In this past Sunday's sermon, we looked at how the New Testament book of Jude deals with false teachers.  Contending for the truth of the gospel means both recognizing false teaching for the danger that it is, and showing mercy to those who are affected by it.  

This morning on The Gospel Coalition's website, there appeared three articles that can be helpful as we think through these kinds of issues.

1. How to Weigh Doctrines for Christian Unity

One question I left unanswered Sunday morning was, how do we tell the difference between a false teacher and a genuine believer who disagrees with us on a minor issue?  It is more complicated than essential vs. non-essential doctrines.  Here's an excerpt:

Now this proposal sounds complicated. And that’s the point. True unity demands that we grow up in our thinking about doctrine and truth and fellowship. It demands Christian maturity, the kind that can speak the truth in love so that together we can all “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:15-16).

2. Churches Leave as Denominations Break their Own Rules

A look at how these issues are currently playing out in some of the larger, main-line Protestant denominations.  The article closes with a prediction from Kevin DeYoung:

This big sorting that’s happening in the mainline is also going to happen in evangelical churches, colleges, seminaries, and parachurch organizations,” he said. “You’ll find a stronger, more doctrinally robust evangelical church, even though it may be smaller than it once was.

3. Abraham Kuyper was a Heretic, Too

Finally, this article looks at events of the past and finds a glimmer of hope and a reminder of the power and grace of God.  Who knows which of those walking in error today are being prepared for a mighty work for the gospel tomorrow?