Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
It's interesting that Nee and Lee came up with the idea of MOTA. The people who they identified as past MOTAs never claimed the title, as far as I know. But Nee and Lee did. But once they did, after them suddenly God abandoned the MOTA effort. No more MOTAs. Lee was the last one. He comes along, invents the idea of MOTA which he applied to himself, and then after he is gone... no more MOTAs. How convenient.
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The British Exclusive Brethren had developed "MOTA" architecture decades before Nee devoured their ecclesiastic writings. They didn't actually use the term "MOTA," but rather "Oracle" or "Our Brother" or "First Among Equals,"
my favorite. Today the movement can trace their "Oracle" lineage back to Darby. Darby also developed their OCOC structures, or "one city, one assembly."
Darby was officially elevated in stature among their assemblies after his two chief rivals were publicly "lynched." I used the word "rivals" even though neither B.W. Newton nor G. Muller viewed Darby as a "rival." Nee and Lee viewed the "Recovered Church" from Martin Luther as always being led from age to age by one outstanding minister, as a modern day "Paul."
I found it interesting to note that both the Open and Exclusive leaders viewed Biblical authority through their pre-Brethren upbringing. Darby was an Irish Anglican priest, while Muller, Chapman, Chapman, and others had a Baptist background. Darby's Exclusive view of church oneness was similar to the Anglicans with member parishes under an overseeing regional bishop. The Open view of oneness was fellowshiping assemblies shepherded by local elders who only served God and served their church, yet opened their doors to all believers.
As numerous historians have noted, Darby and his successors had become far worse "Popes" than the ones in Rome they regularly condemned. Some have said the same of Anaheim. The parallels are striking. Same bad teachings produce the same bad results.