I sometimes receive inquires from brethren who are seeking information about the soundness of certain preaching brethren among us. This usually happens when a church is looking to support a preacher in the local work, and when they have a number of applicants for that position. The local brethren will, therefore, call around to other brethren with whom they are acquainted, and in whom they have confidence, to see what they might know about the soundness of these individuals.
I am persuaded that most preachers among us fall into one of three basic categories or kinds of preachers. We are not talking about ability to preach or about motivation to do the work; we are simply talking about their soundness in the faith. We are talking about their faithfulness in "proclaiming the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
The first one of these categories simply includes men who stand firm for the truth, and who faithfully believe and boldly proclaim the doctrine of Christ. Everyone can readily know where these men stand on doctrinal issues, because they have written about and openly preached the truth on those matters over and over again. And they have clearly demonstrated that they are striving to practice what they preach. It is relatively easy to recommend members of this group to the brethren who are inquiring about their soundness.
The second group consists of men who teach, fellowship, uphold, and encourage some kind of false doctrine or sinful practice. They openly demonstrate that they believe, teach, and fellowship things that are contrary to sound doctrine. They easily fit the 2 John 9-11 warnings not to "receive" or "give greeting" (bid Godspeed) to any man who "bringeth not this teaching." They may think of and refer to themselves as faithful brethren, but it is evident they are among those who no longer "endure the sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:3). It is not difficult to recognize them, and not difficult to let brethren know that they are not worthy of fellowship, and certainly ought not to be considered for any preaching situation.
The third group also consists of men who encourage, uphold, and fellowship those who believe and teach various false doctrines and/or those who engage in sinful practices. When it comes to brethren, they rarely hear, see, or speak of anything relating to evil. They simply will not write or teach about their convictions concerning the false doctrines or sinful practices that trouble God's people today. They gladly smile and pretend that everything is wonderful. And if you pressure them about their convictions regarding certain doctrines and practices, they may even tell you that they are contrary to sound doctrine. But what THEY DO NOT TELL YOU is that they are NOT willing to openly condemn such teaching and practices, and that they are willing to fellowship those who engage in them, even when they believe them to be sinful. They accept the heresy of the unity-in-diversity doctrine, which says that God permits you to receive those who teach and practice doctrinal error and engage in sinful practices.
Certainly, you and I should know that such an attitude and conduct is nothing more or less than rank hypocrisy! I am persuaded that the third group of preachers is far more dangerous than the second, whose members openly teach and defend false doctrines and sinful practices. Members of the third group live undercover and do their damage quietly. They are willing to allow the leaven of sin and error to exist among them without ever saying a word. Nowhere can you find any sermons that they have preached on these teachings and practices; nor will you ever find one word they have written about them. I believe these brethren do not follow sound doctrine, and they are extremely dangerous to the Lord's cause. Their "don't see, don't hear, and don't speak" attitudes about these sinful doctrines and practices will eventually lead both them and those who follow them to eternal destruction. And this hypocritical attitude is happening in the very midst of the Lord's church. How long the congregations with which they are associated will even be called congregations of the Lord's church may be a very questionable matter. For some, it seems that their "candlesticks" are already long gone. No, we could NEVER recommend these kinds of men to preach anywhere.
My brethren, if you are among those who are being duped by some of our so-called preaching brethren, please awaken quickly and set yourself "for the defense of the gospel." Anyone who refuses to openly oppose false teaching and sinful practice is an enemy of the cause of Christ (Philippians 3:18-19). Folks need to stop wasting their time and endangering their souls by listening to those who will not distinguish between truth and error and who are really just pretending to be gospel preachers. If you, like them, are unwilling to OPENLY stand against sin and false teaching, you will also suffer condemnation and be eternally lost. What must we say to persuade brethren to be courageous enough to think and study for themselves, instead of allowing others to lead them blindly down the wrong path?
Brother Allen has addressed a very real problem among preachers today. Is he just being an alarmist? Sadly, I must admit that I've seen the same mindset among many preaching brethren over the past few years. Any preacher who is not willing to take a stand on a controversial subject is not going to be effective in defeating error and keeping souls from being led into apostasy.
One of the standard lines I've heard is, "I'm still studying the issue." It's fine to study, but when a person has been studying an issue for ten or more years, he is simply dodging true conviction.
Unfortunately, there are also problems on the opposite end of this issue. Some preaching brethren are too quick to label every person who does not agree with their basic conclusions on special subjects about which they've become experts. I've always tried to exercise caution around preachers who consider themselves specialists on certain pet subjects. When I preached in Las Vegas, people tried to consider me an expert on gambling. True, living in that city gave me some special insights, but I had no desire to become the brotherhood expert on gambling.
If preachers are going to have credibility among those who listen to their sermons, they must preach their convictions. Avoiding certain subjects for fear of being asked to hold fewer meetings or losing popularity among the brotherhood is just plain wrong. Truth-both positive and negative--must be preached plainly, with love, and most of all, in the way the hearer needs to hear it. Fence straddling does not make for effective preaching or brotherly edification. Study; take a stand; then preach your convictions. (KMG)