A gracEmail subscriber writes: “I am spiritually confused. If you surf the net, you will virtually see a Holy War between Christians and Christians. [One particular website] contains exposes of most of the better-known Christian teachers both past and present, including established pillars of the faith. I am not sure whom to believe. How do we effectively wade through the sea of information that is out there? How do we know what is doctrinally safe and accurate?”
* * *
I appreciate your concern and I understand your confusion. Jesus himself said we are to test teachers and that we can do that by looking at the “fruit” or results of their teaching (Matt. 7:15-20). Healthy teaching is consistent with the gospel story of Jesus and it results in greater faith, deeper love and a good conscience (1 Tim. 1:3-7). Teaching that regularly produces quarreling and suspicions, on the other hand, is not healthy teaching but instead is sick, depraved and to be avoided (1 Tim. 6:3-5).
I encourage you to spend your time first of all in reading the Bible itself — asking God to teach you what he wants you to know as you read (Col. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:7). Beyond that, seek out teachers who exalt Jesus Christ, whose teaching increases your devotion to him and love for him, deepens your love for God’s people, and assists you in godly living. If teaching does those things, it meets the test of Scripture; if it does not, but rather fosters suspicions and quarrels, it fits the description of unhealthy teaching as set out in the verses mentioned above.
As for the specific website you mention, very many of the people it “exposes” are Christian teachers of the highest quality and several of them are my personal friends. I would not waste time on a website which is labeled “expose” and which has as its main purpose the tearing down of those whose work regularly blesses the people of God. I hope these thoughts will be of benefit to you as you seek to grow closer to God and to be led by his Spirit.