ubfhistoryx

Someone has noticed a recent freudian slip by UBF, revealing their continued commitment to ingrown leadership and insularity:

21st-Apr-2009 04:45 am
human12

UBF is holding another discipleship conference. The key verse of this conference is 1 Samuel 13: 14, "The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people…”

But the real purpose of this conference has nothing to do with "a man after God's own heart". As it is clearly stated in the application instruction for the conference posted on the UBF website, the real purpose of this conference is all about "a clear commitment to UBF"

What is the purpose of the Bible study and numerous discipleship conferences in UBF? It is all about "a clear commitment to UBF". So we see a very clear pattern in UBF: Use the Bible to force "a clear commitment to UBF". So how can one have a heart after God's own heart when everything is about "a clear commitment to UBF"?


What else could one expect when the same leadership and leadership mindset is in place?

Some critics and even supporters of UBF have identified a cause of UBF's problems to be "ingrown leadership" This is an assessment of UBF that UBF leaders are reportedly "not defensive about at all". Yet, their seeming lack of defensiveness in front of those they are trying to impress (those whom they deceived into endorsing them) does not equate to an actual recognition of the problem of ingrown leadership. Here are some of UBF leader John Jun's "prayer topics" given at the Feb. 2008 UBF staff conference as reported by a Chicago UBF honcho:

4. Education direction:
  a. From now on everyone (including missionaries from Korea) who wants to be
     a missionary should receive Chicago HQ's intensive training for one month
     to get missionary certificate.
  b. Intern shepherd training will be for one year in HQ too
  c. Chicago area Staff shepherds have two Bible studies every other Monday.
     They finished 1, 11 king, Colossians and now they began 1 Corinthians. Let
     each region have its own Bible study following the example of Chicago area
     UBF.

  Let's go back to the Bible study. [Funny how they're always having to "go
  back". Maybe they should study why they keep drifting away.] Without deep
  Bible study we can  not  make disciples.

5. Public relation.
  We are spiritual special task forces who  fight spiritual battles. Senior
  staff shepherds will engage in public relations. Junior or new members may
  stay inside of UBF meetings to avoid confusion.

What do we see here? It's a commitment to more ingrown leadership. All "education" is to be done in HQ, following the Chicago HQ "example". The occasional paid speaker from outside of UBF will be dutifully listened to and honor-bombed for "public relations" purposes, but all real education will be the usual "intensive" HQ-model Bible study. Nowhere else in John Jun's prayer topics is there a hint of trying to tackle the problem of ingrown leadership.

Then there is the decision that "Junior or new members may stay inside of UBF meetings to avoid 'confusion'". Real relationships with other churches will be discouraged, lest the "sheep" find the grass to be greener elsewhere (and less accompanied by attempts to control their lives). This, again, contributes to ingrown leadership. It's the same old UBF insularity and exclusivism.

Some emails came across my inbox recently showing how a UBF recruit eventually comes to be steered into a UBF marriage "by faith". The steering being shown here is being done by Chicago UBF leader Joseph Ahn with approval from higher-ups in UBF. This is from late 2006, and the prospective couple are a Chicago UBF member ("Dirk") and a Venezuelan UBF member ("Acatadora"). I've emphasized the things below that stood out for me.

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Jose Ahn <@googlemail.com>
> Date: Aug 19, 2006 10:53 AM
> Subject: Re: praying for you
> To: Sarah Barry <@gmail.com>
>
> Dear Mother Barry,
>
> [trimmed]
>
> S. Dirk and Acatadora did very good coworking to deliver opening
> message last night. By the help of the holy spirit through prayer
> with M. Juan and Ana we arranged them to be in the same group
> Bible study. S. Dirk may write his testimony in English. S.
> Acatadora who is a G study leader may help him to translate in
> Spanish. He may read his testimony this afternoon. Tomorrow they
> may to the same way. I talked to Dirk very clearly why we
> came. [One wonders when Dirk found out the true purpose of
> being asked to go to this foreign conference.] What we should
> observe, the God's guiding hands. And decide by Sunday night
> with facts, yes or no. [Pushing a quick decision to get married
> to someone who is essentially a stranger.] I talked with
> Acatadora as M. Juan also wanted to do so. I explained how this
> happened that we could come to this much. I felt as if I
> became Ab' servant of 4000 years ago. [The familiar UBF twist of
> the Isaac & Rebekah story.] I feel the same God is living and guiding
> us step by step. I continue pray that everything may be guided by
> God in his good will. I talked s. Acatadora all the back ground story
> and our prayer. And I told her that she may make her own decision
> by Sunday night. [One wonders what "decision" will be seen as
> acceptable after all this "prayer and preparation" and expensive
> airfare and elevation of the decision to a "decision of
> faith".] After hearing from each separtely, we will check
> God's will with prayer and we will follow the next step. Please
> pray for this.
>
> [trimmed]

Here's another email. Again, I've emphasized the things below that stood out to me.


> From: José Ahn <@googlemail.com>
> To: Sarah Barry <@gmail.com>,
> Kim little sarah <@yahoo.com>,
> "Grace A. Lee" <@hotmail.com>,
> Ron Ward <@msn.com>, @gmail.com,
> vucecovich Mark A <@rcn.com>,
> Mark Yoon <@gmail.com>,
> Ahn Sr Maria <@hotmail.com>,
> Kim James H <@yahoo.com>,
> "Chung Dr. Joseph" <@yahoo.com>,
> Hwang Abraham <@hotmail.com>
> Subject: Venezuela conference and house church
> Date: Aug 20, 2006 14:02:40 -0700
>
> Dear Dr, John Jun,
>
> [trimmed]
>
> I thank God for guiding S. Dirk's house church establishment
> step by step. Now they will have time to confess all their past
> sins before they make a decision before God. We pray that they
> could share all their shameful and horrible past sins committed
> by today. [See Lifton's "Cult of Confession" on how confession increases the power of suggestion.] Yet they may be able
> to forgive all the past sins and accept each other. We pray that still
> they can decide to live together starting a new life for the glory of
> God. [Honesty about one's past is admirable, but keep in mind,
> this is a forced confession session as part of an arranged
> marriage process. And after all that, it's still no basis for a
> marriage.] Please pray for this difficult step. We will
> listen to them what happened to them tonight as one of other sign
> that God wants them to get together. [The UBF magical thinking
> and "sign seeking" in action. He's still fantasy role-playing as
> Abraham's servant of "4000 years ago".] After that we will see
> what we should do. Please pray for this.
>
> [trimmed]


Here's the last email.


> From: José Ahn <@googlemail.com>
> To: @gmail.com, Sarah Barry <@gmail.com>,
> Mark Yoon <@gmail.com>,
> Ahn Sr Maria <@hotmail.com>,
> Ron Ward <@msn.com>,
> vucecovich Mark A <@rcn.com>,
> Kim James H <@yahoo.com>,
> "Grace A. Lee" <@hotmail.com>,
> "Chung Dr. Joseph" <@yahoo.com>,
> Isla Gustavo <@yahoo.com.mx>,
> Kim little sarah <@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: house church
> Date:Mon, 21 Aug 2006 11:09:46 -0700
>
>
> [trimmed]
>
> last night after finishing all program we asked each
> separately how they think about God's will for them. S.
> Dirk said he believes that he could accept this as God's
> blessing for him. S. Acatadora told s. Ana and Juan also that if
> S. Dirk says "yes," She has no problem to accept it as
> God's will for her house church. After confirming this, we
> asked them to meet this morning at 7 a.m. to go to the next
> step. This morning s. Dirk met her and shared each other
> that it is God's will for them to establish a house church.
> Then he said that he knelt down and proposed her saying '
> Will you walk with me all your life time? Will you marry
> me?"... something similar in Spanish as he might have
> practiced alll night long. [A little sleep deprivation added to increase suggestibility.] She said, " Si!" So they decided
> their future before God! [A few days at a conference and a
> few hours of "confession" later, he's proposing to a person
> he met a few days ago, and she's saying "Si!" It's actually
> not an uncommon occurrence in UBF.] After we hear this we
> also knelt down before God and thanked for guiding them thus
> far. [WHO guided them?]
>
> After this we heard that S. Acatadora's old brother who attended the
> conference called his parents. S. Dirk told them in Spanish. It
> is amazing to see that S. Dirk could speak with them! S.
> Dirk made a good friend with Acatadora's brother spending some time
> talking and praying. Her brother Alexander thought Dirk very
> favorably for his opening message and drama and making friends
> etc. [A little extra encouragement (pressure) from a sibling
> in UBF goes a long way.] So Acatadora had no problem to explain
> how in a few days suddenly her future was decided. [This is what the UBF "marriage by process" has been
> described as: An important life decision made in just a few days.
> And UBF leaders' pressuring had absolutely no part in that, they
> swear.] Instead we heard that her parents were very joyful to
> hear that news. [If only her parents had the discernment of
> these parents not to be deceived. But then again, maybe her parents
> did raise concerns. It wouldn't be the first time that UBF
> leaders just glossed over parents' concern over their children's
> sudden decision to get married to someone they just met.]
>
> Remembering Abraham's servant who did not hesite but persisted to
> return immediately since God gave a smooth guidence, we prayed
> that they may make their decision of faith concrete tonight
> through a ceremony. [Still fantasy role-playing as Abraham's
> servant, he wants to rush them in case they have a change of
> heart.] How about this?
>
> I remembered Dr. John Jun who said, one month ago, when I said, I
> am taking s. Dirk to Acatadora. He simply said, they may have an
> engagement there. I was so surprised and answered, I am not sure
> whether we could go that much...... But now I thank God for Dr.
> John Jun's faith. So I had courage to go further. [Is there
> any doubt that the "marriage by faith" program is run from the
> very top of the UBF hierarchy?]
>
> On the way home around 4 p.m. we will let [Yes, you will
> let...] S. Dirk and Acatadora leave us to go by themselves and
> buy their rings to exchange tonight. [This must be their
> idea of a worthy activity on a "first date".]
>
> [trimmed]

While UBF-Land rejoices in the purchase/erection of another property and touts another abusive chapter leader as "exemplary", a recent (winter 2007) testimony tells the real story:

(from http://community.livejournal.com/rsqubf/131017.html)

TESTIMONY by Andrey S. (ex Kiev UBF)

Yesterday several brothers and I were virtually expelled from the church [Kiev UBF]. I think it is difficult to misinterpret the pronouncements of our pastor [Peter Kim, the Kiev UBF director, he is not really a pastor], since he repeated them about 20 times: “Such people should leave”, “It is better for you not to come anymore”, “Change yourself, we will continue in the same way as we have always done”. That whole story did not begin yesterday, such stories repeated in UBF time and again for more than 40 years.

I have not been an accidental person in UBF and I have not been a “rebel”. I attended UBF for almost 11 years and did everything I was demanded to do. Often I felt that something was wrong but could not understand the exact problem. I was a witness of many weird acts: punishments for coming too late [to UBF meetings], running around the campus shouting slogans, revilements and humiliations for hours of people who brought too small an offering or just had a sad face, permanent atmosphere of fear of the pastor [the Kiev UBF Director], compulsion of sick persons to leave their beds to attend insignificant and unwholesome UBF meetings that often were dedicated to humiliations of somebody else, and many other things. I endured those things, believing they were accidental mistakes, for who does not make mistakes?

But one day I discovered that they are not accidental mistakes of a specific man, but fruits of a system. I found out horrible facts about forced abortions (in Chicago and Korea), destruction of families and violation of the personality of members. All these things are called “disciple training” in UBF. I am sad that the understanding of these words depreciated to such a level. When I found out all these things, my eyes were opened and I decided that it was impossible, sinful and irresponsibly before God to cowardly keep silent. I went to the pastor and talked to him that the church had to go through repentance for these detestable things. Two days before (as if they had a presentiment) I had been dismissed from Sunday messages, and the group, where I was the leader, was broken up (of course only in part, the Korean missionaries left my group, but my Bible students remained). The talk [with the director Peter Kim] was difficult, I had a feeling of pain and suffering, and I was named a “person with an evil spirit”. Nevertheless I did not leave, but continued to talk personally with the pastor, and later several other brothers also talked with him, and finally I publicly shared my testimony. It was a difficult time, but I decided to endure it and stay, in the hope that everything will change. This whole story lasted 8 months. I did not behave insolently or forwardly, I tried to talk decently and with dignity.

Since about a month I was not talking with anybody about the issue. But yesterday the pastor himself put an end to it. It started with one sister delivering a message on 1Tim 2:8-15 (the brothers were not allowed to deliver messages because they sort of fell into disgrace in the eyes of the pastor). Please read this passage carefully [as it contains the words “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”]. In her message the sister said “I thank the brothers for leaving the sisters the spiritual privilege of delivering messages”. At the end of the meeting, the pastor reminded everybody of that phrase, adding that the brothers did not simply leave that privilege to the sisters, but that they lost that privilege, calling them “rubbish.” Then one of the brothers stood up, said “You are telling a lie!”, and went out. This brother was responsible for the construction of the new church building, which was a very big work and responsibility (of course without getting any compensation for that). He then was immediately dismissed from his position and a new person was appointed [when the building was almost finished]. After that the words “such people should better leave” were used, particularly referring to three persons: my friend, the brother who already went out, and me.

I do not regret anything and I thank the Lord. The Lord was leading me and helped me not to be a fearful person. The Lord taught me an omni-important lesson: There is no place for exaltation of one above the other in any Christian community, as Jesus taught in Mk 10 and Mt 23. The violation of even the smaller commands of Jesus leads to bad consequences. I had experienced that on my own back.

What next? I want to open a home ministry, something like www.simplechurch.com.ua. It is important to communicate with Christians. They will have a conference in two days. I want to better understand how to walk my life and minister in the future.

Andrei S. (ex Kiev UBF)

(This is belated.)

The annual UBF "Founder's Day" will be held in Chicago this week, followed by a wedding (of course). The Samuel Lee praiseology sharers are supposed to have prepared their praiseologies "according to the facts" about Samuel Lee. ("According to the facts" seems to have become a catch phrase in UBF in recent years.) I hope some members and "sheep" will consider the facts about Samuel Lee that will be presented here in the next couple of days, unpleasant facts that they are not likely to hear during UBF "Founder's Day"

(Read the rest...)

Why was this an issue in the 2000-2001 UBF reform movement that began in Korea and resulted in the big split?

2. There was a picture of MSU auditorium in the special edition of the 1999 MSU Summer Conference. But the two stories are fabricated into a three stories auditorium. This is an immoral act that can not be accepted in the society. Because of this, many young Christians, whether in the mission lands or in Korea, fell into trials and backslided. This not only resulted in falling down the public trust of UBF, but also led to distrust the personality and belief of M. Samuel Lee. Nevertheless, why did you repeat these kind of things again and again? Why do you publish the UBF Newsletter in Korea, which is edited in the world headquarter in Chicago? Why did you sell this UBF Newsletter in the USA which was published in Korea, spending some tens of thousand dollars by Korea UBF? Where do you use that money?


Why did S. Lee do this, engage in the fabrication of pictures to try to make attendance at UBF events greater than it actually was? Wasn't it because he was a pathological narcissist who needed to see himself and have others see him as bigger and more important than he actually was? Isn't that why he also obtained a "Ph.D." from a known degree mill? Another reason S. Lee would engage in such fabrications is, well, that truth and integrity were just not that important to him, who could "do *everything* for the glory of God" (actually, for the glory of himself and the organization he founded).

Some (many?) in UBF might ask with the usual UBF defensive mindset, "Well, who did this fabrication really hurt? What's the big deal?" Who did S. Lee hurt in his extreme desire to glorify himself? Just everyone around him, that's all. You have no idea of the financial, psychological and physical tortures he inflicted on people with his insane emphasis on the "registration battles" during conferences, such as that one in 1999.

Anyway, that 1999 newsletter was not the only example of S. Lee's pre-photoshop fabrications. See the following for examples of these fabrications in UBF newsletters:

* In this Jan. 1998 newsletter, page 29 contained this fabrication of a balcony of the Wharton Center on the campus of Michigan State U:



(full size version)

According to the caption, this was S. Lee's idea of "artwork".

* In this July 1998 newsletter, the cover contained these fabrications of full seats in the upper levels of a Seoul Olympic complex:





No claim of "artwork" this time, meaning this was an earnest attempt to fabricate filled seats since empty seats were apparently a sin in S. Lee's eyes. This July 1998 event was the UBF "world mission report" during which S. Lee supposedly rebuked the Korean UBF leaders for having too extravagant a celebration of UBF. He was apparently so upset at having such an extravagant celebration that he felt the need to have the empty seats excised from the official photo. (And even for official photos at the MSU international conferences, I can remember S. Lee ordering every other row of seats taped off so that the main auditorium would have the illusion of being more filled than it actually was.)

* In the 1999 newsletter which became a reform movement issue, page 2 contains yet another fabricated MSU Wharton Center:



(full size version)

Again, no claim of "artwork", but incredibly, a second balcony has been added to the Wharton Center, and both "balconies" are filled to overflowing with clones of audience members from the main level, in proportion to the level of pride and self-glorification that Lee had reached by this time. And above this abominable fabrication, this lie, Lee had written in big, bold letters: "Have Faith In God".

As someone commented:

They used scissors and glue to make these images. They also use scissors and glue when they write UBF history.

See this link, for the definition of a TACO. Here's an excerpt that is such a spot on description of "marriage by faith":

As for relationships with the opposite sex, most TACOs strongly discourage dating, and some actually forbid it outright. Most such groups teach a semi-mystical notion of divine match-making, and many require couples to obtain permission (not just counsel) before marriage, and some go so far as actually to arrange marriages. And regardless of the specific group, all TACOs consider only other members as ideal or even proper marriage partners.

Samuel Lee, as any honest member of UBF (current or former) will admit, constantly advertised himself and boasted exaggeratedly about himself, making himself the center of UBF life. The UBF of today continues that "legacy" and "heritage" of idolatry.

A short Christmas address delivered by a UBF veteran: "I know we get a little tired of hearing about shepherding, but let's hear about it anyway. At Christmas we learn that we must give our lives to be shepherds. When I think of shepherding, I cannot but be reminded of that most exemplary shepherd, 'Mother Barry,' who gave her life to shepherd others for blah number of decades. And, oh yeah, thank God for Shepherd Jesus."

A short address delivered by a UBF veteran before a meal at a restaurant: "I learned through today's 'Daily Bread' that all those bad things that happen to you (like your anger and bitterness at having been abused in UBF) happen because you are unfaithful to God, like the Jews were in the Old Testament."

UBFisms seen at Christmas: The huge "registration battle" chart for the UBF X-Mas meeting pasted to the basement wall at the UBF headquarters in Chicago (yeah, it's still there, and with it, the same ungrace and spiritual abuse).

This is my comment on a blog post by a person who seems to have gained a "new perspective" on UBF after over a year of UBF-style honor bombing:


Among the worst abuses I saw in the Chicago UBF happened in the 1990s. A man in the beginning stages of brain cancer was declared to be faking his physical suffering to avoid ministry work, and leaders in the ministry were made to make hours-long walks, sometimes in their bare feet in winter, for failing to meet Sunday worship attendance numeric goals and other petty reasons (See link). And while this was going on, respected scholars like Robert Coleman and Ruth Tucker were occasionally guest speakers at UBF meetings. They were given places of honor. They were "love bombed" and made to feel oh so welcome, something that groups like UBF and the Unification Church are so good at. They saw the UBF that the leaders wanted them to see, while in the UBF they did not see, abusive "shepherding and discipling" were running rampant. We used their credentials as a defense of UBF ("Why, a cult would never invite Robert Coleman and Ruth Tucker to speak at their meetings."). We listened dutifully to their lectures. We "laughed at their remotely funny lines with real gusto." After they left, we ignored anything they had said.

John's general tone of minimizing the years (sometimes decades) of suffering of former members in UBF is troubling. The unspecified and euphemistically admitted "mistakes" that have been made should outrage almost any Christian who reads about the specific and gross abuses that people have suffered in UBF, abuses that have broken minds and lives, shipwrecked faith, broken families and lead to reports in various publications and the media over the years about UBF being a cult (See link). I'm sorry, but "cultural misunderstandings" did not lead to these gross abuses. (The fact is that all the major calls for reform and calls for change within UBF over the decades have come from first generation KOREAN members of UBF, even when UBF was a fledgling movement still confined to Korea in the 1970s.) Yes, the 40 years of totalitarian and "ingrown leadership" by Ron Ward's "mentor" who died in that "tragic fire" did lead to those gross abuses, as Ron Enroth has described in "Churches That Abuse".

Maybe things have changed in UBF to a degree, due in part to changes in leadership, and in part due to the exposure of the cultic nature of UBF's practices by this most recent generation of "aggressive" former members (maybe they and past generations of UBF critics should be thanked, not dismissed as "silly"). Change was needed, and change is good. Yet, in spite of the claimed "changes," even many current UBF members would wonder what UBF John is talking about. For instance, what John euphemistically calls "treating relational sin seriously," they would recognize to be the continued UBF practice of "marriage by faith," a practice of arranged and controlled marriage. I pray UBF will clean the inside of the cup as well. Maybe someday.

A couple of links:

* http://community.livejournal.com/rsqubf/88751.html - A young UBF member runs into the rigid brick wall of UBF's "marriage by faith tradition" (secondary link: http://community.livejournal.com/rsqubf/87445.html)

* http://community.livejournal.com/rsqubf/104892.html - The Fifth Commandment gets all twisted up in a UBF sermon. (Abusive discipleship doesn't come from nowhere.)


Don't blame Mr. Armstrong. Blame the ones who continue a decades-long pattern of deception rather than repentance.

UPDATE: To his credit, Mr. Armstrong did post two "follow-ups" in which he tried to take a more neutral tone, particularly in the "part 2" follow-up. Here are the links:

* http://johnharmstrong.typepad.com/john_h_armstrong_/2007/02/following_up_on.html

* http://johnharmstrong.typepad.com/john_h_armstrong_/2007/03/following_up_on.html

In the second follow-up, he writes, "But I think they [UBF leadership] would be served, as some critics have noted, to provide some general acknowledgment of past mistakes and some present public recognition that they are attempting to listen." Sorry, John, but I doubt this will happen in either of our lifetimes.

UBF also has an "endorsement" by Mr. Armstrong up on their web site in which Mr. Armstrong writes to the effect that he finds the charges against UBF "baseless." John, which is it?

"But the Lord said to him, 'Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.' " Lk. 11:39 (NET)

http://community.livejournal.com/rsqubf/103476.html?thread=542004#t542004