The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Timothy 4:1

We’re not sure when these “later times” are, but suffice to say even today people abandon the faith and are deceived. The entire “Emergent Church” movement is a clear example of those who are being deceived. While outwardly it has the appearance of a nicer, kinder gospel, it’s deceptive because they don’t preach repentance. While they don’t go as far as Christian universalism, they skirt the edges with a “you’re not so bad” gospel. That’s just one of hundreds of examples I could give of following deceiving spirits.

One of the great things about the internet is the sheer volume of information we have available at our fingertips. For instance, it doesn’t take too much time to find out more about this Emergent Church and the prominent preachers in the movement.

That’s why it’s important for all of us to be on our guard against false teachings. Like the Berean church, they checked the Scriptures when someone was teaching (Acts 17:11). When you hear enough truth, you begin to recognize falsehood when it rears its head.

Recently we were listening to a well-known TV preacher. He said something that stirred a few of us when hearing it. He didn’t present it as his opinion but as fact. Upon further checking we discovered that this preacher is, in fact, part of the Emergent Church movement. We realized later that other doctrines he taught were slightly askew. They were not accurate. Knowing the true doctrines helped us recognize false teachings when we heard it.