What is the proper way to confront another person? It’s a question every church leader will face at some time. Matthew 18:15-20 is the text most Christians look to for a godly process of confrontation, but it isn’t the only example in Scripture. We see Moses confronting Pharaoh, the prophets confronting wicked kings, Jesus publicly rebuked the Pharisees, and Paul identifies false teachers by name.
Most agree that Matthew 18 applies to confronting a “brother” or sister–a fellow Christian with whom you are in relationship with. But what about confronting a Christian you do not personally know, or someone you suspect isn’t a Christian at all? These questions and others are being raised by a new song released by Reformed rapper Shai Linne called “Fal$e Teacher$” in which he names 12 popular church leaders. The gist of his accusation is evident by the dollar signs in the title of the song.
Here’s the song:
And here’s Shai Linne explaining why he wrote the song and included the names:
In case you didn’t catch them all in the song, here are the 12 leaders named:
1. Joel Osteen
2. Creflo Dollar
3. Benny Hinn
4. TD Jakes
5. Joyce Meyer
6. Paula White
7. Fred Price
8.Kenneth Copland
9. Robert Tilton
10. Eddie Long
11. Juanita Bynum
12. Paul Crouch
Rather than debate the orthodoxy of each person, I’d rather hear your thoughts on Shai Linne’s approach. Do you think he should have called out each teacher by name in the song? Was he overstepping his place? Or was he doing the right thing in an age that has become too passive about the importance of right doctrine?
We now know that Shai Linne has at least one influential supporter. In response to his video explanation, John Piper tweeted: “My,my, Shai, this is good.”
Share you thoughts. Would the church be better off if more people were as outspoken at Shai Linne? Or have we lost all sense of charitable disagreement?
