Fall 1998

PREFACE

By: Michael Tao

In this issue, I have included articles exposing the real face of the New-evangelicalism, they are written by Brother David Cloud.

This is likely the first time that the documentation of the New-evangelicalism, or modernism has ever been printed in Chinese. In considering the Chinese Christian Church preachers are applauding heretics such as Billy Graham and ecumenical movement such as Promise Maker, there is little doubt in my mind that they would raise their eyebrows towards these articles.

Unfortunately this would be the group of preachers that never treat spiritual discernment in the church as a priority. In their churches, the deceitfulness of Roman Catholicism, charismatics and other false religions are rarely explained to the congregation. This would be the group that concentrate so much on the "love of God" and determine almost any judgement on anything is unloving.

This would be the group that never clearly defines sin. "Sin" is labelled as "mistake" or "transgression", so it does not sound repulsive. Again this would be the group that has no guts to ask their congregation to serve in their church, and to tell them that this is the only channel to serve God. In this same group, the messages about giving to support the local church and missionaries is a taboo, and must not be mentioned. This is the group that never teaches the wives to submit to their husbands because this will offend the women. Wives are never told from the pulpit to stay home to look after their children and husbands (Titus 2:4,5). They believe that their women are so well educated that they should earn a living outside their home. In the same group, women are given the leadership positions in the church such as to teach men, or "deaconesses" to run the church, even God clearly announs, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2:12 )". In fact, Deaconess means the wife of a deacon. Biblically deacons are not meant to run the church, nor to direct the pastor what to do. The same group has no guts to tell their men, "Men, do not marry a woman whom you are reluctant to die for (Ephesians 5:25). When you are the head of the family, you are fully responsible for the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of your family. You will not hold an office in our church unless you have taken good care in your family first."

In the same group, the decision of going to church or not going to church is left to the children, so that they can choose to go to hell (Proverbs 22:6). This is the same group, they hate their children by sparing the rod (Proverbs 13:24). This same group does not expound the moral issues according to the Bible. Everyone has his or her own opinion about socialization, recreation, dating, marriage, parenting, divorce, homosexuality, abortion, alcohol, gambling, dancing, movie, television, popular music, country music,lottery; and do whatever he or she thinks is right (Judges21:25).

To this same group, church discipline is unheard of (Matthew 18). This is also the group whose pastors would have a hard time to rig up something to preach on Sundays. When preachers tamper with the sermons, trying to be everyone's friend and not their shepherd, not much will be left to preach on. In Revelation 2, 3, God says he will remove the candlestick of a church when rebellion is obvious.

In the very same group, preachers are so distressed by the lukewarmness in their churches, without understanding that their lukewarm sermons produce the lukewarm churches. This is the same group that leads their church to the spiritual destitution by only preaching "love, love" (Acts 20:27 ).

The same group will be displeased and comment all these is just a personal preference, and no standard should be forced down another one's throat. However there is only one standard in the Bible, if our standards are different, we cannot both be correct.

This group is the group of the New-evangelical churches.

I am not here to shame you, my intention is to motivate you to repent from this "Downgrade Theology" as coined by Spurgeon, and start to practise the Christianity in the Bible.