Is no one looking at all those teeth?

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One issue that seems to be plaguing the body of Christ today is this: we all know there are wolves out there. We know that over the past two millennia, countless heretical cults, sects, and bad ideas have crept into the Church since Pentecost. And yet, today, it seems that anything bearing a “Christian” label is almost automatically accepted by much of the Church without careful testing or discernment.

Is anyone stopping to think about the ideas we’re filling our minds with these days?

I often hear people say, “Just swallow the meat and spit out the bones,” but I have to ask: can everyone who says that actually do it? Is it really that safe?

The early church didn’t treat heresy lightly. They condemned false teaching and fought hard to stand for truth. But today, it feels like we’ve almost erased the category of heresy altogether — as long as someone claims the name of Christ, we let everything slide. As Shai Linne once put it, “Today, the only heresy is saying that there’s heresy.”

Here’s something we need to remember: in our modern age, it’s easy to think of false teachers and wolves as only “the faraway guy” — the preacher on TV, the big-name celebrity pastor, the famous author or influencer who falls into scandal. But when the New Testament gave us these warnings, there were no celebrity pastors, no televangelists, no internet platforms, no book deals. Those warnings were written directly to local churches about dangers inside the local body.

And yet today, any time someone raises concerns like that in the local church, they’re often dismissed as unloving, judgmental, or divisive. But the truth is, it’s the exact opposite. Real love guards. Real love warns. Real love is willing to step in and protect a brother or sister before they wander too far. Silence in the face of danger isn’t love — it’s neglect.

Shepherds — you are not called to be warriors, therapists, lawyers, or businessmen. You are called to guard the flock. And if you aren’t protecting them from false teachers and the spread of a false gospel, then what exactly are you guarding them from? Petty disagreements? Hurt feelings? Negative attitudes? If you neglect to stand against real spiritual dangers, you leave the flock exposed to the very threats you were entrusted to defend them from.

I know this is strongly worded, but come on, all you seminarians and church leaders — how many books of the New Testament were written specifically to confront false teaching and guard sound doctrine? Why would we think we can stop now?

Shepherds and leaders, please pay closer attention to what you recommend and encourage your brothers and sisters to read, watch, and listen to. You may have the discernment to spit out the bones, but many in your flock do not — and the confusion and deception left behind can become seeds of destruction later on.

Let’s be vigilant. Let’s remember the teeth behind the smile — and protect the flock entrusted to us.