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Date Posted: 09:23:25 12/02/04 Thu
Author: Chris
Subject: Thanks for writing
In reply to: UBF member 's message, "Thoughts" on 02:08:13 12/02/04 Thu

Dear UBF member, thank you for sharing your thoughts and heartily welcome on the board. If you want to write more often, please chose a unique nickname, or your real nickname or Christian name. We are all adult people, we wouldn't bite you if you behave in a reasonable way.

First of all, I would like to immediately refute your claim that many people HATE UBF. Of course, there are parents or relatives of UBFers who hate UBF for stealing their children, there are some who hate UBF because they destroyed their marriage or are still actively interfering, and there are some, like TS, who sound somewhat hateful, but I know they are only letting off steam here and in their hearts they do not really hate UBF, at least not UBF members. Another point I am not tired of emphasizing again and again is that you should make a difference between people who hate the UBF as an organization or abusive system, and between people who hate certain UBF leaders, and people who hate UBF members generally. Speaking about people who "hate UBF" blurs that distinction and is not helpful for anybody. Let me add that I personally, for example, do not hate UBF members, not even the leaders, I only hate what some of the leaders are doing. That's a difference. Any UBF member is heartily invited to my house or communicate via email when I see it is serious and he or she has an open mind. I would even welcome Sarah Barry or Peter Chang if I would see they honestly want to discuss the issues. For a long time, I even prayed for them every morning, even after leaving UBF (meanwhile, I have come to the conclusion that it is a waste of time because they closed their hearts and crossed the point of no return, but this is only my personal conclusion which I am willing to correct any time, and it also does not mean I hate them). Sorry, I just had to say that again, though I said it many times.

Everything else you wrote, I am pretty sure it comes from your heart and I tend to believe what you write. Concerning your example of a non-arranged marriage, yes, there are exceptions from the rule. Especially, when UBF is in the cross fire of criticism and suffers from loss of members, it tends to make temporary concessions or cosmetic changes. They also made some cosmetic changes after 1976 and the other reform movements. But later, even worse abuse happened.

There was one very good sentence in your posting: Light and darkness cannot be at the same place at the same time.

I see that you can draw two different conclusions from that: First, most UBF critics would draw the conclusion that those in UBF who still have a conscience should dissociate from the abusers like Peter Chang, because light and darkness cannot be at the same place. You probably know that much worse charges have been brought forth against Peter Chang, but instead getting disciplined, he only climbed a step higher in the UBF hierarchy.

Second, this sentence can also be used as a rational in black & white thinking. Black and white thinking works like that: You see that one side of two has some dark spots. (For instance, you see that one or two UBF critics write postings which appear to be hateful.) So you conclude that this whole side with the dark spot is the �dark side�. From this, you conclude that the other side is the �bright side�. So, you conclude that UBF, as a whole, must be ok, and it must be God�s ministry. When I was in UBF, black & white thinking in my mind worked like that: There were no Internet sites about UBF (in the beginning, there wasn�t even an Internet) and the only criticism of UBF I was aware of came from the Protestant church in Germany. However, I immediately saw the dark spot of the critic, namely that he was a represent ant of the historical-critical method. So I dismissed everything what he wrote, even when it had nothing to do with historical-critical view, and was very legitimate criticism. So, for me, UBF critics were on the dark side (they did not believe in the Bible), and UBF was on God�s side. It was as simple as that. There was only black & white.

The reality however, is in most cases in real life, there is never a completely black side and a completely white side. I know that there are many good Christians in UBF among the rank-and-file members, and maybe even among some of the leaders. I also know that these good Christians, eventually will become corrupt, or will leave UBF one day as many did before.

The Bible gives many examples, that black & white can be at the same place. Take Judas Iscariot for example, who was one of the disciples. The NT tells again and again that black sheep (actually wolves) infiltrate the churches, and how they even appear as leaders or �Super-apostles.� Or read Revelation 2+3. In these chapters, Jesus speaks about 7 churches. Where these 7 churches black or white? You will immediately see that most of them were mixed, some more white, some more black. You will also see that churches can develop, and a church which always had been abusive or heretical, could repent and become healthy, or the other way around, a church which always had been good, can become bad, refuse to repent, and its lamp will finally be taken away by Jesus.

The question is, how do we deal with such a case? Should we simply accept it as a reality, that there are always some good and some bad things and we should accept the bad things? No, of course not. Because, fundamentally, you are right, light and darkness cannot go together. �For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness?� The church and all of its members should strive to be holy. If something CAN be done to improve the situation, it SHOULD be done. It there is sin, it must be repented of. Paul wrote �Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? lean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened.� This concerns visible sins of church members, as well as apparently unbiblical practices or doctrines or leadership style as a general problem of an organization. There are, of course, sins which are not apparent, there will always be members of a church, even of a very good church, which are not really believers. God will be the final judge in these cases. This is explained in the parable of weeds among the wheat (Mt 13). This parable again shows that even on God�s field, there may be black and white, weeds and wheat, at the same time. However, this does not contradict the Biblical teaching, that as soon as sin and errors in the church are apparent, they should be dealt with. You should read 1Cor 5, which has a very clear teaching and warning that complements the teaching of Mt 13: �But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or siste who is �. Do not even eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? God will judge those outside. Drive out the wicked person from among you.� The passage speaks about some cases of apparent sin of members. As a matter of course, it applies even more to leaders.

And this is the main problem we have with UBF. It is not only the many cases of concrete abuse. It is the constant refusal to deal with or even admit the problems. I will not stop pointing out that Sarah Barry did not even bother to answer our letter with only one word. Under her leadership, the last reformers were expelled.

Concerning your example of a non-arranged marriage, I can also immediately give you a counterexample which happened only some months ago in Cologne, where two 2nd gens wanted to marry and had the blessing of both parents, but it was not allowed by the leader. Instead, both had to share a testimony of repentance (even though there was no real sin involved). Cologne is one of the chapters that also constantly claims it has changed. Recently, it had been revealed that the Cologne UBF leader had been involved in a shameful affair. You can bet that the matter is settled quietly, and the same leader who always forced others to share public testimonies of repentance, will never publically admit his sins and repent. (He had also forced the leaders of the reform movement to publically repent, this was the beginning of the splitting of Germany UBF in two. Basically, only Kaleb Hong (my former chapter leader) the Cologne leader and Peter Chang from Bonn, the most problematic UBF leaders, remained in UBF, together with some dependent sattelite chapters. These three to leaders who remained were at the same time the most abusive and authoritarian leaders.) Also, if it is now �common rule� in UBF that people are allowed to marry on their own, I expect Sarrah Barry to apologize to those who had been harassed and shunned before, for trying to do this very thingt. I know of a couple who had to leave UBF, simply because they wanted to marry, and the leader Kaleb Hong had forced the woman to chose between UBF and non-arrange marriage. Luckily, she chose her husband instead of UBF, who is now a teacher in a Christian school. No leader of UBF ever apologized for this and admitted it was wrong. I expect Sarah Barry to tell Kaleb Hong that he has to apologize. And not only silently, but publicly, because it was a public sin commited by his authority as a leader. Sometimes leader apologize silently to appease dropouts, but they would try the very same anbuse with the next trainee. Public repentance helps that leaders cannot commit the same sin again.

Sorry that I have written too much. But it really bothers me and I hope these thoughts may help you in forming your own conclusion about the UBF organization. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us. We appreatiate any serious and honest discussion. Sometimes the postings of UBF members are very irrationale, but what you write makes sense. Please don�t forget that we have been in UBF for many years. We know how you feel, we feel with you and pray for you and other caring UBF members.

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Replies:

Don't gloss over tremendous danger at ubf -- Nick T., 09:27:42 12/02/04 Thu

Re: Don't gloss over tremendous danger at ubf -- UBF member, 11:07:39 12/02/04 Thu

DiscipleMakers -- Chris, 12:35:46 12/02/04 Thu
- Word of caution -- Mike K., 13:26:37 12/02/04 Thu