Thread by @Ptr_StephenFein

PSA: Some folks with a public platform need to consider what they do. There are some who consistently use their podcasts to cast doubt on the SBC. They play soundbites of famous speakers that display them in a really negative light, and then pastors like me have to deal with

2/ church members who follow these podcasts and wonder why were still part of a “liberal” denomination. Well, me and my co-pastors will spend hours watching the full videos to see if it’s true, rather than just a soundbite, and to date almost all times, the soundbite was a

3/ dishonest representation of what was said during the whole teaching. In most cases the whole teaching was fully orthodox and actually quite good. It takes these discernment podcasters 20 seconds to take something out of context and two minutes of commentary for them to wrongly

4/ whip people up into a frenzy, and then it takes the pastors hours to investigate and find out there’s nothing to it. And then when the pastors explain this all to some of the congregants, they don’t believe the pastors because they’re not as famous as the person with the

5/ podcast. We have lost church members over this kind of stuff. We are the ones who day by day pray for these folks and shepherd these folks, and yet someone who doesn’t even know them and has never even prayed for them or counseled them says something from a podcast, and these

6/ folks believe them, and then end up leaving good churches with good under-shepherds. So I just say this as a warning to some of you podcasters. You might think what you’re doing is right, but if you are not careful and investigate what you are spreading, then you are guilty of

7/ slander. And there will be a reckoning when you stand before the Lord. What you are doing affects a good denomination, faithful pastors, and faithful churches. By the way, I’m not interested in the anti-SBC conspiracy theory fanboys/girls jumping on this and saying the rumors

8/ are true. I have yet to see any of these folks do any real investigation and actually personally contact the people being accused, and actually watch full videos for context. And if they use the argument that these guys are all big Eva and think they’re too good to answer the

9/ little guys, all I can say is that I have personally contacted a number of them, and they’ve got back to me and have clarified things with really good conversations. I am a nobody, and yet they got back to me. They can tell if you’re just trying to slander them or if you’re

10/ trying to truly and honestly hear their side of things. Sadly rather than do this real investigation, most fans of the podcasters just believe their favorite public figure. So they too are guilty of spreading slander. Church members, when you share these soundbites with

11/ other people in your church (without first investigating their validity), thereby causing division, you too are guilty of slander. And you too will have a day of reckoning before the Lord. So tread carefully and be honest. That is all.