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.
I get lots of questions about particular authors, pastors, and Bible teachers, and whether or not I recommend them. Some of the best known can be found above at my Popular False Teachers tab. The teacher below is someone I’ve been asked about recently, so I’ve done some research on her.
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.
In some cases, I am not very familiar with 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 research 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.
Lifeway Women Not Recommended
Lifeway Women is the women’s division of Lifeway Christian Resources, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. Lifeway Christian Resources is an online store selling Christian books, Bible studies, and other materials for use by churches and individual Christians. Lifeway Women, as the name implies, not only sells books and other materials created specifically for women, it is also the platform for Lifeway’s women’s conferences, online Bible studies, a podcast, blog articles, women’s ministry resources and women’s leadership resources.
Lifeway Women’s prototypical women’s author and speaker – the type of woman they recruit to write Bible studies, create resources, and speak at their women’s conferences – preaches to men, partners with false teachers, and teaches false doctrine. Some of them are also woke, such as Jackie Hill Perry and Elizabeth Woodson. At least one of them – Kristi McLelland – held the office of “Teaching Pastor” at her church at the time Lifeway Women signed her (and continues to preach there regularly). Until quite recently, Rebecca McLaughlin – who identifies as a “same sex attracted Christian” – was also one of Lifeway Women’s platformed authors (her articles and other media are still posted and her books are still for sale, but she’s no longer listed under “Lifeway Women Authors”).
I haven’t researched and written about all of Lifeway Women’s authors and speakers, but I’ve written about enough of them to see that they all fit the template. Here are the current Lifeway Women authors and speakers I’ve written about, explaining the biblical issues with each:
As I said, these all fit the template of the prototypical teacher Lifeway Women recruits for their stable of authors and speakers. There’s no reason to believe that the remaining speakers and authors don’t fit the same template. At the very least, they’ve demonstrated a disqualifying lack of discernment by signing on with Lifeway Women and affiliating with the false teachers listed above.
So, although it pains me to say this as a lifelong Southern Baptist, if you need a quick way to rule out materials or events you’re vetting without doing hours of research on someone you’re not familiar with, I would recommend avoiding any author, speaker, or conference promoted by Lifeway Women.
“Can’t you just recommend somebody – anybody – whose Christian book we can walk into a store, pick up off the best-seller shelf, and buy?“
Unfortunately, with a few rare exceptions, the answer is no. There are several reasons for that which I won’t go into in this article, but, generally speaking, you’re not going to be able to walk into your local Christian retailer and buy a book authored by a doctrinally sound Christian woman whose name you recognize. Women who rightly handle God’s word? You’ll usually find them out of the spotlight and close to home- serving their husbands, families, and local churches, and impacting them with the gospel- too busy for book tours and autograph sessions.
That’s the kind of Christian women you’ll find below, only they’ve dedicated their moments of spare time to edifying others. Their blogs, podcasts, and other materials can be a great leisure time supplement to what you’re learning in church- but they’re not a substitute. Look to your pastor, good teachers, and the godly women of your church for teaching and discipleship.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don’t take my (or anyone else’s) word for it that any ministry, podcast, book, or blog is biblical in its doctrine. You MUST do the work of comparing with Scripture everything you read and hear. If it doesn’t match up with God’s word (in context), chuck it.
Women’s Hope Podcast– “Join Dr. Shelbi Cullen and Kimberly Cummings as they bring hope and encouragement through 25 years of combined experience in biblical discipleship and counseling as ACBC counselors. Shelbi and Kimberly provide biblical and practical wisdom by coming alongside women with the teaching and resources necessary to grow in the grace and the knowledge of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Facebook GroupTwitterInstagram
Sheologians– Tune in weekly (available on iTunes) for episodes dealing with…well, you never know. From feminism to abortion, chick-lit to Christian bands, Summer Jaeger and Joy Hunter tackle a wide array of topics, both sacred and secular, from a biblical perspective. It’s good theology with a healthy dose of hilarity. Check out their articles, too! FacebookTwitterInstagram
4 Truth Ministry– “4 Truth Ministry seeks to publicly proclaim with boldness and clarity truths from Holy Scripture. Our mission is to teach through a public venue into places where the whole of Scripture might not be clearly taught…We do seek to make teaching available to believers who may have theological questions which they are not getting answers for in their particular contexts.” Kerri Sheldon (a previous guest poster here on the blog) helps run 4 Truth Ministry alongside her mom and theologian dad, with whom she co-authored the book Resolute.FacebookTwitterInstagram
The Berean Millennial– You can always find super content on Katie’s platforms, especially Instagram. Geared toward young women hungry for good theology and doctrinally sound resources, Katie informs her audience on everything from church history to great homeschool books to biblical terminology and concepts, and more! And be sure to check out her podcast, Abide, with her co-host, Natalie. FacebookTwitterInstagram
A Word Fitly Spoken– I don’t mention it often here on the blog, but I actually have a podcast too, with my lovely co-host, Amy Spreeman. We cover a wide variety of topics – discernment, discipleship, church, current events in evangelicalism, the occasional interview, and even a fun listener Q&A every now and then – all from a doctrinally sound perspective. Listen in on your favorite podcast platform or on the AWFS website. FacebookTwitterInstagram
You can always find these – and more great Christian women and men to follow – at the Recommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.
The internet is glutted with “Christian” women’s blogs, many of which are anything but Christian because they don’t teach what accords with sound doctrine.
Well, genuinely regenerated Christian women have had enough. Enough of the false doctrine from celebrity divangelistas. Enough of the feel-good fluff that takes them nowhere in their quest for spiritual maturity. We want teachers who will push us to study God’s word, who exhort and encourage and even step on our toes as we seek to be conformed to the image of Christ.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don’t take my (or anyone else’s) word for it that any ministry, podcast, book, or blog is biblical in its doctrine. You MUST do the work of comparing with Scripture everything you read and hear. If it doesn’t match up with God’s word (in context), chuck it.
Berean Research– “Berean Research is a resource to help Christians equip and keep themselves and their brothers and sisters from falling into deception. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 warns us of a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but will gravitate to a great number of teachers who’ll say what their itching ears want to hear. We believe this deception has never been greater than it is right now. That’s why sound doctrine is so important.” Join Amy Spreeman and Marsha West over at Berean Research. FacebookTwitter
Abandoned to Christ– Sunny Shell writes “about marriage, biblical submission, parenting, friendships, evangelism, and my battle with a rare metabolic disease…all with the eternal, rich and hope-filled perspective of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I try to keep it real, while keeping it pure, to keep it praiseworthy.” FacebookTwitter
Solid Food Resources– Debi Martin’s excellent blog and podcast examine Scripture and a variety of theological topics. “Solid Food Resources exists to provide Biblically sound resources (solid food) for the maturing believer – helping Christians grow from milk to meat.”
Women Under Grace– Formerly a blog, Women Under Grace is now a Facebook group. “We are a community of Christian women who, first and foremost, seek to glorify God in all areas of our lives….predominantly a forum for dialogue between Reformed women. That being said, we welcome all those who genuinely seek to know the truths of the Scriptures…Our desire is that this would be a safe place where women can come to ask genuine questions and discuss a variety of topics from theology, doctrine, Scripture, and even how to address issues in culture and entertainment through a biblical lens. But most of all, we want to strive to cultivate an atmosphere that encourages the members to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” as we seek to “test all things” by the Scriptures.” Facebook
Naomi’s Table– Founded by Amy Spreeman, Naomi’s Table is a Bible study resource for women who are earnestly abiding in Jesus Christ through His Word. “Here at the Table, you are invited to peruse our Bible studies and use them for yourself or with a group to learn at the feet of our magnificent Savior, Jesus Christ. We study His Word and learn about the often confusing roles the world tells us we need to take on, and compare those pressures with what the Bible says about Godly women and discipleship. Since 2014, most of our Bible studies are taught by Beth Seifert.” FacebookTwitter
Tulips & Honey– “The Tulips & Honey Hub is a group of like minded Reformed bloggers and podcasters seeking to make His name known to man, and to glorify Him!” Check out the T&H podcast and blog! FacebookTwitterInstagram
Truth + Fire– You might have caught a glimpse of my friend Constance in the film American Gospel: Christ Alone, but did you know she has ablogand a podcast, too? “Truth + Fire boldly examines faith, pop culture, relationships and current events from a witty Christian perspective. Infusing humor, practicality and Biblical wisdom, its topics are covered full of righteous judgment and with as little filter the good Lord will allow. Its goal is to expose readers to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to declare the full counsel of God and to demonstrate the relevance of God’s Word in our present generation and individual lives. Readers should come away from this blog edified in their faith and encouraged to abide in Christ through further study and sincere application of His Word.” FacebookTwitterInstagram
Thankful Homemaker– “Thankful Homemaker provides truth-filled, gospel-driven encouragement to homemakers who amid their ordinary days desire to honor and glorify God in all things.” Check out the TH blog and podcast hosted by Marci Ferrell. FacebookTwitterInstagram
Transformed for More– Sarah and Susan “are twin sisters with a passion to help provide Christians with resources to help them live a transformed life by the power of Jesus Christ. From 2016-2019, this site focused specifically on Christian teenage girls, but for 2020 and beyond, we wanted to expand it to help a wider audience.” FacebookTwitterInstagram
You can always find these – and more great Christian women and men to follow – at the Recommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.
False teachers. You can’t throw a rock out the window these days without hitting one. But are there any “good guys” out there who are getting it right? Discipleship, Bible study, and theological issues bloggers who rightly divide God’s word? You bet. You might have to do a little digging and turn over a few rocks, but they are out there, most, sans “Christian Celebrity” status, plugging away day after day, faithfully teaching God’s word. Here are some godly Christian women who are getting it right. No name it and claim it. No signs and wonders. No health, wealth, and prosperity. Just sound doctrine straight from God’s word.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don’t just take my (or anyone else’s) word for it that any ministry, podcast, book, or blog is biblical in its doctrine. You MUST do the work of comparing with Scripture everything you read and hear. If it doesn’t match up with God’s word (in context), chuck it.
Chapter 3 Ministries– Sharon Lareau writes a wonderful blog on marriage, apologetics, and the Christian life. “Marriage and apologetics are the two main topics addressed here, but not the only ones. Chapter 3 Ministries reaches beyond them. We cannot limit our Christian experience to one or two things. There is so much in Christ to love and learn about!” FacebookTwitter
The End Time– Elizabeth Prata is a blogging machine. Her articles are always thoughtful and well researched. “This blog is about encouragement, discernment, and prophecy. Each essay focuses on one of these with the prayer that through them, God is exalted. No matter how dark the days or how weary the heart, He is the Light and our hope.” FacebookTwitter
Christian Answers for the New Age– When it comes to mysticism and the New Age movement, Marcia Montenegro really knows her stuff. “Christian Answers for the New Age is a ministry responding to alternative religions: to inform and educate others about New Age and occult beliefs; to respond to those involved in New Age/ occult/ Eastern belief systems with the love and truth of Christ (I Peter 3:15-16); and to serve as a resource on aspects of New Age/ occult thinking and practices such as astrology, psychic powers, meditation, witchcraft/ Wicca, alternative healing, magick, etc.” Marcia writes most actively on these topics on her Facebookpage.
Susan Heck– “Susan’s ministry emphasizes sequential teaching of the Bible marching verse-by-verse through the Sacred Library. We are involved with teaching Biblical books to capture their originally intended meaning; mentoring women; Scripture memorization; writing Ladies Bible Studies; counseling and discipling. ” InstagramFacebookYouTube
Martha Peace– Martha “teaches ladies’ Bible study classes and counseling classes…and travels extensively all over the world and conducts seminars for ladies’ groups” on biblical topics. Be sure to check out her free downloadable Bible studies! Facebook
Doreen Virtue– Raised in the New Age Movement and one of its leaders for years, Doreen has an amazing testimony of how Christ saved her. Now she teaches on the dangers and deceptions of the New Age as well as other biblical topics. Check out her YouTube broadcast. FacebookTwitterInstagram
Proverbs 9:10 Ministries– “Understanding the Bible and knowing the true Gospel message for yourself is crucial in today’s world that’s saturated with false teaching and gospels being preached that are really not the true Gospel message at all…It’s time to take out the trash, and replace it with truth!” Join this dynamic duo of sound doctrine, Rose Spiller and Chris Paxon, for their podcast No Trash, Just Truth!, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and more! FacebookInstagram
Reagan Scott– “Redeemed. Truth Seeker. Free Thinker” – that’s how Reagan has been known to describe herself. And she couldn’t be more accurate. Formerly Media and Communications Manager for a large conservative political organization, Reagan is now a full time stay at home wife and mom. But she still lights up social media, commenting on politics and social issues with a blatantly biblical bent. On biblical topics, her doctrine is timeless, freshly communicated to young women eager for the truth of Scripture. Reagan’s main online platform is Instagram, so be sure to give her a follow over there and check out her highlights to get started. FacebookTwitter
Robin Self– Robin is a pastor’s wife who blogs about a variety of biblical topics – from false teachers to avoid, to women’s ministry help, to devotions, and more – at A Worthy Walk. Give her a follow! Facebook
You can always find these – and more great Christian women and men to follow – at the Recommended Bible Teachers tab in the blue menu bar at the top of this page.
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.
I get lots of questions about particular authors, pastors, and Bible teachers, and whether or not I recommend them. Some of the best known can be found above at my Popular False Teachers tab. The teacher below is someone I’ve been asked about recently, so I’ve done a quick check (this is brief research, not exhaustive) on her.
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 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.
Anne Graham Lotz Not Recommended
Perhaps best known for being Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz “speaks around the globe…Her Just Give Me Jesus revivals have been held in more than 30 cities in 12 different countries, to hundreds of thousands of attendees.” She is the founder and president of AnGeL Ministries, her speaking, publishing, events, etc., organization.
While the core of Anne Graham Lotz’s teaching historically hasn’t been radically off base, biblically, (i.e. she’s not blatantly teaching Word of Faith, NAR, or other heretical doctrine), she handles Scripture poorly, and there are too many red flags about her teaching and behavior to regard her as a trustworthy teacher of God’s word.
“Called ‘the best preacher in the family’ by her father, Billy Graham…” This opening sentence of her website is how Anne Graham Lotz has chosen to introduce herself to the world: as a female “preacher.” We could take this as a cute, antiquated father-daughter endearment if Anne did not, in fact, preach to men. However, she has no qualms about doing so herself and encouraging other women to do so, habitually violating this prohibition of Scripture. Just a few brief examples of the myriad available:
I Saw the Lord (Men clearly present in the audience at 7:29)
Preaching the Sunday sermon at Maranatha Chapel, 2/9/20. At 1:04, Anne says, “I’m very grateful for Pastor Ray giving me this opportunity…and for a pastor to give up his pulpit…I want to say thank you to him for that, and also for the statement that he makes concerning women in ministry…the fact that he would allow me to stand in his pulpit on a Sunday morning and speak to his congregation…so if you’re a woman in ministry, be encouraged.”
Preaching the Sunday sermon at Bridgeway Community Church, 2/16/20. At 0:40, Anne says: “I want to thank Pastor Anderson for his affirmation, his support, his encouragement, of women in ministry…To be in a church, on a Sunday morning, and for a pastor to give up his pulpit to me is a rare privilege.”. Two Sundays in a row. A nearly verbatim spiel. Not that “rare,” apparently.
Anne also participated in The Return, a September 2020 prayer and revival event organized by Cahn. Additionally, Anne sits on the board of advisors of The Return with Cahn and false teachers Pat Robertson, “Bishop” Harry Jackson, Robert Morris, Marcus Lamb, and John Kilpatrick, as well as Steve Strang– publisher/founder of Charisma Magazine, and Gordon Robertson- CEO of CBN.
Also participating in The Return1 were Che Ahn and Cindy Jacobs – “apostles” and major players in the New Apostolic Reformation, and Michael Brown, who often functions as an apologist for NAR (and other) false teachers on his radio program.
Again, Anne sits on the board of advisors for this event / organization. She cannot be ignorant as to who these people are and what they teach.
The following year, as chair of the 2017 National Day of Prayer Task Force, Anne mishandled the same passage the same way, combined it with a mishandling of Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9, and claimed that these passages are God’s promise to “heal” America’s moral ills if we will just pray hard enough. Neither of these passages are about, nor apply to the secular nation of America. They both pertain to God’s covenant people, Old Testament Israel, at a very specific point in history.
This is indicative of Anne’s general hermeneutic when it comes to anything having to do with politics, America, social issues, foreign relations, etc. Her standard practice is to eisegete all of those things into Old Testament Scripture, taking God’s warnings to Israel as though they were literal warnings to America, and claiming God’s promises to Israel as literal promises to America. This is not rightly handling God’s Word.
…she correctly emphasizes that God speaks through His Word, yet in this same video (and other venues such as this article at Decision Magazine, How to Know God’s Voice) she also seems to teach extra-biblical revelation by saying we can mistake other people’s voices for the voice of God, that some people aren’t hearing God speak, and continually using phrases like “listening for God’s voice.”
In her article, Preprayer 2016 Anne explains and endorses unbiblical “circle-making” prayer. Similar to Mark Batterson’s book, The Circle Maker, Anne re-tells the story of Honi the circle-maker, then says:
As I look ahead into 2016, I feel compelled to draw a circle around this city, this state, this nation… and pray! Until God answers. Do the same. Please. On this first day of the New Year, draw your own circle. Then pray for everything that’s inside of it.
As we might expect, with her numerous ties to false prophets and New Apostolic Reformation heretics, Ann has begun to dabble in NAR-esque prophesying.
In his July 7, 2014 episode of Fighting for the Faith, Chris Rosebrough deftly analyzes a message Anne says God gave her for the United States.
In the Charisma News article Anne Graham Lotz Gives Prophetic Warning About 2016, Anne predicts “As I look ahead into 2016, I believe our national and global situation will get worse,” and “I have been repeatedly warned in my spirit that the enemy is advancing. It’s something that I know.”
Anne seems to be a lovely and caring person, not to mention very patriotic. I know she’s a sentimental favorite to many because of her father. Those are all endearing qualities. But we must put feelings and nostalgia aside when we evaluate whether or not someone is qualified to teach. James 3:1 is clear that teachers will be judged more strictly, not given a pass because they’re nice people or related to a beloved spiritual figure. Anne consistently mishandles Scripture, yokes in ministry with heretics and false teachers, and preaches to men, encouraging other women to do the same. She is not a trustworthy teacher, and I recommend that you not follow or receive teaching from her.
