[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Mordecai

It seems that these two men identified what they saw as a New Testament pattern, and then their movement found itself highly inconvenienced by that pattern later on. Naturally this led to many colorful maneuvers to adjust the original doctrine to however current winds were blowing. --Sigh-- such is the group that elevates ecclesiology over theology.

Boy does this sum the whole thing up in one paragraph or what?!

" such is the group that elevates ecclesiology over theology" - very keen observation. Thanks for sharing that.

"Christ and the Church" became "Christ and the local church" which eventually became "Christ and the Local Church of Witness Lee". It didn't happen overnight and Lee did not accomplish this by himself - he had lots and lots of help from us. I think one of the important things to realize is that what we see before us today (The Local Church LSM sect-movement) did actually start with Christ and the Church. We may have to dig all the way back to Nee and the Little Flock in Mainland China to find it, wading our way back through a long path now overgrown with all sorts of manmade teachings and practices, but I think in the long run the effort will be worth it – both for many concerned ex-members and for those current members who would want to enter into a season of reconsideration, without throwing the entire baby out with the bathwater.

This is not to say that there were not some bad seeds from the very beginnings of the LC movement, or that Watchman Nee had everything right, or that Witness Lee had everything wrong for that matter. What I hope we can avoid (at least in this forum) is to resist the polarizing effect of making everything a black and white, all or nothing proposition. One poster may take a certain position and another poster may take what seems to be the polar opposite, but I’m hoping that we can let the facts of scripture (along with a good dose of common sense, sound reasoning and historical perspective) mediate between the two. I really, really hate when Christians end up “agreeing to disagree” on any of the essential, profound matters of the Faith, it just doesn’t seem right to me, but I suppose it’s better than the alternative – not talking to each other at all.

Now, getting back to the last paragraph posted by Mordecai, I think that Witness Lee had already begun the task of “many colorful maneuvers to adjust the original doctrine (of Watchman Nee) long before most of us ever entered the LC movement. The process was so gradual (albeit intentional), that we didn’t even realize it was taking place. Then, by the time the deviations were noticed by some of the most prominent members among us (Ingalls, Mallon, So et al) it was far, far too late. Instead of thoughtful reconsideration and repentance, all that we got was back stabbing, name calling and that trashy pulp fiction entitled “The Fermentation of the Present Rebellion”. It seems to me that Titus Chu and many in the MidWest/Great Lakes area have had to relive the whole thing all over again. Thankfully, just as was the case with many others, they have simply moved on – maybe not fully or completely – but moved on none the less.