Is 'bad' teaching better than no teaching? (ie is it worth attending the only church in my town even though I know the teaching is not 'good'?)

>From the fact that you have been able to discern that the teaching at your church is not good I suspect that you are reasonably empowered in your spirituality and knowledge of the Bible etc. My gut says that here is an opportunity for you to be a giver rather than a taker.

If you remain in your church you can remain part of the (only) community of faith in your town. You can speak life where you can, lead "up" with humility and love to those who are appointed in the church to teach. You can use sacrificial service as a platform for the gospel. Without knowing the detail of your situation, my default advice is "stay in and bless."

A couple of caveats though:

1) You do need to ensure that you are being fed. Bible study with godly friends is one option. There is plenty of teaching material available online which you could access. Be careful to maintain your own discipline of devotions.

2) If the church is militantly anti-gospel (some are, I'm just not assuming that for yours) then it may be untenable for you to remain part of that church. But be very very careful here. It is very easy to be correct in your theology but not right in your attitude. It is very easy to "leave" in a way that is unwise and does damage to people. Seek godly counsel from people who know your context before you consider making this step - and if you do it, do it with humility, humility, humility.

Blessings,

W.

URL: http://www.formspring.me/briggswill/q/1010862419