The Temptation To Coddle Evil
Text: Jeremiah 23:16-29 In the name of Jesus. Amen. One of my biggest concerns for the American Church is that parishioners will fail to distinguish between truly biblical teachings and ideas that merely sound spiritual but aren't grounded in Scripture. Indeed, this is one of my biggest concerns – and complaints - about the American Church and our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod: people are either unwilling or afraid to acknowledge that there are deceptive and false teachers in our midst. But again, it makes sense; being naïve is bliss. It is comfortable to believe that religious-sounding music, pious sayings on coffee mugs, and devout praying religious leaders are good, whereas all those other godless pagans in society are bad. Now, should we be concerned about drug dealers, porn producers, thieves, abortionists, and scheming politicians in the world? Absolutely! But here is the point: typically, they are less of a threat to the church than deceptive and false pastors inside
