Holistic Mission: Weighed in the Balances Paperback – May 27, 2016

The book arrived weeks ahead of schedule and in perfect condition--thank you for the excellent service--am using the text in my Church History dissertation and it has been a great addition to the information I needed--it is one of the top ten books in my theological library--a great find on the topic of "What is the Gospel?".E. S. Williams performs a scholarly evaluation in exposing and documenting the heretical slide of Evangelicalism into modernism and liberalism--he shows how Holistic Evangelicals no longer regard the Gospel as winning the lost to Christ for forgiveness of sin and adoption into the family of God--rather, Evangelicals understand the Gospel as obtaining social justice and environmental responsibility for all individuals and worldly organizations, activities that leave unbelievers bound in sin and on the way to hell--as another reviewer stated: this book should be required reading in every Bible College, Seminary, parachurch and Mission organization--May God bless Mr. Williams for his faithfulness to the Scriptures--Mr. Riley Edwards

An eye opener that clearly shows how deceptive, clever and subtle our adversary truly is. Once you start reading, it is very difficult to put down.

Excellent, clear, and well-documented explanation of how the church reached the state of compromise so visible to any thinking person today. This book should be required reading in every seminary.

Excellent research really opened my eyes to how far we have gotten off the biblical mark of missions

The author writes 'Holistic mission is the product of a politically motivated reinterpretation of scripture which by degrees has come to dominate the thinking and activity of much of the modern Evangelical movement, as many churches, para-church organisations and mission societies now unquestioningly embrace holistic ministry. It is deeply heretical because it redefines the very meaning of the gospel itself; the priority of the gospel is no longer the salvation of sinners, but the transformation of society.' The book begins with an expose of how Rev John Stott, renowned rector of All Souls, Langham Place, changed his mind on the meaning of the Great Commission (Go into all the world and preach the Gospel) between 1966 and 1974, from preaching personal salvation from sin to delivering a strategy of societal transformation, socio-political as well as spiritual. Then in the rest of the book Dr Williams traces this evangelical downgrade from the mid 1800s to the present day. The wisdom of this world has forever been working within the church, compromising its leaders and demanding immense courage from those who stand in its way, who are not ashamed of the Gospel. Of particular interest to me was the chapter on J Gresham Machen who battled with the liberals in the Presbyterian Church in the USA in the first half of the 20th century. He was treated shamefully. Dr Williams writes 'He was constrained by God and the love for the Gospel of Truth to defend the Church against the false teaching of the modernists. He did so by an appeal to Scripture and by careful documentation of the doctrinal errors of the modernists. Yet the modernists made no attempt to answer the doctrinal criticisms raised by Machen. Their response was simply to ignore the criticism and engage in personal abuse. And so it is today. A tactic of the false teacher is to refuse to engage with those who defend the Faith, and to accuse them of being intolerant, unloving and harsh. Another tactic of false teachers is to accuse opponents of being judgemental.' Recommended for those concerned about the ineffectiveness of modern Christian mission.

The author writes 'Holistic mission is the product of a politically motivated reinterpretation of scripture which by degrees has come to dominate the thinking and activity of much of the modern evangelical movement, as many churches, para-church organisations and mission societies now unquestioningly embrace holistic ministry. It is deeply heretical because it redefines the very meaning of the gospel itself; the priority of the gospel is no longer the salvation of sinners, but the transformation of society.' The book begins with an expose of how Rev John Stott, renowned rector of All Souls, Langham Place, changed his mind on the meaning of the Great Commission (Go into all the world and preach the Gospel) between 1966 and 1974, from preaching personal salvation from sin to delivering a strategy of societal transformation, socio-political as well as spiritual. Then in the rest of the book Dr Williams traces this evangelical downgrade from the mid 1800s to the present day. The wisdom of this world has forever been working within the church, compromising its leaders and demanding immense courage from those who stand in its way, who are not ashamed of the Gospel. Of particular interest to me was the chapter on J Gresham Machen who battled with the liberals in the Presbyterian Church in the USA in the first half of the 20th century. He was treated shamefully. Dr Williams writes 'He was constrained by God and the love for the Gospel of Truth to defend the Church against the false teaching of the modernists. He did so by an appeal to Scripture and by careful documentation of the doctrinal errors of the modernists. Yet the modernists made no attempt to answer the doctrinal criticisms raised by Machen. Their response was simply to ignore the criticism and engage in personal abuse. And so it is today. A tactic of the false teacher is to refuse to engage with those who defend the Faith, and to accuse them of being intolerant, unloving and harsh. Another tactic of false teachers is to accuse opponents of being judgmental.' Recommended for those concerned about the ineffectiveness of modern Christian mission.

Excellent

A real eye opener on the agenda of the holistic movement.