Almost every church is dealing with the issue of heretical infiltration. To safeguard against this threat, some churches caution their members during Sunday services not to easily add strangers on WeChat, and to avoid attending unknown gatherings. Other churches regularly post information about different heretical groups on bulletin boards, while some focus on strengthening their believers’ faith foundation so they can resist heresy with the power of the gospel.
Mr. L, who has extensively studied various heresies in China, believes that the main goal of all heresies is to make money.
According to him, heretics are skilled in deception and know how to manipulate people’s needs to win them over. They offer favors to the underprivileged, invite eager believers to Bible studies, ask preachers to teach, and even use women to lure single brothers. Mr. L emphasized that heretics do not aim to renew people through faith like true Christian faith does, but only seek to fulfill their own desires through false beliefs.
Heretics often justify their actions in order to gain more followers. Mr. L mentioned the heretical group "Shincheonji" as an example. He explained that the group uses the phrase “be as shrewd as snakes” to rationalize their questionable solicitation tactics. On multiple occasions, when Mr. L encountered Shincheonji members and attempted to mention this particular phrase to them, they would smile knowingly.
Mr. L mentioned that heretics often draw in followers by making them feel unique and fulfilled in ways that society cannot. This is why some people may decide to remain part of a heretical group, even though they know they are involved in something controversial, just like how individuals are trapped in a pyramid scheme.
When dealing with heretics trying to steal members from the church, Mr. L thinks pastors should not waste time trying to reason with them. It is pointless to argue when others are trying to poach your members. He believes the church needs better guidance on handling heresy. This is not something individuals or churches can handle alone - it needs to be addressed by CCC&TSPM.
Mr. L also mentioned that many churches only focus on cleaning up their own mess when it comes to heresy. He believes churches need to step up and protect the entire Church to truly prevent heresy. This means churches need to broaden their thinking and approach the issue from a bigger perspective.
- Translated by Joyce Leung
