God's Salvation Church: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

In March of 1998 God's Salvation Church, also known as Chen Tao, held the attention of the international media with their prophecies that God would physically descend in the town of Garland, Texas, on the last day of the month. The group's leader, Hon-Ming Chen, and the group's spokesperson, Richard Liu, held many press conferences to handle the overwhelming demand for interviews. Following the events of March 31 the media interest subsided. Although they are still practicing their religion, the church has received relatively little attention since the apparent failed prophecy of March 31. The following is an attempt to explain the history of Hon-Ming Chen and God's Salvation Church. Included is a discussion of the group's current status and their possibilities for the future. Due to the length of this article, Chen Tao theology, which is a mixture of Chinese folk religion, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, UFO beliefs and scientific theories, will not be discussed in very great detail.