Quote:
Originally Posted by TLFisher
Several things are for sure bar none, The Lord’s Recovery is a denomination and a sect:
A. Denominated due to their fellowship being based on the ministry of Witness Lee and to a lesser extent Watchman Nee. It’s no different from Baptists from SBC churches who take Lifeway Christian Resources as their basis for fellowship.
B. A sect exhibited by their narrowness in receiving of fellow members of the Body of Christ who meet with churches not affiliated with Living Stream Ministry.
For many years I was perhaps in denial The Lord’s Recovery is a cult. Having lived from age 3 through remainder of my childhood in various localities, I did not want to believe I grew up in a cultic environment. Yet the signs are there from Eitan’s article. I identified at least 6 items that defines the Local Church culture.
1. An Overly Strong Charismatic Leader
2. Thought Control
3. Authoritarian Structure
4. Us-versus-Them Mentality
5. Lack of Transparency
6. Fear of Leaving
You know the saying if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. Take the same analogy and apply it to a cult. If the signs are there, how could you not call it a cult?
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Wow - in reading through the 10 things . . . I think TLR hits them all! And for me it really culminated in fear - fear of leaving (cuz God might whack me) and an unhealthy fear of God - not seeing that His primary motivator toward us is His great love for us! The cure was His showing me that He had others that loved and pursued Him, and that He did in fact have others outside "The Recovery" that He spoke clearly to. Plus, seeing how much His love was all through the Bible and in Christ. Once He showed me the real thing, the counterfeit faded . . .