Too Radical a Grace Preacher?

Originally posted on December 11, 2007 – by Andre Piet

This year, the name of Joseph Prince has regularly appeared in the Christian press. Pastor Joseph Prince (as he is usually called) is the leader of a mega-church in Singapore. With his radical emphasis on the message of God’s grace, he encounters much opposition. In our country, the foundation ‘Opwekking’ recently distanced itself from Prince. In doing so, it forced a break with organizations such as HQ (Heavenly Quality) and Jong & Vrij, which explicitly aim to promote the views of Pastor Prince.

In recent months I have become acquainted with Joseph Prince’s preaching. Apart from the recurring Pentecostal misconceptions (e.g., about healing and speaking in tongues), I find his emphasis on the finished work of Christ and the grace of God a breath of fresh air! In a very lively and engaging way, he brings these forgotten Biblical truths back into the spotlight. Remarkably, he also shows much attention to the types in the Bible.

Willem de Vink, who in this month’s issue of the evangelical magazine Uitdaging speaks out in support of Pastor Prince (“we will be hearing much more from him”), writes:

What appeals to me most in Prince is that he consistently chooses Jesus Christ and the riches of the finished work on the cross as his starting point (…) but notably (…) without a trace of universal reconciliation.

Christian Netherlands takes offense at Prince because of his far too radical message of grace. I, on the other hand, contend: Prince’s message of grace is (still) not radical enough! For is “Universal Reconciliation” (see Colossians 1:20 for this term) not precisely the ultimate crown jewel of God’s grace?!

Finally, two quotes I came across. They speak for themselves.

“If you have never been accused of preaching too much grace, you have never preached grace at all. This message will always encounter resistance from people who find grace hard to accept.”
– Martyn Lloyd-Jones –

If God’s grace is not for all – it’s no grace at all!

see also:
the Savior of all mankind – 16 facts in a row
the dynamite of the Gospel

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