Europe, Russia and Surrounding area -

[OBW]

A local church is one that is open to all the saints in this locality and is open to all local churches. If there is an alleged local church which has no communion with other local churches, this is not a local church, but a repetition of the history of degraded Christianity. By refusing to take communion, this alleged local church becomes a local cult. (Witness Lee, The Wonderful Christ in the Canon of the New Testament, pgs. 175-176)

I really need some help understanding this paragraph in the context of any claim by the LC to NOT be the only church in a city and NOT be a cult. Based on the context, “local church” is actually “Local church” because it is used as a name for some churches to the exclusion of other churches. While those other churches are also local, being populated by people who are local, they are being chastised for not being open to all other churches that are also local? Or is it for not being open to all other “Local Churches?”


And what does it mean to be “open” to any particular church? Does it mean not exclude their members from your meetings and Lord’s table? Or does it mean subscribe to the same dogmas and intentionally send your people to visit the other churches? If the former, then there are not too many churches of any stripe that are not “open.” I’m not sure who is excluding any real Christians from their meetings or communion. If the latter, then I note that the LC doesn’t send any of its people to the group with which I meet. That group is much more local to me than the Church in Irving happens to be. Never mind that I drive past two other assemblies on my way there. The Church in Irving would rather that I drove past 2 to 3 times as many to get to their place.


And what exactly is this “communion” that “degraded Christianity” refuses to have? While the LC complains about the “ecumenical movement” and other situations in which the leadership and membership of those poor groups join in fellowship, the LC refuses even that and drives or flies long distances to meet only with those who are in lock-step on dogma. And if one of their feather begins to stray in the least, they send a flock of magpies to sue to exclude those who are straying from even using the property that now belongs to no one local because the nearest members of the LC are not local. Who is refusing communion (whether meaning fellowship of the Lord’s table)?


And who is the cult? Looks like even Lee thinks it is the one who refuses fellowship. Somehow that looks more like the LC than any in Christianity.