How To Know Who To Follow
by Deb Moken
What if I told you that an unscrupulous, self-proclaimed ‘doctor’ of unknown/undeclared discipline, from the 1800's robbed the life savings’ from his unsuspecting victims by forging paperwork and signatures? And that this man was the driving force behind some of the most cherished doctrines embraced by evangelical Christians today? Or that some of the most defended doctrines were formulated and propagated by the maniacal and murderous of the 16th century?
Don’t worry. I won’t. Not because it’s false, but because it’s not the most effective method of producing actual changes in heart-held beliefs. Jesus would introduce new teachings by way of parable and encourage uprooting inaccurate or obsolete beliefs by asking uncomfortable questions.
I’m not good at telling stories. But I do like to ask curiosity invoking questions hoping to initiate searches that lead to discoveries. Questions like:
Whose teachings am I actually following?
Who was that guy (or gal) anyway?
If this person were alive today, would I go their church, buy their books or listen to their podcasts?
Were they known to be followers of Christ by their exhibition of love for one another?
Does believing this doctrine produce hope and peace, compassion and joy in my heart?
What effect does it appear to have in my life or the lives of others who’ve chosen to believe it?
In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus tells us to be on the lookout for false proclaimors of ‘truth’. If you don’t know them personally and are unable to determine the caliber of their character and sincerity (or reality) of their conversion, how can you weed out the good from the bad? The Lord instructed to check out their fruit; which are the doctrines and disciples their proclamations produce.
I’ve used the Lord’s method to recognize, in my own life, foul fruit. And where possible, have traced the teachings back to their ill-conceived origins. Sure enough, the discoveries made by upending a sacred cow or entrenched rock have given me all the impetus needed to erase those ideas from my world and theological views. Ideas that, I believe, were intentionally planted in the minds of the searching, watered by fear and sudo-certainty. Ideas that continue to produce bumper crops of unhealthy, impotent, and anti-christlike beliefs masquerading a truth.
Our generation doesn’t have the corner on malevolence. Have you ever wondered who were the Jim Jones’, Vernon Howells, Charles Mansons, David Bergs and Ron Hubbards of previous centuries? Have any of their ideas, interpretations, slants and theological grids tainted, infiltrated, and influenced the teachings we have come to believe today? Do their teachings hijack eschatology and undermine the Cross? If so, they have no place in our hearts or our pulpits. The Cross Changed Everything.
