It was brought to my attention that Chris Wilde of LSM made a presentation this last week at the annual conference of the Evangelical Theological Society. The following email is from the DCP:
Quote:
Dear brothers,
This Wednesday, November 18, Brother Chris Wilde will be presenting a paper at the annual conference of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. The paper is titled “’In Life and Nature but not in the Godhead’: Witness Lee’s Contribution to a Biblical Understanding of Theosis” (theosis is another term for deification). Paul Copan, a brother we met through CRI, will also present on theosis during the same session and introduce Chris.
In addition, five brothers from DCP will attend the conference to seek out those who are open to learn about this ministry and dialogue with us. We recognize that there is a new generation of scholars who may not be affected by the baggage of past slanders and who may be open to get to know this ministry.
This conference is the largest of its kind and represents an opportunity to present the truth of God’s “much more” salvation in life to a broad audience of scholars, teachers, pastors, and students. Interest in the subject of deification has been increasing among some evangelicals in recent years. However, these views of theosis lack the essential truth that in regeneration the believers receive the “life and nature” of God, and thus also lacks both coherent biblical teaching and a clear, practical way to enter into the process of God’s organic salvation.
We hope that the paper, presentation, and contact with proper scholars will be another step toward making the ministry of the age accessible to more believers.
We also know that some of those who signed the 2007 open letter criticizing Brother Lee, LSM, and the local churches will be there.
We ask that you stand with us in praying:
1. That the Lord will anoint our brother’s presentation and open the ears of the attendees;
2. That the brothers will be led to the proper ones and be empowered in His grace to be His ambassadors;
3. That the paper would reach those who the Lord has prepared; and
4. That the enemy would be bound and that some of the signers of the open letter might repent.
In Him,
the brothers at Defense and Confirmation Project
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From the sound of things, Chris Wilde and the DCP have at least managed to find an audience that will hear what they have to say regarding WL's teachings. I have no idea who this Paul Copan fellow is. I do realize that there is some amount of interest these days in theosis, so maybe this kind of presentation wouldn't raise any red flags in and of itself. As the email indicates, signers of the open letter attended this conference, so I am curious as to how that played out.
Even if Chris and the DCP manage to gain any leeway with this audience (which is doubtful), that doesn't at all equal anyone there caring any more about WL than before. Obviously, the ultimate goal of Chris Wilde and the DCP being there was to promote WL.
As the email states:
"five brothers from DCP will attend the conference to seek out those who are open to learn about this ministry and dialogue with us."
They also say:
"We hope that the paper, presentation, and contact with proper scholars will be another step toward making the ministry of the age accessible to more believers."
If only those attending this conference realized what the DCP thinks of them. The DCP sees them all as misguided sheep in need of the one and only "ministry of the age". I would hope that for their own sake, the DCP and Chris Wilde could develop some meaningful relationships with these people, on the level such that they would be willing to learn from others outside the LC.