Using Care With the Label, “False Teacher”

“Don’t read her books—she’s a false teacher.”

 These scathing words came from my mouth in various forms when I first began to dig into my theology. As I grew in my understanding of the Word and solid doctrine, I likewise grew in my pride. I only listen to or read books by sound teachers, no fluff or false teaching ever comes near me. A good desire for knowledge was corrupted by the wickedness of pride.

 Most of us have learned to be careful with the term “heretic”, reserving it for those who are far from orthodoxy, but perhaps some of us (myself included) are still a bit too quick to stick the label “false teacher” on others’ backs. Can you relate? 

 So how do you know when to call someone a false teacher? How do we know when that label is appropriate? When are we simply brothers and sisters who disagree, or people on opposing sides of orthodoxy?

You can read the rest of this article at Women Encouraged.