Sunday, April 14, 2019

Trustworthy Women Teachers For Women

Christian women! Are you looking for good, trustworthy, doctrinally-sound women teachers who don't violate 2 Timothy 2:12 and/or 2 Corinthians 6:14ff? Michelle Lesley has done extensive research into many women teachers to determine if they're biblically sound or not. Here's her recommendations:


WOMEN'S MINISTRIES
(Ministries with more than one contributor are listed by ministry name.)

Erin Benziger (Equipping Eve)
Berean Research
Diane Bucknell (Everyday Doxology)
Aimee Byrd (Housewife Theologian/Mortification of Spin)
Pamela Couvrette (Guarding the Deposit)
Laurel Davis (The Reluctant First Lady)
enCourage
Susan Heck (Women with the Master)
DebbieLynne Kespert (The Outspoken Tulip)
Sharon Lareau (Chapter 3 Ministries)
Debi Martin (Solid Food Ministries)
Marcia Montenegro (Christian Answers for the New Age)
Naomi’s Table
Out of the Ordinary
Martha Peace
Jessica Pickowicz (Beautiful Thing)
Elizabeth Prata (The End Time)
Trish Ramos (Fish With Trish)
Satisfaction Through Christ
Sunny Shell (Abandoned to Christ)
Sheologians
Sola Sisters
Amy Spreeman (The Berean Examiner/Berean Research)
Steak and a Bible
Theology Gals
Jen Thorn (Adorned)
The Verity Fellowship
Rebekah Womble (Wise in His Eyes)
Women’s Hope Project
Women Under Grace

While Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth, Kay Arthur, Jen Wilkin, and Leslie Ludy are not considered false teachers, nevertheless one should approach their stuff with caution as there are a couple red flags with them.

Women she does not endorse or recommend, because they are false teachers, include: Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Lisa Harper, Rebekah Lyons, Raechel Myers, Shauna Niequist, Jennifer Rothschild, Susie Shellenberger, Sheila Walsh, Amanda Bible Williams, Jennie Allen, Lisa Bevere, Rachel Held Evans, Heather Lindsey, Anne Graham Lotz, Kelly Minter, Jen Hatmaker, Lysa TerKeurst, Beth Moore, Christine Caine, Victoria Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Priscilla Shirer, Ann Voskamp, Bobbie Houston, Margaret Feinberg, Bianca Olthoff, Sarah Jakes Robers, Charlotte Gambil, Paula White, Sarah Young, and any individual or church associated with the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation). Ministries not endorsed or recommended include She Reads Truth, IF Gathering, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and the Q Conference, among others. You can discover her reasons here:
https://michellelesley.com/2016/05/09/the-mailbag-do-you-recommend-this-teacherauthor/

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Your Constitution? Or God's Word?: A Christian's Allegiance

What is every Christian's responsibility? To conform to the Word of God? Or to conform to a church constitution or statement of faith? Every Christian should be living according to "Ecclesia, semper reformanda secundum verbi Dei." ("The church, always reforming according to the Word of God.") My only allegiance is to the Word of God. I have no allegiance to any church constitution or statement of faith. Where these deviate from the Word of God, I must conform to Scripture above all else. If this means I lose friends and I'm rejected by others, then so be it. To God be the glory! As Don Fortner has said:
Our only rule of faith and practice is the Word of God. We have . . .
         no creed to defend,
         no denomination to maintain, and
         no confession to bind our minds.

"What do the Scriptures teach?" That is and must be our only concern. If the plain teachings of Holy Scripture appear to destroy or contradict our understanding of any doctrine, then let us relinquish the doctrine, or acknowledge the fact that our minds are both depraved and minuscule, and bow to the revelation of God.
If being a member of a local church is supposed to mean that I pledge my allegiance to their particular constitution or statement of faith and blindly follow it without question, regardless of what the Bible has to say, then I will no longer be a member of any local church; I will merely attend one. I am already a member of the universal church, the invisible church, and that is all that matters. Its demand on me is very simple: conform to the Word of God, grow in the Spirit, and become more like Jesus. In my personal Bible studies, whatever is revealed through the Word, I need to wrestle with it and submit to it in order to be in obedience to it. If that sets me against a particular constitution or statement of faith, then so be it. I seek to be a God-pleaser—not a man-pleaser. If all I did was look for churches that hold to the same convictions as I do in every area, I'd be church-hopping for the rest of my life.

I am accountable and responsible to God first, and to my family second, which means that I need to do what I believe is best for them, regardless of the opinions of others. "Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5). I'm not a follower and I've never given in to peer pressure. I'm pretty stubborn, so if I've changed my mind about a position, it's because there's good reason for my having done so. I don't formulate my beliefs lightly. Many hours of reading and studying envelope my decisions. I'm a High C personality (Cautious, Calculating, Competent, Conscientious, Contemplative and Careful) for a reason. Very fact and detail oriented.

The current state of the church across all denominations is a sad state, mirroring the Pharisees by clinging to and teaching the traditions of men (and current societal norms) rather than the commandments of God by searching and conforming to the Bible. "I believe everything my church believes." When Christians agree unquestioningly with everything their church constitution or statement of faith has to say, they ought to examine themselves honestly and truthfully ask themselves if they're worshipping God, or if they're worshipping the church. The two are not one and the same. Where does your allegiance lie?

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