"If you can show me in the Bible, that would convince me," I told him, and that ended the discussion.
The "so-and-so" he had mentioned happened to be a well-respected pastor with widely-accepted orthodox Christian beliefs. He held a specific position about a non-salvation issue Christian may disagree on (which I don't go into now, as it doesn't contribute to my point here), and had written a book that many believe proved his point.
What scared me about that conversation was that this man--a fellow missionary, in fact--was basing his beliefs more on this well-known preacher, when the Bible alone didn't give conclusive reason to hold this particular position conclusively--or at least not this vehemently.
I'll say that this particular doctrinal belief wasn't "wrong." It is one held by many believers. But many other Christians, who love the Lord and the Bible just as much, have not found the same reasons to hold this belief. Upon studying the Bible for myself, I also did not take this position. It wasn't related to salvation, or the inerrancy of scripture, or anything I would consider the important doctrines. This man was unwilling to agree to disagree. This was vital to him.
This conversation happened several years ago. I have been reminded of it this week, and, after conversations all week with my husband Walter, and my friends, Deb and Cindy, I have felt led to write about what I'll call hero worship.
When I hear the term hero worship, I think of a teenager going wild over their favorite rock band, or having posters of their favorite actors and actresses all over their bedroom walls. But anyone can fall prey to hero worship, including godly people who like their favorite commentators and preachers too much.
It is not wrong to have a Bible teacher you look up to, or even see as a mentor. I feel that way about Mike Allred, the pastor who performed my wedding, as well as Steven Smith, the pastor my husband and I sat under for about 4 years when we first moved to Arkansas. Both of these men were deep, expository Bible teachers, and we were spiritually fed by both.
Sometimes, the pastor you admire isn't even someone you know personally, but is a famous pastor. Perhaps he has a large church, or even a seminary under him, and people all over the world listen to his teachings on the radio and online. There are some preachers like that I also admire, though not as much as the two I mentioned.
I love the teaching of the late pastor Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel in Southern California. I also really enjoy listening to evangelist Greg Laurie, a protege of Chuck Smith's who is a preacher in his own right. While Chuck Smith was a gifted Bible teacher, Greg Laurie has the gift of evangelism. His teaching is good, but not as deep as Pastor Chuck's. His evangelism, on the other hand, is powerful, and many are saved every year from his crusades. I grew up in Riverside, California, the city where Greg Laurie's church is located. My high school graduation was even held there. I took unsaved friends to his crusades. Another pastor I have more recently become familiar with and appreciate a lot is Andrew Farley, in Lubbock, TX.
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| Chuck Smith |
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Greg Laurie |
Maybe you have other well-known ministers you look up to. My husband loves listening to Jack Hibbs, also affiliated with Calvary Chapel. There are numerous Bible teachers we can like and enjoy. We can be fed by them, and it is easier than ever to listen to multiple pastors, due to the internet.
Here is where there can be a problem. Some people start to see these pastors as their lifeline to God. They take everything they say as if God Himself is saying it. They don't leave room for human error, or differing beliefs within biblical Christianity (because Bible-believing Christians do disagree sometimes). It becomes "wrong" to disagree with this favorite pastor. We quote everything he says, rather than going to the Bible itself for the answers.
Some people are prone to believe that in order to like and appreciate a pastor's ministry, they have to agree with him on everything. You don't! As much as I love Chuck Smith's teaching, and more recently Andrew Farley's, I don't 100% agree with everything they said. I don't take every exact theological position they have. That's okay! It is okay to disagree with a pastor you admire. Maybe you're wrong. Maybe the preacher is! Maybe you both are! If you don't think a certrain preacher can be wrong, that is a red flag that you are starting to worship him.
If you hear yourself constantly quote a pastor, rather than the Bible, combined with what the Holy Spirit has taught you, that is another red flag. These pastors are used of God, but they are not to do your thinking and spiritual work for you.
There is an important doctrine many forget, and that is the priesthood of ever believer. This is the teaching that every Christian has direct access to God through Jesus, and we don't need another human mediator in order to access God, study the Bible, or hear from the Holy Spirit. God deals with us as individuals.
Jeremiah 31:34 says, And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. This does not negate the importance of pastors or leaders, but it does mean that they aren't our lifeline to God. We answer directly to God. It is okay to disagree with a pastor, but it is not okay to disagree with God. God has told us undeniable truth in His word, so we must always align with the Bible. But on things that Christians may disagree on, due to lack of conclusive clarity in scripture, we have to hold it loosely. We may draw different conclusions than other believers, even pastors, and that is okay! We're probably all a little bit wrong about some of these minor things, and we will be righted in Heaven!
We are to study the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In John 16:13, Jesus promised, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. We have that Holy Spirit in our hearts right now, if we are saved. He is our teacher so much more than any pastor. Don't listen to any leader at the expence of hearing from the Holy Spirit for yourself. First John 4:1 says (I'm quoting out of the Living Bible here), ...don’t always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is... If you unquestioningly follow everything a pastor says without testing it against the Bible and the Holy Spirit, that is yet another red flag.
My friend Cindy and I recently had a very in-depth conversation about this. She wisely said, "I think a huge issue with most Christians is that they rely on men and women to interpret and apply the Word for them. They don't trust the Holy Spirit to teach, reproof, correct. etc. them. So they place their faith in various men and women to fulfill the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives...Surely we need to learn historical context, etc. so we better understand, but [studying the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Sprit] is a very good beginning." If you are not in the Word yourself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (as opposed to just reading a pastor's commentary), that is a red flag!
I recently heard someone say that a certain well-loved pastor was the Apostle Paul for our day. That really struck me as a red flag, because no one today can be the Apostle Paul. There was only one, and he died about 64 or 65 AD. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul, while as human as us, and having equal (not greater) access to the Holy Spirit as us, was specifically given a task of writing books of the New Testament. His words in those books are inspired by God in a way no preacher's today can be. Don't believe something just because a preacher you think is like the Apostle Paul said it. He isn't being guided in quite that way. I do believe the Holy Spirit leads and guides our pastors, but they do not have words equal in authority to scripture. Don't place that on anyone you know. You can guess what I say about that--red flag.
Someone's ministry may be a blessing to you. That's great! That's the purpose. But please be careful not to get into hero worship. To recap, here are the red flags I shared (and then I'll close with a couple more):
1) You don't think a certain preacher can be mistaken or wrong
2) You hear yourself quoting this person often, more so than the Bible itself.
3) You follow everything this pastor says without checking the Bible or letting the Holy Spirit speak to you about it.
4) You are not in the Word by yourself, letting the Holy Spirit speak to your heart before checking commentaries or listening to your favorite preacher.
5) You compare your favorite pastor to Jesus, or the human authors of the Bible, who were under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in a way no one today can be.
Here are a few more red flags for you to think and pray about:
1) You are unwilling to hear any sort of criticism about your favorite pastor. There is a very loved pastor who recently went to be with the Lord, and I personally had a lot of concerns about him. My concerns were not popular at all. Most believers adore him. To be clear, I didn't disagree with him about the things others love about him. I just saw and expeirenced some other things that concerned me. But his followers told me I wasn't really saved if I didn't agree with him on everything. I was told that to disagree with him means I'm going to hell, and that I have a victim mentality. The fact that these people weren't willing to even hear a different view (stated kindly) shows that this man had too much control over them. That is dangerous. If you don't like Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, or Andrew Farley and you tell me what your concerns are, I will never, ever jump on your case. I'll listen and take what you say seriously. I may or may not agree, but I don't think disliking them is the same as disliking Jesus!
2) You are not allowed to question or disagree with this person, or you feel guilty for questioning or disagreeing with him. It is never, ever wrong to ask questions. God allows it! In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were commended for searching the scriptures to make sure what Paul told them was right. Many cults don't allow questions, and if your pastor or favorite leader doesn't want to be held accountable or questioned, that is a red flag! If you simply feel guilty for questioning and disagreeing, this person himself might not be the problem, but you might be holding him in too high a regard.
3) Fellow Christians who disagree with this person are viewed as your enemies. Christians are not your enemy!
4) You don't read or listen to godly people with different views on these non-essential doctrines from your favorote preacher. I am Baptist, but I respect and listen to biblical teaching from some who may differ from me on certain teachings, such as the late R.C. Sproul (who was Presbyterian), Shane Idleman (who is more charismatic than I am), and several from Methodist, Pentecostal, and even one particular Seventh-Day Adventist. I glean a lot from all of them, but I always go back to the Bible for what I really believe.
In Conclusions, don't follow any leader at all cost. Don't put them equal to or above God or the Bible. Don't get into hero worship. This leader has nothing you don't have! You have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit! You need solid teaching, but not to replace the Holy Spirit and the Bible for you, personally! Read your Bible, pray every day, and you'll GROW!
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