WITNESS LEE GROUP SUES FOR $136 MILLION
& RIGHT TO BE CALLED "EVANGELICAL"
From Christianity Today -- The Local Church insists it is evangelical, not a cult. Living Stream Ministry (LSM), the group's nonprofit publishing corporation, has joined the main trade group for evangelical publishers and hired a top literary agent for Christian writers. Living Stream points to its statement of faith as proof of its orthodox beliefs.

Local Church leaders are fending off their critics in court. Living Stream, the Local Church, and affiliated congregations are jointly suing evangelical author and television host John Ankerberg, coauthor John Weldon, and Harvest House Publishers for libel, seeking $136 million in damages. Their Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, first published in 1999, includes an article critical of the Local Church.

I don't understand why, if as Barna recently suggested, evangelicals are one of the least respected groups in America, this group wants to be seen as among us. Aren't they better off just being a "cult"? The Mormons got over it and look how well they're doing!

Along a related vein, Michael Spencer has been asking "Why do they hate us? Evangelical Christians are almost universally disliked. Is there a good reason?" Frankly, I can understand why MOST evangelicals get a bad rap. But I don't understand why people continue to dislike even those of us who are more perfect evangelicals -- kind, thoughtful, theologically easy-going, seeker-friendly, upbeat, good looking, and humble...

Then the whole issue is compunded by a bunch of these local church guys trying to weasel in on our success. Go figure.