Watchman Nee and Witness Lee Acknowledged by the United States Congress
At Bibles for America we feature the writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Both writers have been formally acknowledged by the United States Congress. Records of their acknowledgement can be found in the official Congressional Records in 2009 and 2014:
2009
https://www.congress.gov/111/crec/2009/07/31/CREC-2009-07-31-pt1-PgE2110.pdf
2014
https://www.congress.gov/113/crec/2014/04/29/CREC-2014-04-29-pt1-PgE621-3.pdf
The statements issued by the United States Congress aimed to draw attention to the persecution faced by Chinese Christians who follow the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, seeking to put pressure on China to end such persecution. This is excerpted from the above Congressional Record from 2014:
Inside mainland China the number of “hidden” believers following the ministry of Nee and Lee has continued to grow despite the Chinese government's often extreme measures to suppress and openly persecute them. Historically, members of the churches in China who appreciate the ministry of Nee and Lee have been among the most harshly persecuted. Thousands have been imprisoned, countless beaten, and many even martyred. It is estimated today that there may be two million believers and thousands of local churches in China that draw their spiritual nourishment and supply from the ministry of Nee and Lee.
Recently, reports have reached the West that Christian believers in two provinces have been imprisoned merely for possessing copies of the Recovery Version, a study Bible published by Living Stream Ministry... Today Watchman Nee is still labeled as a “dangerous counterrevolutionary,” and Witness Lee is officially branded as a “cult leader.” The writings of both men are banned in China. It is tragic that Watchman Nee died in a Chinese prison farm, totally unaware of how profoundly his life and ministry would impact the entire world. It is a similar tragedy that Witness Lee died in 1997 with such a blatant, gross distortion hanging over his name and his ministry in his homeland.
Anticipating the persecution that would follow the Communist revolution in China, Watchman Nee sent his closest co-worker, Witness Lee, to Taiwan as a precaution. His foresight proved accurate, as he was ultimately martyred in a Communist prison. Witness Lee continued their
work in Taiwan and eventually came to the United States in the 1960s. Due to his prevailing work some Christian groups out of jealousy labelled him as a cult leader. The Chinese government used this as further justification to persecute the churches and believers in China that follow his ministry. However, the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee have been affirmed by Fuller Theological Seminary to “represent the genuine, historical, biblical Christian faith in every essential aspect… In regard to their teaching and testimony concerning God, the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the Bible, salvation, and the oneness and unity of the Church, the Body of Christ, we found them to be unequivocally orthodox.”
For a full copy of Fuller Theological Seminary’s statement, please visit:
https://an-open-letter.org/en/fuller-theological-seminary/
The ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee stands upon the shoulders of the many great Christian teachers of the past. Their spiritual heritage can be traced through western missionaries that went to China. Watchman Nee received much help from Margaret E. Barber, a missionary from England, who also introduced him to spiritual books of other great Christian teachers. Details concerning these books and the influence that these western teachers had on Watchman Nee can be found in Witness Lee’s biography of Watchman Nee:
https://www.ministrysamples.org/excerpts/READING-SPIRITUAL-BOOKS.HTML
For a further explanation and more 3rd party affirmations of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee’s ministry, please visit:
https://an-open-letter.org/PDF/Our%20FaithTestimony%20and%20History.pdf