Quote:
Originally Posted by Zezima
Why don’t they publicly take any accountability for what she wrote in the letter? Instead they double down, and blame everything else but themselves. It’s really sad.
They care more about their image than they do about caring for the flock.
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Exactly,
Zezima!
All notable Recovery leaders use
shaming, the military practice of "dress downs." Supposedly this was "recovered" by a sister in China named Barber. As the story goes, she taught Nee, who taught Lee, who taught all of the current leaders.
They use indiscriminate shaming and public rebukes, lambastes, on a regular basis, mainly in the brothers' meetings, but also in trainings, in order to maintain their clearly delineated lines of authority. Remember -- "it" only rolls down hill, as the saying goes. One can only shame those beneath him, never above, instead all those above must be "covered." Understand how that works?
Their system is not biblical. It's fake spirituality. It's the hallmark of abusive leadership. It creates a clearly defined hierarchy. Nee said clearly, "
when you walk into a room, you should immediately look to see who you should submit to." The implications were immediate -- all must submit to him. Same with Lee. Same with Kangas.
The Bible, however, never authorizes this practice of public censure. This is to lord it over the church of God. (I Peter 5.3) The Bible does tell us to rebuke those who sin, especially the leaders who sin. (I Timothy 5.19-21) This should be done without prejudice or partiality, like was done with Lee's own reprobate sons, Philip and Timothy.
We often discuss the dangers of the Recovery practice of "deputy authority" on this forum, and we should, because so many have been hurt by it. One of the "weapons" used to enforce this twisted authority is public shaming from the bully pulpit. Shaming instills fear in all the members. But Biblical fear should be directed towards sin and towards God, and not some supposed human authority figure, such as the MOTA.
Consider how this
inorganic system opens wide the doors of corruption in the Recovery. The leaders are never accountable. Their sins must be "covered." Anyone who speaks their conscience is soundly smeared and quarantined before all. The members then learn nothing spiritually profitable, rather all manners of abuse and sin get repeated. And false shaming maintains the hierarchical system, hermetically sealed from the Light of Day, from prophets sent by God to rescue them.