Many of you OUers have heard of "Christians on Campus" here at OU. For those of you who haven't heard, they are not who they say they are! Christians on Campus is based out of the Church of Recovery (aka "Local Church" or "Lord's Recovery") and are considered a cult.
Below is some information on this group that Kels sent me. I wanted to put it out there since many of you have seen this group or have freshmen beign pursued by them. I know this is long, but it is very informative about the group. Hope it helps you all!
This cult was started by Witness Lee aka Li Chang-Chou (1907-1997), a co-worker of Watchman Nee who worked with him in 1933. Watchman Nee has been, and still is, held in high esteem as a spiritual leader with deep insight. Yet his theological position is deeply mystical. They use "The Recovery Version of the Bible" which was written with Lee's slant on the Bible and is the only version that church members can use.
Unbiblical Beliefs:
1. Although they have written in their statement of faith booklet entitled “The Beliefs and Practices Of the Local Churches” the affirmation below,
“We believe that God is the only one Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Spirit – co-existing equally from eternity to eternity.”
This is not an assurance that they are to be acknowledged and embraced as brethrens in the Lord. In fact, this statement is a double-talk because Lee redefined, even fine-tuned, the term “Triune” in order to suit an ancient heretical belief known as modalist monarchianism. Although an ancient modalist (or “Oneness” proponent) may dismiss the Trinity doctrine as of “pagan” origin, Lee and the Local Church states otherwise. Lee may “detest” modalism in some of his writings like the following,
“Some of our critics say, ‘When Witness Lee teaches that Christ is the Father and the Spirit, he is teaching modalism and denying the co-inherence and co-existence of the three Persons of the Godhead.’ I deny this accusation. If the critics were to ask me whether I believe in Matthew 3:16 and 17, where the Son is standing, the Spirit is descending, and the Father is speaking, I would answer that I believe it at least as much as they do. All three, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, were present at the same time. I fully believe in the co-inherence and co-existence of the Three of the Godhead…. The charge that I am a modalist is false, and I absolutely repudiate it. Modalism teaches that God is not at the same time Father and Son and that the revelation of the Son ended with the ascemsion. The permanence of the Father, Son, and Spirit was denied by modalism. Modalism is a heresy, and we do not believe in it.”
Lee and the Local Church people do not understand that modalism is not just a matter of not believing in the eternality of the Son and the co-existence of the Three Persons of the Godhead. The fact that they also believe and teach Jesus is the Father and the Spirit aside from being the Son, they are promoting Sabellianism in a new form. But inspite of how Lee dressed-up his theology Christians are still able to discern that he is a modalist proponent. E. Calvin Beisner incorporated Lee under monarchianism in his book God in Three Persons,
“Monarchianisms is represented today by the United (‘Jesus Only’) Pentecostals and by the smaller sect which calls itself the ‘Local Church,’ led by Witness Lee.”
We could only speculate that the reason why they did not make their statement of faith clear is for them to penetrate the camp of mainstream orthodox Evangelical Trinitarians. In fact they have been successful in landing on The Christian Centennial Almanac of the Special Centennial Issue of Evangelicals Today to which their designation reads:
The Church in the City
(Dr. Watchman Nee), Ministry Areas: MM, Major Cities
This practice of Lee’s deception goes back during the time of Arius, the heretic, when trying to win the favor of Emperor Constantine and the Church as a whole wrote a creed (i.e. statement of faith) that represents what he believes but lacks the main body of his teachings about Christ. States E. Calvin Beisner,
This brief creed was presented to the Emperor Constantine, at his request, and was an attempt by Arius to win his way back into good favor with the Church as a whole. Schaff noted that “It is heretical not by what it says, but by what it omits.” The denial of the deity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit is simply ignored in this statement. Nothing stands here which would contradict the Nicene faith, but neither is there anything to contradict what Arius had earlier taught and which, in ensuing controversies, it became clear what he continued to believe. It’s inferiority in precision to other creeds of the time, not to mention it’s lack in orthodoxy, is readily apparent. It was a creed made to be misinterpreted, for Arius hoped that by this to hide from Constantine his denial of true Trinitarian faith.
We believe in ONE GOD, the Father Almighty; And in THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, his Son, who was begotten of him before ages, the Divine Logos, through whom all things were mad, both those in the heavens and those on the earth; who came down and was made flesh; and suffered; and rose again; and ascended to the heavens; and shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. And in the HOLY GHOST; and in the resurrection of the flesh; and in the life of the world to come; and in a kingdom of heaven; and in one Catholic Church of God which extends which extends to the ends of the earth.
In fact, many Christians will be surprised to know that the great “Christian” man known as Watchman Nee whom they highly respect is actually a modalist. Nee explained in his book The Normal Christian Faith about Jesus Christ whom he believed became the Holy Spirit,
“Not only is He the very Creator, He was also the Christ that put on the flesh. And now He is in us as the Holy Spirit. The Christ in the flesh is over! Now the Christ in the Spirit lives forever in us.”
“You must proclaim, ‘I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. I believe that He is now the Holy Spirit.”
Their definition of the word “Trinity” or “Triune God” is not exactly the same as the orthodox Christians define it. Lee states:
“The Spirit is the realization of the Son, and the Son is the embodiment of the Father. In other words, the Father is the embodied Son, and the Son is realized as the Spirit. If we have the Spirit, we have the Son and the Father. When we called on the name of the Lord Jesus, the Spirit entered into us. The Spirit within us is the Triune God because the Spirit is the realization of the Son, who is the embodiment of the Father.”
If that statement sounds “modalism” or “oneness” to your ears then you are definitely right. While Christians believe in perichoresis or mutual indwelling of each Person of the Triune God with one another which is also known as consubstantiation (John 10:38), we are careful not to state that each Person is a Trinity by themselves. Lee even goes further to write in the same book above that the “Triune God [actually] become a man” (p. 28). This is against the word of God since it is not “Triune God” who became man but specifically Christ the Son of God only (Phil. 2:8; Rom. 9:5). In fact, the fangs of Lee’s teachings are pulled when he wrote,
“Our organic union with the Lord is also in the Spirit. Christ and the Spirit are not two separate persons. They are one person. This is a mystery that is beyond human understanding. Christ is the Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17).
2. Lee and the Local Churches believe that “God Became Man That Man May Become God In Life and Nature But Not In The Godhead” (1994 Year-End Conference Booklet). In one of their official newsletters, The Economy, it states,
“God’s salvation is for us to be god-men completely, within and without. In Hebrews 2:10, He is bringing many people into glory. He is our Captain. God wants us to go through some process to enjoy the riches of salvation. He is not going to change our environment, but to change our inward constitution. In simple terms, God’s salvation is: ‘God becoming man that man may become God.’
“For God to become man means that He is a God-man. Likewise, for man to become God, it doesn’t mean that we leave our humanity. We are still human. We are both God and man. God was God first and man later, while we are man first and God later. The result of God becoming a man is that He enters into us, and yet continues to sit in heavens. The result of man becoming God is that we become completely like God. What the Lord Jesus was likewise we will be. He was the first one to enter into glory. He is our Eldest Brother, and also our mould.…”
3. Lee and the Local Churches believe that the Son of God (the incarnation of God the Father) became a man, crucified and resurrected and became the Spirit (His divine nature) in order to come into men and mingle or blend with their spirit (or human nature) resulting to their becoming one with the Triune God in the spirit (a form of hybrid). This whole process will eventually make them corporate God-men because the Triune God mingled with the tripartite man.
“God's purpose is to obtain the church by dispensing Himself into man and making Himself one with man. In order to dispense Himself into man, God must be triune, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Furthermore, man must be in God's image and have a spirit to receive God and assimilate Him. One day, the Son of God, the embodiment of the Father, became a man (John 1:14). Passing through human living, crucifixion, and resurrection, He became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). As the Spirit, He comes into us and mingles with our spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Through this process there is brought into being a hybrid life, an entity composed of the mingling of the divine life with the human life. This is the church. God is no longer the unprocessed God, but the processed God. He has accomplished everything necessary to come into us as the life-giving Spirit. Now we must believe in Him and call on the name of the Lord Jesus. When we do this, the life-giving Spirit comes into our spirit, and the mingling of the divine life and the human life takes place within us. This mingling produces the church.”
“Do you know what it means to be a real Christian? To be a real Christian simply means to be mingled with God, to be a God-man. It is not enough to be a good man; we have to be a God-man. A good man might be a man of the tree of knowledge, the result of which is death (Gen. 2:17). A God-man is a man of the tree of life (Gen. 2:9). In his spirit, God is mingled; in his heart, God is dwelling; in his soul-mind, emotion, and will-God is occupying. This is a real normal Christian… We would realize that we are ‘peculiar,’ ‘strange,’ set apart from the society because God is mingled with us.”
“The Body of Christ is a reality, and the reality of the Body of Christ is the union and mingling of God and man, to live out a corporate God-man.”
4. Lee and the Local Churches believe that theirs is the only “true” church.
“Since there is one God, there is only one church. Since there is only one Christ, there is only one Body (Eph. 4:4-5). Therefore, there are not many churches, but one church universally. We practice the church life of this universal church in each locality. Acts 8:1 tells us of the ‘the church in Jerusalem,’ Acts 13:1 mentioned the church in Antioch. If you live in Anaheim, you are in the church in Anaheim. If you live in Berkeley, you are in the church in Berkeley. These are called local churches. All local churches on the earth throughout the ages compose the universal church. They are all one universally and spiritually.”
A “church in Manila” elder once claimed that there are many believers in other denominational churches,[34] however, this continues to be a question because of the above statements.
5. In spite of their double-talk that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus alone we are faced with the following facts:
a. Receiving “another Jesus” -- The Local Church “Jesus” is not the true Jesus of the Bible rather a “Jesus” who became the embodied Father and resurrected to be the Holy Spirit for the consummation (or process) of the Triune God.
b. Baptismal Regeneration -- Lee and the Local Churches believe that water baptism is a testimony of their salvation but other literature shows it’s essential for salvation in addition to faith.
“Formerly, when we were leading people to salvation, we first considered them as seeking friends. After hearing the gospel and believing and receiving the Lord, they had to successfully pass through an interview concerning baptism. It was only after they had passed the interview that they could be baptized and saved. Now we have changed. As long as a person believes, he can be baptized immediately, and he is regenerated and saved. Furthermore, the Bible says, ‘He who believes and is baptized shall be saved’ (Mark 16:16). It does not say that one is baptized after he is saved. Baptism is not carried out after a person is saved; baptism is part of the process of being saved. It is not that one believes and is saved and therefore should be baptized. Rather, it is that one believes and is baptized and therefore is saved. We must be clear concerning this matter.”
“Baptism is a testimony before men. All believers should be baptized in order to be saved not only before God, but also before men. The Lord Jesus said: ‘He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.’ Mark 16:16. Through baptism, God transfers us from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. For this reason, the Lord Jesus said: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:5).”
6. Extreme emphasis in Church Localism -- Witness Lee and the Local Churches believes that there should only be one local church in every city and obviously that is the Church of Recovery while the rest of what they label as “denominations,” and “sects” are of Satan.
“If we do not have the local church [i.e. Church of Recovery] today, practically speaking, we do not have the church. The local church [i.e. Church of Recovery] is the practicality of the church. The church today is practically in the local churches.”
“One has the Apollonian ground, one has the Petrine ground, one has the Pauline ground, and one even says that Christ is their ground. What are these grounds? We must be clear that they are all divisive. Only Corinth is the right ground. The ground of locality is the one unique and uniting ground upon which the church can be built. The unique proper ground of the church is the locality where the church is.
“Today we have the same thing in a city such as Los Angeles. There is a church built upon the Presbyterian ground, a church built upon the Baptist ground, a church built upon the Methodist ground, and so many kinds of ‘churches’ built upon so many kinds of grounds. In one city, there are many kinds of ‘churches.’ Why is this? Simply because they are on so many different kinds of grounds. And all these grounds are divisive.”
“(Satan) has taken another by creating all the sects, denomination and divisions in the body of Christ… God is moving in these days to recover. What is the way of His recovery?... the recovery of the proper unity. Not until these three are recovered among us will we have a proper adequate church life.”
Even Watchman Nee believes that “unless our aim, work, and living today are for the church—that is, for the accomplishment of what God is after—we are a big failure.” We can say that Nee is referring to the Local Church because his next statement reveals, “For this reason God establishes a local church in every city. The local church is the miniature of the magnificent church of God, a small-scale model expressing the New Jerusalem. The will of God is to establish the church, the Body of Christ, the New Jerusalem.”
Things to Remember Before Talking to a “Local Church” Member
- A Christian needs to be aware that a Local Church member will not consider your church as a genuine expression of the body of Christ in your locality because according to them there should only be one local church in every city which is the “Church of Recovery” sometimes called “church in Norman,” “church in Oklahoma City,” “church in Tulsa,” etc.
- A Christian needs to be wary that whenever a Local Church elder or member speaks of Jesus Christ, he is referring to a “Jesus” who is also called the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a belief known as modalism or “Oneness.” A Local Church elder or member will immediately refuse to be branded by such “names” and even say that they are not one but this is a double-talk.
- The mere mention of the word “Triune God” by the Local Church elder or member is not worthy of trust because Lee redefined the word “Triune God” to fit his theology.
- In case you brought up a controversial literature exposing the heresies of Lee and the Local Church, the Local Church elder or members are trained to deal with those long time issues or will suggest that you visit their website..
- A Christian must know some if not all of the major teachings of the Local Church in order for him to be an effective witness for the Lord.
- A Christian must be properly grounded in the orthodox teaching of the Christian faith before he engages in a doctrinal conversation with a Local Church elder or member.
- A Christian must be knowledgeable of the arguments used by a Local Church elder or member in order to refute their theology effectively and accurately.
