Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry
Not sure if Benson's word was to support the teaching of "One New Man". My point is as many people living in the US who learned English as a second, third, or fourth languages, they will understand better if the service is spoken in their native tongue. One churches locally is Ukranian. That's not to say you're unwelcome if you visit, but the service deilvered is Ukranian. If you happen to speak Ukranian, you'll understand. Same applies if the congregations was in Spanish, Chinese, or Tagalog.
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I have no problem with churches that cater to an specific ethic community. It allows people to hear the gospel and Christian teachings in a language they can readily understand. But it appears Benson has a problem with these kind of churches.
But anyway to your larger point IMHO Witness Lee never had a ministry that was "general" for all Christians. He taught the ground of locality fiercely and publicly denounced TAS when he wouldn't sign on to it. He controlled the churches by his appointment of elders that agreed with him and the removal of those that didn't. He used language and purposely provoked other Christians starting in the 1960s (at least in America). As time went on he kept the language game going until titles of his messages and outlines bordered on the ridiculous - as if he and his staff we trying to see how many multi-syllable words they can fit in a heading.
Eventually for the "average" Christian just trying to live a decent life and honor God and raise his family and do well in his career the whole thing becomes disconnected from his real world reality. (Like the computer programmer bro
Ohio mentioned.) Who talks like that in real life? Who has time to get into pie-in-they-sky theological abstractions? Maybe the FTTA students and their teachers. They can have it! In my free time I'll be busy watching football and probably have a beer while I'm at it.