Why I gave up consuming “The Glorious Church”
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by Watchman Nee
I’ve heard about Watchman Nee off and on over the years but have never taken the time to read something of his. He was a Chinese pastor, for almost 30 years. Imprisoned in 1952 for his faith, he died there in 1972.
I have immense respect for anyone who has laid it all on the line for the Lord in such a way; however, this book – which was the product of some of his early sermons – just couldn’t hold my attention, unfortunately.
In particular, I was also bothered by some of his conclusions:
…even if we have saved all the souls in the whole world, we have not yet accomplished God’s work or satisfied God’s requirement.
For starters, we don’t save anyone; God does. Second, this line of thinking is elaborated on later in the first chapter, and I just don’t think Nee reaches the right conclusions.
He tries to argue that since at creation, God gave man authority of the earth to rule and subdue it, that man’s chief goal is to do just that. However, now man must contend for the authority of the earth against Satan. That much, I can see where he is going.
However, when he says…
If all our work is just preaching the gospel and saving souls, we are not causing Satan to suffer fatal loss. If man has not restored the earth from the hand of Satan, he has not achieved God’s purpose in creating him. Saving souls is only for the welfare of man, but dealing with Satan is for the benefit of God.
…I think he obscures the broader point that God has already defeated Satan at the cross. He is not in heaven, wringing His holy hands, hoping that man gets his act together so that Satan will be cast out.
Furthermore, God is not “benefitted” by any action of ours. He is completely sufficient and joyful – without need – in and of Himself. With Him, there is no lack.
Nee says, “God needs an authority in His creation, and He has chosen man to be that authority.”
Again, God doesn’t “need” us. He did create Adam with the intention of mankind ruling, but when he chose to sin, he abdicated that rule. God finally restored the dominion of man in Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28.18, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (italics mine)
Christ has chosen to give His Spirit to the church so that it can announce His kingdom on earth through His provided power. But at no time does man have any authority except what he has been given by grace through Christ.
Granted, I stopped reading after the first chapter, so I would welcome some interaction with those who might better explain what Nee is saying. However, I for one, will simply continue to respect His witness while shying away from His teachings.
October 26th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Its double posted.:)
K.T.’s last blog post..UPDATE:A little stressed
October 26th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Thanks for the heads up! Accidentally selected two categories…
October 26th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Nee is an interesting writer. “Into His Likeness” and “Sit, Walk, Stand” were some of the first “adult” Christian books I ever read. However, not long ago I read “Spiritual Authority” and found some of the same things you object to. He tends to see man as a representative of God’s authority (we are ambassadors, but ambassadors have no real authority). Jesus said, “All authority has been given to me”, and then says, “You guys go make disciples.” Following Nee’s concept of spiritual authority leads to too much power in the hands of men in the church (which leads to hierarchy or abuse). I can stick with Nee on most of his personal spiritual growth teachings, but I can’t agree with him on his views of the Church. But I often wonder how much of the disconnect is cultural. Maybe his views were huge steps towards the truth in Chinese culture, or maybe he couldn’t see beyond some societal barrier to truth. Lord knows, I am constantly blinded to truth by living in American religious society.
Only slightly related: the spiritual members of U2 were allegedly in a Nee-based church group when they got started together.
Elton’s last blog post..Entering the East, Part 2
October 26th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I’ve never read anything by Nee so I can’t comment too much on him… but I do agree with what you said vs. what he’s written. God MADE us… I definitely don’t think that he has any real ‘need’ from us… how could we offer much to him when we depend on him for everything?! I think we’re purely here for his joy and glory. This may sound totally wacky, but I think of it like this:
Clayton and i were total idiots and bought two parakeets when Samuel was one month old. (post baby insanity?) We had these ideas that they’d be nice birds that would come out and play with us, love us, and appreciate us rescuing them from Petco. Well, here we sit with two loud, unappreciative, unplayful, scared of us birds almost 4 months later. They take the food we give them, play with the toys we provide for them, and would surely die if we stopped caring for them.. yet they don’t interact with us, talk to us, and they basically hate our guts and run away from us whenever we get too close. Isn’t this a lot how many of us and people are with God? He gives us EVERYTHING yet we still run from him or just don’t let him in like we should. All he wants is a relationship with us… just like all we want is a good pet out of these stupid birds. Some appreciation for all of the work we put into caring for them. Thankfully God has more grace than I do… I’m ready to leave the cage open outside and let the cats have a good time… and I’ve only dealt with them for a few months. God’s had to deal with me for YEARS and I know I am still a constant disappointment. Thank you God for not leaving my cage open for the cats! ;) Anyway… just like I don’t NEED anything from the birds… I don’t think God needs anything from me. I am totally dependant on HIM just like these two creatures are on me. To think anything else seems a bit ridiculous!
Mandy’s last blog post..Brotherly Love