rapists and child abusers to be pastors, right? To your way of thinking, those things “have nothing to do with salvation” either.
I promise, I am saying this as gently and kindly as I possibly can, but you need to hear this, and I would not be loving you biblically if I didn’t say it:
You do not know your Bible. You don’t know what you’re talking about. And as someone who doesn’t know her Bible you are not qualified to weigh in on this issue or assume the lofty position of, “I have to proclaim this ‘truth’ for the good of the church at large.”. Talk about “pridefully taking a role you’re not called for”!
You want to discuss sin?
We are discussing sin. Women defying Scripture by pretending to be pastors, preaching, teaching the Bible to men, and exercising authority over men in the gathering of the Body is sin.
I’m standing on God’s Word and arguing against that sin, You’re standing against God’s Word and arguing for that sin.
What about the leaders that are liars, jealous, prideful, lustful, and gossipers? What about the pastors that preach love and compassion and go home to abuse their family? Because I’ve seen men and women do that in those roles.
What about it? This is a deflection and a red herring, not a biblical argument.
This “argument” is like saying, “You want to discuss the sin of rape? What about bank robbers? What about murderers? What about kidnaping? What about lying?”. The Bible never teaches us we should ignore one sin simply because a thousand other sins exist.
All of the sins you’ve listed should be dealt with biblically and so should the sin of women defying God’s command against women “pastoring” and preaching. It’s not like we’re limited in the number of sins we can biblically address.
It’s not a discussion of whether it be man or woman.
Correct. God said it’s to be a biblically qualified man. End of discussion.
It should be a decision based a spirit-led calling.
More so, what is the significant (sic) of a claim like this? To bring down Christ followers from living how Jesus called us to?
No, to bring Christ followers up to living as Jesus called us to. You’re the one pushing Christ followers away from living as Jesus called us to because you’re encouraging them to defy God’s Word.
Because that’s all you’re doing when you rather have a community have no one leading them to Jesus
I nowhere suggested in that article that the “community” that woman is pretending to “pastor” should have no one leading them to Jesus. I even explained how she and the other women could lead people to Jesus without disobeying Scripture.
over someone who isn’t afraid to obey just because they’re a woman.
One more time: A woman who defies Scripture by pretending to be a “pastor” IS NOT OBEYING GOD. She is sinning.
I’ve got one more thing to add, and if you’ve made it this far, I really hope you’ll stick with me and seriously consider this. People who are genuinely born again Believers – new creatures in Christ – are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and understand, embrace, submit to, love, and obey God’s written Word. But one of the fruits of false converts – people who think they’re saved, but have never truly repented and believed the gospel – is that they reject, hate, fight against, disobey, and do not understand God’s written Word.
Because you have amply demonstrated that you do not know God’s Word and because every comment you’ve made above has been a defiance of God’s Word, I fear for your eternity. I would urge and encourage you to do what 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, and examine yourself against Scripture to discover whether or not you are truly a Believer.
Repent, believe the gospel, and be set free of these unbiblical beliefs today.
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
Or maybe I answered your question already? Check out my article The Mailbag: Top 10 FAQs to see if your question has been answered and to get some helpful resources.
(I had the opportunity to ask this questioner for a little clarity, so the questioner’s words are in bold.)
Is it ok for Christians to attend Renaissance Festivals? I would really like to go but I don’t know that I should because of some of the occult practices there.
If there are occult practices going on, then I definitely don’t know enough about Renaissance festivals to give you a definitive yes or no. I thought it was just LARPing and cosplay, and jousting, and minstrels, and stuff like that.
Would you say the occult stuff is woven into pretty much everything, or is it more at the fringes while the majority of the festival is harmless fun?
I have only attended the one in our area once and I feel like it is mostly harmless fun, but am always on guard when I see fortune tellers and vendors who promote magic and sorcery.
Then I would say that this is an issue of conscience. If the occult stuff is self-contained and you can avoid it by, for example, just not visiting the booths promoting it, I don’t see any reason you can’t go and just stick to the “harmless fun” stuff.
On the other hand, if it would bother your conscience to even be near the occult stuff, or to financially support an organization that welcomes the occult stuff (by purchasing a ticket), or something like that, then you should not sin against your conscience by going. See Romans 14 (especially v. 23) and James 4:17.
Whatever you decide to do, have a good time that day!
I grew up in a charismtic church where there were tons of women pastors so I am trying to understand a lot as I have had to navigate a lot of false Christianity I was taught. Do women preachers go to hell if they dont repent and turn? I know this is a secondary issue, but I am struggling to understand this. Any insight is so appreciated!
I praise God with you about how He’s growing you in the knowledge of the truth of His Word!
In a nutshell, people don’t go to Hell because they’re committing a particular sin. People go to Hell because they haven’t repented of all their sin in general and placed their faith in Christ as Savior.
People who have placed their faith in Christ as Savior are new creatures in Christ. We still sin, but when we do, we repent of that sin and strive not to do it again. We are on a general upward trajectory of growing in holiness, sinning less, obeying Scripture more, and becoming more Christlike over time.
People who have not placed their faith in Christ as Savior – even those who claim to be Christians – are still dead in their trespasses and sins. They are not on that upward trajectory of holiness. Depending on the issue, they’re still on their current path of sin or on a downward trajectory of increasing sin, unholiness, and disobedience to Scripture.
When you see someone who lives in willful, unrepentant sin (whether it’s the sin of women preaching or any other sin), that is the fruit of someone who is unsaved, not the fruit of someone who is saved (see 1 John 1:5-10, 2:3-6, 3:4-10, 5:3, Matthew 7:15-23).
That is why most women pastors / preachers will spend their eternity in Hell. Not due to that particular sin, but because that sin is a fruit (usually just one of many) that demonstrates that they aren’t saved. A woman who is genuinely saved may fall into the sin of preaching to men, usually out of ignorance of what the Bible teaches about it, but God will convict her of that sin, and she will repent of it and stop doing it. That was certainly true of me and of other women I’ve talked to about this issue.
I am very much concerned about the correct way to understand your list of people on your website. Are most of the people you have on your list false teachers meaning they are condemned to hell? You did say it was a mixture, and I do remember at least one that after clicking on the name says not recommended so that one is clear.
I really tried to understand your explanation of that list but I’m still confused. You said some are specially highlighted and I do see the ones in yellow, but the majority are not in highlight. And I don’t see the ones highlighted in red or green on that list.
So it looks like some are not considered lost…but? So for example a person such as Michael Heiser who I think is a child of God and on the list would be considered false by you and therefore condemned along with say Joyce Meyer and maybe some of the rest? I think it would be more clear if they were all marked or highlighted at least to me. It’s scary to think of true believers being cast out. Thanks.
Are most of the people you have on your list false teachers meaning they are condemned to hell? You did say it was a mixture… [of false teachers who are going to Hell and people who are not false teachers who are not going to Hell – at least this is my (Michelle’s) understanding of what she’s asking]
A teacher’s eternal destination has nothing to do with why s/he is on the list, and my labeling someone a false teacher is not a commentary on his/her eternal destination. (More about that in a sec.) The people on the list are there because of what they teach. When I say someone is a false teacher, it’s because of what s/he teaches. This is not a list of people you should avoid because they’re going to Hell, it is a list of people you should avoid because of what they teach. Whether or not these people are destined for Hell is irrelevant to your sanctification and understanding of the Word, but what they teach is very relevant, and that’s why they’re on the list.
…after clicking on the name says not recommended so that one is clear.
Most of the names on the list are linked to an article I wrote. At the top of all of my discernment articles, right under the picture of the teacher, it says “Not Recommended” (or I wouldn’t be writing an article on him/her). “Not Recommended” does not necessarily equal “false teacher”. There are a handful of teachers on the list who are biblically problematic enough that I would not recommend that you follow them (i.e. “Not Recommended”) but I don’t feel like they’ve quite qualified for the label of “false teacher” yet, either.
There are also names on the list that are linked to an article or resource from someone else, so the “Not Recommended” label isn’t there.
Here’s what you need to know, bottom line: I don’t recommend you follow anyone or any ministry on that list. That’s why they’re on the list in the first place.
I really tried to understand your explanation of that list but I’m still confused. You said some are specially highlighted and I do see the ones in yellow, but the majority are not in highlight. And I don’t see the ones highlighted in red or green on that list.
OK, here’s what the questioner is referring to. It’s in the introduction to the list. I’ve added some highlights to help answer her questions:
You will see a few names in the list below highlighted in yellow. I have something of a “green light, yellow light, red light” system of categorizing teachers. You’ll find my “green light” (Go! – doctrinally sound, highly recommended teachers) teachers at the Recommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page. My “red light” (Stop! – false and biblically problematic teachers) teachers are most of those listed below. But because of the way people use my blog to research false teachers, it was most user friendly to also include the “yellow light” teachers below.
“Yellow light” teachers (Caution, slow down!) are teachers I do not believe scripturally qualify for the label of “false teacher” yet, but are biblically problematic enough that I recommend you not follow them or use their materials. Please READ the linked information carefully, and do not make assumptions about any teacher merely by seeing her name (or not seeing her name) listed below.
Here’s what this means:
There are no “green light” or “recommended” teachers on the list at the Popular False Teachers & Unbiblical Trends tab. All “green light” teachers I recommend are at a completely different tab, the Recommended Bible Teachers tab.
All of the teachers on the list at the Popular False Teachers & Unbiblical Trends tab are “red light” teachers except the ones highlighted in yellow.
All of the teachers at the Popular False Teachers & Unbiblical Trends tab are not recommended (I do not recommend that you follow them) regardless of whether or not they’re highlighted in yellow, and regardless of whether or not, when you click on their names, an article pops up that says “Not Recommended” at the top.
Are most of the people you have on your list false teachers meaning they are condemned to hell?
As I mentioned above, a teacher’s eternal destination is not a factor when I put someone on the list or when I use the term false teacher. I put them on the list to warn and protect you, not to pronounce judgment (about their eternity) on them.
So, I hope you won’t mind, but I’m going to tweak your question just a little:
Do people go to Hell because they’re false teachers?
If that question sounds familiar, that’s because it’s basically the same question that was asked in the previous section of this article – “Do women preachers go to Hell?”. And I would give you basically the same answer I gave that reader:
In a nutshell, people don’t go to Hell because they’re committing a particular sin. People go to Hell because they haven’t repented of all their sin in general and placed their faith in Christ as Savior.
Are virtually all false teachers destined to an eternity in Hell? Yes, because before they ever became false teachers they were already not saved, and that is why people spend their eternity in Hell. The fact that they’re unsaved is why people become false teachers, or women “pastors,” or bank robbers, or drag queens or whatever sinful way of life they’ve chosen. Those particular sins are the bad fruit borne by an already bad tree:
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:15-23
In short, people who are on a general life trajectory of unholiness, disobedience to Scripture, fighting against God and His Word, etc., are not saved, and will spend their eternity in Hell.
Michael Heiser who I think is a child of God and on the list would be considered false by you and therefore condemned along with say Joyce Meyer and maybe some of the rest?…It’s scary to think of true believers being cast out.
Again, for the purposes of this list, it doesn’t matter whether or not Michael Heiser is in Heaven or Hell or where Joyce Meyer will spend her eternity. They’re on the list to warn you to stay away from them and their materials because what they teach is unbiblical.
I’m not clear on whether you’re afraid God might “cast out true believers” or whether you think I am “casting out” a “true believer” because I’ve placed his name of the list. I can assure you neither is the case.
God does not cast out true Believers. Anyone who is a genuinely born again Believer at the time of his or her death – whether s/he has always been a true Believer or whether s/he repents and believes the gospel with his/her last breath – will spend eternity in Heaven with Christ. People who are not genuinely born again Believers – regardless of whether or not they claim to be Believers or whether or not you or I think they’re Believers – will spend their eternity in Hell.
I am not “casting out true Believers” by placing their names on the list. I am warning you away from people who teach false doctrine (regardless of where you or I think s/he will spend eternity).
Hope this helps clear things up!🩷
If you have a question about: a Bible passage, an aspect of theology, a current issue in Christianity, or how to biblically handle a family, life, or church situation, comment below (I’ll hold all questions in queue {unpublished} for a future edition of The Mailbag) or send me an e-mail or private message. If your question is chosen for publication, your anonymity will be protected.
“Are female ‘pastors’ and preachers false teachers, or are they just sinning?”
“Whoa, Nellie! Hold up just a cotton-pickin’ minute, there!” That question is probably a little stunning if you’re a professing Christian who’s never before encountered the idea that God prohibits women from being pastors, preaching to men, teaching the Bible to men, and holding authority over men in the gathering of the Body of Christ – the church.
Sorry to have to rip that Band-Aid off. I know it stings, but He does.
We know from passages like 1 Timothy 2:11-3:7 and Titus 1:5-9 that women who do those things – and the men who allow or encourage them to – are in sin, because when God tells us not to do something, and we do it anyway, that’s sin. It’s the very definition of sin.
Women who “pastor,” preach, teach Scripture to, and hold authority over men in the gathering of the Body – and the men who allow or encourage them to do so – are in sin.
But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
…appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife…
1 Timothy 2:12, Titus 1:5-6 (Excerpted)
And no, that command wasn’t just Paul’s personal, human opinion, or a command that was only for the Ephesian church at that time, or because the women of that time were uneducated, or teaching false doctrine, or more easily deceived, or any of the other man-made arguments against what Scripture plainly says.
And no, it’s not OK for a woman to violate that command simply because she has her husband’s and/or pastor’s permission, or that she’s under his “authority” or “mantle” or “covering”. No one has the authority to tell someone it’s OK to do something God has said is sin. Where God says “no,” no mere mortal has the right to say “yes”.
And no, it’s not all right for a woman to preach to, or teach the Bible to men in any gathering of the Body just so long as it’s not the 11:00 a.m. worship service on Sunday morning inside a church building. God places no such exceptions on His command. The church is the gathering Body of Christ regardless of what time, which day of the week, what size the group, or which type of venue in which they meet. Christians are the church. When Christians are gathered for worship and instruction in the Word – in the worship service, in adult Bible study and Sunday School classes, in parachurch organizations, at Christian conferences, concerts, rallies, and other events – the church is gathered, and biblically qualified men are to lead and teach them.
When God clearly commands us in His written Word not to do something, Christians say, “Yes, and amen, Lord. Please help me flee as far away from that sin as I can get.” Christians do not search high and low, far and wide for any possible exception, loophole, technicality, or exemption that would allow us to put one over on God so we can continue doing what our flesh really wants to do, all the while deceiving ourselves into believing we’re not actually sinning. You might fool yourself and others, but you’ll never fool God.
Christians do not search for any possible exception, loophole, technicality, or exemption that would allow us to continue doing what our flesh *really* wants to do, while deceiving ourselves into believing we’re not actually sinning.
Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Luke 6:46
So, yes, without a doubt, women who become “pastors,” preach to men, teach the Scriptures to, or exercise authority over men in the gathering of the Body – and the men who allow or encourage them to do so – are sinning.
And a pastor who allows a woman to do so is not only sinning, he is also biblically disqualified – either temporarily or permanently – from pastoral ministry thrice over, because he is failing to hold to the trustworthy Word as taught, he is failing to give instruction in sound doctrine that only biblically qualified men may fill these roles in the church, and he is failing to rebuke the woman who is contradicting the sound doctrine of the biblical roles of men and women.
He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Titus 1:9
So, violating God’s command against women “pastoring” and preaching is a sin, but does it make the woman who does so a false teacher? After all, if a woman committed adultery, or became a homosexual, or even killed someone, we would say she was sinning, but we wouldn’t call her a false teacher, would we?
Well, we might, in a sense, if she continued openly and unrepentantly doing those things while simultaneously claiming to be a Christian – and not just a Christian, but a Christian leader for people to look up to, learn from, and follow.
We would say that her behavior and example are lying to everyone and teaching the false doctrine that adultery, homosexuality, and murder are not sins, and that someone can be a Christian – even a good Christian leader – while openly, unrepentantly, and continuously committing these sins.
Further, her behavior and example are teaching everyone who sees her that if you come to a command of Scripture that you don’t like, it’s perfectly fine to disobey or ignore it.
Try to imagine your pastor standing in the pulpit on Sunday morning and saying, “Good morning, church! While you’re getting your Bibles out, I’d just like to let you know that if you come across a command of Scripture you don’t like, you are free to disobey or ignore it. In fact, doing whatever that command tells you not to do isn’t even a sin! Do it all you like! You’ll still be a Christian in good standing with God and with this church!”.
How long do you think it would take before your elders and/or deacons bodily hauled your so-called “pastor” out of the pulpit and firmly planted his posterior out on the curb?
If you go to any sort of halfway decent church, I’m guessing they’d get to the platform and lay hands on him before all the words were even out of his mouth.
And yet this is what happens every time a woman inserts herself into the role of pastor, or stands up before a co-ed gathering of adult Christians to preach or teach. The words may not be coming out of her mouth, but her behavior is actively teaching everyone in that local church or Christian gathering that…
a woman “pastoring” or preaching to men isn’t a sin (this isn’t only false doctrine, she’s also lying)
a woman can be a Christian – even a good Christian leader – while openly, unrepentantly, and continuously sinning by “pastoring” or preaching to men
if you come across a command of Scripture you don’t like, you are free to disobey or ignore it.
Why is it wrong for a (male) pastor to say these things verbally, but perfectly permissible for a female “pastor” or preacher to say these same things through her behavior and example?
Why is it wrong for a (male) pastor to say these things verbally, but perfectly permissible for a female “pastor” or preacher to say these same things through her behavior and example?
And this is just one more example of the wheels falling off of egalitarianism. Egalitarian. That word means “equal”. It means that women should be treated equally with men.
Well, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose. If a (male) pastor would be rebuked and dismissed for teaching such abominable false doctrine and lies about God and His Word, in an egalitarian world, a female “pastor” or preacher should be rebuked and dismissed for doing so, as well. You can’t have it both ways, e-gals. Either men and women are to be held to exactly the same standard, treated exactly the same, or they’re not.
Women “pastoring,” preaching, teaching the Bible to, and holding authority over men in the church has become a huge, complicated, sinful mess. Fortunately, the solution is clear cut: repent and obey Scripture.
For women, that means turning away from the pulpit and turning around to discover the joy awaiting them as they robustly fill out the crucial role of women in the church: discipling younger women, teaching children, serving and giving in any number of wonderful ways which don’t require them to do what Scripture has forbidden.
For men and pastors, that means being men of God, stepping up to fill those roles only men may fill, teaching the sound doctrine of the roles of men and women in the church, and rebuking those who contradict that sound doctrine.
When women and men turn from the sin and false doctrine of women taking on the roles God has restricted to men, the church will be healthier and everyone, including God, will be happier.
When you gaze out across the landscape of the visible church through an earthly, superficial lens, you’ve got to scratch your head and wonder, “Has evangelicalism lost its ever-lovin’ mind?”.
And the answer is to take off those inch-deep dollar store glasses, fire up the electron microscope of Scripture, look long and deep into God’s Word, and reply to yourself, “Of course it has, silly rabbit. What did you expect?”. The Bible is perfectly clear about these things and why they happen.
This year (2019), Beth Moore has caused quite the stir by hiding in plain sight the fact that she will be preaching the sermon “doing Mother’s Day” this coming Sunday, presumably at the Tomball, Texas, campus of the church she attends (founded and pastored by her son-in-law Curtis Jones1) Bayou City Fellowship:
I say “hiding in plain sight” because she has given enough of an impression here that she is preaching the sermon to test the waters and see what the reaction will be, but has worded her tweet vaguely enough that if she meets too much resistance she can still decide to back out of preaching, give a brief word of biblically appropriate Mother’s Day greeting or encouragement to the ladies at another point during the service, and come back and claim with wide-eyed innocence that that’s what she meant all along by saying she was “doing” Mother’s Day. (Someone asked Beth point blank, in a subsequent tweet if Beth’s tweet meant that she would be preaching the Sunday service and Beth did not answer her. If she’s not, why not just say so? And if she is and isn’t ashamed of it, why not just say so?)
I say “presumably” at BCF-Tomball because, even though she publicizes specific details about time and place with other speaking engagements, she has not mentioned (at least not anywhere I can find as of the time I’m writing this) the specific church she’s preaching at on Sunday, and the church hasn’t mentioned on their website that she’ll be the guest preacher. Additionally, unlike other speaking engagements Beth does, this speaking engagement is not listed on the calendar of events at her website and she hasn’t mentioned it (other than the tweet above) on social media. With all this “open secrecy” I will be surprised if the video or audio of her sermon is posted on YouTube and/or the church website.
Why all this cloak and dagger about the highest profile woman in the Southern Baptist Convention2, possibly in the entirety of evangelicalism, preaching the Mother’s Day sermon?
Because she knows it’s unbiblical. Because weknow it’s unbiblical. And it doesn’t take an electron microscope to see it. It’s right there, in black and white, jumping off the pages of Scripture:
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 1 Timothy 2:12
It couldn’t be more clear. And for pastors who ought to know better to either fall prey to or intentionally perpetuate the serpentine seduction of “Did God really say you can’t preach?”, using Mother’s Day as an excuse to induce a woman to sin by having her deliver the sermon is a slap in the face – to God, to the church, and to women.
Using Mother’s Day as an excuse to induce a woman to sin by having her deliver the sermon is a slap in the face – to God, to the church, and to women.
What do his actions say to God? “I don’t like Your way and I won’t submit to it. I don’t trust that Your way is right regardless of what the world says. I’ll do what’s right in my own eyes.” It’s the lesson his church learns from his actions as well.
But why is inviting a woman to preach an affront to Christian women? Take a stroll down to verse 15 of 1 Timothy 2:
Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
Not only does the pastor who invites a woman to preach adulterate the role God has set aside specifically for men, he also denigrates one of the good and holy roles God has specifically and intentionally set aside for women: the role of literal, and spiritual, mother.
Eve shattered God’s perfect, unique design for women by allowing herself to be seduced into rebellion. But are we daughters of Eve forever doomed to bear the shame and guilt of her sin, never to have a role in building the Kingdom? Pariahs, to be shunned and shut out of God’s plan? No, praise God! Through the cross, the good works Christ has ordained for Christian women to do – including mothering our own children and being spiritual mothers to our daughters in the faith – redeem the prestige of women. Mothering, in every sense in which God intended it, raises the role of women back to its rightful place in God’s plan.
And we don’t need men – especially men who are supposed to be rightly leading God’s people – to come along and entice us to mess that all up again.
But that’s exactly what’s happening.
When a pastor invites a woman to sin by taking over the pulpit, he drags her and the women of his church right back to post-Fall Eden. He trashes the rank and repute of our God-given high and holy role of mother and implicitly says Being a woman isn’t good enough. You have to steal the role of men to be valued and esteemed.
When a pastor invites a woman to sin by taking over the pulpit, he implicitly says, “Being a woman isn’t good enough. You have to steal the role of men to be valued and esteemed.”
We don’t need to be second rate imitations of men in order to “count”. We need to be first rate, full throttle, take it to the limit women of God. God loves us and values us so much more than to give men a special and amazing role and leave us without an equally special and amazing, yet totally distinct, role. The God who spoke the universe into existence and planned out an unparalleled purpose for every single plant, animal, bacterium, and every other atom of the cosmos, did not leave the queen of His creation roleless. He did not bring us into being only to toddle along after the Hairy Ones trying to copy their every move. How unloving of God, and devaluing to women, would that be? Why would you want to act like a man when God blessed you with the gift of being a woman?
If, by God’s good Providence, you’ve “stumbled across” this article and you’re a woman who has been invited to preach, I plead with you: don’t buy the lie. Say no. Your Savior has a whole treasure chest of good works for you to do as a woman. You are worth infinitely more to Him as the woman He created you to be than you are to the world, or a worldly church, as a cheap knock-off of a man.
The practice of denigrating women, devaluing our God-given role, disobeying God, and darkening the understanding of the church by inviting women to sinfully take the pulpit must stop in the house of God.
Let us be the mothers our own children need, raising up a godly seed unto the Lord. Let us be the spiritual mothers longed for by younger women in the faith, daughters orphaned by Christian women who have abandoned them to take on the role of men. The practice of denigrating women, devaluing our God-given role, disobeying God, and darkening the understanding of the church by inviting women to sinfully take the pulpit must stop in the house of God and be replaced by strong godly women, unafraid and unashamed to flourish in the precious role our Lord has blessed us with.
Especially on Mother’s Day.
Updates to this article:
1Curtis Jones (Beth Moore’s son-in-law) resigned his pastorate at BCF in July 2020.
2Beth Moore has left the Southern Baptist Convention and is now attending an Anglican church where – surprise, surprise – she preaches from time to time.
of growing in holiness, sinning less, obeying Scripture more, and becoming more Christlike over time.
or on a downward trajectory 
of increasing sin, unholiness, and disobedience to Scripture.
