An Article Against the New Grace Theology of the New Antinomians, of which Joseph Prince is Identified as One – By Dr Roland Chia (Dated 1 Dec 2020)
Rev George Ong’s Comments:
It is my privilege and joy to introduce an accomplished theologian, Dr Roland Chia from Singapore to you. He comes with remarkable credentials. He is Chew Hock Hin Professor of Christian Doctrine at Trinity Theological College and Theological and Research Advisor at the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity.
He has written an article, “The New Antinomianism: A Critique of the New Theology of Grace.” This article is a revised version of a talk he gave at the clergy meeting of the Anglican Diocese of Singapore in 2016 at St Andrew’s Cathedral. This should interest not just members, but especially pastors, elders and leaders of churches.
As this isn’t a short article, take your time to read it in a few sittings and savour the insights contained therein.
At the conclusion of the article, Dr Roland Chia, a qualified theologian who knows his stuff, states that the new antinomians, of which Joseph Prince is identified as one, are preaching heresies and a different gospel.
Dr Roland Chia wrote (the following two paragraphs in italics):
“… the issue that needs to be seriously addressed is whether their theology can be said to have subverted, destabilised or even destroyed the core of the Christian faith. Put in another way, does this new doctrine of grace undermine the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It is my view that it does, and therefore should be regarded not simply as a minor aberration but as heresy.”
“What needs to be pointed out here is that the new antinomians have not only gone a little overboard with their emphasis on grace. As we have seen in this brief survey, their teachings have radically distorted orthodox Christianity in so many important ways that what we have before us may be described as an altogether different gospel (Galatians 1:6-8) …”
This means that Dr Roland Chia (and also Bishop Kuan Kim Seng) and I are in full agreement that Joseph Prince is a heretic and preaching a different gospel.
This is serious. This has great implications as to how fellow ministers of God and the Church ought to view and relate with Joseph Prince. Friends, Joseph Prince isn’t a fellow brother-in-Christ but a heretic to be exposed as his heresies have continued to bring untold harm to the flock not only in Singapore but also around the world.
Heretics, too, are to be loved, forgiven and restored by the Church, if they truly repent (not the false repentance doctrine that Joseph Prince is deceiving the church with). But Joseph Prince has remained blatantly impenitent for the past 25 years. Over these many years, many Christian leaders and believers from around the world have tried to reach out to him to correct his teachings but he doesn’t even bother to respond. Many spiritual leaders in Singapore have also met him face-to-face and confronted him about his erroneous teachings. Yet, he has remained defiantly unrepentant to this day, preaching his Pseudo-grace theology with reckless abandon.
Against the backdrop of Joseph Prince’s continued and defiant unrepentance over the last 25 years, there must be no more indecision and delay as to what the Church ought to do with him. He has to be disfellowshipped from the Church. There are no two ways about it. Not to do anything is to go against what the scriptures have clearly laid out about how the Church ought to act against heretics (2 Jn 9-11; Tit 1:9-14; Tit 3:9-11; 1 Tim 1:20; 2 Tim 3:5; 2 Tim 2:17-18; Rom 16:17-18; Gal 2:4-5; Matt 7:15; Acts 20:28-31; Jude 3-4). Any more indecision and delay will only result in many more sheep being permanently harmed by his toxic teachings and for his heresies to gain a further foothold in the Church.
Allowing Joseph Prince to continue to use and exploit the Singapore Church umbrella as a covering to propagate his heresies and lead the flock of the True Church to their eternal damnation is unimaginable and unacceptable and this has to stop.
Denominational heads should issue a clear stand on this issue. Pastors of churches must have the courage to preach this over the pulpits. Church leaders must be equipped to combat against this heresy. It needs the collective effort of the Church to weed out this cancer of Joseph Prince’s heresies.
The time for talk is over. It’s time for concrete and firm action. The ‘all-talk-no-or-little-action’ posture, to me, is a convenient way of avoiding making the unpleasant but necessary decision. The time to act decisively against Joseph Prince, the Wolf in sheepskin, is now because it’s now or never.
May many more pastors and elders follow the courageous example of Dr Roland Chia to speak out publicly against the heresies of Joseph Prince. This is only right and proper as it is our responsibility as the shepherds of God’s flock to guard the sheep against being harmed by the wolves.
“Why is the church still so sloppy about dealing with the proliferation of heresy when the biggest weekly gathering of the ‘sheep’ that is even bigger than each of the eight main denominations in Singapore: (Lutheran, Bible-Presbyterian, Presbyterian, Evangelical Free Church, Brethren, Baptist, Anglican and the Assemblies of God, except the Methodist), is in the camp of the wolf – Joseph Prince?” (George Ong)
“While persecutions can never destroy the church from the outside, heresies can destroy her from the inside.” (George Ong)
Take your time to savour the insightful article of Dr Roland Chia’s “The New Antinomianism: A Critique of the New Theology of Grace.” (Click to read)