05-16-2015, 10:50 AM | #1 |
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WWBLD 2.0
I can testify that the formula applied when I participated in the Local Churches [1973-1986] was to dumb all the music down to the lowest common denominator. As a guitarist I was directed to limit my playing to strumming in unison with the most basic rhythm. Any strumming pattern that was in the slightest bit interesting or finessed was rejected. Boring. Everything else was rejected as "soulish." According to that logic, playing chords in unison like a beginner must be spiritual. So, what was preached to be the activity of the "corporate body of Christ" was, in practice, merely cookie-cutter uniformity. Creativity was stifled. The only creativity that was allowed in the LC was Witness Lee's creative reading of the Bible.
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Ken Gemmer- Church in Detroit, Church in Fort Lauderdale, Church in Miami 1973-86 |
05-16-2015, 01:43 PM | #2 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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Ha.
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05-16-2015, 02:38 PM | #3 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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Yeah, trying to soup it up a little.
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05-17-2015, 09:05 AM | #4 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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"Impressive" is in the ear of the beholder. But, weren't your micro-variations defiance of the very principle of uniformity that was supposed to be strictly maintained? In any case, all this misses the object of my question which is why was this considered to be spiritual as opposed to soulical? Unison guitar playing has about it the quality of the communist collective that Witness Lee professed to abhor. I remember Lee saying, in effect, that leveling collectivity was like the serpent that crawled on its belly and that God's building wasn't like that. Why then was that kind of collectivism embraced by the local churches? Just one more contradiction?
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Ken Gemmer- Church in Detroit, Church in Fort Lauderdale, Church in Miami 1973-86 |
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05-17-2015, 01:23 PM | #5 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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But it still mostly sounded uniform. No solos. I did play bass some of the time and there was some freedom to do more than just an old-fashioned country base line, but not a whole lot. I actually can still remember most of the pattern to do "A Mighty Fortress" though I think I was missing a few of the non-root notes. The problem with the "rules" is not that they save us from soulishness, but that they enforce one person's soul as acceptable. Since it is not ours, we "benefit." (where's that tongue-in-cheek smilie when you need it?)
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Mike I think . . . . I think I am . . . . therefore I am, I think — Edge OR . . . . You may be right, I may be crazy — Joel |
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05-18-2015, 09:21 AM | #6 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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In his link he brings up: "in February 1986 when the same two brothers drew up a letter of allegiance to brother Lee that was signed by 400+ elders and co-workers during an international elders’ conference in Southern California." He quotes: "Dear Brother Lee, After hearing your fellowship in this elders’ training, we all agree to have a new start in the Lord’s recovery. For this, we all agree to be in one accord and to carry out this new move of the Lord solely through prayer, the Spirit, and the Word. We further agree to practice the recovery one in: teaching, practice, thinking, speaking, essence, appearance, and expression. We repudiate all differences among the churches, and all indifference toward the ministry office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth. We also agree to follow your leading as the one who has brought us God’s New Testament economy and has led us into its practice. We agree that this leading is indispensable to our oneness and acknowledge the one trumpet in the Lord’s ministry and the one wise master builder among us…."
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05-18-2015, 09:33 AM | #7 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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Ken Gemmer- Church in Detroit, Church in Fort Lauderdale, Church in Miami 1973-86 |
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05-18-2015, 10:31 AM | #8 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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Ken Gemmer- Church in Detroit, Church in Fort Lauderdale, Church in Miami 1973-86 |
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05-18-2015, 10:51 AM | #9 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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I should add that our music leader eventually left the LCM. Can't remember when, but I think it was not far from when we did (8/87 in our case).
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05-18-2015, 01:43 PM | #10 | ||
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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Quote:
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05-18-2015, 02:01 PM | #11 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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In conversation Elden1971 brought up the supplemental song book. I just loved the supplement. But it was chuck full of copyright violations. Legal churches pay the royalties. Witness Lee came from China. They have a history of ignoring copyright.
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05-18-2015, 05:16 PM | #12 |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
In reference to all of the new songs set to popular songs, I recall when Lee said that it was some kind of error to have those songs, I put a light line through them (dutifully) though in pencil. A couple of years later, one of the leading ones saw one of my lines and asked about it. The funny thing was that it was clear they didn't care about the answer. He wanted to create a point of controversy in which he could claim some high ground above me. Didn't work. Just made me suspect him more.
And a few years later he was run off for running payment for services he performed through the offering box (at least in part).
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05-19-2015, 07:47 AM | #13 | ||||||
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
Witness Lee on Music:
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Ken Gemmer- Church in Detroit, Church in Fort Lauderdale, Church in Miami 1973-86 |
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05-19-2015, 09:54 AM | #14 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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I know that a lot of churches (not LCM, obviously) will use Bach preludes and other pieces as music played as people come in and go out. And the tune from his Ave Maria has been used for many choir pieces. Seems that so much of his music was even written for the church, including various masses. Not endorsing it wholeheartedly. But it might not be the worst question to ask. Much better than WWBLD.
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Mike I think . . . . I think I am . . . . therefore I am, I think — Edge OR . . . . You may be right, I may be crazy — Joel |
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05-19-2015, 09:59 AM | #15 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
And while off-topic, I liked this particular quote:
Quote:
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Mike I think . . . . I think I am . . . . therefore I am, I think — Edge OR . . . . You may be right, I may be crazy — Joel |
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05-19-2015, 09:22 PM | #16 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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05-20-2015, 05:36 AM | #17 | |
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Re: WWBLD 2.0
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