Blake Long

False teachers, of any kind, are doing Satan’s work. Do we understand that? They are nefarious; false teachers are only about themselves. But the problem these days is some professing Christians find it very offensive when others point out false teachers.

In the words of Shai Linne: “The only heresy is saying that there’s heresy.” God forbid we label those who are false teachers as false teachers. We must do so! We need not worry about professing Christians who deem it not nice or inappropriate to expose specific people. Scripture testifies that it’s more than fine to do so. In fact, we must do it for two reasons (at the very least): to protect ourselves and to warn others.

The majority of the time when we warn others they don’t necessarily take it to heart. That is because most are willful participants in the false teaching, not victims. Some are victims, to be sure; however, most believe the false teaching willingly and gladly. In the same way that we must rely on the Spirit to regenerate hearts, we must rely on Him to change the minds of those who are caught up believing false teaching. For some that might mean coming from death to life; for others that might just mean needed correction.

Therefore, we must need be afraid to name names. So let’s do that.

• Joel Osteen
• Kenneth Copeland (20:29 timestamp)
• Creflo Dollar
• Benny Hinn
• Joyce Meyer
• TD Jakes
• Mike Todd
• Todd White
• Todd Bentley
• Paula White
• Carl Lentz
• Jesse Duplantis
• Andy Stanley
• Steven Furtick

This list is not exhaustive, of course. I included these names because they are most popular. The likes of Osteen, Copeland, Hinn, and Dollar are fairly easy to see as false teachers. However, you might be surprised to see Furtick and Stanley on this list. These two men are arguably more dangerous than the others. A lot of their false teaching is subtle and goes undetected if one isn’t fully paying attention. Furtick is a protege of Osteen and other prosperity gospelists, and he is friendly with those in the Word of Faith crowd. Stanley created controversy a few years ago when he advised Christians should “unhitch” from the Old Testament. At this point, it seems as though he’s “unhitched” from the God of Scripture altogether, as he now appears to be affirming of the LGTBTQ community at his latest conference.

Naming names is unpopular, certainly among those who believe in these false teachings. But one thing is clear: the Bible says false teachers are damned to Hell (Galatians 1:9) — barring they don’t repent and believe — and will lead millions astray in the process. We can’t let that happen. So when a professing Christians admonishes you for naming names and claims you are being divisive, remind them the false teachers are the ones causing division. Scripture is abundantly clear that naming names is important to do — the Apostle Paul did it (1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:17). Those who either fall prey to false teaching or are active participants in it must be warned about it.

So, Christian, do not be afraid to name names. Don’t cower when someone confronts you for exposing a known false teacher; don’t shrink away from someone complains you’re being unloving; don’t back down from someone who insists you’re wrong. However, be gracious. Even while making names, let your “speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” (Colossians 4:6). Additionally, try to provide reasons for why one is a false teacher.

Costi Hinn wrote:

When you do name a false teacher, try to do more than name-drop. Explain the error, give reasons for rejecting it, communicate complexities to the best of your ability, and set a tone that longs for truth and love — not just slinging mud.

Naming names should come from a place of compassion and burden, not superiority. We don’t name names to make ourselves feel better or to simply poke fun. We’re no better but by the grace of God! We do it because eternity hangs in the balance. We must call our false teachers with caution, but do so with conviction as well.

So . . . name names, but do so carefully and with love.