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Originally Posted by Ohio
We will never know, based on these diverse historical versions that occurred during the PRC control, what was real truth.
Long before (circa. 1942) the Maoist takeover in China, however, the Shanghai Christian Church, the center of WN's work and the largest assembly of the Little Flock, had excommunicated him. These were elders hand-picked by WN working together with him for many years. They would never allow some random dubious or fallacious accusation to cause them to make such a monumental decision.
To accept WL's spin story of "mistaken identity" surrounding WN's excommunication, as we were required to by WL's version of history, is to believe that these elders were nothing more than delusional dunces. I may not believe all of Dr. Lily Hsu's account, but I'm definitely not buying WL's story that WN was "living with another woman," who turned out to be his own mother.
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I've heard a few different iterations of this. The most common one I've heard is that WN was meeting with M.E. Barber at her private residence, for spiritual fellowship, which he allegedly commonly did. Can't recall who all started saying this, but it was generally a story accepted in the local churches in order to clear up Nee's image. I think also I recall reading Lee's story or account of how all of it happened and he apparently claims that the brothers who excommunicated him did so out of jealously and or ambition for position. And he paints the picture that they were fully wrong and their accusations were false, etc. He also painted the picture that Nee not defending himself was some kind of high honor gesture of like martyrdom or taking the cross or whatever. And then he paints the picture that when they came to ask Nee to return to lead them again, that Nee had them stand in the other room in some grand gesture of reverence to him for the great error or their rebellion against his leadership or whatever. Reading that as a young impressionable man maybe 18 years ago when I first read it, it seemed like something out of a movie. But I wonder what really happened
Looking at it from a different angle, let's say a 'church kid angle.' If young church kids are reading that story they could easily overlook the pride that's involved in that kind of "cinematic" gesture and scene. Like "Oh Nee was so pious and holy that he didn't even defend himself, and then when he was asked to return he was so solemn at their supposed wickedness that he had them stand in the other room in his house and apologize to him in sackcloth and ashes." Very grandiose stuff. Like out of a movie script or a an old play. Not saying it couldn't have happened that way, but just imagine how prideful and puffed up of a picture that is portraying to young people. They probably want to grow up to be elders and church leaders so they can be "pious" and "holy" like Nee. So they can exhibit their little faux holiness and "spiritual authority," which is really just latent pride and self glorification. However if we look at the New Testament humbleness it's not really like that. Was that turning the other cheek and loving his enemies? So even the story that Lee presents is not without pride and its cinematic qualities
If it really happened that way Nee should have just forgiven them in private and not made a grand gesture about any of it. We should have never even heard about that story. So much of their stories with regards to the "rebellions" and "storms" are really just self aggrandizing, which is funny because they do that right alongside their attempts to quell and cover up the truth. Which were very effective btw. I had no clue or idea that the "storms" were actually caused by Lee's fraudulent business tactics and his nepotism for his sons. Which is why they tell you "don't listen to the dissenters." Insane
But none of it is really Christlike. It doesn't fit to the mold that Jesus had in his ministry when he was being attacked falsely. To me it just has a lot of hidden pride in it. When you look at it from a different angle you realize a lot of it is just not only attempting to exonerate him, but it's also attempting to paint him as this great leader. Which seems to be going on a lot with the high up brothers in the LC. They really love to turn the so called ministers of the age into celebrities while simultaneously acting like there's no special class of believers. Very duplicitous, and I must say very subtle but effective story telling