False teachers

(Excerpt taken from Religious Trojan Horse by B. Howse):

“I believe God allows false teachers in order to test whether or not the Church will be faithful in its biblical mandate to expose false teachers and protect the sheep from spiritual poison and wolves in sheep’s clothing. ephesians 5:11 makes it clear we are to expose false teachers: “and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

If a pastor will not point out the wolves among the sheep, then this should be a clear warning to the flock that the shepherd does not have its best interest in mind. Such a hireling is not called of God but is simply involved in an occupation for personal gain as revealed in 1 Timothy 6:5 (“...who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain”). Such nonshepherds show that they are more interested in their reputations and in being seen by the larger, unsaved community as tolerant and nonjudgmental.

False teachers give sheep the opportunity to test the commitment of their shepherds/pastors. If the pastors on your church staff fail this biblical test, then it is time for the church to replace its hirelings with real shepherds. If your church will not do this, then it is time for you to find a new flock.”