Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Subjective experience in the Recovery can lead us into relying on feelings, which can be easily manipulated by ministers with an agenda. Eventually we can trust the feelings (or sense of life) of the minister more than the words of scripture. Isn't that what has happened. For example, the matter of "enjoying God," has made our Lord, the Head of the body, "feeling good foodstuffs" for the meetings.
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This is a pretty good summation of my own sense, what is going on here, and what lay behind my "Recovery" sojourn. I came from staid and stuffy Protestantism, where the choir and the pianist labored to give voice to the songs, we murmured along, and lowered our head as the pastor prayed, and then got a sermon and a benediction.
Now, I was active, going to the weekly Bible study at night (maybe 1/10 of our church body attended) and also taught Sunday School to the youngsters and went as a lay delegate to the regional conventions. But it was nothing like sitting in the front row, yelling verses, footnotes, outlines, and song verses. Plus singing songs over and over and over again ("this section, please stand up and sing Stanza 4 over again with an exercised spirit!").
All of the repetitive noise led to a kind of dissociated experience, of often overwhelming euphoria, tagged "being in spirit". Arm-waving, fist-pumping, head bobbing, heel-rocking, anyone in a "Recovery" meeting saw and experienced this.
Now look what happened - "How did you feel" when you excommunicated Brother Nee for inappropriate behavior, Witness Lee asked the Shanghai elders. He used their feelings as a fulcrum to manipulate them. Feelings, ephemeral and untrustworthy, were used as an analog for "life". Supposedly other groups got teachings but we got "life".
"It's the life, life, life, that makes me want to shout, Hallelujah. Praise the Lord!" we sang. Now, there's nothing wrong with shouting Hallelujah. But repetitive shouting of church slogans leads to manipulation, or it did in the "Recovery".
Now, what does this have to do with Watchman Nee? He stressed the "inner life" from his sources. But really there's only one inner life that matters, the one Jesus Christ had with his Father in heaven. The rest of us, we come and go. Hopefully as we age it's more of the first and less of the second, but what do we trust? Our experiences, or those of Jesus Christ? Watchman Nee stressed our own.