Date Posted:05:47:17 07/08/04 Thu Author: former Subject: Changes in UBF?
So, the vague rumor is that UBF has changed "many things." This is great IF it is indeed true. However, I will make several critical comments meant to encourage change not belittle it.
I was there in the early 1990s when "many changes" occurred. The by-laws were dusted off and boards of elders were convened. UBF chapters became registered as churches. However, this was all window dressing then. The elders were picked by Lee and the chapter directors. Even then the boards quit meeting after a couple of years. Never did they discuss substance. The result was abuse continued and even became "legitimized." I suspect this happened because UBF never addressed the alledged abuse. Instead, they just ignored it. There was no discussion, no confession, no confrontation, no repentance, no restoration, and the result was no real change.
Second, why the hypocrisy shown by Karcher and other anonymous UBFers? On one hand they claim UBF is OK and has not done anything wrong and does not need to change. On the other, there are supposed to be real change? Why not thank people like Joe Chung, Chris, Mike, Nick, and others who keep UBF's feet over the coals so that change can occur? Seems to me you folks like Karcher who claims we are "SWINE" on his website, should acknowledge that any real change in UBF, IF IT HAS OCCURRED AT ALL, (and that is a big IF," is due to people who fearlessly spoke the truth in love.
My gut feeling is that this is just another dog and pony show, another example of window dressing. My feeling is UBF wants to put a happy face bandage on its festering wounds and its historical wreckage so that it can perhaps win back its NAE membership, or so that it can fool some other Christian organization who might be willing to rubber stamp UBF as a credible organization.
Unless UBF leaders publically confess the abuse, confront the abusers and victims, seek restoration, and repentance, and establish a set of by-laws to deal with leaders who abuse, then it is all meaningless.
