All Posts Tagged "litigation"

The teaching of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee concerning the proper standing of a local church.

What the Apostle Peter and Athanasius say about deification.

Witness Lee’s teaching of deification is actual a biblical view.

Witness Lee and the local churches “are bringing a correction to a problem within Western evangelicalism” concerning the Trinity.

How the “open letter” signers got it wrong.

An historical overview giving the background of the writing and publication of the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, the structure and language of the book, attempts to engage the authors and publisher in Christian fellowship, the discoveries made during the lawsuit, and the decision of the Texas Court of Appeals in the case and that decision’s shortcomings and dangerous implications, as well as a surprising development leading to greater recognition of the members of the local churches are genuine believers.

An index to responses written by members of the local churches to criticisms of the churches and of the ministry of Witness Lee.

An answer by Watchman Nee to a question about the circumstances under which a Christian could appeal to a secular law court.

A general overview of the three cases in which various local churches and church members appealed to the courts for relief from libelous accusations (Timeline)

The articles on this site responding to criticisms of the local churches and the ministry of Witness Lee are centered around three primary issues—the Trinity, God’s complete salvation, and the practical expression of the church. The first round of responses were published in the 1970s in response to the criticisms of inexperienced apologists who had a limited understanding of biblical truth and even less of the ministry of Witness Lee. After an interim in which many additional resources presenting Witness Lee’s teachings were published, beginning from 1999 Harvest House Publishers and others associated with that company raised the same issues again, essentially repeating those earlier accusations without regard to the responses or other writings already published. Those renewed criticisms called forth a second round of responses.

A chronology of the events in November and December 2001 leading to the filing of a libel complaint against Harvest House, John Ankerberg, and John Weldon for the publication of the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions. The events in these two months show the local churches seeking Christian reconciliation versus the duplicity of Harvest House and its authors in negotiating in bad faith and initiating legal action.

Basic facts concerning the litigation over the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions (ECNR), including a definition of the issues at stake, Harvest House’s rejection of all attempts by repersentatives of the local churches and Living Stream Ministry to resolve concerns apart from litigation, Harvest House’s republication of the book and filing of a suit in Oregon court, and Harvest House’s subsequent reprinting of ECNR after the libel action was filed.

Frequently asked questions regarding the litigation over the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions.

This 2011 book is one of a series of four addressing criticisms by Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes. This book addresses three areas in which they have borne false witness related to our appeals to the courts for relief from libel:

• their accusation that the local churches are litigious;
• their claim that the local churches drove Spiritual Counterfeits Project into bankruptcy; and
• their misrepresentation of many aspects of the case over the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions.

An examination of how Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes misrepresented the subject and scope of the libel lawsuit over the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, the content of that book, and of the court’s decision in the case.

Elliot Miller, Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal, and Hank Hanegraaff, President of Christian Research Institute talk about deficiencies in the scholarship and biblical understanding of Christian leaders who signed a 2007 open letter criticizing the ministry of Witness Lee and the local churches.

This 2009 book contains a statement prepared by the LSM editorial section addressing key issues in dialogues with a panel of Fuller Theological Seminary professors regarding the Trinity, the Person of Christ, God’s full salvation, and the genuine ground of oneness. It also contains a copy of the Fuller panel’s conclusions from their study.

A letter written after the end of the case over the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions to those who do not meet with the local churches but who followed the case’s progress.

A letter written after the end of the case over the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions to the believers who meet in the local churches.

An examination of what the Bible says about how Christians should deal with disputes and under what circumstances an appeal to a secular court system may be justified.

Ten irrefutable facts about the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions that show reckless disregard for the truth and malice on the part of both the authors and the publisher in including the local churches in the book.