“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.”
~ Jude 17-19 ~
It is a good and blessed thing to write in order to build up the saints, to encourage them in godliness and devotion, and to stir up their affections for our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At certain times, however, men need to take up the work of contending earnestly, both for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints, but also for the church into which those saints are called. Jude himself knew this, and his epistle is instructive for a church that desires peace but finds its enemies constantly calling for war (Psalm 120:6-7).
My task here is to bring attention to a public enemy of the church of Jesus Christ, Peter Bell, who over the last year has made quite a name for himself on his podcast Sons of Patriarchy. The purpose of this short post is twofold: first, it is to identify Bell for what he is and warn the church accordingly; and second, it is to call him to repentance for his malicious slander of the bride of Christ.
The Bible has very clear instruction for how to identify false teachers. It is not rocket science, but it does require spiritual discernment. Drawing primarily from 2 Peter and Jude, here are five key indicators from the Word of God that I am applying publicly and deliberately to Peter Bell and his project. May he take heed, as well as all those who continue to countenance and encourage his assaults upon Christ and His people.
Sensuality
Jesus Christ requires leaders of His church to be godly men, particularly in the realm of sexuality. The Bible is clear that this has been the downfall of many. Sexual sin is not unforgivable, nor are those who fall into it irrecoverable, but it is a serious matter. I commend Bell for his confession of roughly two decades of bondage to pornography and the related separation from his wife. I am thankful to hear they are together and I wish them well in their marriage. God’s Word says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). I do not know if he has forsaken his sexual sin, but I do know that his longstanding slavery to it is a key indicator of his character. Bluntly stated, sexual immorality is a feature of a false teacher. The Apostle Peter warned his scattered church against “those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness,” and Jude identified these men as “walking according to their own lusts” (2 Peter 2:10; Jude 16). How so many are willing to overlook this and still give him the time of day as he attacks the church under the guise of helping is beyond me. This is a man whose track record demonstrates that he has had “eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin,” and he continues to entice unstable souls (2 Peter 2:14; more on that below under deception).
Profit
To what do false teachers turn when they are not seeking the good of the flock? They seek to enrich themselves. “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit” (Jude 11). However much Balaam feigned piety and virtue, he was more interested in lining his pockets than in aligning himself with the righteousness of God (Numbers 22-23). Most of the time motives are inaccessible to us, for God alone knows the heart infallibly. Nevertheless, I find it worth noting that a man who sought ministry opportunities in at least two Reformed denominations and was denied (however that occurred), has now turned his energy toward attacking them. I do not know how much revenue Bell has earned from his podcast as he continues his disreputable work, but I can tell you, Peter Bell, that unless you repent, you will receive the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:13, 15).
Subversion
A third indicator of a false teacher and enemy of the church is a callous disregard for legitimate authority. “They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord” (2 Peter 2:10-11; see also Jude 8-10). Let those words settle upon your hearts. Peter Bell and his podcast constantly bring accusations against elders and ministers of the gospel. As blind spiritual squirrels, they do occasionally find a nut or two, but, on the whole, they are nothing more than resounding, slanderous gongs. Hatred of authority is a recurring feature of their tabloidic reviling. Doubtless one of their own will accuse me of only really caring about authority, but the fifth commandment is real, and God Himself has established a government in His church. The Apostle Paul said that authority was given to him, not for destruction, but for edification, and the same is true of all those who bear office in the church (2 Corinthians 10:8; 13:10). Of course there have been abuses by men in ecclesiastical and civil authority (see Christ’s trial and crucifixion). These are evil, and God will hold them accountable. But remarkably, who is the only person in this equation living unaccountably? It is not the godly pastors Bell continues to smear. No, it is the one he sees in the mirror. He has refused to let anyone know where he is a member of a church (if he even is a member, which I question) and therefore continues in his sin with apparent impunity. Not only does he tread where angels dare not (2 Peter 2:11), he is unwilling to face any kind of formal accountability. Not only is this rebellious, it is profound cowardice. He too will be called to account.
Deception
Perhaps the most egregious trait of these false teachers is their antipathy to the truth. This is most clearly expressed by their distinguishing adjective: false. “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage” (2 Peter 2:19). Ironically, many of Bell’s most devoted advocates are women. This is ironic, but not surprising, “for of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:6-7). Why women who are apparently opposed to patriarchy would so unquestioningly devote themselves to a man who has been “fired from two or three ‘secular jobs’ … for lying, and covering up other things, in rather large ways” defies comprehension. His history of pornography only compounds this problem. On the other hand, it is an ironically ringing endorsement for the need of a biblical patriarchy. One wonders how many of Bell’s devotees have godly men in their lives who actually tell them the truth. The hallmark of a renewed heart is the love of truth, something glaringly absent from Bell’s project, and apparently his life.
Damnation
When I use the word damnation, I want to be clear: I am not making a final and infallible judgment about the state of Bell’s soul, or where he will spend eternity. I sincerely call him to repentance, and I hope that he will find true and lasting freedom from sin and peace in Jesus Christ the Savior of sinners. But make no mistake: false teachers who do not repent go to hell. They are those “for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (2 Peter 2:17). They will perish “in the rebellion of Korah” (Jude 11). While damnation is not itself a key indicator of a false teacher, it is most certainly a sober reality of what they face. They serve their father the devil, and Satan himself is an accuser of the brethren, a lover of lies, a sower of discord, and a twister of the truth. Christians are called to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, but Bell and his project bear no such imprint, however ardently they may claim otherwise. I will say it again: Peter Bell, repent, or you will perish (Luke 13:5).
Conclusion
At best, Peter Bell is a Shimei, in which case, “Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him.” Perhaps in due time the Lord will repay His people good for all Bell’s wickedness (2 Samuel 16:11-12). At worst, he is a Sanballat, a deliberate, committed, unrepentant enemy of the people of God. In this case, I urge my brothers who find themselves in his grifting crosshairs, remember the words of Nehemiah, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3). Peter Bell, God will remember your works, and while you might scoff at such a warning, you will tremble in due time unless you repent, both you and your God-denying boss (Nehemiah 6:14).
To my brothers who are faithful ministers, who are living in grace-enabled sincerity, seeking to honor the Lord and shepherd the flock of God, press on. Make sure your people know who Bell is and, more importantly, what he is like. Mark him and avoid him, for he is one who causes divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned. Avoid him and his gossip. “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17-18). Brothers, do not give this waterless cloud any more time and attention than he deserves, and therefore, never mind and care for whom the Bell trolls; he trolls for thee. And God sees.
