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Originally Posted by kisstheson
The many parallels you have mentioned between the Exclusive Brethren and the LC have driven me to some serious thinking. These parallels have helped me to formulate a clearer “model” of “Early Nee” vs. “Later Nee”, which I have joined together with a clearer model of “Early Lee” vs. “Later Lee”.
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Brother Kisstheson, I think a similar "working model" could be imposed upon the Plymouth Brethren.
Another LC observation: It seems every downward trend is also accompanied by a "storm" and a quarantine. Often I heard a rehearsal of our history of "storms," which was "spun" to include a "new move" of the Lord, with the resulting resistance from those who "rebelled." I believed these stories because I trusted the ministers. Now ... all of these stories have become suspicious. All of these "storms," could also be characterized by a downward tendency towards exclusivism, and a subsequent outcry from the body of Christ, which was interpreted by the leadership as "rebellion."
Of course, I am more familiar with the "storms" of the 70's, 80's, and 00's, but the pattern seems justified. IIRC, the Taipei storm of the 60's was supposedly over the Lord's new move of "calling on the Lord," when actually it was an outcry over the sale of church property to finance WL's business debts.
KTS, no model is perfect, and all are subject to critique, but to me it has introduced this new topic of what "really happened" behind the scenes, and how was "history rewritten" for all the faithful. What were the real reasons for the downward trends and the subsequent storms? The actual facts of the latest storms has changed everything for me. Without some integrity, and an unreproachable critique of the ministry, all the teachings I have heard are suspect.
For example, after each Brethren excommunication, a whole new set of teachings and tracts were released to justify and explain to the faithful for their "learning." Many times these teachings became abstruse and recondite to the saints.
In other words, "I don't know what Darby is talking about, but he must, and it sounds pretty bad, and I trust him because he is our leader." Over time, the interpretation of scripture for the Brethren (
so many O.T. allegories) often times superceded the plain word of the Bible. Sound familiar?