Quote:
Originally Posted by bearbear
Once you adopt a value system that treasures worldly tangibles like money and influence over spiritual intangibles like relationship, love, mercy, kindness and other fruits of the Spirit, it sounds like you'll be walking a deadly road and ultimately end up serving Satan's will rather than God's kingdom. Half of the verses in Proverbs seem to warn against making decisions based on outward appearances like this.
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I'm sure most LC leaders would protest the accusation that "tangibles like money" guided their way, since few in the program enjoyed any substantial wealth. But that does not mean there were not serious problems with their
value system. Any time we exalt our leaders, allowing them to rule us without peer review, permitting them to abuse other leaders, covering their failures with spiritual doublespeak, and preventing any and all recourse for legitimate grievances,
we will get what we pay for.
Our Lord set up the best pattern for us. He told the disciples not to forbid others, since "if they are not against us they are for us." (Lk 9.50) He talked about the good shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine. (Lk 15.4) He extolled the Good Samaritan. (Lk 10.33) He warned them abound ruling like the Gentiles. (Mk 10.41-45)
The whole New Testament is filled with patterns and exhortations concerning church leaders.
But Witness Lee convinced us that he had a better way. A more productive way. A way which "recovered" things not found any where else in Christianity. His way promoted rivalries and factions. His way advanced the custom of abuse and public shaming so prevalent among the leaders. His way condoned back-biting and rumor-mongering. His way established a vehicle to eliminate ones "opponents." His way fostered eye-service, man-pleasing, and man-exaltation. His way justified almost any means to arrive at the desired goals. His way placed performance over principle, so clearly witnessed in his son Phillip. His way promoted his own teachings above all others, even certain books of the Bible like James, Psalms, and Proverbs.
What makes the whole program perform like clockwork are competent lackeys who maintain strict information control. Every event must be spun to glamorize Witness Lee and his ministry. He alone must be without problems, failures, and shortcomings. All contrary opinions must be quickly extinguished within the Recovery. All protesting voices must be eliminated and discredited. And the endless trail of wounded and suffering victims, chewed up and spit out along the way, must be quickly buried so that all the remaining members can continue to "enjoy Christ" and "eat Jesus" as they love to say.