False teachers, false idols, false demons
“Idolatry is committed not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils.”
G.K. Chesterton
I read this quote in Richard Mouw’s post on False Teachers and False Teachers. In it he warns that:
We want to oppose false teachers because they do not teach things that are true. But if in our attempts to defeat them we play fast and loose with the truth, by attributing to them things that they don’t in fact teach and if we don’t really care whether we have it exactly right or not then we have become false teachers: teachers of untruths!
Continuing on, he says:
I suggest this as a rule of thumb: focus on false teachings rather than on false teachers. When we concentrate on opposing false teachers we tend to think about defeating people which can lead to all kinds of dangers. When we concentrate on the careful examination of false teachings we are more aware of the need to speak truthfully.
I think his point is significant, though difficult. In any type of conflict - spiritual, religious, political, personal or otherwise - its hard not to react defensively, or to lash out personally. And it is much easier to list out someone else’s character flaws - there obvious, no? - especially when we feel justified by our ideological objections.
In my mind, there are lots of ‘devils’ out there that I’d like to take down a notch or two. Folks who use a false religion to manipulate or decieve others. I’ve run into this problem both in communities of false teachers (aka. cults) on campus, as well as individuals with spiritually aggrandized self-views. But the temptation is strong to make character assaults (even when well-founded) or to make no real substantial response to the falseness what is being taught or practiced. It is a little bit like fight or flight, leaving out the real battle.