An Indonesian evangelist has accused some pastors of living “extremely hypocritical lives” with some “committing sin” and then going to church on Sunday “to preach the word of God”.
Rev Dr Stephen Tong who was addressing the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) conference in South Korea, also said “many Christians, after years of attending Sunday service, do not know what is the main topic of the Word of God.”
The 85 year old founder of Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International is one of the most respected evangelists in the world. He's preached to more than 37 million people over a span of more than 66 years of ministries in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa and in North and South America.
His strongly worded address came at the WEA gathering of evangelical leaders from 124 countries which is being described as “a critical moment in global Christianity”.
Dr Tong, who is sometimes referred to as 'the Billy Graham of Asia' said that too many people attend church without ever fully grasping the core point of Jesus’s teaching, adding: “I think Jesus was very, very disappointed because his audience never understood him.”
Around 900 international delegates and thousands of Koreans are attending the five-day event which continues until Friday 31 October.