What does UBF have against the local church? -- RSQUBF Discussion Boards 2001 highlights

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Date Posted: 00:42:28 09/25/02 Wed
Author: S. Rhee
Subject: What does UBF have against the local church?

If my memory serves me correctly, while I was growing up in UBF, there was a pervasive attitude in UBF towards local churches that was not very positive. I remember having the idea that other churches were not really serving God and were made up of lazy people who only paid God lip service. I think it's ironic that it wasn't until I actually attended a local church as an adult that I really understood what following Jesus means and what kingdom living is all about.

So can somebody tell me how it is that UBF, which is supposed to be a ministry that teaches and follows the Bible, does not wholeheartedly support the biblical principle that the church as a whole (not just UBF) is the body and bride of Christ? Doesn't the Bible clearly say that each part of the body has equal significance, and one part can't dismiss the other? Why is it that if someone is attending a local church, some people in UBF try to get them to leave the church to join UBF? Where does Samuel Lee get off judging other churches when it's been decades since he's been active in a real church? If most of the members in UBF have lost touch with the community of believers at large, how can they make the assumption that churches are not up to God's standards?

I was in UBF for over a decade, and since I left UBF I've been involved in local churches for over a decade, so I would say I've spent about equal time in both environments. Based on my experiences, I would have to conclude that anyone who looks down on the local church does not know what he/she is judging. I experienced an overwhelming amount of coercive false gospel teachings in UBF, not to mention considerable psychological, emotional and spiritual abuse. I experienced very little in UBF that convinced me that a life of following Jesus was a better choice than going my own way. All I could see was the heavy yoke of having to measure up to human standards and a very boring life. In the local churches I've been involved in, however, I experienced the tangible presence of God, and I received the true good news of what following Jesus was meant to be like. The churches I've been in are not perfect either. I've seen leaders step down because of sin, and I've seen people leave because they were not happy there. The difference is that the sin was brought out into the open IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE CONGREGATION so that the leaders could ask for forgiveness and receive healing, and people who left felt the freedom to leave without guilt or oppression.

So if there is anyone in UBF who examines their heart and realizes that they have this attitude towards the local church, please tell me how you feel justified in retaining such an attitude.
I would like to hear some logical or illogical explanation for this phenomenon.

2/8/2001

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Replies:

Re: What does UBF have against the local church? -- Brother Disciple DH, 00:46:28 09/25/02 Wed
- Re: What does UBF have against the local church? -- ChicagoX, 00:48:20 09/25/02 Wed
Re: What does UBF have against the local church? -- Christoph, 00:50:35 09/25/02 Wed
- German UBF -- Anon, 01:21:22 09/25/02 Wed
  - Re: German UBF -- Anon, 01:22:51 09/25/02 Wed
    - Re: German UBF -- ChicagoX, 01:23:57 09/25/02 Wed
    - Re: German UBF -- Anon, 01:24:51 09/25/02 Wed
Re: What does UBF have against the local church? -- Anon, 00:52:15 09/25/02 Wed
Re: What does UBF have against the local church? -- Glad-2-B-Out 2d Gen., 00:53:20 09/25/02 Wed