[Hope]

Dear Forum,

Yes, the forum can be very cathartic. But like Mike said there is the need to be careful about painting everybody beige. But wounds are real and need healing. I have plenty to do but I spend time on this site because of the pain I have seen dear believers in Christ suffer. Sadly, some dear ones have looked for healing by letting innocent persons have it upside the head. Mutual respect and hearing one another out and no free shots please. (By the way JulieP, this is not directed at you.) I just feel the need to express some concerns in order to keep an atmosphere where you and anyone else can feel free to come and express what is on their heart.

I am curious, why is it so important to paint everyone with the same brush? We have heard repeatedly, over and over how wrong WL was with his sweeping hyperbolic generalization of “poor poor Christianity.” I have heard over and over the quote about “Christless Protestantism.” But do we really think there are not a least a few examples of some places in Christianity that are poor or where Christ has not been seen for a while? If it was wrong for WL to use inductive reasoning and take a specific case or two and make that the indicator of what the whole is, then we should be a little more sober minded and look at things on a case by case basis and learn where the flaws are.

I would propose that we consider the pains, sufferings, stumblings and damages and disillusionments from at least five directions. 1. What was the role of wrong or defective teachings and practices in the local church movement? 2. How much of the pain was caused by plain old human failure or incompetence? 3. What role did the individuals play and what about each person’s own responsibility? Of course, this will vary from case to case. 4. We are dealing with Spiritual matters and we are not ignorant of the schemes of the devil. The devil is seeking someone to devour and accuses the saints night and day. We do have an enemy. 5. As the Psalmist says, life is like the sea seldom at rest. We will all experience disappointments and trouble. I have had bad professors. I have had coaches who did not do things in a fair way. Same with bosses. Same with clients. Same with neighbors. ETC. Some parents have miserable lives after age 35 because of bad children. It does cut both ways. How we react to the troubles that come is a big matter.

Among the true blue LSMers, Witness Lee can do no wrong and is glorious in every way. Kind of ridiculous isn’t it. At the same time, I have seen some former LCers who are convinced that WL is only bad and had only evil motives from the start. Kind of ridiculous isn’t it.

Please, we do need to examine where the movement has come to and how any of us were hurt or stumbled but don’t declare that the church in Stuttgart, Germany was the same as the church in Dallas, Texas or the same as the church in Accra, Ghana. Do not think that James Barber oversaw a local church in the same way as George Whitington. If every place and every elder or co-worker was cut out of the same lump of cookie dough with the same cookie cutter then there could never have been the seven year storm cycle. There would never have been the need for the repeated purging.

In my experience, many dear ones were stumbled because of the usurping of their conscience by the authority structure of the LSM and the excessive pride of the ministry. They were told that their struggles were their own fault. Once they realize that it was not that much their fault, they can have hope of recovering what was lost. Thus, I am not saying no one should rehash the past. On the contrary, we must examine our history. Just beware of becoming a drama king.

Hope, Don Rutledge

A believer in Christ Jesus who is seeking to become a true disciple.

John 8:31-32, Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. " NASB