It’s been gratifying to see more Christians paying attention when they get what I call “that gritty feeling.”
That term is mentioned in several posts here (you can site-search). But this one in particular explains and sends you to a short and long version of a useful handout—a mini study, if you will. (Point #1 in those handouts is “That Gritty Feeling.”) Some material quoted there is older—can’t keep up with the constant flow of new books/podcasts on the market. But the samples given reflect red-flag language you will surely run across.
Here are some happy accounts of friends who got that gritty feeling and acted on it:
- Two men from separate cities both contacted me about the same “Christian” book. One man’s church was already in a sermon series based on that book; the other man’s Bible study group had suggested going through it. Both men had gotten that gritty feeling, but couldn’t immediately nail down what was bothering them. Their instincts were right—we found lots of unbiblical teachings in this book. Not surprising, since we discovered that the writer’s ideas on spiritual practice were drawn heavily from pagan/occult sources. (Tip: The fact that a book comes from a Christian publisher is no guarantee of its soundness.)
- Then I forwarded my research for that book to leaders in a couple of other churches, explaining some key problems and how the first guys had gotten that gritty feeling. Turns out, one of these men had a small group that had already gone through the same book. He could relate to “that gritty feeling,” saying this book caused the group members “consternation and confusion.”
- A lady at a workshop my sis and I led asked a question about a Christian women’s retreat she’d been to. Their leader had introduced the group to kundalini. (I’ve mentioned kundalini several times on this site. The word means “coiled” and refers to a Hindu belief in “serpent power.”) It’s not clear whether the retreat leader knew what real kundalini was, but our attender had gotten that gritty feeling with what was being taught—and her alarm increased after we further explained kundalini in our session!
- A friend called late one night, hoping I’d be able to address his gritty feeling. Someone had suggested to him that a prayer team from his church go to a house where something bad had happened and do a Native American sage-stick ceremony to “cleanse out the evil.” His instinct was right on! This is an occult practice.
- A small-group leader had considered a certain book for his group, and yet felt some hesitation. So he showed it to me. The term soul care was in the title or the description (I don’t quite recall). That term could be part of legit teaching, but it’s typically a red flag since it often connects to mysticism/Eastern/occult practice; that is, outright promotion of those practices and also quoting/recommending others who overtly promote such. This particular book, upon further examination, was not a good choice. Three cheers for that group leader who acted on his gritty feeling!
Believers who are in the Lord’s Word more seem to be the ones who get that gritty feeling when a suspicious teaching/practice is introduced. That’s no coincidence! The more we’re in tune with the Lord’s truth, and aiming to stay on his path, the more likely we are to screech to a halt and examine things.
So… Problem? How to recognize false teaching. Solution? Read the Book!
