Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Hi, I was doing a google search on Bill Freeman whilst reading one of his books. Love to find out more about authors. This website was a link. I believe I did read the thread. However, I didn't know what any of it was about...the LCM, Lee and Nee (though I have heard of them). I'm always on the search for works from saints past....the Christian mystics...if you will, that draw by heart closer to Jesus and to his Bride.
So, I'm wondering what the purpose of this board is and is it fulfilling that purpose? This is all new information to me on a 'leg' of the church I've not explored before. What I'm looking for is the discussion and inspiration from the teachings of the movement.
I am curious to know if this denomination/fellowship is still active?
And, what works from these men of God and their followers do you recommend?
Is it a cult?
Are you here for it or against it?
Thanks for hearing me out,
Mrsflib
|
I think I will respond to this. (BTW - 1st post on here in six years!) I meet with the group of believers in Scottsdale AZ, who were originally with Bill Freeman. I started meeting consistently with these ones right after Bill Freeman left (aka the mess with his wife, Patsy, that others have mentioned on this thread). This was in 1998.
This group had broken from the authority of Witness Lee and the Local Churches, I think in the late 1980's or maybe early 1990's, for many of the reasons that have been enumerated repeatedly on this forum. Personally, I was with the Local Churches in Ohio about ten years prior (1987-88), but left as there was a bit of a strange atmosphere there, and I also relocated for work.
My testimony of being with this Scottsdale group of believers has been overwhelmingly positive (big understatement). Since being here these 20 years, I have seen in a fresh way, how much the Lord's love is central to His purpose and everything He does. We are quite interconnected with believers who meet with other groups, and there is none of the elitism I experienced in the LC.
There are many groups of believers that get into trouble once central authority is allowed to supplant local authority. It's what the flesh likes to do - control. Church history is littered with examples. The LC actually preached against falling into this same trap, and then did it themselves. This type of authority supplants the authority of Christ and becomes another man-made organization. Man becomes the head of the church instead of its proper Head, Christ. I have experienced zero amount of this in Scottsdale these last 20 years. Bill Freeman was certainly a huge influence here, and on the whole, I would say it was a very good influence (albeit a few obligatory "warts").
As far as the LC being a cult, I've kicked this debate around for maybe 30 or more years. The LC did impose what I considered a high degree of covert (as opposed to overt) influence and there was an air of elitism that separated the group from other believers, but I actually think we would be challenged to find many denominations that don't exude something like this. In the end, I think the LC got off track and got way too authoritarian. But people could and did leave all the time if they didn't like it. So nobody was held captive or forced to do things against their will, and no one's life was threatened (which would be overt control - I heard this explained as what a real cult is about). I did see in the LC some of what I thought, in a small way, approached the Amish attitude of fear-projected/legalism regarding various things, including if one wanted to leave the LC. Here in Scottsdale (Bill Freeman's group), I've never experienced anything close to that.
So you might be able to say that there was some sorta-kinda cult-like atmosphere in the LC, but the group aligned with Bill Freeman left all that behind in my mind.
Please feel free to ask me what you want. However, please know I'm no authority on Bill Freeman . . . I've just been around 20 years experiencing the seeds this brother has sown!
(I won't get into the whole discussion about Christian mystics, as I've been in enough of these kind of discussions over the years - others can hash all that out. To me, it's something akin to an endless genealogy that will do little to build one another up.)