A few months ago I drew toward the screen slowly, glued to the tweet that revealed all the heat Bishop Eddie Long was taking: Accused, four times, of taking the innocence from young men and posturing like his interactions were daddy’s privileges. Still, we don’t know if it’s all true, who lied and what prices will be paid to settle the dust of it all. Though he recently agreed to mediation instead of a trial, the dust won’t really settle. It will cover and cling to a church and its leader’s reputation like relics in the attic, kept around for nostalgia’s sake, a way to remember the good that used to be. As the process continues to find who is at fault and perhaps get to the truth, I’m reminded of this:

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.—2 Timothy 3:13

This verse is the story of our day. Headlines blaze with the latest charlatan coming and carrying folks away with enticing words and various schemes. Some say this may be Long. I say whether Long is a charlatan or not, we must learn from this verse because we are all vulnerable to being deceived.

Evil men are those who are ethically bad, wicked people. Though they could be people in the church, they are probably those outside the church. I say this because the next phrase in the verse is seducers, written to be distinct from evil men. It means deceivers/imposters. These people are concealed evil men, wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their mission is to act like they are Christians so they can be deceiving, which means leading away from truth; leading into error. Imposters have to be among believers so they can blend in. They are our teachers, worship leaders, ushers and, of course, our preachers. They come with agendas, intending to do wrong from the very start. These fake Christians work to lead people away from the truth of God’s word, supplanting and twisting it to suit their desires. And I believe they do so easily because, as the verse tells us, these seducers, too, have been deceived. They have been led away from truth and into error so when they are leading others, what they have are lies to give and with these lies they will lead others to do wrong. Paul, the author of 2 Timothy, is telling us that there will be an increase in the amount of evil people outside and inside the church. Both these groups have nefarious intentions, causing great harm to the world and the church. Without claiming to have the Spirit of God, the wicked outside the church may be easier to spot. The tricksters are the ones we really have to watch out for.

What has been your experience with evil men and seducers? Please comment on the blog site so we can get a lively discussion going.

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith