[Hope]

We all are full of personal contradictions. To practice what we preach is not easy. Idon’tknow has merely pointed out , rightly so, some of the many personal contradictions of what Brother Lee preached and what he practiced. In the same way, I could point out many personal contradictions in Benson Phillips. Most of the BBs are a barrel full of contradictions. The PROBLEM IS THEIR CONCEPTS OF “DEPUTY AUTHORITY” AND THE EXCLUSIVE “GOD’S MOVE ON THE EARTH,” “VISION OF THE AGE,” and all of the various permutations. If an individual saint buys into this malarkey, then they are way out on a limb and scheduled for a big disappointment and disillusionment.

I recall a conversation with Witness Lee regarding the American character and his failure to take this factor into consideration. Witness Lee told me that he had learned that Americans are susceptible to “hero worship.” They do not critically consider what their leaders may propose. He believed that some of his wrong headed ideas had gotten support due to this flaw in the American character and that he needed to be careful not to take advantage of this weakness. Yet we know he repeatedly took advantage of this American characteristic.

On another occasion, after the DayStar failure, he apologized to me for his terrible mistake. He told me that Watchman Nee had warned him never to mix business with the church but that he had done it anyway. He said if he had to face Watchman Nee he would not know what to say. He would have “no face left.” He then added that I should not follow him, WL, but rather be true to the “vision.” I assured him that I was not following him personally, but rather the “vision.” Of course, I never forgot that particular conversation. I considered it a lot. I determined never to be caught following a personality but to seek to follow only the Lord and the truth in the Word of God. Of course, I have had many failures but eventually the violations against the truth and against the saints of God forced me to take another way in order to be true to the Lord and to my conscience.

I propose that as we discuss the personal failures and contradictions of WL and the local churches, we keep a cool spirit and attempt to recognize both sides. There is no need to be scandalized because we can see outrageous contradictions. Anytime a person is set up as the “end all to end all,” contradictions will more than abound. To assist those caught in the system, they must be relieved of the incredibly strong loyalty bond to the “special personalities.” It is because the contradictions and shortcomings of the leadership were allowed to go unchecked that the big mess and damage has occurred. Therefore, I believe that if this exercise is carried out in a proper spirit the innocent can be helped to escape the terrible grip of “Deputy Authority.”



Hope