History on Nee & The Little Flock

[aron]

Originally Posted by NeitherFirstnorLast

For a variety of reasons, including the anti-Western movement of the 1920s, many Chinese Christian leaders were seeking ways to form indigenous churches that would be free from Western missionary control. Having moved to the International Settlement in Shanghai in 1926, Ni constituted in 1932 a group of “apostolic” co-workers that would lead what became the Little Flock Movement: Wang Peizhen (Peace Wang) and Li Yuanru (Ruth Lee), with Ni himself as supreme. They soon grew from a small household gathering to a network of local churches.

Rather than becoming an itinerant evangelist, Ni decided to build a solid base in Shanghai, whence churches could be planted all over China. Ni had a team of fellow workers, including Witness Lee, Simon Meek, and Faithful Luke, who helped to start local churches in many cities in Southeast Asia. In his rejection of all denominationalism, Ni stressed the principle of locality, i.e., there is only one true church in each city. “Despite his weak constitution, Ni’s magnetic personality and his remarkable ability to speak . . . mesmerized the group, and he soon emerged as their indisputable leader” (Xi, 167)...

I find these two paragraphs to be somewhat revealing. First you have the rejection of foreign control, and an "indigenous movement". Then these indigenous local assemblies begin to network. Then they have a "solid base", i.e. headquarters, in Shanghai, with Nee as "indisputable leader". Can you spot a trend emerging?

Fast forward seventy years: there is now a world-wide organization, with strong centralized control. It is "foreign domination" all over again. It is the exact opposite of an "indigenous", i.e. "local" movement. The Living Stream Ministry "local churches" are as indigenous as a McDonald's hamburger franchise: every sesame seed on every bun on every Big Mac is counted and reported back to Headquarters.

The Hive Mind has yet again displayed itself. When will we ever learn?