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”WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE :
• FIRST, THE BIBLE DOES NOT INSTRUCT BELIEVERS TO DIALOGUE WITH FALSE TEACHERS AND APOSTATES, BUT RATHER TO SEPARATE FROM THEM. See Romans 16:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 3:5; Titus 3:10-11.
• SECOND, IT IS NOT DIALOGUE THAT WE SEE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, BUT PREACHING. The Bible does not instruct believers to dialogue with false teachers but to preach the truth to them and to rebuke their errors. “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:1-2).
• FIRST, THE BIBLE DOES NOT INSTRUCT BELIEVERS TO DIALOGUE WITH FALSE TEACHERS AND APOSTATES, BUT RATHER TO SEPARATE FROM THEM. See Romans 16:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 3:5; Titus 3:10-11.
• SECOND, IT IS NOT DIALOGUE THAT WE SEE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, BUT PREACHING. The Bible does not instruct believers to dialogue with false teachers but to preach the truth to them and to rebuke their errors. “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:1-2).
• THIRD, THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE IS BUILT UPON AN UNSCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY. See Characteristic #4: “New Evangelicalism is characterized by exalting love and unity above doctrine” in the book New Evangelicalism: Its History, Characteristics, and Fruit.
• FOURTH, THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE RESULTS IN “TONING DOWN THE RHETORIC,” IN SOFTENING THE PLAIN CHARGES OF HERESY AND APOSTASY AND UNBELIEF, IN QUIETING DOWN THE WARNINGS ABOUT JUDGMENT. It is impossible to dialogue without doing this, but this is contrary to the Scriptures.
Greg Johnson of Standing Together Ministries in Utah said that we must “cease throwing our theological rocks and start loving as Christ commanded us.” This is his definition of dialogue. Thus, speaking the truth about heresy is likened to “throwing rocks,” which is potentially very hurtful, even deadly.
Actually, preaching plainly against false christs and false gospels is a very loving, compassionate thing. If a man is on his way to hell but is self-deceived into thinking that he is on his way to heaven, it is an act of the greatest Christian charity to tell him plainly that he is deceived.
“Toning down the rhetoric” and softening the plain charges of heresy and apostasy is precisely what the Bible does not do and what the apostles and prophets did not do and what Bible preachers today are not allowed to do.
Paul called false teachers “dogs” and “evil workers” (Phil. 3:2). Of those who pervert the gospel he said, “Let them be accursed” (Gal. 1:8, 9).
He called them “evil men and seducers” (2 Tim. 3:13), “men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (2 Tim. 3:8), “false apostles, deceitful workers” (2 Cor. 11:13). He named the names of false teachers and called their teaching “vain babblings” (2 Tim. 2:16, 17).
He warned about “philosophy and vain deceit” (Col. 2:8). He spoke of their “cunning craftiness.” When Elymas tried to turn men away from the gospel, Paul wasted no time with dialogue but said, “O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).
He warned about false teachers who would come into the churches, calling them “grievous wolves” (Acts 20:29) and their teaching “perverse things” (Acts 20:30).
Those who denied the bodily resurrection are called “fools” (1 Cor. 15:35-36).
He warned about false christs, false spirits, false gospels (2 Cor. 11:1-4).
He labeled false teaching “doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1).
In the Pastoral Epistles Paul warned of false teachers and compromisers by name 10 times, and this is the example that the Spirit of God has left for the churches...”
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