Rev Henry Hong’s Concern Over False Teachers – By Rev George Ong (Dated 1 Dec 2021)

(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, NCCS office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)

On the morning of 28 November 2021, last Sunday, to my pleasant surprise, one kind soul highlighted to me that Rev Henry Hong, a Singapore Presbyterian Minister, spoke about me, Rev Tan Cheng Huat and others, who wrote Open Letters to NCCS. Rev Hong related this issue at the very beginning of his sermon at a worship service in Glory Presbyterian Church, Singapore on the same morning of 28 November.

You can view excerpts of the above on YouTube from 40.54 – 43.00 mins. https://youtu.be/JlmAJzrbTUM The YouTube video is available for viewing only for a week, starting from 28 November, last Sunday. This means that come this Saturday, it will be taken down. So you have 2 more days to view if you are keen.

You could also refer to the following verbatim notes of what Rev Henry Hong said:

“Recently, it was brought to my attention that there were several Open Letters addressed to the National Council of Churches of Singapore by our local church leaders. And they expressed their concern about false and heretical teachings in one of our local churches. You can find out more about this issue from the website of the Rev George Ong: www.revgeorgeong.com who is actually an itinerant teacher and preacher. I’ve heard his preaching and it’s absolutely sound. He was the former pastor of Grace Assembly of God, but he knows the word of God. He lives the word of God.

I refer to his website because he was one of the whistle blowers and carefully studied the preaching, teaching and writings of the said preacher of this local church. And he has also extensively documented the views and correspondences of various church leaders on this particular issue of what he calls the false teachings.

Now to be sure of this issue, I have also checked with one of our own Presbyterian Pastors, the Rev Tan Cheng Huat, our former Presbyterian Synod’s Moderator and now who is an out-station missionary of Trueway Presbyterian Church. He was one of those who have written to NCCS to express similar Pastoral concerns.

Suffice to say, the counsel of God’s word has to be taken seriously because the Church of Singapore is not spared of false teachings.”

Rev Henry Hong is a veteran and experienced Presbyterian Minister, who is more senior than me in ministry and age. He is a wise Pastor who realises the dangers and harm that false teachers can do to the church. More than that, his courage to raise the issue of false teachers on a public level so that the flock could be warned is to be applauded and emulated.

With the necessary but radical and unpopular moves that I have made vis-a-vis NCCS on the Joseph Prince issue, I would imagine that most Pastors and Preachers would choose to stay far away from me as they would be too ‘scared’ to be associated with me.

But I thank God that there is one Rev Henry Hong (whom I have not seen and spoken to for quite some time now, till today) who is prepared to support what I, Rev Tan Cheng Huat and many others did as whistle blowers over the issue of a false teacher. My special and heartfelt thanks to Rev Henry Hong. I hope to catch up with him one of these days. 

Rev George Ong