Living Stream Ministry
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Living Stream Ministry (LSM), founded in 1968 by Witness Lee, is a non-profit corporation based in Anaheim, California, affiliated with the Local Church Movement. Its activities include publication of the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, the Recovery Version of the Bible, tracts, and other works. It also has a broadcast arm which produces radio programs. It is a member of the "Evangelical Christian Publishers Association" (since 2002) and the "Christian Booksellers Association" (since 1981).
While Lee claimed the Local Church as part of the Christian tradition, his Recovery version of the Bible and some of his major teachings have been criticized as cultlike and heretical by evangelical and mainstream Christian theologians and ministers. In 2001, Lee's organization, Living Stream Ministry, sued Harvest Book publishers for including the Local Churches in an encyclopedia of cults and new religions. They lost their suit. In January 2007, more than 70 theologians and pastors from seven countries posted an open letter detailing the ways in which Lee's teaching and Living Stream Ministry separated believers from true Christianity.[1] They called on Local Churches to end their alienation from Christian denominations.
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[edit] Mission statement
The Living Stream Ministry publishes the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, providing the authoritative and definitive collections. The writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee focus on the enjoyment of the divine life and on the building up of the Local Churches.
Living Stream Ministry provides video tapes, audio tapes, and printed spiritual materials, which it distributes through Local Churches and their bookstores. The ministry also supports broadcasting programs that broadcast ministry messages. These include the Life-Study of the Bible, a thirty-minute radio program composed of excerpts from the works of Witness Lee. This program, which began production in 1996, is currently broadcast in three languages to more than 100 radio stations.
LSM distributes complimentary copies of the Recovery Version New Testament through Bibles for America, Bibles for Australia, Bibles for New Zealand, Bibles for Canada, and related organizations.
The Living Stream Ministry has a total amount of $54,654,000 in net assets and $7,421,000 annual revenue in 2003, and $59,116,000 net assets, $17,622,000 annual revenue in 2007 according to MinistryWatch statistics.
[edit] Additional activities
Living Stream Ministry conducts various conferences and trainings throughout the year [2][3] for churches in the Lord's Recovery.[4] It offers the Full Time Training in Anaheim, a two-year program whose purpose is to "foster living, functioning, overcoming members of the Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose."[5] The Ministry also "donates funds to other 501(c)(3) organizations," [2] such as Bibles for America, the Defense and Confirmation Project, et al., as well various local churches in support of each's respective mission.
[edit] Lawsuits
During its short history, Living Stream Ministry has been criticized by numerous Christian denominations for its inaccurate presentation of Christian thought. It has filed lawsuits against publishers and other bodies, and denigrated Christian denominations.
In 1999, the new book The Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions included a short entry on the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry. It was published by Harvest House Publications. Some Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry sued the publisher for $136 million dollars for defamation, part of a pattern of litigation when it perceived criticism. In January, 2006, an appellate court in Texas ruled in favor of the publisher, dismissing the suit in summary judgement. The decision was appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case.[6]
On May 16, 2007, some Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari.[7] This petition was denied on 18 June 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b 2007 Tax Return p. 6
- ^ Upcoming Conferences and Trainings
- ^ Invitation to 2007 Thanksgiving Conference
- ^ [2]
- ^ "ReligionNewsBlog". http://www.religionnewsblog.com/17062/open-letter-to-local-church. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ^ [3]
- ReligionNewsBlog. [4]
- Charity Navigator. Charity Summary - Living Stream Ministry. Retrieved May 14, 2005.
- Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Voting Members. Retrieved May 14, 2005.
- MinistryWatch. Summary Profile. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
