I do not intend to say much about the church's doctrine--- I believe that the fundamentals of their faith are truly Christian, even if some details are suspect. I suppose it's a question of zeal and motive as to whether you want to declare specific doctrines heretical. I do not agree with the assessment of Mr. Moran, who strikes me as forcing his own interpretations onto Witness Lee's teachings to prove his point. I certainly would never have agreed with many the doctrines he criticizes the church for holding, in public or private. On the other hand, Witness Lee always made it easy to misinterpret his teachings, by applying analogies much too freely. As regards my experience, it is the practical aspects of ``the church's'' teachings that are important. I shall try to list them, and spare the reader my commentary until the end:

• As regards the creation and fall
• God created the earth and placed Lucifer over it as ruler. He rebelled against God's authority, fell, and was judged. This occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 2, and is explained in G.H. Pember's Earth's Earliest Ages
• Man was created to recover God's rule on earth. He was created with a body, soul, and spirit, to express God. The spirit was to contain God (symbolized by eating the Tree of Life), the soul to follow the leading of the spirit, and the body to contain the former two as a vessel.
• Man fell when his soul took control and chose the Tree of Knowledge. This allowed Satan to enter man and corrupt man's flesh, bringing sin and death with him. Thus Satan exists in man's nature as sin and death.
• God's attempt at recovery
• The nation of Israel was created to recover God's rule on earth once again, but failed.
• Christ was sent as a man as a propitiation for man's sin and to undo the work of the Devil. Through His death he condemned Satan, release His life-giving Spirit, and produced the church, which is to reign spiritually in this age. There are no political connotations here.
• One is saved solely by believing in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and is thus saved forever.
• A believer receives the Spirit in his own spirit, which conveys the element of the life of God and the death and resurrection of Christ, and should now live before God by His Spirit in their spirit.
• Caveat on salvation
• Although a believer is saved eternally, if one does not overcome in this life--- ``grow in the Lord'', ``bear fruit to God''--- one will be punished during the Millenium as a sort of remedial school. After the Millenium all believers will enter the New Jerusalem.
• General requirements for a ``Normal Christian Life''
• The flesh is fallen and should not be allowed to have control. Extra- marital sex is definitely frowned upon as defilement, and dating is strongly discouraged among young people.
• The world is still the stronghold of Satan, so contact with worldly things should be avoided. This includes movies, music, holidays (all of which have some secular origins), ostentatious clothes and cars, novels, and to some extent newspapers (mostly because of sale ads and trashy headlines).
• One is also expected to ``apply the cross'' in the daily life. This applies to ``soulish'' impulses which include pride, temper, and other clear vices, but extends to ``natural love'' toward friends and family (love in Christ is expected instead), challenging authority, idle chatter, and various manifestations of our natural personality. This is a crux of the Christian life, and is learned with experience, prayer, and a deep knowledge of the Lord.
• Hand in hand with ``applying the cross'' is ``following the spirit'', which entails living out the life of the Lord that is in our spirit. This is more active than living according to conscience. Manifestations of this are praying (aloud) and testifying in meetings; preaching the gospel to friends, co-workers, and strangers; serving the Lord in various functions from childrens' meetings to missions abroad; and of course, joy and harmony in our daily life. This is ``bearing fruit'', although this term is applied primarily to bringing new members into the church (the new members are then the fruit).
• Financial contributions are all secret, and there is no coercion in the matter that I have ever seen.
• Specific elements of a ``proper Christian life'':
  • The ``ground of oneness'' is crucial. Denominations are the work of Satan to scatter God's people and prevent them from uniting as one Body in practicality. Although all Christians are saved and are members of the Body of Christ, only the ``Recovery'' has the proper ground as the representative of the Body, and it is the only place for a believer to truly have the proper experience of Christ and to receive the high truth of the gospel as taught by ``the Ministry''.
  • Some practices of ``the church'' are odd, and often misunderstood. ``Calling on the Lord'' refers to shouting Lord Jesus, often repeatedly. ``Pray Reading'' refers to reading short phrases from scripture and repeating them, in order to touch the Spirit in the word. The same practice is applied to some extent to hymns and outlines from conferences. These practices are not like a mantra, however--- it stirs excitement (as at a football game), not an altered state of consciousness. All practices are responded to with a hearty ``Amen!''
  • The meetings are boisterous and exhuberant, containing singing, loud prayer, testimonies to ``experiences of the Lord'', and teaching from ``the Ministry''.
  • Conferences are held to bring the churches in separate cities together and to relate the ``freshest'' understanding of the word and the Ministry. This way people can keep up with the new terms. They are often scheduled during holidays, and often suffice for a family vacation.
• ``The Pipeline'': growing up in the church
• Young people are encouraged to keep themselves undefiled from the world, and attend and participate in all meetings, and preach the gospel to their friends. They are encouraged not to get into close friendships with the opposite sex.
• High school students are encouraged to study hard and go to college, to be trained for the Lord. If possible, the school chosen should have a strong ``church life'' nearby, preferably with a ``brothers' house'' or ``sisters' house'' for the students to live in off campus. They are strongly encouraged to read the Recovery Version of the Bible (complete with extensive footnotes by Witness Lee) and ``the Ministry'' (the works of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee).
• College students are encouraged to form close relationships with their fellow brothers or sisters, in order to ``pursue the Lord'' and to create a social atmosphere conducive to bringing new members into the church. They live separate from the opposite sex, although all meetings and facilities are generally co-ed. Close contact is discouraged, especially of the sort that would lead to developing relationships. College students are also expected to study the Ministry, and ample opportunities are provided.
• After college one is expected to go to two years of ``the Full-Time Training,'' a cross between a Bible school (based on the Ministry) and a missionary excursion to college campuses. It is held in Anaheim, CA, as well as a few places overseas, and is run by leaders in ``the church''.
• After the training, the brothers should begin to look for a wife, to form a new family for the church life. Many are encouraged to serve-full time, according to the individual's feeling of the Lord's leading.

I must emphasize strongly that very little is actually enforced, except to the extent that peer pressure affects how people behave. There are many people who do not follow all of the above precepts--- college students with girlfriends, high schoolers with baggy pants and posters of Tupac in their rooms, older members who have been quiet in meetings for years. The more ``living'' members just encourage them to ``function'' more actively. The effect of this encouragement is variable, and some members can push quite hard in their zeal, especially if they get to give a message during a conference or a retreat. It doesn't always work, and many members are good at ignoring it--- especially ``church kids'' who have listened to it all their lives.

Yet the affect of the atmosphere is profound, and it says a lot about human nature. One is put into a peculiar position because the practices of ``the church'' are contrary to those of society, as their spiritual doctrine demands. This leads to conflict with friends and family who do not understand the reasons for their loved ones' behavior, which can ultimately hurt relationships. This in turn has led to accusations that ``the church'' is cultic. These are not entirely unfounded, but one must be aware that ``cult'' should not be taken in a Heaven's Gate or Branch Dividian sense of the word. Yet the pressure to conform and live up to expectations can be subtle and powerful, and the level of zeal and excitement is not conducive to clear thinking. I feel that ``the Local Churches'' should be approached with discretion.

Now that I think of it, this list is bizarre--- I actually took all this for granted as a normal way of life . . .

Feel free to mail comments to: muno@mit.edu