Gal 2:11-14 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. (12) For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. (13) The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. (14) But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
Paul rebuked Peter not only to his face, but in the presence of all. Publicly. Because the truth of the gospel was more important than anything, and Peter was sliding into a denial of it.
There is a good ol’ boys club mentality (with women members as well) that refuses to do what Paul did. Our of a craving to remain well-liked, popular, rewarded and part of the in-group. there is an unspoken climate in professing Christendom which says, “you must never criticize anyone in the group. And certainly never publicly. And if you do, you will be guilty of a terrible disrespect to your brethren and there will be consequences.” And thus, when celeb type preachers and other popular figures in churches and other groups teach that, for example, abuse is never grounds for divorce, they must never ever be called to accounts for their error.
I have experienced this myself for many years and I could give you many examples of how I have been expelled from the “in groups” because I have publicly, in my books and speaking and this blog, rebuked popular Christian men and women for the harmful and dangerous error they teach. Good bye any invitations to speak at conferences. Good bye to my books being promoted. Good bye to acceptance in a denomination of churches. And so it goes.
You see the same thing operating to the detriment of our nation when you look at Congress for instance. The rule is – you must never call another member of Congress to accounts for their even harmful errors. If you do so, you will be ostracized. Punished. It will cost you. This is how the world works – and if you have ever been a whistleblower you know what I am speaking of.
But the church is supposed to be the pillar and support of truth. We are not to be respecters of persons. When false, unbiblical doctrines are being preached and people put in bondage under them, we are to shine the light of truth upon the error and let the rats scurry off if they won’t repent. But this is simply not common in our day. Typically the truth-tellers are driven away while the rats enjoy advancement up their self-created career ladders.
But I do not care. I really don’t. Paul named names and he did so publicly. And so must we.
Veronica Miyake
Amen, Pastor, they protect their own. I want to warn others about a so-called abuse expert within the visible church who talks about the horrors of abuse in her books but never goes as far as to say that it’s ok for a woman to divorce such a man, nor does she speak out against pastors who have re-abused women by telling them stay with their abuser. Her name is Leslie Vernick. You will find her books in just about any church bookstore. She is NOT an honest supporter of abuse victims but rather a talking head for the typical Christian rhetoric that condemns abuse but doesn’t give the woman a way out of an abusive marriage. I would avoid her and her books like the plague.
Jeff Crippen
Totally agree. Truth!