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Originally Posted by Curious
The root cause, is they were birthed in rebellion and immaturity. They individuated into their own, self-managing entity before they were ready to. Therefore, they made doctrines out of their own human vices, There was no system of accountability or force to oppose this development. The vices that directed their evolving divergent theology, are those common to all mankind, therefore following a predictable pattern that bears itself evident in any other abberant groups, (cults), as well noted elsewhere on this forum.
They hadn't come to the place of properly understanding the gospel themselves. .. If WN had stayed learning, humble, and thought more deeply, and walked more closely with God genuinely, he may never have become famous. But he might have stayed on track.
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I wanted to come back to this. WN started out getting trained in the Christian walk, by someone who'd given up on fellowship, who was so misunderstood that she went solo. WN got under her wing, and there, he chafed under cooperating/submitting with other students. He famously chafed under Leland Wang, who went on to become the "Billy Graham of China" by some accounts. Nee didn't want to go along with Wang, to submit to Wang's leadership. Barber made him do so because Wang was older. I remember Lee writing about this.
Later, Nee got separated from Wang over some manufactured pretense, and took over the Shanghai Church Assembly hall, which Wang had started. Then, suddenly Nee "recovered" authority and submission. Suddenly it's not about your conscience, but unquestioning obedience. Funny how that works. The rebel soul gets in power, suddenly he/she discovers that obedience is paramount.
And more rebellion - Barber had told Nee not to read 'mystics' but he read them anyway. The lure of forbidden fruit was evidently too strong, and pulled him in. Then, he wrote the "Spiritual Man" which was mostly plagiarized J Penn-Lewis. If you read the publisher's note to the 2nd Edition they admit as much. But in China, plagiarizing doesn't have the same onus as the West, and they said that it was a kind of honoring.
So Nee got famous copying a book that he was told not to read... he was, what, 22 years old? Lee said that when he first read something by Nee, he thought he must be some old guy, so spiritual and wise. Oops. Not so... just a young guy showing off. Doesn't the Bible warn us about this?
Then, look at his ideas. All over the place but always they benefit the person of the idea's originator, Mr. Watchman Nee. Just like Lee did years later, where every conference was a chance to tighten the noose a little more. Nee discovered "localism" and pried the Chinese away from the Western influence. Then, he discovered "centralism" and the "Jerusalem Principle". He went 180 degrees and nobody notices? Lee did the same thing. We had to sort "early Lee" with "later Lee" to figure out where we stood v/v his teachings.
And on and on, until Watchman Nee's final confession at the Chinese Communist Show trial. Storms and rebellions and purges. Then Witness Lee brought the circus to the USA. Southern California was a tree ripe for the picking. And off it went again. Immaturity and Rebellion, Mark IV with Confusion and Terror Mark IV to follow. When I came in, they called them "storms" and didn't want to talk about them. Just call O Lord, he'll change your life....it was all about thoughtless conformity. Just be simple, enjoy the riches, brother! But we were following what had all started 80 years earlier with some young Chinese 'rebel' who didn't want to go along, but to strike out on his own. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.
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Originally Posted by Thrift Books Dot Com
It's hard to believe that Watchman Nee had only been a Christian for a few years and was in his early twenties when he wrote The Spiritual Man. This is the first and only book of any substantial size that Nee himself ever wrote, and it is the most comprehensive treatment of spirit, soul, and body ever written.
Author: Watchman Nee
Cited by: 10
Publish Year: 1968
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