Have you ever been duped? Had the wool pulled over your eyes? Well, few things are more

distressing than the stark realization that you've been artfully deceived, especially

when it comes from someone you trusted. Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck's Wendall

reminds us that deception isn't anything new. In his second letter, Peter warned his

readers about people who twist the gospel of Jesus. His counsel helps us to be on guard

so we can stand up against deceptive influences in our own generation. Chuck titled today's

message, An Exposé of Counterfeit Communicators.

You know, I'll never forget the evening a friend of mine served dog food to a

house full of guests. That's a true story, believe me. Of course, the guests didn't know at

first that it was dog food. My friend Lill is the wife of a very respected physician named

Dave. They were hosting an elegant reception in their home. Lill, who's quite a character,

had just graduated from a gourmet cooking course. So she decided to put her skills to the

test. The dog food was served on delicate little crackers with a wedge of imported cheese,

complete with bacon chips and olive and a sliver of pimento sitting on top. She even served

it all on a couple of silver trays. That's right, friends and neighbors. It was hors d'oeuvres

a la alpo. One of Lill's friends just couldn't get enough. She kept eating and eating those

things. I don't remember how Lill broke the news to her, but when she found out the truth,

she probably barked and bitter on the ankle. Whenever that story comes to my mind, I think

about how it illustrates something that occurs daily in another realm. I'm referring to

religious fakes. That's right. Professional charlatans, or we might prefer to call them

counterfeit Christians who offer their heretical morsels on shiny bright platters. Being masters

of deceit, they serve up a false gospel camouflaged by logical sounding phrases. Unfortunately,

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