Update: Challies describes what false teachers are and I’m pretty certain he fits the bill.
Challies has a series right now called The False Teacher series. It’s getting quite ridiculous at this point, and it’s a little surprising he doesn’t see it.
At what point do you swallow the reality that you are arrogant and believe you have perfect doctrine and everyone only has to learn from you? At what point do you recognize in yourself that you only preach to the choir because you have a following of people that all are as arrogant as you? Can someone like him ever admit that he has something to learn by people that he disagrees with?
I’m seriously waiting for his false teacher series on Jesus. I’m pretty sure Challies hasn’t sold all his stuff and given it to the poor, so instead of just admitting he’s a failure like the rest of us he’ll probably make a blog post about how Jesus was a false teacher too. I’m sure we’ll see C.S. Lewis soon, Ghandi, Hauerwas and a number of others Challies thinks he knows better than.
With all 25,000 or so posts on Challies blog, I’d say the only way for him to redeem himself for his over the top ridiculousness will be to go through his posts and show us where he is guilty of being a false teacher as well. But it probably won’t happen. He probably doesn’t think he has any wrong theology. After all, many of the folks in his series so far are on his list because they hold differing CHRISTIAN theologies.
To Challies.
C’mon Challies, wake up. Read your Bible at least. You can’t be a false teacher like you accuse Mclaren of because he doesn’t hold as tightly as you do the big four adjectives for the Bible. Inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative. Not only is that unbiblical it shows who your God really is. Pope Francis too? Because you have a different theory of justification than him? Because a theory of justification is enough to do you in eh?
I wish you could wake up and see how harmful your own theology (and especially methodology) is and how you are as much of a false teacher as the rest of us; perpetuating your ‘us’ and ‘them’ dichotomy and putting yourself on the pedestal of deciding who is a false teacher and who is a true one. You cause divisions more than any Christian blogger I know. Doesn’t that make you a false teacher? (Rom 16:17) You interpret Christ through the Bible instead of the other way around. Doesn’t that make you a false teacher? (2 Peter 2:1-3) All you do is spew out book reviews, and strong opinions about minor aspects of the faith and you fill your readers minds with quarrels about who is right and who is wrong (the law). Doesn’t that make you a false teacher? (Titus 3:9)
If Paul was writing to Timothy today, I would think that Paul would be talking about you in this verse.
1 Timothy 6:20-21
O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.
James nails you pretty good on this one too.
James 3:1-18
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!
Please stop being a teacher with all your irreverent babble criticizing people based on your pre-determined views of rightness. If you want to actually be a teacher, then admit your false teachings first, admit your arrogance, admit your failure to live up to the standards you hold other teachers to and stop just showing us a checklist of how all these people don’t match up to your self-assumed perfect doctrine.
Peace, love and grace.
So I am confused. What exactly is wrong with Challies?
Are you not doing the same thing that he is doing, saying that he is wrong? You really want him to stop being a teacher? Really?
Are you really defending Mclaren? Mclarens theology is like trying to nail jello to a wall, along with Rob Bell as well. Have you seen Bell’s recent interview with Oprah? Haha if you are wanting Challies to stop teaching then I hope you would want Mclaren to definetly stop, along with his buddy Bell.
Interpreting Christ through the Bible? When did this become a bad thing dude?
Man, from reading this article, you are all over the place and looks like you have a hard time making firm statements about anything. Does this mean you don’t like Piper, MacArthur, Mark Driscoll, Richard Lints, Tullian Tchividjian, Ligon Duncan, Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr., Matt Chandler, Albert Mohler, Darrin Patrick, Kevin Dejoung, and the list goes on.
Did you actually defend the Pope? It looks like you are a universalist more then anything. It is a really big deal that your definition of justification lines up with the Bible. And if you read your Bible, you will understand that the Pope is a little off.
Are you not using irreverent babble criticizing people based on your pre-determined views of rightness?
The Bible is pretty important to Christianity. I am skeptical of anyone that undermines the authority of scripture.
And Challies is the biggest division maker you know? You should search the internet a little bit more.
Confused? Challies IS a false prophet. He makes money dissuading people from joining the Catholic church while promoting his own bastardized theology that’s based on his bigoted anti-catholic propaganda. I think anyone with common sense can tell that he mixes the biblical with the non-biblical and has no respect for the teaching and wisdom of the founding church fathers. But apparently, you’re either blind or just a really big fan of his.
Wow Nathan, you reveal your pure ignorance of Scripture and historic Christianity. Jesus said there would be false teachers among you and that you would know them by their fruits. Challies is helping us know the false teachers by their fruits. Roman Catholicism is heretical… a false gospel other than the one in the Bible. A labyrinth of hell. Maclaren and others like him deny the Scriptures are true. Don’t call yourself a Christian if you don’t believe the Bible. You are not. Be honest and stop lying. Challies is simply biblical. No, he is not perfect. Only Christ is. But, he is not a false teacher. There is a huge difference. But, alas, this blog is worthless, so I don’t know why I waste my time even commenting. Nathan, stop pretending to know what you are talking about. You have no clue. You are serving up ignorance, error and folly.
I read some of Tim’s stuff and he is just cherry-picking scripture to suit his own narrative (but that is true of 90% of pastors I guess.)
Thank you for this Nathan. From the first time I read Challies I felt uneasy, you express my sentiments beautifully. Challies made me feel guilty for simply having a crucifix on my wall at home, he made me doubt myself and my Faith. His writings are disturbing. With simple prayer, I pray he will see the Truth. Every blessing to you my brother in Christ. Charlie age 62. England.
P.S. I must add in fairness that not all Tim Challies writngs have ‘disturbed me’, just a few and besides, I forgive him, for his contribution is clearly helpful to many others if not myself.
Um,,,,
Without citing specific examples of where Mr. Challies is wrong and just throwing out unsupported generalities, this article does nothing but to discredit yourself.