ORLANDO, USA – Why would a respected evangelical leader like Francis Chan agree to speak at major events that also feature controversial prosperity gospel preachers? The short answer is: share the truth.
The popular author and former pastor recently came under scrutiny for appearing on the same stage as soap opera host Benny Hinn and Canadian evangelist Todd White when he was the front row speaker at The Send, a 60,000-person rally held in an Orlando stadium. last month.
The event (not to be confused with Send International or the North American Mission Board Sending Conference) was a collaboration involving several major leaders in the New Apostolic Reformation and charismatic movement, including Lou Engle of The Call, Bill Johnson of Bethel Church and Mike Bickle’s International House of Prayer.
Some Christians questioned Chan’s place on the list, particularly when White, who told the young crowd that God would instantly remove “the mark and stain of sin” from their bodies, including STDs and scars, shared an image of the couple praying together. Another photo appeared of Chan between Hinn, who had not been included in the audience list for the event, and Jean-Luc Trachsel.
Chan recently acknowledged these concerns, explaining why he prefers to speak to crowds whose beliefs are outside his own.even though he views the prosperity gospel as a “dangerous teaching.”
“Many times, I reject [las solicitudes de voz] because there will be other speakers at the event who believe almost exactly what I believe. My reasoning is that it may be a waste of Kingdom resources for all of us to be there, speaking largely to people who already agree with us.”Chan wrote on his church planting network site, We Are Church. “It seems more effective to speak where there is less Bible teaching.”
Chan said he thinks he can be most effective in places where “he’s not aligned theologically, as long as he’s allowed to preach freely from Scripture.
“Over the past few years, I have seen many people come to truly follow Jesus, have a deeper love for the scriptures, and a deeper commitment to the Great Commission,” the Crazy Love author stated. “There are millions of souls who sit under weak or unorthodox teachings. It excites me to think of what the Spirit could do through his Word in those situations ».
The Send, a collaboration between several national ministries including Youth with a Mission and Christ for All Nations, reported that 500 attendees came to faith at the all-day event on February 23, and another 17,000 pledged to fast. and pray.
However, Chan acknowledged that he sees how his participation in certain events, or the willingness to take a selfie, sometimes it can involve endorsements from other speakers and that you don’t always vette everyone. As a result of the recent rejection, he said that he would consider adding an investigative team and working with the elders to avoid confusion about his future appearances.
Although the problem is not new, Billy Graham was criticized by fundamentalist Bob Jones for associating with liberal ministers in his crusades in the 1950s, and by other believers for his willingness to speak out in Cold War-era communist nations: Christians have paid more attention to theological clashes in speaker training in recent years.
Ken Ham, the founder of the Creation Museum, lost his spot at several education conferences in 2011 when he criticized another speaker, BioLogos’ Peter Enns, for not sharing his strictly literal reading of Genesis.
Last year, there was enough scrutiny surrounding Louisville pastor CJ Mahaney of Sovereign Grace Church that he withdrew from the Together for the Gospel conference rather than bring other speakers into the fray.
Chan warned followers that he plans to continue accepting invitations to conferences whose speakers fall outside of his own beliefs.
“I recognize, now more than ever, that sometimes my participation can give the impression that I am aligning myself with all the other speakers at the event. “I’m not sure what to do about it, other than tell you no,” she said.
“My personal belief is that there are 2-3 million American Orthodox Christians consuming all the same books, blogs and podcasts. In the meantime, there are millions who will never hear strong Bible teaching unless the teachers are willing to go. I may be kidding myself, but I feel that the Spirit enables me to face difficult problems with love. And I have seen repentance as a result.”
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