The Church in Sardis prefigures the Protestant Reformation?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Not caring for doctrines means not caring for them more than life. A classical reformer would likely go on and on about 5 point Calvinism..or osas and neglect the life of the Body.

In this way the Reformers became just like the Catholics by holding onto teachings and traditions.

How long will the LC repent of their sins? Can the LC leadership say, "We were wrong"?

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by Kevin

How long will the LC repent of their sins? Can the LC leadership say, "We were wrong"?

If the LC treats the protestant churches like the protestants treated Catholics then how long?

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

If the LC treats the protestant churches like the protestants treated Catholics then how long?

I'm afraid what we've got today is protestants gone wild ; protestants of protestants.

Lee was right, I thought back then. I had had enough of Christianity by the time I ran into the local church. I grew up in it, and eventually I saw, in short, that they had no Spirit ... or as Lee said, "Christless."

Now I've come to see that Lee was just another Protestant ; a super Protestant in fact. But in the end just another protestant in a long list of protestants ... and along the way Witness Lee and his movement will suffer the blows of other Protestants. And Protestantism will go on like nothing happened ... protesting everyone but themselves.

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

If the LC treats the protestant churches like the protestants treated Catholics then how long?

The reformation had little to do with how one group of Christians "treated" each other, rather Luther, Zwingli et al were "protesting" against so many unbiblical teachings and practices. Ostensibly, this is the basis of Watchman Nee's Local Church Movement. It is now painfully obvious that Witness Lee took Nee''s protesting and created his own religion/sect with his own brand of make-it-up-as-you-go-along set of teachings and practices.

Make no mistake, the Local Church's deplorable treatment and attitude towards their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is a direct result of the teachings, practices and attitude passed on from the person and work of Witness Lee.
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[awareness]

Amen to that bro Untohim ... AMEN !!!

[Evangelical]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

The reformation had little to do with how one group of Christians "treated" each other, rather Luther, Zwingli et al were "protesting" against so many unbiblical teachings and practices...
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Then some protested against Luther, then others protested against the Church of England.. etc etc

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Evangelical

Then some protested against Luther, then others protested against the Church of England.. etc etc

Semper Reformanda!

[aron]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Semper Reformanda!

Sorry, no 'semper' here. Reformation was valid until Nee broke bread, then no one can protest Nee (Lee, Blendeds &c).

Because you see, the age turned. Subsequent to Nee et al, protest was not good, but bad. Any protest, subsequent to Nee's establishment as Maximum Brother, was rebellion, an insidious attack by God's enemy.

You have to watch the timeline carefully in this recovery narrative. Because the rules change, over time.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Semper Reformanda!

Always reforming into what? We can't recreate The Pentecost. So to what do we seek to reform into?

Is it a Cargo Cult thing ; if we just get the early church just right God will send the cargo? Is that how it works? Please explain.

[Evangelical]

I think many would agree that Reformation is a continual thing. We cannot remain stagnant however that is what the Reformed churches became. They stopped at the matter of salvation by faith but did not recover the gifts of the Spirit. The charismatic movement tried to restore the spiritual gifts to the church because they saw that the bible is not just about Calvinism vs Arminism.

However let us be clear. The aim of Reformation was to reform the Catholic church..not to go back to the time of the apostles.. A better word is Recovery. To reform the church is to say that the early Catholic church was the right one..and that is all the world knew for hundreds of years.

The aim of Recovery is to recover even the things corrupted and lost by the early Catholic church.

I can say with some degree of confidence that no Reformed church has the goal of bringing Christ back or recover the church condition. They have become as much about forms and rituals as Catholics before. Which is why I guess they can blend so well with Catholics in ecumenical services. But i think the reformers Luther Calvin etc would be shocked at how catholic the reformed churches have become.