“Why Don’t You Be Quiet and Listen?”

There are those within Evangelicalism who will chide Biblically discerning Christians with an admonition along the lines of “Why don’t you just listen to a person who thinks differently than you?” This admonition is typically leveled against Christians who seek to refute false teachings being brought into the church. The challenge is made to cause Christians to doubt their own patience, long-suffering, and kindness when they refute the false teachings. It also seeks to cause the Christian to simply be silent, to let false teaching be proclaimed without a challenge.

We as Christians must certainly be listeners as well as proclaimers. We are directed in Scripture to be quick to hear and slow to speak. This means not only hearing what an opposing party says (to the point we can accurately understand and restate the argument) but that we must be thoughtful in our response. In other words, we listen, make sure we understand it, digest it, and then respond thoughtfully and biblically. Yes, we must be listeners to those who disagree with us. But listening does not mean we must agree.

Sadly, all too often, those who say, “Why don’t you listen…?” really mean, “Why don’t you just shut up and accept what this other person says!?” It is all too often framed in allegations of bigotry, racism, or misogyny. Meaning that, if a Christian does not hear and accept as true the false teachings of another person, the rejection of that teaching has less to do with biblical truth and everything to do with hatred of the other person’s gender or ethnicity.

This is not a biblical argument. Rather, it is an emotionally manipulative tactic designed to create fear and shame. The biblical admonition to listen is so that Christians might weigh the teachings against the Word and determine false from true. The manipulative admonition is given in order to prevent any thought at all. It stems from the secular ideology of “standpoint epistemology” which claims that certain “oppressed classes” have access to special knowledge the average white, cis-gendered, hetero-normative Christian can’t possibly have. Therefore, you are to be silent and accept as true whatever false teaching is being espoused.

Christians need to listen not only to false teachers to see if indeed what they say is false, but we need to listen to those who are using manipulative tactics so that we might see and understand how they are seeking to sinfully silence the speaking of biblical truth. Christians are not to simply be silent. While we are to be “slow to speak,” we are still called to “speak.”

False teaching and teachers are to be identified, marked, avoided, and responded to that they may be silenced in the presence of all. Those who seek to tear Christian thought from the moorings of Scripture need to be responded to firmly, biblically, and without apology. As much as their teachings are done publicly, so must biblically grounded responses be.

Do not fear such persons. They seek to shame you into silence that they may speak lies without obstruction. Be willing to listen, consider, but also engage. Do so thoughtfully, biblically, and without apology. Be loving, kind, and long-suffering with those struggling through such ideologies. Be firm, unyielding, and authoritative in responding to those who are manipulating the masses. Yes, listen and hear, but also consider and speak. Respond rightly that all may hear the truth.