Slander Against Christian Friends and Family Is on the Rise

God told the godly Jeremiah: "Your relatives, members of your own family— even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you" (Jeremiah 12:6).

Jeremiah's family turned against the Lord, and they did their best to discredit Jeremiah.

This betrayal is happening in our present culture as well. However, unlike Jeremiah's family, this betrayal is usually not hidden. People are openly discrediting the faith of evangelical family members.

Jesus warned us that there would be times in history when family members would betray their loved ones, even having them killed (Matthew 10:16-26)! We aren't at that point in America, but many Christians are being betrayed and slandered by family members who've walked away from true faith.

It's important that we not believe everything we hear. If someone complains about a Christian friend or family member, don't automatically accept their claims, especially if they use the popular boundary-building descriptions such as "hateful," "toxic," and "unsafe."

"There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,(1) ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Yes, these evil behaviors may even come from someone who appears to be a Christian. Please pray that those experiencing this betrayal will feel God's comfort and strength.

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If you haven't read my post entitled Wilderness Wanderers, I encourage you to read it. It will help you better understand the kind of teachings that are inspiring this slander. And below I've shared a few popular lies coming from this movement.

Today's anti-Christian slander involves some unique lies. Here are a few I've heard from ex-vangelical sources:

"My parents raised me to believe women are responsible for the lust of men."
Truth: My parents believed women should dress modestly.

"My family raised me in a church where I was taught that women were second-class citizens."
Truth: My family church taught loving submission as described in Scripture, a type of submission that has to do with order, not superior or inferior personhood.

"My sister believes the government has a right to tell a woman what she can do with her body."

Truth: My sister believes women have a right to determine what they do with their own bodies, but when they choose to have unprotected sex, my sister believes the government should stop them from killing the babies they conceive. 

(1) This passage is discussing adults, and Bible scholars explain that this does not mean literally obeying the commands of their parents because adults are not required to do that. It means they no longer obey God's commands to respect their parents. Proverbs 30:11-12 describes arrogant adult children as a prominent source of rejection, but Satan's influence is affecting all kinds of relationships (2 Corinthians 4:4).

 BLN