I am disappointed to have to criticize Watchman Nee's book on authority. Heretofore, I had highly recommended Nee without reservation. He is, after all, the author of the book I consider "second to the Bible", *The Spiritual Man*. He penned that book on what everyone thought would be his death bed (he was instead miraculously raised up), and probably as a consequence it possesses a rare purity.

So it was with eagerness that I finally turned to Nee to explicate authority, a subject I consider especially critical to the church at this time.

On one hand, this book is a blessing. Nee gives breathtaking insight into how Christ's work of obedience saved all of creation from falling into total chaos. He gives a very technical yet organic view of the nature of the Trinity that is highly revealing. I agree wholeheartedly with his take on the relational essence of that Union, but I'll have to let some of his other assertions simmer a while before I can pass judgment on them.

But when it comes to the matter at hand, authority, this book strongly falls short. Nee makes some rather stunning and bizarre assertions without substantiation. For example, Nee claims that the person who is saved first - yes, I'm talking about chronological order here - is "over" those saved afterward. What scriptural proof do we have for this unique insight? For the 75 pages for which I was able to keep this book open, exactly none.

Consider the implications. According to Nee's dictum, by my reckoning Barnabus would be over Paul. For that matter, so too would Ananias of Damascus, Paul's baptizer. Andrew would probably be over Peter. The proverbial guy who led Billy Graham to the Lord would be over him. And so on. Am I missing something here? This is so outlandish I can scarcely believe it made it to print.

But even worse than the stretching of any particular doctrine beyond any reasonable bounds is Nee's constant hammering away at the submission theme. And I do mean constant. Virtually every page hits it loud and hard. For a while, it's acceptable, and then excusable, as the reader with increasing unease allows the writer to make his point. But then it becomes abusive. There is no other word for it. I learned long ago that if a writer has to obsess on a theme ad nauseam, some vital perspective is invariably lacking.

Some have written here about how this book did a lot of good in their lives. I don't doubt it, and if they got something good from it I'm happy for them. But as a matter of doctrine on the subject of authority, I must say that this book, despite some deep insights, is a dangerous failure.

I'm sorry to have to say that about a Nee work, as he unarguably is an singularly gifted explicator. If you want to read him at his best, check out *The Spiritual Man*.

This is a must read for those that believe in Jesus Christ and the Bible. Written by a man under persecution for his faith, imprisoned and still wanted to get the message out to help other believers. One of his best works, an easy read and full of enlightment.

This is an excellent book; for those serious about incorporating godly principles into your own life; get out the pen/paper/highlighter because you will find yourself wanting to highlight and take notes every paragraph you read, it is that full of useful information. I gave 2 of these books as gifts and we all agree this is an excellent resource for applying the principles of God in your life.

If you want to read an indepth analysis of our walk with Christ, this is the book! Watchman Nee is an exceptional individual - we should all aspire to be like him.

About the book itself, I don't have so much to tell you, cous I didn't read a couple of pages yet, but the product arrived my home in a perfect way, high conservation. For the few text i read, it really worths! Great!