A pastor once told me, "I have noticed a frightening phenomenon in today's churches. Some believers, who are thirsting for righteousness and the true faith, are becoming more extreme in their beliefs, resulting in very poor testimonies."
Based on my observations over more than a decade of church life, the pastor's words are not unfounded. Many of these extreme believers are church workers or dedicated members. They exhibit characteristics similar to those of the Pharisees, adhering to diverse extreme laws; they often clash with fellow believers over trivial, non-essential matters. The hostility non-believers feel toward the Christian faith is also largely related to the radical behavior of these believers. The alarming fact is that many who fall into heresy or cults are from this group.
One important factor contributing to this issue is the serious problem with the teaching materials used by churches. For instance, I once picked up a training manual from a youth fellowship at a certain church and found that many of the teachings were particularly extreme. It included instructions like not befriending non-believers, not playing any games, and not watching movies or TV shows.
Some of these training materials not only spread extreme ideas but are even heretical "toxic materials." For example, my wife once told me that a few years ago, when she was working in another city, she attended a youth fellowship where she discovered that they were using materials from an extreme Charismatic movement. During their gatherings, believers often displayed bizarre behavior, creating a very negative atmosphere and leading her to leave. I have encountered similar situations. In a bookstore at a certain church, I was shocked to find books by a highly controversial Korean pastor being sold. This shows that "toxic teaching materials" are subtly infiltrating churches, endangering the spiritual lives of believers.
The issue of "toxic teaching materials" in the church is largely due to the failure of church leaders to properly vet the materials. Some pastors, overwhelmed by their ministry workload and lacking in theological training—particularly in understanding the development of contemporary heresies—fail to provide the necessary oversight. Additionally, in some churches where there are too many sheep and too few shepherds, pastors who find it difficult to manage the complex tasks of the ministry, delegate the responsibility of fellowship training to fellowship leaders. However, these leaders often have weak theological foundations and cannot discern whether the book is from an extreme or heretical group. Additionally, some church leaders blindly trust that foreign pastors' sermons and overseas materials are treasures, introducing them into the church without distinguishing between good and bad.
Therefore, pastors must take responsibility for selecting church training materials, and reading every book carefully to strictly vet it. No "toxic materials" that could harm believers should be allowed into the church.
Of course, to prevent the spread of "toxic materials," it is essential to use high-quality teaching materials. For example, the Shorter Catechism compiled by the China Christian Council is an excellent resource for understanding the basic truths of the Christian faith and has been well-received by many believers. Additionally, the six booklets from the volunteer (correspondence) training and Professor You Bin’s four books on the "Basic Framework of Theology for Believers" are also good choices.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission. )
- Translated by Abigail Wu
有位牧者跟我说：“我发现在当前教会中存在一种可怕现象：一些饥渴慕义寻求真道的信徒，在信仰上反而更加极端，作了很坏的见证。”
从我这十几年教会生活观察看，牧者此言非虚。信仰极端者有不少都是教会的同工或者有追求的肢体。他们身上出现了类似“法利赛人”的特征，持守各种极端的律法；经常因为一些非原则的小事，而与肢体爆发冲突。而非信徒对基督信仰的反感，很大程度上也与这些信徒的激进言行有着密切关系。更可怕的是，陷入异端邪教的肢体，也有不少是这类信徒。
其中有个重要因素值得注意，那就是教会在使用培训教材上，有严重问题。比如有次我从某堂会青年团契拿了一本培训教材，就发现上面有不少教导特别极端。比如不能与非信徒交朋友；不能玩任何游戏；不能看影视剧。
这些培训材料传播极端思想外，有些甚至是异端的“毒教材”。比如笔者妻子就曾跟我说，她几年前在外地工作，参加某青契活动。结果她发现他们在使用极端灵恩派的课程，在聚会时信徒经常举止怪诞，氛围非常差。于是她选择了离开。而这种情况，我也曾遇到过。某个教堂的书店里，居然在卖韩国某充满巨大争议牧者的书籍。由此可见，“毒教材”正在不知不觉中流入教会，危害着信徒的生命。
教会“毒教材”问题的出现，跟教会负责人没有很好把关有很大关系。有些牧者由于事工繁忙，加上未能在神学上精进；尤其是了解当代异端发展的情况，失去了应有监督。其次有的教会羊多牧人少，牧师难以应对繁杂事工,将团契的培训事工就交给团契负责人。可他们大都神学根基较差，难以分辨书籍是否出自极端或异端教派。最后有的教会负责人坚信“外来牧师会讲道”，认为海外的教材就是宝贝，就不分好坏地引入到教会中。
因此在教会培训教材选择上，牧者必须担负起责任；做到对每一本都仔细阅读，严格把关。不让任何危害信徒的“毒教材”流入到教会当中。
当然，要阻断“毒教材”的传播，根本还是要使用优质的教材。比如中国基督教两会编写的《要道问答》是一本了解基督信仰基本真理的好教材，得到了不少信徒的欢迎。此外，义工（函授）培训的六本小册子以及游斌教授四本“信徒神学基本框架”，也是不错的选择。
警惕一些“毒教材”进入教会
A pastor once told me, "I have noticed a frightening phenomenon in today's churches. Some believers, who are thirsting for righteousness and the true faith, are becoming more extreme in their beliefs, resulting in very poor testimonies."
Based on my observations over more than a decade of church life, the pastor's words are not unfounded. Many of these extreme believers are church workers or dedicated members. They exhibit characteristics similar to those of the Pharisees, adhering to diverse extreme laws; they often clash with fellow believers over trivial, non-essential matters. The hostility non-believers feel toward the Christian faith is also largely related to the radical behavior of these believers. The alarming fact is that many who fall into heresy or cults are from this group.
One important factor contributing to this issue is the serious problem with the teaching materials used by churches. For instance, I once picked up a training manual from a youth fellowship at a certain church and found that many of the teachings were particularly extreme. It included instructions like not befriending non-believers, not playing any games, and not watching movies or TV shows.
Some of these training materials not only spread extreme ideas but are even heretical "toxic materials." For example, my wife once told me that a few years ago, when she was working in another city, she attended a youth fellowship where she discovered that they were using materials from an extreme Charismatic movement. During their gatherings, believers often displayed bizarre behavior, creating a very negative atmosphere and leading her to leave. I have encountered similar situations. In a bookstore at a certain church, I was shocked to find books by a highly controversial Korean pastor being sold. This shows that "toxic teaching materials" are subtly infiltrating churches, endangering the spiritual lives of believers.
The issue of "toxic teaching materials" in the church is largely due to the failure of church leaders to properly vet the materials. Some pastors, overwhelmed by their ministry workload and lacking in theological training—particularly in understanding the development of contemporary heresies—fail to provide the necessary oversight. Additionally, in some churches where there are too many sheep and too few shepherds, pastors who find it difficult to manage the complex tasks of the ministry, delegate the responsibility of fellowship training to fellowship leaders. However, these leaders often have weak theological foundations and cannot discern whether the book is from an extreme or heretical group. Additionally, some church leaders blindly trust that foreign pastors' sermons and overseas materials are treasures, introducing them into the church without distinguishing between good and bad.
Therefore, pastors must take responsibility for selecting church training materials, and reading every book carefully to strictly vet it. No "toxic materials" that could harm believers should be allowed into the church.
Of course, to prevent the spread of "toxic materials," it is essential to use high-quality teaching materials. For example, the Shorter Catechism compiled by the China Christian Council is an excellent resource for understanding the basic truths of the Christian faith and has been well-received by many believers. Additionally, the six booklets from the volunteer (correspondence) training and Professor You Bin’s four books on the "Basic Framework of Theology for Believers" are also good choices.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission. )
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Beware of 'Toxic Teaching Materials' Entering Church
