Deputy Authority and the Ground of Oneness

[Freedom]

I previously posted the following quote on a different thread. I am re-posting it here, because I think it offers a view the mindset of WL. It is hard to not notice the cultural connotations in relation to WL's view of authority that aron has already referred to.

It is easy for anyone to be humble, admit the failure, and confess it. But if Noah had been like that, what would have become of God’s government on this earth? What about his descendants? What about God’s economy, God’s administration? It would have been all right for Noah to make such a confession, but it would have meant the ruin of God’s government on earth.

Witness Lee, Life-Study of Genesis, Message 33, pg. 443

It goes without saying that the notion that WL puts forth here is extremely dangerous and can have severe implications for members of the LC. Notice how WL claims that humility is easy, and he even infers that humility and repentance can "ruin God's government". There are a few big problems I have with what WL says. First of all, humility isn't easy, not by a long-shot. Secondly, the idea that repentance by a leader can ruin their image is more reminiscent of totalitarian regimes than anything found in the Bible. I am reminded of 2 Samuel 12 when the Lord sent Nathan to David, and it ultimately resulted in David saying “I have sinned against the Lord.” Here is a perfect example of a leader fessing up to wrongdoing

When I consider the authority abuses that I have seen and witnessed in the LC, it quite often has been related to the matter of leaders not being able to admit to being wrong. Interestingly, that boils down to an issue of humility, the one thing that WL said was easy. In my experience, LC leaders may not have the appearance of being dictators, but much of the problem seems to be simply not being able to admit to being wrong. Once a leader can't to admit to being wrong, the abuses can happen simply because there is an attempt at a cover-up. If a leader is blind to their failures (as was David initially), they could very well set out on a witch-hunt to attack the very thing that they are.