Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
In any event, I think you can see that there is not really a monolithic way we all look at mainstream Christianity or the pastoral system as you call it.
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I was very active in the Recovery since the mid-70's, even migrating twice to start new churches. I say this so that no one can happen by and conclude that "
maybe Ohio never saw the vision of God's economy" or perhaps one might think that I "
never was really consecrated to Christ and the church."
After several years of serious study, I was forced to conclude that the Recovery has made no improvements over the so-called "pastoral system" in mainstream Christianity, nor in any of the matters of church ecclesiology, such as the ground of oneness. The exact same pitfalls and shortcomings which can be seen in mainstream Christianity, can also be seen in the Recovery. But since the Recovery boasts of its superiority, and condemns the rest of the body of Christ for its failures, she has become like the Pharisees of old, steeped in hypocrisy.
All the various descriptions of what a dreaded
denomination looks like can be applied to the Recovery. On the one hand we claimed that we had
no name, yet LSM assisted some in Columbus to sue their brothers in court
over the rights to their name. We claimed that we had
no hierarchy, but the hierarchies among the co-workers regularly fought with each other and overruled the elderships in the LC's. We claimed that we had
no headquarters, yet here in the Great Lakes area, we had two, Anaheim and Cleveland, which both fought for control over the area LC's. We claimed that we only had the pure word of God and
no systematic theology, yet any LC caught not using LSM's materials was in serious trouble. Senior workers claimed there were
no controls, yet our history was filled with stories of godly elders removed from their office simply for deciding to keep the Shepherd and His flock above the demands of "the ministry office."
I could go on and on here about the blatant contradictions that troubled mine and many a conscience. When I began to stare these hypocrisies in the face, I finally received my answer as to "
why was there so little blessing in the LC's?" We sued outsiders and quarantined insiders. We had effectively squashed every available means for the Lord to correct us. We had become like Jerusalem of old, "
who kills the Prophets and stones those who are sent to her." We were no different than Laodicea, who claimed to have "
all the riches of the ministry, and in need of nothing."