Apostasy?

[Acolyte4236]

Hi,

I am looking for information. So anything you can provide in terms of references and/or explanation would be appreciated.

What is the LC's understanding of apostasy relative to pre-existing bodies of Christians? What exactly do they mean by "degraded?" Do they mean such bodies weren't true churches at all or only suffered from errors in some form or another?

Thanks

[MikhailianInception]

Originally Posted by Acolyte4236

Hi,

I am looking for information. So anything you can provide in terms of references and/or explanation would be appreciated.

What is the LC's understanding of apostasy relative to pre-existing bodies of Christians? What exactly do they mean by "degraded?" Do they mean such bodies weren't true churches at all or only suffered from errors in some form or another?

Thanks

Hi there Acolyte4236,

So from what I understand many years ago when I was in this movement is that the Body at large had committed spiritual fornication. Witness Lee in his Recovery Version of the Bible footnotes reads that those churches which choose to denominate themselves (Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Reformed...), they are basically taking any other name other than the Lord's name. So, Witness Lee states that the Church at large is committing adultery against our Lord. Like a wife who takes the name of another man other than her own husband.

[MikhailianInception]

Originally Posted by Acolyte4236

Hi,

I am looking for information. So anything you can provide in terms of references and/or explanation would be appreciated.

What is the LC's understanding of apostasy relative to pre-existing bodies of Christians? What exactly do they mean by "degraded?" Do they mean such bodies weren't true churches at all or only suffered from errors in some form or another?

Thanks

The irony is that the Recovery Movement seems to denominate themselves as they separate from the rest of Christendom by saying they are the only true Church. They have "recovered" the truth of Christianity. That's the main issue with Christian Restorationism movements. Each restorationism leads to different churches saying they've restored what was lost, but it ends up being a superiority complex against the rest of Christianity.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by MikhailianInception

Hi there Acolyte4236,

So from what I understand many years ago when I was in this movement is that the Body at large had committed spiritual fornication. Witness Lee in his Recovery Version of the Bible footnotes reads that those churches which choose to denominate themselves (Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Reformed...), they are basically taking any other name other than the Lord's name. So, Witness Lee states that the Church at large is committing adultery against our Lord. Like a wife who takes the name of another man other than her own husband.

Are All Christian Groups Spiritual Fornicators?

http://localchurchdiscussions.com/vB...ead.php?t=6271

Glad you mentioned it.

I know this is very poor writing. But at least I got the content out there.

[OBW]

That's the main issue with Christian Restorationism movements. Each restorationism leads to different churches saying they've restored what was lost, but it ends up being a superiority complex against the rest of Christianity.

But meanwhile, the historic animosities among so many of those groups have subsided over the years while the new groups, like the LRC, ramp up the animosity. They even have to denigrate the "cross borders" work that happens as being window dressing, otherwise, their own separation would appear worse. (Not that it can get any worse.)

And while we try to dimish the separations, it might be worth noting that some still hang onto claims of heresy so bad that some groups just cannot be included. For example, if we assert that the RCC is simply out, where was the church for several centuries? Not saying that every so-called church group is really in. But we should be careful about how strongly we excommunicate. Maybe we should let God be the decider on some things. He will get his say in the end. Our determination of what that say is could be flawed.

[MikhailianInception]

Originally Posted by OBW

And while we try to dimish the separations, it might be worth noting that some still hang onto claims of heresy so bad that some groups just cannot be included. For example, if we assert that the RCC is simply out, where was the church for several centuries? Not saying that every so-called church group is really in. But we should be careful about how strongly we excommunicate. Maybe we should let God be the decider on some things. He will get his say in the end. Our determination of what that say is could be flawed.

True stuff! What do we do for the first 1500 years of Church History? The Church didn't start during the Protestant Reformation. I remember a while back, I felt the Lord showed me that God has the same amount of grace for those who are on the right side of history, and for those who are on the wrong side of history. And most of the time we are usually wrong about something.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by MikhailianInception

The irony is that the Recovery Movement seems to denominate themselves as they separate from the rest of Christendom by saying they are the only true Church. They have "recovered" the truth of Christianity. That's the main issue with Christian Restorationism movements. Each restorationism leads to different churches saying they've restored what was lost, but it ends up being a superiority complex against the rest of Christianity.

LCers love to declare that being a denomination is all about having the proper name, or not. As if only their names are the sanctioned, legitimate ones.

What really determines a denomination is not a name but a controlling centralized headquarters. In the N.T. the apostles with Paul established church assemblies which did fellowship with each other, but they never established a headquarters. Antioch, Ephesus, and Rome were all places where Paul taught and worked to train the disciples, but none was a headquarters.

The Judaizers, on the other hand, wanted Jerusalem to control the movements and the teachings of the apostles. They struggled to exert their control, using any and all means possible, to bring the Gentile assemblies under subjection to Jerusalem. If you were "from James," or "from headquarters," you garnered great control over others. Even oft-times courageous Peter was subdued however. (Gal 2.11-15)

Today's Blendeds work in the same spirit as those Judaizers of old. They have a form of godliness, but deny its power. 2 Tm 3.5)