Arming oneself with wisdom and knowledge is a crucial part of the decision-making process when looking for a new church home.
Knowing the warning signs of an apostate church is valuable for those who love where they are, so that they know what to look for as many churches are making the move away from biblical principles in the hope of staying socially relevant and safe.
During an episode of the “Politely Rude with Abby Johnson” podcast, Lucas Miles, a well-known pastor, author and podcaster, shared warning signs that Christians must take note of when finding a church in which to worship and build community.
1.
“Of course, the very obvious things. If the flag is rainbow colored, or if there’s a BLM flag flying above the cross outside, then that might be something to note,” Miles said.
Notably, Miles’ issue is with the organization “Black Lives Matter,” which teaches a Marxist-based ideology and has seen multiple members of top leadership brought up on fraud charges for funneling money out of the organization for personal use, not the message that the lives of Black Americans matter.
2.
Miles also shares that Christians need to be informed on key buzzwords that churches who have adopted “wokeism” use and how the English language is being redefined to fit radical left-leaning ideologies.
“You want to listen for language, maybe, of critical race theory,” Miles says. “So, are they talking about white fragility? Are they using this word ‘diversity’ all the time? Are [the church leaders] more focused on that than [they] are about just loving people because Christ has called us to love everybody?”
3.
According to Miles, believers need to ask themselves if the gospel message is still front and center at a church, or if it has been replaced with social constructs that muddy the message of Jesus Christ for more “progressive” views.
“Is there still a handle on grace and truth? So, one of the things I always tell people is that … the Bible tells us … ‘The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,'” Miles says.
“If you are elevating grace over truth, you become a progressive. If you elevate truth over grace, you become a bigot. We need both of those in full force,” he adds.
One of the best ways that a Christian can learn about a new church and make an informed decision about where they want to be rooted, is to be bold and ask the tough questions that need to be asked about where exactly the church stands when it comes to a variety of issues.
4.
“Are they teaching an open heaven?” asks Miles. “That you can go to hell, but maybe get out of it later on in life and kind of work your way back to heaven? That would be something to watch for.
“Does the pastor have pronouns in his bio? That’s probably something that you want to look for and really recognize there,” Miles adds. “I think also asking them what other nonprofits they support.
5.
“I think that you have the right if you’re going to attend there, and you’re going to give money there, to just come out and ask them … ‘Where do you stand on the issue of abortion, marriage, sexuality? Do you hold to a biblical framework? Do you perform gay weddings here at the church?'” Miles continues.
“Just ask those questions, just flat out, so that you don’t have to wonder and you’re not attending there for three or six months and your kids get invested in relationships and then you realize it’s a problem,” Miles concludes. “And what happens then, a lot of times, is people will stay because they don’t want conflict. They will stay in [the church], many times, and justify rather than [leave] over these issues.”
By asking questions and comparing how a pastor or elder of the church responds with Scripture, along with prayer, will greatly reduce the chances of joining a church that is not aligned with the Word of God but is instead aligned with the ways of the world which will ultimately lead people away from the Lord, not toward Him.
James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
Abby Trivett 
