After the establishment of the state churches, Luther still did not leave the practice of the Catholic Church in the matter of baptism by sprinkling. Soon afterward, however, some of the Lord’s lovers who emerged from northern Europe studied the Scriptures and saw the truth of baptism. Eventually, the Baptist Church was formed. Since its formation, it has evolved into many different denominations today in Europe and America. The strongest group was originally called the Anabaptists, out of which came the British Baptists. John Bunyan, the author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, was an important figure in the British Baptist Church. Later the so-called Baptist Church reached America and was divided into the Northern Baptist Church and the Southern Baptist Church. Today the Southern Baptist denomination has thirteen million believers. The Baptists in Taiwan are also generally affiliated with the Southern Baptists.

In the 1700s John Wesley, his younger brother Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield were among a small group of young men who were outstanding students at Oxford University. They loved the Lord very much, read the Bible diligently, and determined to behave very properly and to strictly adhere to rules of love, honesty, and faith in God. Based upon these rules they formed a society, which later developed into the Methodist denomination. This denomination puts a strong emphasis on methods of behavior and pays much attention to conduct and morality.

Today these four major denominations, the Episcopalians, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists, along with some other smaller [445] denominations and free groups, are the main constituents of fundamental Christianity. All these groups believe in the basic items of Fundamentalism. Nevertheless, many of the people in these groups do not have an accurate understanding of the divinity of the Lord Jesus. Instead of saying boldly and directly that the Lord Jesus is God, they say that He is the Son of God. To them there is still a distinction between “the Son of God” and “God.” Of course, this involves the truth of the Divine Trinity.

The Error of Reformed Theology

Of all the different schools of fundamental theology, Reformed theology, which is related to Luther and Calvin, is the worst. Although Reformed theologians acknowledge the four major aspects of fundamentalist truths, the views of many of these theologians are altogether in error. Many say that there is no such thing as a millennial kingdom. They think that it is wrong to say that the millennial kingdom will begin when the Lord Jesus comes back. Instead, they believe that beginning with the spreading of the gospel through the apostles’ preaching of the gospel and truth, human society has been gradually reformed. As a result, human society will eventually become a utopia, a world of bliss. This kind of teaching was quite prevailing in the nineteenth century. At that time Darby took the lead among the Brethren to refute it. Thus, Brethren teaching is in conflict with Reformed theology.

Many Bible scholars in Europe and America acknowledge that Brethren theology is the top fundamental theology with the most fundamental truths. These are the very truths that we have received. Reformed theology asserts that human society will be reformed and eventually become a utopia through the spreading of the gospel and the teaching of the truth, and then the Lord will come back. They do not acknowledge that the believers have two natures, the new nature and the old nature, an old man and a new man, within them. They think that the new man comes out of the improvement of the old man. This way of thinking, eventually leads to not believing in regeneration. Thus, over the years the gap between Reformed theology and Fundamentalism has become greater and greater.

Although this school of thought was very popular in the nineteenth century, the belief in a so-called utopia was almost completely demolished by the war in Europe that lasted for four years beginning [446] in 1914. From that time onward, this school of thought has declined and, for the most part, been replaced by the study of biblical prophecies concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless, despite its decline in Europe, this school of thought still gradually spread to America, especially in the area around Chicago.

Of the two books that attacked and slandered the Lord’s recovery in the worst way, one was written by someone who is of the school of Reformed theology. The two groups that published these two books were originally one group. After the original group divided into two, one group remained in fundamental theology, not in the high-class fundamental theology but in Reformed theology. It was this group that put out The God-Men to oppose the Lord’s recovery. The other group did not agree to remain in fundamental theology, so they had another start and founded the Evangelical Orthodox Church. They appointed themselves “bishops” and purchased “bishops’ robes.” This second group put out The Mindbenders to oppose the Lord’s recovery.

Fighting the Good Fight of the Truth

We should be orthodox genuinely, not only in relation to the fundamental truths but also in the matter of life. We absolutely believe in the matter of regeneration and confess that Christians have two natures—the nature of the new man and the nature of the old man. This is the orthodox truth concerning life. In the matter of truth we have received a great deal of help from the Brethren—in particular, concerning the interpretation of prophecies. G. H. Pember, Robert Govett, and D. M. Panton were very thorough and precise in their studies, always interpreting the Bible according to the accurate meaning of the words. Hardly any mistakes can be found in their works. Based on their interpretations, and standing on their shoulders, we have examined and pursued the truth and have gone on to see deeper things.

On the final day of depositions for the lawsuit against the book The Mindbenders, its chief editor and those involved in its publication all capitulated. They had no way to continue debating with the Lord’s recovery. Since they could not understand what we were saying, they had no way to fight the battle. In the book The Four Major Steps of Christ, I refer to the three successive steps taken by the Triune God in His work and in His move. This refers to something [447] economical, something related to His move. Yet the author of The Mindbenders wrongly accused me of saying that there are three successive steps taken by God in His existence. What they did was very subtle.

In terms of the existence of God, we use the term coexistence. In God’s existence, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit coexist in the way of coinhering. This is according to the Lord Jesus’ speaking: “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (John 14:10), “I and the Father who sent Me” (8:16), and “I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (16:32). We also said clearly that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit coexisted in the Old Testament. In terms of God’s move, the Old Testament age was the age of the Father. Nevertheless, the Son and the Spirit were also there. In terms of God’s move, it was the Son who moved and was processed. Yet when the Son moved, the Father was with Him. At the same time the Spirit was also present as the essence within Him and the power upon Him. It was by the Spirit that He cast out demons and preached the gospel. Thus, all three were there. In the Epistles it is the age of the Spirit, and it is the Spirit who is moving. Yet when the Spirit moves, He moves as the realization of Christ, and He also moves with the Father. Hence, in terms of Their existence and essence, regardless of which age it is, the three of the Divine Trinity always take the way of coexistence and coinherence. In terms of Their move, however, They are in succession: first the Father, then the Son, and then the Spirit.