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Date Posted: 09:31:45 10/08/04 Fri
Author: Tom F
Subject: UBF Doctrine

It has been said plenty of times that UBF is socially and ethically corrupt. What about its doctrine, its belief systems? What incorrect beliefs does it hold on to (i.e., using scripture out of context, etc) that would make it crossover to being a cult? I have a few ideas, please add more:

1. You can lose your salvation after you are saved. If you fall out of favor with God, meaning if you disobey your Shepherd, then you are not saved anymore. Ron Ward, Pastor of UBF Chicago, once told me that "you can never be sure of your salvation". He then told me that "Samuel Lee often questioned his status with God". Does anyone else in UBF believe this? I don't really think so, but it would be nice to hear it from someone in UBF.

2. Marraige by faith. This is a twisting of the scriptures concerning Rebekah and Isaac. This also incorporates another UBF idiom, "grab the blessing". When the blessing is there, grab it! The way it was explained to me sounds like we are to jump at the chance for an opportunity when it presents itself, whether or not we believe it is the right thing to do. (As long as we obey our Shepherds.) Just grab it! Anybody want to explain either of these ideas to me?

3. Spiritual order. We all know the routine: sheep are obedient to their Shepherds, who are under their fellowship leaders, who are under their chapter directors, who are under the UBF director, or something like that. Now, I am not saying that there is nothing wrong with churhces or ministries having leaders that make decisions. Every church needs leadership. However, the relationship given here is one way, and is not bi-directional. It does not serve, but it is served. Anyone want to comment on this from UBF?

While these may seem sociological, they are truly doctrinal at their roots, stemming from an improper interpretation of scripture. Wrong beliefs and values put a ministry in the wrong direction. I think that these social and ethical problems are symptoms of an improper "belief window". (A belief window is an analogy. We perceive our world by the beliefs we look through. If we have improper beliefs about ourselves, God, and the world, we need to re-evaluate our belief window. I hope that makes sense to you.) The core of any ministry is its value system. If you have any thoughts on this for the purpose of broadening our scope of understanding, feel free to add to this discussion. I welcome anyone in UBF to discuss these topics in this forum, so we might reason together...uh...reasonably. :)

God Bless,

Tom Fosler

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