[markpaul]

Originally Posted by aron

My idea of Nee is that as a young, intelligent Chinese Christian he struggled to find a purpose and a center. I am not a Catholic or Orthodox, but I suspect that the schisms of East vs. West, and the subsequent Protestant splinterings, brought a kind of piecemeal gospel to China, where one group taught one thing, and another group stressed something else. Where to turn, where to go? As a young Christian Nee was seeking a kind of center or orientation.

Nee came under the influence of a "subjectivist" or "experiential" kind of teaching, which today would be under the heading of "Charismatic". One begins to seek experience at the expense of truth. Witness Lee said that Nee read all the Christian classics and thus was balanced, but that is impossible: he was putting out books in his twenties, and soon was running the largest Christian group in China. So his readings and fellowship with others became a supplement to his church work, and not a guide to it. He was committed to a path and beyond the hand of correction or control.

According to my experience, there is an idea in certain Christian society that Bible should be modified with time being. If you have this thought in mind, you would expect the Bible like science should be developed. In this case you could not resist to the temptation want to contribute some ideas to the Bible like some famous scientists did to science. I have purchase a used book from a library with title “Words From God” (I cannot remember this is the accurate title). This book basically told me a female heard some Words from God and said Peter, Paul etc. didn’t understand Jesus’ teachings well, so God told her spoke out new revelations. I didn’t read that book further but through it away to garbage can. To my understanding, Bible is complete and closed to be modified from Rev. 22:18-19 (18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.). Think about it, what you can add if Jesus told you He will give His believers eternal life and live in the new heaven and earth! Of course you could argue that it indicate only the book of Revelation, but keep in mind that the book is the last one and the sentences are in the last four. If you cannot add to the last, how can you add something before?!
I don’t know too much about Nee’s teaching, but from Robert/Hsu book he claimed to be MOT that was equal to a position of Apostles Paul or Peter. We know that Paul or Peter’s teachings are parts of our Bible if they had written down. This kind of proudness or arrogance was easily captured by Satan but hard to be endorsed by Holy Spirit. So one seeking power instead of obeying God would be followed.

Originally Posted by aron

The most damning readings of his that I've seen were:

1) how to organize a church. He said, "Get in line with the person in front of you. Obey without question." Okay, but what about the Holy Spirit, guiding us through scripture? What about 'proving all spirits'? What about your own discernment, experience, and conscience?

Watchman Nee's subjectivity was superimposed upon the flock. Today in the LC one of the Maximum Leaders will speak about the "feeling in the Body" as if somehow they were attuned to every Christian heart and mind. This is a great danger of Charismatic groups - you get weakened to subliminal and outside control. Eventually this becomes so clear when scriptures are disregarded, and common sense is abandoned in the quest for "Christian experience". It is mysticism without boundaries - no one can control the madness of the prophet.

Secondly, if "get in line" and "obey without question" were so important to the Christian walk, why didn't Nee get in line and obey in the Protestant, or Anglican groups he grew up in and was exposed to? Why did he wait until he was in charge of his own church group before he discovered this 'spiritual principle'? Again, subjectivity and self-deception are at work.

This part sounds to me the traditional Chinese culture again.

Originally Posted by aron

2) When the Communists took power, Nee's counsel to Little Flock elders clearly exposed (for me) his source was of men and not of God; I think it was in the Roberts/Hsu book. Essentially Nee had human power, and another human power (Communists) was threatened by it and was threatening it. And his response to that threat exposed his source. The 'spiritual' veneer of his counsels was stripped away and he was revealed to be a man, like any other.

I agree his source was man (himself) not God. On the Communist stuff, I think Communist was basically Satan’s tool in craftiness and cheating. According to my historical knowledge on Chinese Communist, Mao had ever (before 1949) declared he would like to build up a democracy government like US. This saying cheated a lot of people including the political parties other than Guo Ming Dang that governed China that time. This is an example to show Communist craftiness. I think Nee was one of the people who were cheated. The evidence to support this is his adoption of People’s standpoint (see Robert/Hsu book). People are not smart enough to resist Satan’s temptation (Genesis 3:1-7) only Jesus can (Matthew 4:1-11). Therefore, one must be guided by Holy Spirit to resist Satan’s trick.

Originally Posted by aron

Would I have done better? Probably not. But I don't presume to be one of the great spiritual leaders of the 20th century. Nee clearly put himself at the head of the contemporary Chinese Church. He was set up as THE authority. And his follower Lee tried to be THE Christian authority on earth. Both of them eventually were exposed as frauds.

Remember that Jesus taught us that the first would be last, and the last first. Those who presume to be great in this age should be very careful of deceptive influence, and those who try to find someone "great" to obey without question are in danger of great disappointment. Look at Lily Hsu: her spiritual walk was oriented around the Great Man Watchman Nee, and when that image was broken, she suffered loss. Our faith is in Jesus Christ, not ourselves.

I agree with you. If I were in his situation, I would have been stumbled too. I was a small Christian when I left LC but if I were a responsible brother or some kind of leader, I’m afraid I could not so easily left LC. Yes, I should often remind me with Jesus’ teachings!