Category: Discernment

Christian women, Discernment

Throwback Thursday ~ Sammy

Michelle Lesley

Originally published August 8, 2017

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See this dog? His name is Sammy and he belongs to our next door neighbors. The way I know this is that Sammy frequently escapes from their yard and comes over to visit mine.

Sammy’s a good egg. He’s friendly and just looking to collect a few more buddies. He’s also dumb as a sack of hair and totally disobedient to his masters. He runs when they tell him to come. He stays in my yard when they tell him to go home.

A few days ago, I went for my regular power walk and Sammy happened to be out in his own front yard. I headed past his house for the pond where I usually walk, and soon noticed that he was following me. I turned and told him to go home. Sammy sneezed in protest and completely disregarded my instruction. OK, I thought, I’ll ignore him, he’ll get bored, and he’ll go back home. Problem solved.

Only it wasn’t. Sammy continued to follow me for the next half mile or so, far away from his home. I was worried he’d get lost on his way back. I was worried he’d get hit by a car on his way back. I was worried he’d never BE on his way back. I was also a little worried people would think this hare-brained dog was mine and yell at me when he explored their flower beds.

Finally, a little farther down the road, I turned around and Sammy had disappeared. He must have made it back home all right because he’s still getting loose and visiting my house pretty regularly.

Sammy reminds me of a lot of Christian women these days. They have a Master – Christ – who loves them, provides for them, cares for them, and has adopted them into His family. And because Christ loves them, He has put up the fence of His word and His precepts to keep them safe and protected- to give them a place where they can flourish in Him.

But these “Sammys” refuse to be hemmed in, either because they’re ignorant of God’s word or they’re rebellious against it. All they know is that there are a million fun and exciting things on the other side of the fence. Things they feel like doing and experiencing.

And one day, when they’ve put a toe over the line by wandering around in the front yard instead of the back, a false master strolls by. She’s different. New. Shiny. A change of pace from the regular routine. This master isn’t Sammy’s real master. She doesn’t care for Sammy, keep her safe, provide for her, or make sure Sammy grows and flourishes. But this false master is exciting. She’s going to the pond Sammy has always wanted to visit. She doesn’t put up fences, get out the leash, or holler, “Come!” She lets Sammy do what Sammy wants to do. And she leads Sammy farther and farther away from her home with her true Master.

Some Sammys manage to find their way back home. Some get hit by cars along the way. But most just keep wandering from one false master to another, forgetting that their true Master never intended for them to end up a stray.

Go home, Sammy. Sit, and stay.

Discernment, False Teachers

Todd White

Michelle Lesley

If you are considering commenting or sending me an e-mail objecting to the fact that I warn against certain teachers, please click here and read this article first. Your objection is most likely answered here. I won’t be publishing comments or answering emails that are answered by this article.

This article is kept continuously updated as needed.

This article is what I call a “clearinghouse article”. It is a collection of articles written by others on the teacher, ministry, or unbiblical trend named below. Either I have not had the time to write a full blown article on it myself, or I felt that the articles listed did a fine job of explaining the biblical issues and there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

Disclaimer: I did not write the articles below, and I am not thoroughly familiar with all of the websites used in my clearinghouse articles. I do not endorse anything on these sites that deviates from Scripture or conflicts with my beliefs as outlined in the “Welcome” or “Statement of Faith” tabs in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.

Here are the  biblical criteria I use when deciding whether or not to recommend a teacher, ministry, etc.:

Generally speaking, in order for me to recommend a teacher, speaker, or author, he or she has to meet three criteria:

a) A female teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly preach to or teach men in violation of 1 Timothy 2:12. A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be living in any other sin (for example, cohabiting with her boyfriend or living as a homosexual).

b) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be partnering with or frequently appearing with false teachers. This is a violation of Scripture.

c) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be teaching false doctrine.

I recommend against any teacher or ministry who violates one or more of these biblical tenets.

I am not very familiar with most of the teachers I’m asked about (there are so many out there!) and have not had the opportunity to examine their writings or hear them speak, so most of the “quick checking” I do involves items a and b (although in order to partner with false teachers (b) it is reasonable to assume their doctrine is acceptable to the false teacher and that they are not teaching anything that would conflict with the false teacher’s doctrine). Partnering with false teachers and women preaching to men are each sufficient biblical reasons not to follow a pastor, teacher, or author, or use his/her materials.

Just to be clear, “not recommended” is a spectrum. On one end of this spectrum are people like Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth and Kay Arthur. These are people I would not label as false teachers because their doctrine is generally sound, but because of some red flags I’m seeing with them, you won’t find me proactively endorsing them or suggesting them as a good resource, either. There are better people you could be listening to. On the other end of the spectrum are people like Joyce Meyer and Rachel Held Evans- complete heretics whose teachings, if believed, might lead you to an eternity in Hell. Most of the teachers I review fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum (leaning toward the latter).

If you’d like to check out some pastors and teachers I heartily recommend, click the Recommended Bible Teachers tab at the top of this page.

Todd White
Not Recommended

Primary issues with Todd White: New Apostolic Reformation heresy, fake faith healing, yokes with numerous false teachers

‘Open Letter To Todd White’ Alleges Years of Lies, Abuse, Theft, and Domestic Violence at Protestia

New Apostolic Reformation

New Apostolic Reformation articles

The Mailbag: What is the New Apostolic Reformation?

The Mailbag: Should Christians listen to “Reckless Love”? (Contains videos and discussion of blasphemous NAR music, practices, and beliefs)

Other Theological Issues

Todd White Flips the Gospel Upside Down at Messed Up Church

Are Bethel Church and Todd White False Teachers? at WWUTT

Todd White Said the Cross Determined Your Value? at WWUTT

Responding to the False Teaching of Bethel Church, Jesus Culture, and Todd White by Gabriel Hughes

Todd White False Healer Witchcraft New Age Agenda by Justin Peters

Faith Healing

Todd White Exposed-Fake Leg Lengthening Trick! an excerpt from American Gospel

Fake Healing Videos Evaluated: Todd White, Tom Fischer and more by Mike Winger

Todd White Doubles Down on False Leg Lengthening Miracle at Fighting for the Faith

“I’m sinless.”

Todd White Says “I Am Sinless” (Just Like Jesus) by Steven Kozar

Does Todd White Claim to Be Sinless? by Popular Gospel

Mentored by Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn

Todd White’s Mentor is Kenneth Copeland! Be Careful of Todd White’s False Gospel Teachings at Berean Perspective Apologetics & Evangelism Ministry

Todd White’s Experience At A Benny Hinn Meeting at Nathan Griffith

“Encounter Gospel”

The Fortune-Telling “Encounter Gospel” of Bethel & the NAR Explained at Messed Up Church

Specific Incidents with Todd White

Todd receives American Gospel movie and letter from Costi Hinn

Todd calls American Gospel “demonically inspired” and “persecution”

Todd’s “Repentance” Sermon

Discerning Todd White at A Word Fitly Spoken

Has Todd White Repented? by Justin Peters

Todd’s Wealth

Todd White: How Much Money Does He Actually Make? by Steven Kozar

Collections of Articles/Episodes

The Todd White Cornucopia of False Teaching at Messed Up Church

Todd White at Fighting for the Faith

Todd White at Berean Research

Discernment, False Teachers

Ann Voskamp

Michelle Lesley

If you are considering commenting or sending me an e-mail objecting to the fact that I warn against certain teachers, please click here and read this article first. Your objection is most likely answered here. I won’t be publishing comments or answering emails that are answered by this article.

This article is kept continuously updated as needed.

This article is what I call a “clearinghouse article”. It is a collection of articles written by others on the teacher, ministry, or unbiblical trend named below. Either I have not had the time to write a full blown article on it myself, or I felt that the articles listed did a fine job of explaining the biblical issues and there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

Disclaimer: I did not write the articles below, and I am not thoroughly familiar with all of the websites used in my clearinghouse articles. I do not endorse anything on these sites that deviates from Scripture or conflicts with my beliefs as outlined in the “Welcome” or “Statement of Faith” tabs in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.

Here are the  biblical criteria I use when deciding whether or not to recommend a teacher, ministry, etc.:

Generally speaking, in order for me to recommend a teacher, speaker, or author, he or she has to meet three criteria:

a) A female teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly preach to or teach men in violation of 1 Timothy 2:12. A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be living in any other sin (for example, cohabiting with her boyfriend or living as a homosexual).

b) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be partnering with or frequently appearing with false teachers. This is a violation of Scripture.

c) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be teaching false doctrine.

I recommend against any teacher or ministry who violates one or more of these biblical tenets.

I am not very familiar with most of the teachers I’m asked about (there are so many out there!) and have not had the opportunity to examine their writings or hear them speak, so most of the “quick checking” I do involves items a and b (although in order to partner with false teachers (b) it is reasonable to assume their doctrine is acceptable to the false teacher and that they are not teaching anything that would conflict with the false teacher’s doctrine). Partnering with false teachers and women preaching to men are each sufficient biblical reasons not to follow a pastor, teacher, or author, or use his/her materials.

Just to be clear, “not recommended” is a spectrum. On one end of this spectrum are people like Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth and Kay Arthur. These are people I would not label as false teachers because their doctrine is generally sound, but because of some red flags I’m seeing with them, you won’t find me proactively endorsing them or suggesting them as a good resource, either. There are better people you could be listening to. On the other end of the spectrum are people like Joyce Meyer and Rachel Held Evans- complete heretics whose teachings, if believed, might lead you to an eternity in Hell. Most of the teachers I review fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum (leaning toward the latter).

If you’d like to check out some pastors and teachers I heartily recommend, click the Recommended Bible Teachers tab at the top of this page.

Ann Voskamp
Not Recommended

 

Primary issues with Ann Voskamp: False doctrine (New Age mysticism, panentheism, “theological erotica”), twists and mishandles Scripture, yokes with numerous false teachers, preaches to men

 

Theological Issues

Mystical Estrogen at Fighting for the Faith

Ann Voskamp’s Dangerous View of God’s Love at Berean Research

Panentheism

One Thousand Gifts at Christian Answers for the New Age

Panentheism and Hollow Words by Marcia Montenegro

“Theological Erotica”

One Thousand Gifts at Christian Answers for the New Age

 

Book Reviews

Romantic Panentheism: A Review of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp by Bob DeWaay

Interview With Marcia Montenegro: “One Thousand Gifts” Review with Steven Kozar

One Thousand Gifts by Tim Challies (please see also this companion piece: In which Tim Challies realizes Ann Voskamp is a real person by Elizabeth Prata)

The Broken Way at Wise in His Eyes

 

Examples of Ann Voskamp Preaching to Men

Hillsong Sunday sermon (Hillsong/Brian Houston)

The Way of the Lamb (instructing pastors at a pastors’ conference)

Founder’s Week at Moody Bible Institute (Other problematic speakers were on the roster, but normally at an event like this, each speaker comes in on a different day, they do not share a stage, and they have no contact with one another. I do not consider this “partnering” with other teachers.)

The Justice Conference (social justice)

Evangelicals for Life

 

Examples of Ann Voskamp Partnering with False Teachers

Women of Joy Conferences (Sheila Walsh, Chrystal Evans Hurst, Jennie Allen)

Hillsong’s Colour Conference 2020 (multiple) (Hillsong/Bobbie Houston, female “pastor,” Leanne Matthesius)

Q-Conference/Q-Ideas (multiple) (Rebekah and Gabe Lyons, Francis Chan, Priscilla Shirer, Jennie Allen, Bill Johnson. others)

Beth Moore: Guest post on Ann’s blog

IF:Gathering (Ann is on the leadership team of IF and has spoken at IF numerous times alongside false teachers and female “pastors”/preachers)

Thrive 2017 (Lysa TerKeurst, Bianca Olthoff, female “pastor,” Carolyn Haas)

 

Specific Incidents with Ann Voskamp

Ann Voskamp: Whoever Tells the Church Mothers to Go Home Are Homewreckers in Our Father’s Church at Relevant (not a recommended site) – After John MacArthur’s 2019 remarks that false teacher, Beth Moore, should not be preaching to men and should “go home,” Ann apparently wrote a response in support of Beth and some form of egalitarianism. She has since deleted the article.

Social Justice/Racial Issues

Ann Voskamp Among Protestors Outside the National Prayer Breakfast at Church Leaders (not a recommended site)

Ann promotes Black Lives Matter, White Fragility, and other unbiblical teachings (and teachers) on race on her blog

Discernment, False Teachers

Andy Stanley

Michelle Lesley

If you are considering commenting or sending me an e-mail objecting to the fact that I warn against certain teachers, please click here and read this article first. Your objection is most likely answered here. I won’t be publishing comments or answering emails that are answered by this article.

This article is kept continuously updated as needed.

This article is what I call a “clearinghouse article”. It is a collection of articles written by others on the teacher, ministry, or unbiblical trend named below. Either I have not had the time to write a full blown article on it myself, or I felt that the articles listed did a fine job of explaining the biblical issues and there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

Disclaimer: I did not write the articles below, and I am not thoroughly familiar with all of the websites used in my clearinghouse articles. I do not endorse anything on these sites that deviates from Scripture or conflicts with my beliefs as outlined in the “Welcome” or “Statement of Faith” tabs in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.

Here are the  biblical criteria I use when deciding whether or not to recommend a teacher, ministry, etc.:

Generally speaking, in order for me to recommend a teacher, speaker, or author, he or she has to meet three criteria:

a) A female teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly preach to or teach men in violation of 1 Timothy 2:12. A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be living in any other sin (for example, cohabiting with her boyfriend or living as a homosexual).

b) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be partnering with or frequently appearing with false teachers. This is a violation of Scripture.

c) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be teaching false doctrine.

I recommend against any teacher or ministry who violates one or more of these biblical tenets.

I am not very familiar with most of the teachers I’m asked about (there are so many out there!) and have not had the opportunity to examine their writings or hear them speak, so most of the “quick checking” I do involves items a and b (although in order to partner with false teachers (b) it is reasonable to assume their doctrine is acceptable to the false teacher and that they are not teaching anything that would conflict with the false teacher’s doctrine). Partnering with false teachers and women preaching to men are each sufficient biblical reasons not to follow a pastor, teacher, or author, or use his/her materials.

Just to be clear, “not recommended” is a spectrum. On one end of this spectrum are people like Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth and Kay Arthur. These are people I would not label as false teachers because their doctrine is generally sound, but because of some red flags I’m seeing with them, you won’t find me proactively endorsing them or suggesting them as a good resource, either. There are better people you could be listening to. On the other end of the spectrum are people like Joyce Meyer and Rachel Held Evans- complete heretics whose teachings, if believed, might lead you to an eternity in Hell. Most of the teachers I review fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum (leaning toward the latter).

If you’d like to check out some pastors and teachers I heartily recommend, click the Recommended Bible Teachers tab at the top of this page.

Andy Stanley
Not Recommended

Primary issues with Andy Stanley (and his “church,” North Point): False doctrine, twists and mishandles Scripture, allows women to preach

From my article 6 Reasons You Need to Stay Hitched to the Old Testament:

…The apostles cut out the requirement for circumcision to make things easier for Gentiles who wanted to come to Christ, he reasons, so the 21st century church should basically divorce itself from the Old Testament to make it easier for lost people who have a problem with certain Old Testament passages to come to Christ.

There’s only about a million problems with this line of thinking, and, honestly, the more I investigate what Stanley said and his subsequent explanations of why he said it and what he meant, the angrier it makes me. That a man with a master’s degree from a decent seminary, who’s a pastor of several churches, a best-selling “Christian” author, and a leadership and church growth guru to thousands of pastors across the globe should say, or even believe, such things is reprehensible…. 

 

Theological Issues

The Dangerous False Teaching of Andy Stanley by Chris King

Andy Stanley — We Can’t Arrive at the Empty Tomb without a Bible by Josh Buice

Andy Stanley’s Problem with the Bible by Josh Buice

Andy Stanley’s Troubling New Sermon by Alexander Griswold

Women preaching the Sunday sermon at North Point

Sarah Anderson   Annie Downs   Danielle Strickland   Jen McMillan

Homosexuality

When Gracie Met Truthy (audio of sermon citing homosexual couple at North Point)

The Wolf Is Out of the Closet: Mark and Avoid Andy Stanley (Unconditional Conference 2023) by Josh Buice

Andy Stanley Sermon Illustration on Homosexuality Prompts Backlash at Christianity Today

Andy Stanley’s stance on homosexuality questioned at Baptist Press

Andy Stanley: Churches Should Be ‘Safest Place on the Planet’ for Gay Youth at The Christian Post

Secular music in the worship service

Love The Way You Turn Me On (Love Saves the Day)

We Are the Champions (Christmas Parody) (Queen)

Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Fight Song (Rachel Platten)

Renegade (Styx)

Life Is a Highway and Sweet Home Alabama (Tom Cochrane / Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns ‘n’ Roses)

90’s boy band mashup

“Don’t use the Bible/say, ‘the Bible says…’ in evangelism”

“The Bible Says So” Is Enough: A Response to Andy Stanley by Gabriel Hughes

Andy Stanley’s Statements about the Bible are not Cutting Edge—They’re Old Liberalism by David Prince

For the Bible Tells Me So: Biblical Authority Denied … Again by Albert Mohler

3 Nagging Problems with Andy Stanley’s Approach to the Bible by Jared Wilson

“Church for the unchurched” ecclesiology

Andy Stanley’s Business Model Sermon by Josh Buice

“Verse by verse preaching is ‘cheating’/not how you grow people”

Andy Stanley on Communication (Part 2) with Ed Stetzer

Andy Stanley: Expositors are cheaters at No Compromise Radio

“If you don’t go to a large church, you’re stinkin’ selfish and don’t care about your kids”

Big churches are better, megachurch pastor says; attending small church is ‘selfish’ at AL

Andy Stanley Apologizes for Saying People Who Go to Small Churches ‘Are So Stinkin’ Selfish’ at The Christian Post

Marcion heresy / “Unhitching from the Old Testament”

Christians Must ‘Unhitch’ Old Testament From Their Faith, Says Andy Stanley at The Christian Post

Getting ‘Unhitched’ from the Old Testament? Andy Stanley Aims at Heresy by Albert Mohler

Aftermath: Andy Stanley Unhitched by Gabriel Hughes

Andy Stanley Says We Need to “Unhitch” the Old Testament from Our Faith at Answers in Genesis

Book Reviews:

We Have No Divided God: A Review of “Irresistible” by Andy Stanley by Owen Strachan

Collections of Articles/Episodes

The Andy Stanley Cornucopia of False Teaching, Fast Talking & Postmodern Ambiguity at Messed Up Church

Andy Stanley at Messed Up Church

Andy Stanley at Apprising

Andy Stanley at Berean Research

Andy Stanley at Fighting for the Faith

Discernment

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) / MomCo

Michelle Lesley

If you are considering commenting or sending me an e-mail objecting to the fact that I warn against certain teachers, please click here and read this article first. Your objection is most likely answered here. I won’t be publishing comments or answering emails that are answered by this article.

This article is kept continuously updated as needed.

This article is what I call a “clearinghouse article”. It is a collection of articles written by others on the teacher, ministry, or unbiblical trend named below. Either I have not had the time to write a full blown article on it myself, or I felt that the articles listed did a fine job of explaining the biblical issues and there was no need to reinvent the wheel.

Disclaimer: I did not write most of the articles below, and I am not thoroughly familiar with all of the websites used in my clearinghouse articles. I do not endorse anything on these sites that deviates from Scripture or conflicts with my beliefs as outlined in the “Welcome” or “Statement of Faith” tabs in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.

Here are the  biblical criteria I use when deciding whether or not to recommend a teacher, ministry, etc.:

Generally speaking, in order for me to recommend a teacher, speaker, author, or ministry, he/she/it has to meet three criteria:

a) A female teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly preach to or teach men in violation of 1 Timothy 2:12. A male teacher or pastor cannot allow women to carry out this violation of Scripture in his ministry. The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be living in any other sin (for example, cohabiting with her boyfriend or living as a homosexual).

b) The pastor or teacher cannot currently and unrepentantly be partnering with or frequently appearing with false teachers. This is a violation of Scripture.

c) The pastor, teacher, or ministry cannot currently and unrepentantly be teaching false doctrine.

I recommend against any teacher or ministry who violates one or more of these biblical tenets.

If you’d like to check out some pastors and teachers I heartily recommend, click the Recommended Bible Teachers tab at the top of this page.

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) / MomCo
Not Recommended

(MOPS International rebranded as MomCo in 2024)

Primary issues with MOPS: False doctrine (New Age mysticism, ecumenism, errant views of the gospel, sin, etc.), false teachers

Theological Issues

It’s Time to Say Goodbye to MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers) at Theology Gals* (Apple Podcasts link)

…An Update on MOPS at Theology Gals* (Apple Podcasts link)

Open Letter of Concern Over MOPS International* by Sarah Wilkins

MOPS and Its Move Away from Biblical Christianity* by Wade Burleson and Sarah Wilkins (scroll down to 4th article)

Doctrinal Drift at MOPS? at All the Things Show*

Is MOPS Becoming Progressive? with Krista Bontrager – The Alisa Childers podcast*

*NOTE: I am recommending only these individual resources from these sites. I would not proactively recommend any of these sites or hosts due to doctrinal issues. On this topic, however, they do expose the problematic issues with MOPS/MomCo. I would recommend that you read or listen to the facts presented in these resources, then research the facts yourself, viewing them through a doctrinally sound lens of rightly handled Scripture.