Prominent Local Church "Shouter" invades Harvard University

I think the OP of the thread can be expanded. I have seen Local Church Shouters in South America called Estancia Arvore da Vida (Farm of tree of life). They very much follow point 1 of EL handbook.

1. Spying is making use of various connections and methods to gain access to the inner workings of churches, winning their trust and confidence, and understanding their structure and plans.

Many South American churches are run by lay preachers with little education. The EAV Shouters come in and push EAV materials. They try to convert the preacher, or pull away a few of the weaker members. But first they pretend to be simply other Christians seeking fellowship, and building the Body.

I am not sure of EAV relationship with US Local Church Shouters. But they follow similar points as in EL handbook. By its fruit you know a tree.

[Friedel]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I have seen Local Church Shouters in South America called Estancia Arvore da Vida (Farm of tree of life). They very much follow point 1 of EL handbook.

Many South American churches are run by lay preachers with little education. The EAV Shouters come in and push EAV materials. They try to convert the preacher, or pull away a few of the weaker members. But first they pretend to be simply other Christians seeking fellowship, and building the Body.

I am not sure of EAV relationship with US Local Church Shouters. But they follow similar points as in EL handbook. By its fruit you know a tree.

Estancia Arvore da Vida is the large ranch not too far from Campinas in Brazil, used by the Dong faction of the Local Church of Witness Lee. Dong Yu Lan built up his own version using Witness Lee's materials and methods. He would attend a training in Anaheim, go back to Sao Paulo, mull it over and six weeks later presented his training on the Estancia. He also had a large publishing arm called Arvore da Vida (The Tree of Life). They would send buses filled with books and other materials into the country and into several countries in South America. Dong's movement had grown and had rivaled Lee's in size in the US.

He had measurable success in South America and that was more than likely the reason why Witness Lee allowed it. (They probably knew each other from before, either on the mainland or in Taiwan.)

After the death of Witness Lee the Blended's took over. Now you know what they did to those who would not submit, like Titus Chu. Dong also refused and the inevitable resulted. Dong then branched out to Portuguese-speaking countries in Europe; also in Africa where he went to countries which where formerly Portuguese colonies or where large Portuguese-speaking communities existed.

(This is quite funny because I believe David Dong is one of the Blendeds. If he indeed is, he was part of the decision to oust Dong Yu Lan.)

You state, "Many South American churches are run by lay preachers with little education." This is the danger of making generalized statements based on rumor because this is simply not true everywhere. One of those in Dong's inner circle is a noted authority on Physics and particularly on the Strength of Materials; another is an architect. We should not slander unless we know the real situation.

Since Dong had refused to be blended, he was kicked out by the Blendeds. Then there started to develop a phrase that was quite amusing (it sounds familiar but not quite): "First there was Brother Nee, then Brother Lee, then Brother Dong." Of course, the version by the Blendeds, which we know, was "First there was Brother Nee, then Brother Lee, then the Brothers We." ("We" being the Blended Brothers.)

I never witnessed anything remotely like what is described as Eastern Lighting so I cannot respond to that. If they do use their methods it must be a recent development.

[aron]

Originally Posted by Friedel

I never witnessed anything remotely like what is described as Eastern Lighting so I cannot respond to that. If they do use their methods it must be a recent development.

Maybe the point was that while LSM branch avoids other Christian groups like the plague, the EAV branch actively seeks to infiltrate and undermine them. Just guessing here. I don't have any personal observation.

[rayliotta]

Originally Posted by Friedel

(This is quite funny because I believe David Dong is one of the Blendeds. If he indeed is, he was part of the decision to oust Dong Yu Lan.)

Friedel, can you tell us, what is the relationship between Dong Yu Lan and David Dong?

[Friedel]

Originally Posted by rayliotta

Friedel, can you tell us, what is the relationship between Dong Yu Lan and David Dong?

David Dong is Dong Yu Lan's eldest son. He is/was the only one living in the US. The others work with their father in Brazil and South America.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Friedel

David Dong is Dong Yu Lan's eldest son. He is/was the only one living in the US. The others work with their father in Brazil and South America.

David Dong also lived in Chicago, so he was close to those in the GLA.

Hard to believe a bright guy like him could throw his own family under the bus.

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Ohio

David Dong also lived in Chicago, so he was close to those in the GLA.

Hard to believe a bright guy like him could throw his own family under the bus.

God, family, country has long ago been replaced by LEE, LSM, LOCAL CHURCH. May God have MERCY.

[aron]

I'm not sure if the title of this thread is accurate. The connection between the mainland China shouters and the Living Stream Ministry local churches, where Gerald Chan meets, is uncertain to me. Does anyone have info there? The only thing I remember was when Lee was counting up his loyalists across the globe one day in a meeting he mentioned the Chinese Shouters. The number was high compared to elsewhere and he seemed pleased, the crowd gave an "amen". But that is all I remember.

But an interesting thing about the connection between these kinds of groups (Local Church, Shouters, Eastern Lightning) is the skewing of scripture and the unbalanced obsession on certain "key" passages. One example is "Paul, a chosen vessel" in Acts 9:15. Paul was a chosen vessel, set apart. With the LSM spin on this, I guess Peter and John and Nathaniel were not chosen? Somehow Paul being "chosen" by God was different, to this view. And, guess what, so was Watchman Nee, and Witness Lee.

This elevation of some believers, and the creation of a special lineage, isn't too far from the Shouters worshipping Witness Lee as God incarnate, and the Eastern Lightning saying that God chose a humble Chinese girl, who failed her university exams and was in an existentialist crisis, to be today's unique light to the gentiles. There are differences in extremes but the theme is the same. A special messenger has been raised up, with a special message and a special work.

Here is Ron Kangas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aKkfgPk_kU

I also noticed that when I googled "Paul a chosen vessel" that three of the first five sites were LDS sites. Again, this suggests to me that if we can convince people that the apostle Paul was specially anointed, above and beyond all the rest, then why not Mormon founder Joseph Smith as well? Or Watchman Nee or whomever your "man of the hour" happens to be. The pope or the current president of the LDS church or today's Blended Brothers or whomever is the "specially anointed" one(s).