Beginning in January 2003, a series of anonymous spam emails have been sent to various Christian organizations and individuals (including Plaintiffs and members of local churches) urging the readers to "boycott Living Stream Ministry" while making many spurious and unfounded charges against the Local Church, the local churches and Living Stream Ministry (LSM). The focus of each attack has been the current defamation lawsuit against Harvest House Publishers, John Ankerberg and John Weldon. The author of these emails has repeatedly refused to reveal his identity choosing instead to cloak his identity as 'boycott,' 'ccftruth' or similar anonymous titles. Yet, it is apparent that the numerous emails have the same source.

The most recent of these emails reached the computer of the President of a respected Christian trade organization. This person was fair-minded enough to ask Chris Wilde, Media Director for LSM, for a response and clarification. With this latest spam attack, it seems obvious that this is not just an isolated incident, but that rather, a deliberate and planned campaign is underway to discredit us. It therefore seems appropriate that Chris' response to this particular email (with a few editorial changes) should be posted here for others who may have read the same material. It serves as a response to the similar false accusations made throughout this spam email attack. The response reads:

From: Chris Wilde
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 9:35 PM

Dear ____,

Thanks for your note. Various versions of this anonymous email that you forwarded have been floating around since mid January. Just the fact that they are anonymous accusations against other believers raises the issue of credibility for thoughtful people. In answer to your first question, the writer refuses to identify himself to us. The email is a combination of fabrications and innuendo.

As to the points raised in the message, I have responded briefly to some of the main ones below. Please feel free to follow-up with me regarding any remaining questions you may have. My responses are in blue and in brackets.

As I have expressed to you many times, we are very appreciative of your unwavering support, and our prayers are continually with you as you have had to face your own level of persecution for taking a principled and righteous stand on our behalf. We remain eager to do whatever we can to make your job easier.

----- Original Message -----
From: "ccftruth ccftruth" <cc4truth@hotmail.com>
To: <cc4truth@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2003 10:18 AM
Subject: DISSENT IN LOCAL CHURCH OF WITNESS LEE OVER RECENT LAWSUIT CONTROVERSIAL GROUP ATTEMPTS TO JUSTIFY THEIR LAWSUITS AGAINST CHRISTIANS DISSENT IN THE LOCAL CHURCHES OVER RECENT LAWSUIT

The little known, yet controversial Local Church of Witness Lee, has Filed a $130 million dollar lawsuit against Harvest House Publishers. This Was done in cooperation and under the direction of Living Stream Ministry - a Lee family publishing house.

[Two items are inaccurate in this last sentence. First, LSM has not directed or taken a leadership role over other Plaintiffs in filing the lawsuit. Church leaders from around the country have come together on a regular basis to fellowship on this issue. All decisions have come from that group-and relatively few of those leaders work for Living Stream Ministry.

Second, Living Stream Ministry is not a "Lee family" entity. It is a California 501 C-3 (not for profit) corporation governed by a board of directors. There are 15 directors in total-only one of whom is a "Lee family" member. None of the officers are members of Witness Lee's family. Andrew Yu is the General Manager--no relation to Witness Lee's family. Benson Phillips is the President.]

The subject of this suit is the inclusion of the Local Church in the "Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions". However, it should be noted that several Local Churches have opted out of the lawsuit. These include congregations in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburg, Newton, New York City and several others. Their refusal to participate has caused political infighting among the Local Church leadership, as many pro lawsuit leaders consider "oneness" with the Living Stream Ministry as a de facto tenet of their faith. Those who refuse to express such oneness with the Lee family and the employees of their publishing house, are considered: "out of the flow", "not one with the New Testament ministry", "rebellious against God's one government on the earth" and other equally bizarre notions.

[Again, here, the facts do not match the message. There are 94 churches currently participating as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. There are nearly 300 churches in the United States that receive ministry materials from Living Stream Ministry and are in fellowship with each other on a regular basis. There was never any attempt to achieve universal individual participation of every church in the suit. Those churches that are individual plaintiffs have chosen to do so voluntarily and those who have elected not to participate in that way have suffered absolutely no ill will. In fact, at least three of the six churches identified in this email as being opposed to the lawsuit are participating financially in support of the legal expenses for this case. The writer seems to be attempting to sow discord among the churches (the email has been sent to many local churches and church members) by such misrepresentations. There have been regular leadership conferences in the US before and after the suit was filed and representatives from nearly all of the churches have participated. There has been no opposition to the lawsuit expressed by any church that I am aware of. And there is absolutely no pressure on any person or church to march in 'lock-step' on this issue or any other. Furthermore, the comments in quotes are utter fabrications. I have never heard any church leader make statements like these.]

EXPERTS CONSIDER LOCAL CHURCH A CULT
In spite of what seems obvious to many, representatives of the Local Church refuse to admit they are a cult. Not unlike the Church of Scientology, they aggressively attempt to sue their critics into silence.

[The comparison of the local churches and Living Stream Ministry to Scientology is mystifying--yet it has been circulated on the web. The current lawsuit is the first that Living Stream Ministry or the Local Church has ever been involved with. Witness Lee and one local church (Anaheim) were involved in two suits in the early 1980s, one of which a number of other churches also joined in. I think that the Church of Scientology may have been involved with more than 200 suits. LSM has been incorporated since 1966 and the first local church was incorporated in the US in 1962, so this can hardly be considered a litigious history. It also needs to be remembered that our suit is responsive in nature. The false accusations of criminal and other despicable behavior, as well as the insertion of attorneys into the process and the filing of lawsuits were all initiated by Harvest House Publishers against us. We spent eleven months trying to meet with the other side to resolve this issue according to the Scriptural pattern, only to have a suit filed against us when we were involved in what, for us at least, was a good-faith attempt at resolution. A detailed description of our efforts can be found at www.contendingforthefaith.com/summary/defamation/index.html, which also includes copies of our letters sent to Harvest House during that time. Even after the suits were filed, additional efforts were made at bringing about a Christian resolution, only to be rebuffed by the other side.]

However, regardless of their litigious tactics, many third party objective observers have separately and independently concluded that the Local Church is indeed a cult. Several of these observers are well-respected scholars and experts on cult issues. Furthermore, these studies confirm the observation and experience of many who have left the Local Church, and openly admit that what they left was clearly not an evangelical church but a heterodox cultic group.

[This falsehood is particularly disconcerting. Objective, third party observers and independent respected scholars have clearly been favorable to the local churches. From our experience, the Christian 'counter-cult' movement is more marked by the features of yellow journalism than by original or scholarly research. Most of our opposers borrow heavily from one another, and often they have traded in innuendo and ad homonym attacks. What opposing voice has first come to us to do actual research? The writer of the email refers to "studies by respected scholars" to back up his conclusions. Our question to him is: Where are these studies? Who are these scholars?

In contrast, several genuine scholars have studied us, examining all aspects of our teachings, our practices and our worship. They include Dr. John Saliba, University of Detroit; Eugene Goetchius, Ph.D., Th.D., Episcopal Theological School, retired; Dr. Rodney Stark, University of Washington; Dr. H. Newton Malony, Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary; Dr. Edwin Gaustad, Professor Emeritus, University of California Riverside, retired; & Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion, University of California Santa Barbara and author of several authoritative works including the Encyclopedia of American Religions. Dr. Melton, in particular, has done extensive, first-hand research on both Witness Lee and the Local Church. (I would be happy to fax a copy of his recent chapter on us from Religions of the World, his most recent work. Let me know if this would be helpful). The accounts of all these scholars are found in The Experts Speak.]

MISUSING THE SCRIPTURES AND OTHER CHURCH WRITINGS
When challenged about their litigious actions, the Local Church has attempted to justify their suing of Christians by making unsound arguments to support their position. According to outside observers, these attempts only serve to confirm that they are a cult, as cults have a tendency to selectively use and massage the Scriptures in order to conveniently match their predetermined purposes. This practice among the Local Church leadership is well known and was endorsed by their founder, the late Witness Lee. However, they do not limit this practice to the Bible but extend it to other writings. For example, in order to support his heretical teaching that man is becoming God, Lee went so far as to lift, completely out of context, a short quote by the Greek father, Athanasius, found in his essay "On the Incarnation". This quote has been co-opted by the Local Church and is now used in Living Stream Ministry literature in the "Lee context", not the "Athanasius context", as it was originally intended.

[Concerning Athanasius and the matter of deification, our entire issue of Affirmation & Critique from February 2002 was devoted to this topic. At the beginning of that issue Ron Kangas wrote: "In the face of certain opposition, some of which may be rash, unreasonable, and unprincipled, we intend to present as clearly as possible a complete and balanced testimony to the divinely revealed truth in the Scriptures that in Christ, through God's salvation, and according to God's economy, we, the believers in Christ, can and will become God in life, in nature, in constitution, and in expression but not in the Godhead and never as an object of worship. We therefore wish to devote this edition of Affirmation & Critique to the marvelous matter of deification in Christ." Therefore to be fair to this precious truth and us honest people should look thoroughly at the web site www.affcrit.com/archives/ac_02_02.html to see for themselves. Others have criticized our teaching on this point, but to date, no one has come forward with a credible Scriptural refutation of this interpretation. We would welcome a meaningful dialog on this subject, as an honest exploration of Scripture on this important point would benefit the entire Body of Christ.]

As indicated above, this same sort of practice is now being used to justify their suing of Christian authors who call into question their teachings and practices. Recent Local Church verbal teaching and written literature, such as a Newsletter published by the Church in San Antonio dated January 31, 2003, specifically instructs their members that 1 Corinthians 6:6-8 does not apply to their lawsuit. Rather, Paul appealing to Caesar is applicable. This, of course, is a twisting of the Scriptures to justify their litigious attitude and actions. In 1 Corinthians Paul is referring to civil lawsuits among Christians. In the instance of appealing to Caesar it was a capital case, not a civil case, and his accusers were Jewish not Christian. By appealing to Caesar Paul was not suing another party. In an attempt to save his life, not his reputation, he appealed to Caesar and at the end of the day still lost his life at the hand of the despot Nero. Quite clearly, the entire appeal-to-Caesar narrative [not direct teaching] has absolutely nothing to do with filing a civil libel lawsuit, as the Local Church has done. In the instance of the Local Church lawsuit it is a civil case against Christians - exactly what the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, is directly teaching against in 1 Corinthians. Thus, the Local Church leadership engaged in this lawsuit are publicly disobeying the teachings of the true and genuine apostles, as given to us by the Holy Spirit in the divinely inspired Scriptures. They are also encouraging innocent members of the Local Churches to join them in their overt disobedience.

[Our teaching and applications of the various passages of the New Testament that deal with conflict resolution involving believers and civil authority include Matthew 18, Romans 13, Acts 25, & 1 Corinthians 6. We have done everything possible to resolve our dispute in accord with Matthew 18--the conclusion of which states in verse 17... "And if he refuses to hear them, tell [it] to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." (NASB) Of course, this does not mean that we no longer consider our accusers in this case as believers, but that, having exhausted every means available to us to talk with them on the basis of this passage, we have no choice but to defend ourselves by means of the law. Romans 13 deals with the necessity of law to protect the good of society. When lawless men are free to wildly accuse individuals and groups of such heinous acts as murder, rape, child molestation, and even human sacrifice without any supporting evidence, then social peace and well-being are surely jeopardized. Please remember that it is such defamatory charges that are at the center of our suit--not doctrinal issues. Finally, 1 Corinthians 6 deals with lawsuits between believers where the parties avoid the counsel of Matthew 18 and rush to court because they are at risk of suffering financial or personal loss. That is not what is happening in this instance. We have not avoided Christian reconciliation. We are not just out to preserve our business interests or personal reputations. What is at stake here is the very survival of a legitimate New Testament ministry that has come under tremendous attack and has been completely misrepresented. Both Paul's words and actions make a clear distinction between these two circumstances. In Acts 20:24 he said "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God." (NASB) Obviously, Paul was not unwilling to give his life for the gospel--therefore, more than his life must have been at stake when he made his appeal to Caesar in Acts 25. What was at stake was the very ministry that God had committed into his hands and the future of that ministry. Below is a portion of our written position on the subject that is posted on the web site mentioned earlier:

Question: Why do you think Scripture allows for litigation in this case?

Answer: Romans 13:1-7 tells us that the civil authority has been ordained by God, "for he is a servant of God to you for good." There is a crucial difference between the lawsuits Paul condemned in 1 Corinthians 6 and the appeal to the civil authorities Paul himself took in the book of Acts: first to appeal to them based on his Roman citizenship, and then to appeal to Caesar when the opposing religionists sought to end his life and his ministry. Paul's appeal to Caesar was greatly used by the Lord to further Paul's ministry and to complete the New Testament revelation, thus justifying Paul's appeal to Roman law. Our action was taken based on the same principle of an appeal to civil authority. We care for the truth; this legal action was not filed with a selfish motive to defraud or avoid being personally defrauded, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6. Rather, it became a necessary step for us to continue the ministry the Lord has entrusted to us.

The Christian way to resolve an unrighteous situation with brothers is described in Matthew 18:15-17. In 1 Corinthians 6:1, Paul rebuked the Corinthians for not giving "the saints" the opportunity to judge the matter (i.e. for not proceeding as described in Matthew 18). In accordance with Matthew 18, we repeatedly sought to meet with Robert Hawkins, Jr., President of Harvest House Publishers, and with authors, John Ankerberg and John Weldon. Their republication of the false charges and refusal to meet with us to seek reconciliation left us with no other alternative than to "let them be to [us] just like the Gentile." This does not mean we disregard them or think they are not Christians. Rather, we pray for their repentance and earnestly desire to be reconciled with them as brothers in Christ. However, it does mean that they have proved unwilling to submit to the Scriptural remedy for their actions and thus have fallen outside the sphere of Christian fellowship in this matter. (See also Scriptural Basis)

It also should be noted that, despite the author's objection to "appealing to Caesar," InterVarsity Christian Fellowship used a similar argument for Christians engaging in litigation in their January 9, 2003 article, "InterVarsity and Rutgers" (www.intervarsity.org/news/news.php?item_id=330):

The New Testament and Legal Action

On issues related to the rights of citizens, the Apostle Paul appealed to representatives of government for redress on several occasions. In Acts 22:22-29, for example, he averted a personal injustice by appealing to his Roman citizenship. This not only spared him from personal pain, but also protected the Roman authorities who would have been called to account for abusing the rights of citizens (v. 29). Paul later appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:11), according to his citizen rights. Christians are not prohibited from using legal means to redress wrongs.

Some Evangelicals have criticized us for filing suit regardless of the reasons given. Yet our actions from the beginning of this dispute fully demonstrate our willingness and desire for an equitable Christian resolution. Why have Harvest House and the authors not been willing to meet in this way? And, if the Evangelical community has such a concern for avoiding litigation, why is no one pressuring Harvest House and the authors to participate in such a resolution now?]

USING BULLY TACTICS TO SILENCE CRITIQUE
In addition to suing Harvest House Publishers, the Local Church has sued, or threatened to sue, Light of Truth Ministries - an apologetic website critiquing the Local Church. Although the Local Church claims they are open to honest debate and critique, they continually threatened and harassed Light of Truth Ministries from its inception and aggressively tried to have it shut down. This was done, even though on the website, Local Church members were welcome to post their views and rebuttals in an open forum. In fact, Jim Moran of Light of Truth Ministries linked readers to Local Church sources so inquirers could find the exact materials he was critiquing. From their attitude and actions it is clearly evident that the Local Church is not at all interested in honest debate and critique. They only wish to silence those who disagree with their false teachings and practices. Dissenting insiders are branded by them as "rebellious poisonous lepers" and publicly maligned. Of course, most just leave and are better off for doing so. Dissenting outsiders are simply sued into silence.

[I believe our actions speak much louder than the writer's unsubstantiated words in regard to our 'tactics.' Our letters to Harvest House and the other defendants testify to our desire for a Christian resolution.

As to Light of Truth Ministries, the former owner of that site passed away recently from a heart attack. He attempted to appear objective by posting replies from church members and sympathizers. We did not, however, sue Light of Truth Ministries or its owner. But any objective analysis of the real motive behind the site would have to conclude that it was anything but a site devoted to 'honest debate and critique'. We did not harass the former owner, although we did object to his use of a website name ("thelocalchurch") that made it appear to be us, when in fact it was a site of his that was critical of us. Following his death, we acquired the site and have for now terminated it. This was done not to stifle honest inquiry or debate, but bring to an end a constant source of misinformation and distortions of the truth.

The email author's supposed quote about "poisonous lepers" and his accusation of publicly maligning dissenters are fabrications, false accusations without substance. In fact the entire email is full of false, inflammatory and loaded language that only serves to cloud the truth.]

Perhaps these strong-arm antics will give the Local Church leadership and their followers some sort of temporary psychological satisfaction. However, ultimately it appears the evangelical church will not be bullied into accepting them as orthodox and non-cultic. Living Stream Ministry books (sic) an hardly be found on any Christian store bookshelves and the Local Church membership in the United States has remained stagnant for 25 years. Furthermore, most of the Western European and West Africa local churches have officially disassociated themselves from the Living Stream Ministry, as have many in the Far East, and several in America. It is quite probable that this trend will continue.

[Over the years, like many Christian churches, we have experienced some dissent and disagreement. There are some cases of churches choosing to no longer associate with our ministry. Some of these were in Western Europe in the 1980s. However, if you look at the actual statistics, neither the impression the writer gives nor his conclusions can be supported by the facts. The number of churches globally that do associate themselves with this ministry has grown dramatically over the past 20 years--from approximately 800 to more than 3,000 (not including what the Lord has done in China). Membership in the US has doubled in the past 10 or so years to nearly 30,000. The total number of local churches outside the United States is up substantially. Even the total number of churches in Europe is higher than ever before.

Again, the use of loaded language like "strong-arm antics" and "bullied" is unwarranted and unfair.]

In spite of Local Church attempts at silencing their critics, hopefully other websites and materials will be forthcoming. This is especially important for our young college students, who need an online resource about this group, so they do not blindly join it without exercising due diligence. Naturally, this particular article is being sent to Christian leaders and all major evangelical student groups across America and abroad.

Please feel free to forward this article to all those on your mailing lists.

I hope the above has answered the main questions that the letter raises. I apologize for the length of some of my answers I hope that I have made the point that what is presented in this anonymous email is substantially untrue. Please also reflect on a couple of points that we would pose, namely… it is interesting that no mechanism currently exists within the Christian church to objectively evaluate material such as this anonymous email. Should it really be necessary to dignify an anonymous letter making wild, unsubstantiated and reckless accusations and innuendo against fellow believers?

Hopefully, we all will come through this current ordeal with a greater degree of tolerance for one another, and a heightened awareness of how those still in the world that we all long to see brought into the kingdom are impacted by this kind of behavior among the believers.

In His bonds and His love,
Chris