User talk:TheLocalChurch: Difference between revisions
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Sorry; I thought your Introduction was inviting redaction, but I guess I read too much into it. Here is what I think you should change your user page to if you really want to be perceived as being NPOV: |
Sorry; I thought your Introduction was inviting redaction, but I guess I read too much into it. I have posted a complaint against you at [[talk:local churches|local churches talk]]. Here is what I think you should change your user page to if you really want to be perceived as being NPOV: |
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==Introduction== |
==Introduction== |
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Revision as of 21:54, 28 March 2004
Old User talk
Because Wikipedia retains a history with version control, I will delete a chunk of old discussion occassionally. To view older discussions, click Page History below.
Current User talk
Please add new comments to the bottom.
Sorry; I thought your Introduction was inviting redaction, but I guess I read too much into it. I have posted a complaint against you at local churches talk. Here is what I think you should change your user page to if you really want to be perceived as being NPOV:
Introduction
Thank you for visiting my Wikipedia User page! My purpose is to present information on Witness Lee and his churches from a NPOV, while considering various Evangelical Christian concerns about the movement in addition to those of current members. It is my hope that together, in an open forum, Evangelicals and followers of Witness Lee can discuss honestly and foster a healthy debate in the midst of controversy.
This said, I am posting from a strongly Evangelical Christian perspective. I cannot promise that everything I post will be interpreted by all parties as being NPOV. However, I hope that whenever possible, corrections can be made in a manner that best reflects the views of all parties.
What is meant by "local church"?
The term "local church" is typically used in Evangelical circles to refer to bodies of Christian believers organized near each other, or at the "local" level. Typically the term is used loosely within the church growth movement or in opposition to large ecclesiastical structures.
However, the term "Local Church" is often used to refer to the movement begun by Watchman Nee in China during the first half of the 20th century, and which has since spread to thousands of cities outside of China—mainly through Nee's co-worker Witness Lee—including several hundred congregations in the United States. The use of the term by observers to specifically refer to this group stems from their strong emphasis on the belief that all Christians—as long as they are blood-washed, Spirit-regenerated believers in Christ—should meet together regardless of their differences in locally administrated churches designated only by locality, i.e. designated by the name of the city in which they live, e.g. the church in Ephesus, the church in Rome, the church in Los Angeles, etc.
Given the history of libel against the movement, the opposition to the movement by some individuals who were previously involved with the movement, and the nature of Wikipedia, it is highly recommended that readers research for themselves, and critically understand the issues involved, before drawing any conclusions.
Why are you hiding behind Anonymity?
The Local Church Movement has a history that includes several small offshoots started by individuals who left the movement after personal disagreements, public criticism from individuals who either formerly participated in the local churches but left after having disagreements or were never participants in the local churches but had some other personal greivance against the local churches, an $11.9 million judgment against a publisher for libel (see Lee v. Duddy), a public retraction and apology from Thomas Nelson publishers (see Libel Suit), and a countersuit against Harvest House Publishers (see Defamation Action). The use of courts presided over by unbelievers is specifically taught against by Paul in I Corinthians 6; however, the Local Church Movement cites Acts 25 (see Is Our Appeal to the Courts in Accordance with Scripture?) in matters of libel and slander when the offending party purposefully and unlawfully acts to damage the local churches and their ministry, and refuses all alternative resolutions. As such, for my own protection, it is necessary to use the anonymity of Wikipedia - for better or worse.
What are your credentials?
It should be clear that if I retain anonymity, credentials are useless as they cannot be verified. It is strange that members of the Local Church Movement request research credentials, when it is clear that neither Watchman Nee or Witness Lee have either college or seminary training themselves. That said, it is sufficient that I am an Evangelical Christian researcher, with some seminary-level training.
At a research level, I have access to a number of source materials published by Living Stream Ministries—most of which can be found in their entirety on-line at www.ministrybooks.org—as authored by Watchman Nee, Witness Lee, or others. I have had a few years of contact with current and former members of the Local Church Movement, and cherish the friendships I have been granted to make in this time.
Disagreements
Understandably, disagreements about the materials presented in various Wikipedia entries on the Local Church Movement have come to the surface from time to time. I encourage individuals to discuss these issues with me directly at my own talk page:
Resources Online
A History of the Lord's Recovery, as written by those inside the movement, can be found online here:
Apologetic responses to critiques from the Lord's Recovery can be found here:
The complete texts of many of Living Stream Ministry's publications can be found on-line here:
Living Stream Ministry Online Publications
Some websites which are critical of the movement, can be found online here:
The Berean's on "Church of Recovery"
"Local Church" Information Site by Daniel Azuma