[OBW]

Originally Posted by Matt

Hope, do you remember Benson in front of his world map? Look at the territory that he surveyed and decided that he was going to go after in the name of the Lord. Think about it again in light of what I am saying.

Benson attached himself to Lee and the LSM because he was already acting in idolatry. He did not commit idolatry because he attached himself to a group, a ministry or a man other than Christ. The idolatry was already there. Benson wanted something. Benson had already had a "vision" of leading a worldwide Christian organization. The LC, the LSM and Lee were a means to an end... The satisfaction of Benson's covetousness for something other than Christ.

Now, I know I am speaking judgmentally. God forgive me. I'm judging with the same judgment that I have been judged. I've committed idolatry too. I wanted something and set my heart on it. In His mercy, God stopped me. Thank God.

Excellent point.

Of course someone will point out that we all have some sort of vision about something in our life that is not Christ, but does not replace Christ. Surely we do not go through life with no direction. To have a "vision" of something beyond the immediate future is not necessarily a problem.

Unless that vision usurps Christ's place. So it is not entirely about having a vision, but of the prominence that vision receives in our life.

I'm sure that an LC apologist would try to make the case that this lesser vision was what Benson had. But the track record does speak of something much greater than that. It got between him and any kind of proper dealing with others. Even if you are willing to accept some reasonable hierarchy, the one he lead in the Texas region was beyond reasonable. If you expect an elder to be a shepherd, it is odd that shepherds do not go around slaughtering a sheep that they think is getting too far outside the flock. Instead they should leave the flock and diligently search for a lost sheep.

Here are the sheep in the LC. Here are the stories of the LC faithful who were railed upon, humiliated, meddled with, and in some cases cast aside — all for the glory of "Christ and the church": (Just fixed one of those subliminal errors. I originally wrote "gory.")

"I went downstairs, outside. I crept up into the barn. I was so scared to look inside, but I had to."
"And what did you see, Clarice? What did you see?"
"Lambs. The lambs were screaming."
"They were slaughtering the spring lambs?"
"And they were screaming."

I know. This is way over the top, and the "vision thing" may be somewhat off topic (I'll let others decide). But as I wrote the part about an elder as a shepherd, this immediately came to mind.