The Gospel Versus "God's Economy"

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

Let's be fair to the Word of God first, then maybe we can get into being fair to anything or anyone else....fair enough? Not much of what Witness Lee taught was common place, and this is why he is not accepted as a orthodox Christian teacher except among his followers.

Originally Posted by Ohio

We can agree to disagree on some points, but it sounds like you are disagreeing with my points to give Lee a fair hearing amongst peers.

Well, it's a little late for us to give Lee a fair hearing, the man's been dead for about 18 years. Seriously though, if there is a hearing to be heard, as far as this forum is concerned, it should be based upon two main items: One would be what is in print - and for this we only have the publishing arm of the Local Church of Witness Lee to rely on. (While voluminous, many of Lee's more controversial speakings have been softened or edited out altogether) The other would be the recollections and notes of those of us who sat at his feet for hundreds upon hundreds of messages. (whether in person or video tape)

Lee taught tons of things which are orthodox. Whether it was original to him is besides the point, for which minister after the Apostles is original anyways? He went thru the N.T. almost verse by verse. If I throw it all out, without testing each point, I run into the same danger as those who have left the faith. Whether Lee is accepted or not has to do with his "extras," which the Lord called leaven.

In regards to "peers", well Witness Lee didn't have any peers and this is one of the problems. If by peers you mean other Christian teachers of his era, well we just haven't a lot to compare him to. There just weren't a lot of other guys running around telling his followers he was the only one speaking as God's oracle ON EARTH since 1945. I don't know of any other Christian teacher who declared that "Christianity is Christless". So I'm sorry to tell you that Lee is out alone on an island of his own making, and this is the Witness Lee we are left to deal with, and not simply the one who "taught tons of things which are orthodox".

without testing each point

Agreed. So let's start with the one that I have brought out here in this thread without trying to torpedo it before it gets out of the harbor. Notice the title of the thread is NOT a declaration, it is a question. You may think it is rhetorical on my part, but it really isn't. This doesn't mean that I don't have my own answers ready and rarin to go, but so far I've seen nothing but a lot of retorts to some arguments and conclusions that I have never even made yet! I don't mind being on the defensive, after all I'm the one who started the thread, but let's try to have some reasonable back and forth before the nuclear option is exercised, ok? I mean, how in the world can we "agree to disagree" when we haven't even established what it is we disagree on.