The brochure for the annual festival known as ‘New Horizon’, which is to be held at the University of Ulster, Coleraine should be a source of great concern to all Christians who are aware of the recent assaults made upon sound, biblical, evangelical Christianity. These assaults have come in various ‘guises’ – posing as ‘new moves of God’ [‘Toronto’ and ‘Pensacola’], ‘God breaking down the barriers’, and showing ‘the pathway to peace’ [accelerating ecumenism]’ ‘another great commission for the Church’ [the need for ‘Christians’ to unite to fight growing secularism – the ‘gospel’ according to Charles Colson and ‘Father’ Richard Neuhaus – co-authors of the March 1994 Evangelicals and Catholics Together agreement] and ‘Christians can not only be in the world but also of the world’ [Christian ‘night clubs’ for example].

One of the ‘headline’ speakers is R T Kendall who succeeded Martin Lloyd Jones as minister of Westminster Chapel in London. Over the past 6 years Mr Kendall has displayed an alarming lack of biblical discernment when confronted by horrors such as the so-called ‘Toronto Blessing’. In advance of the December 1995 ‘Signs & Wonders ‘95’ meetings featuring Rodney Howard Browne a promotional leaflet was issued featuring comments by the ‘HOSTING MINISTERS’. As well as endorsements from discredited Charismatic figures such as Colin Dye and Gerald Coates the following endorsement by Mr Kendall was listed.

‘Rodney Howard Browne is a guileless man of God whose ministry will be a blessing to those who truly long for more of God’.

Time and space do not allow me to recap all the heretical statements and horrendous antics of Rodney Howard Browne – they are available to view on our 2 videos on ‘Toronto’ – but one thing is certain – the self-proclaimed ‘Holy Ghost Bartender’ [Howard Browne] is by no stretch of any discerning believer’s imagination a ‘guileless man of God’.

Another warmly received by Mr Kendall around the time of ‘Toronto’ was Paul Cain. Within charismatic circles Mr Cain was hailed as a modern day ‘prophet’ by people like the late John Wimber and influential figures within the so-called Kansas City Prophets. For a large portion of his lifePaul Cain was a ‘devotee’ of the late William Branham – heretical promoter of onesness and the teaching that Cain was born as a result of a union between Eve and the Serpent of Eden.

 Mr Kendall is clearly not someone to be feeding God’s sheep in days such as these.

The rest of this report will of necessity be brief in order to allow its publication and distribution before the actual event takes place.

Having dealt in relation to Mr Kendall with what I referred to in the opening paragraph as ‘new moves of God’ let me identify the errors of ‘God breaking down the barriers’ and ‘the pathway to peace’. I linked these expressions to ‘accelerating ecumenism’ and in Northern Ireland one organisation that has sought [with government help and funding] to ‘break down the barriers’ and to promote the ‘pathway to peace’ has been ECONI [‘Evangelical Contribution on Northern Ireland’]. The record of this group shows that it is a ‘far cry’ from historic evangelical thinking and practice and rather than confronting the false gospel of Roman Catholicism it has sought to accommodate Romanism within the boundaries of Orthodox Christianity. The attempt by ECONI to ‘break down the barriers’ and to promote ‘the pathway to peace’ – a noble and worthy ideal in itself – has sadly been at the expense of ‘gospel truth’.

Featured at New Horizon and related meetings will be 4 speakers who have been deeply involved with ECONI. They are Derek Poole, Alwyn Thomson, David Porter and Gordon McDade.

Another effort that has drawn ecumenical support and participation is the worldwide ‘March for Jesus’ movement. Central to the thinking and theology behind these marches has been the idea [false] that Christians can engage in open warfare with ‘territorial spirits’. One of three men behind the setting up of the ‘March for Jesus’ was Roger Forster [annihilationist as opposed to eternal conscious punishment] – the other two being Lynn Green of the ecumenical YWAM and Gerald Coates of the ‘Toronto Blessing’ and ‘Gold tooth-filling’ fiascos.

Why am I drawing attention to these errors in relation to New Horizon? Simply because Roger Forster heads up Ichthus Christian Fellowship in England and the worship leader for the New Horizon weekend is New Zealander David Lyle Morris who according to the programme is ‘based with the Ichthus Christian Fellowship in London’. 

I referred in the opening paragraph to ‘another great commission for the church’ – an error promoted by amongst others arch-ecumenist Charles Colson. Having read the brochure for the New Horizon weekend I was struck by the description of a talk to be given by Derek Poole on the subject of‘The Church as Vision Keepers’. The description was worded as follows –

‘Fundamental to the Church’s witness in the world is a Biblical vision for social transformation. What does the Bible have to say about our engagement in the broken relationships of society.’

This sounds to me very like Mr Colson’s faulty ‘second great commission’. Biblically The Great Commission [of which there is only one] is to preach the gospel of salvation from sin and therein is the power to transform individuals and to make them disciples.  There is a biblical mandate to ‘evangelise’ the world but not to ‘christianise’ it. I hope Mr Poole’s talk is not going to support Mr Colson’s erroneous premise.

Finally on the topic of ‘worldly Christians’ let me quote from the brochure under the heading of ‘Activities’

‘BEDROCK – Based at Exodus, Portstewart for those 18+ this late evening programme is a mix of multi-media art, video and contemporary music with a Christian emphasis’.

Whatever happened to “And be not conformed to this world” Romans 12:2?

May this short report help those who read it to “Take Heed” where New Horizon is concerned.

Cecil Andrews – “Take Heed” Ministries – 21 July 2001