Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
The bottom line is that the LRC operates in principle much like the Catholic church. It's a hierarchical authority structure where authority flows from one man, down through lieutenants, to churches, to individuals.
Either you believe this type of authority structure is valid, or you believe that churches are autonomous and that extra-local workers are servants with no direct authority over churches and individuals. But you cannot believe both.
The LRC acts as if imbuing their authoritative structure with lofty spiritual rhetoric (Body, organic, flow, Recovery, move of God, deputy authority, MOTA, etc.) turns it into something different than what it is, but it doesn't.
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Actually the Bible record in the N.T. does not present either extreme for us to choose. Things are just not that simple. Sometimes I wish they were.
There is the record of apostles and workers traveling thru churches ministering and appointing elders. The record of love in their fellowship showed some saints willing to risk their lives and even "pluck out their eyes." At times certain churches were used as centers for their work and ministry. There are definite Biblical supports for how Catholicism, Brethrenism, and the Recovery got started. Many well-meaning brothers went along with the movement because of the support of many scripture.
However, the Bible also strongly asserts the need for mature elders, men of good repute, to watch over the flock diligently against even those who might rise up from within. This was Paul's last admonition to the Ephesian elders. We must face the fact that warnings abound in the entire of the N.T. from the beginnings of the Gospels thru the Acts to the last of the Epistles. Paul constantly battled Judaizing operatives from Jerusalem, whether sponsored by James or not, who worked to bring all the churches under a central command.
My conclusion is that churches should be willing to receive from many ministries in the body of Christ. One role of the elder-shepherds is to direct the flock to those ministries which are approved, time-tested, well known by their fruit, and helpful to meet certain needs of their many saints. Being connected to one and only one ministry can never be healthy, and once problems at that ministry surface, the elders must expose it so all may learn. The elders must lead the flock based on the whole of scripture. No line of teaching can be used to the exclusion of other healthy doctrines.
WL was extremely adept at using scripture for self-serving gains. Balancing and conflicting verses were minimized or excluded from discussion. Reading only LSM materials diminished the ability of the members to discern the many biased teachings.