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
