The God-Men: An Inquiry into Witness Lee & the Local Church

[NeitherFirstnorLast]

Chapter 4: On Reading Scripture

The God-Men pages 85-86

"Scripture contains both general principles and particular guidelines. They govern Christian behavior on the corporate as well as individual level. Negating Scripture's significance, Lee's theology requires direct personal involvement in an issue before one is qualified to critique it. If the revelation of God's will in the temporal sphere is restricted solely to an individual's personal affairs, any Christian moral consensus regarding social justice, politics, civil liberties, etc. is obviously eliminated.

Biblical theology generally faces the question of what the Bible says about a given topic at three levels:

First, the boundaries of a topic are determined through a process of cross-checking relevant passages.

Second, passages are studied which discuss the appropriate personal subjective response to the topic.

Third, passages pertinent to the social implications of the topic are studied.

Witness Lee's theology is moored in the channels of the second level without investigating the other two aspects. Although Christian in intent, it (Lee's theology) is truncated and defective in both range and depth."

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I have heard a person say here on this forum, in a thread long past, that one thing they appreciated that they'd learned from Lee was a 'disdain for theologians'. That was a sad commentary. Lee had a reason for disdaining theologians: He wasn't one, and he was never trained as one. If anyone could unmask Lee as being untrained and uneducated in Christian history and teaching and Biblical exegesis, it would have been someone who had that training and education.

If there are yet people out there reading this who believe that Lee "stood on the shoulders" of those who went before him, then you must also believe that Lee's teachings should be found in a 'less mature' form in the writings of those who came before Lee. Lee's teachings should be recognizable there - even if (as yet) undeveloped. I challenge you to look. I challenge you to search and to read for yourself... and see where that leads you.

May Jesus Christ our Lord bless you, and lead you into all Truth for His name's sake - that He might get the glory.

Amen.


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Want to start reading what the really early church taught - in the apostolic age? Why not read The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles). Although not included in the canon, it was considered for such - and although excluded, it was considered recommended reading. Think of it as the very earliest version of a New Believers Series.

Learn about the Didache here: http://thedidache.org/
Read it here: http://www.paracletepress.com/didache.html