All Posts Tagged "Christianity"

In practicing the church life, our attitude toward fellow believers is an important matter. To aid the saints in understanding this matter more thoroughly, we offer the fellowship in this small book, which is based on the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee.

This page includes articles written to explain the criticisms of Christianity found in the teachings of Witness Lee and the local churches.

This 2011 book is one of a series of four addressing criticisms by Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes. This book addresses various aspects their mistreatment of Witness Lee’s critique of the deviations of organized Christianity from the biblical revelation, including:

• Misrepresentation of Witness Lee’s critique of the system of Christianity as an attack on Christians;
• Misrepresentation of Witness Lee’s critique of the Roman Catholic Church; and
• Double standard regarding criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church.

Brothers, Hear Our Defense is a series of four books correcting many errors in an article by Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes. The subjects that these books deal with—the authority of the Bible, the incarnation of Christ, the nature of God, the state of Christendom measured against the Bible—are important matters deserving consideration by all serious Christians.

In an attempt to scandalize fellow believers, Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes strung together a series of quote fragments in a way that completely misrepresented Witness Lee’s biblical critique of the deviations from the biblical patternof the system of organized Christianity that has developed over the centuries. This article examines the true nature and content of that critique as well as the attitude of Witness Lee and the local churches toward fellow believers in Christ.

A list of biblical critiques of scholars and Bible teachers whose teachings parallel Witness Lee’s expositions concerning the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32; the parable of the woman, the leaven, and the fine flour in Matthew 13:33-35; the identity of Thyatira and Jezebel in Revelation 2:18-29; and the prophetic identity of Babylon the Great in chapters 16 through 18 of Revelation. At the end of the list are biographical sketches of the authors cited.

Harvest House and its authors John Ankerberg and John Weldon sought to make the local churches repulsive in the eyes of the Christian public using out-of-context quotation and misrepresenting our Scripture-based rejection of unbiblical teachings, practices and institutions as a rejection of fellow believers and of the faith. In doing so, they pervert Witness Lee’s plea for recovery to the biblical standards of life, service, and testimony among Christians.

The local churches seek to return to the biblical standard concerning the subjective experience of Christ, the function of every member of the Body of Christ, and the practical testimony of the oneness of the Body of Christ. Harvest House, John Ankerberg, and John Weldon misrepresent Witness Lee’s biblically-based critique of organized Christianity on these three lines, even though they and their associates acknowledge the same deficiencies in Christendom today.

Harvest House feigns indignation over our criticism of organized Christianity, yet their own books contain very harsh statements criticizing evangelical Christianity, Christianity and the church generally, and the Roman Catholic Church specifically. They even attack prominent evangelicals such as Billy Graham.

The Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions by John Ankerberg and John Weldon (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1999) accuses the local churches of rejecting Christianity, implying that we reject fellow believers and the Christian faith.The authors and their publisher have never corrected this deceit despite extensive documentation provided to Harvest House proving the contrary.

Harvest House has attempted to turn Christians against the local churches with a series of out-of-context quotations posted on its corporate website. This article contextualizes those quotes and exposes Harvest House’s unfaithfulness to the Bible and to the Lord’s church in misrepresenting the teaching of Witness Lee.

Those who desire to return to the “historic Christian church” should consider the epistles to the seven churches in [Revelation chapters 2 and 3]. The prophecies there trace the historic development of the church and its degradation from the New Testament standard.

Calls to return to “historic Christianity” as represented by the great ecumenical councils are misguided. This article gives many examples of deviations from the Bible brought in through some of those councils.

Those who call for a return to “historic Christianity” should consider the Lord’s speaking in Matthew 13, in which He prophesied concerning the deviation of the church from His original desire and intention.

Walter Martin brandished a single sentence from a footnote in the Recovery Version of the New Testament as “proof” that Witness Lee was anti-Christian. His out-of-context quotation of this sentence obscured Witness Lee’s biblical critique of the deviation of “isms” from the revelation in God’s Word.

A return to “historic Christianity” and a creed-based faith would bind the church to the church councils that brought in many deviations from New Testament Christianity. The second and third parts of this post address the truth concerning Babylon and denominations.