They want a memorial forever?

“On November 25, the opening ceremony of UBF history museum was held at Kwangju UBF center. All Korean staff shepherds attended. The opening ceremony began with the prayers of Dr. James Suh, Dr. Paul Hong and S. Joshua Lee (Daejun UBF). Dr. John Jun delivered a main message with the title, “A memorial forever” on Joshua 3:14-4:24.”

They are acting out the Old Testament

“It was a miracle that Israel people crossed the Jordan River as on dry land. God wanted his people to remember God’s history.”

Who is compromising with Gentile culture?

“However, when Israel people entered the promised land flowing with milk and honey, they forgot God and compromised with the Gentile culture. Therefore, God built up 12 stones as a memorial forever so that they may remember God’s history and teach it to his descendants.”

They are no longer able to distinguish between God and ubf

It was followed by a special song by S. Kim Woojin, “The Lord’s prayer.” Then Mother Barry delivered a blessed message with the title, “Bible Korea, World Mission, Enlarge the Place of your Tent!” on Isaiah 54:2. In summary, Mother Barry explained that we can carry out Bible Korea and World mission through deep Bible study and prayer. It was followed by P. Abraham Kim’s welcoming address.”

They only have one mission: pass on their legacy to their Korean children

“Announcements and prayer topics were given by S. David Kim, Korean UBF director. First of all, we praised God who opened the UBF History Museum by remodeling the original building located at 176-1 Daein-dong, Kwangju, Korea. S. David emphasized the importance of history education. He asked us to pray that God may use this history museum to teach God’s history in UBF and pass on UBF ministry to our descendants. After our ceremony, we visited the UBF History Museum to pray together.”

What did Jesus say?

John 8:54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.”

I reported the annual display of religious power last year. The ancestor worship continues and some seek the baton of Samuel Lee who died in 2002 in a fire in Chicago.

Here is a photo and excerpts from the gravesite hagiography which was based on Ezra 7:10.

“We praise God who blessed 1^st memorial service, remembering late Dr. Samuel Lee’s last legacy, “Back to the Bible.” On October 5, 1^st memorial service was held at the cemetery with the theme, “Back to the Bible.” 100 chairs were set up, but 132 co-workers including 23 outside guests attended.”

“The main lecture was delivered by M. Daniel Rhee from South Africa, with the theme, “Ezra’s devotion to Bible study” based on Ezra 7:10.  In short, Ezra’s devotion to Bible study was a source of a national revival. M. Daniel Rhee’s lecture could be summarized in 4 ways. First, the conventional ways of UBF Bible study was introduced such as “The author’s perspective,” “Inductive Bible study method.” Second, in adversities, Dr. Lee did not fight a human battle, but fought a spiritual battle through intensive Bible study until God turned it into fruitful victory. Through 20 years’ Bible study, Dr. Lee found God’s hope for North America. It was a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Third, Dr. Lee struggled with the Sunday passage throughout the week until one word of God came to him like the morning star arising in his heart. As a result, he could plant one word in the hearts of Sunday attendants through his announcements.  Fourth, succeeding of UBF ministry does not come from changing people one day from Korean missionaries to native leaders. True succeeding comes from imitating the UBF bible messages. For this M. Daniel proposed producing the standard message of UBF based on reviewing Dr. Lee’s Bible messages.

After the main lecture, a beautiful poem was delivered by M. Hannah Ryu from Mainz UBF, translated by Grace Koh , entitled “Go back to the Bible.” It was really heart moving.

Dr. Sam A. Lee from U of I delivered a joyful personal testimony regarding what his father prayed for him. Dr. Sam’s major was chemistry. So his father prayed for him, “You may study the Bible diligently until you grasp the basic chemistry of the Bible.” Because of his father’s prayer, Dr. Sam learned how to delight in the word of God and mediate on it day and night. We prayed for him to be one of blessed men (Ps 1:2,3), imitating his father’s example.

Two prayer topics were given by a presider, Shepherd Rich Ryzewski. First, pray for Ezra’s devotion to Bible study as the clear direction of our ministry. Second, as Dr. Lee gave a prayer topic, may America raise up 10,000 Bible teachers and send them out so that America may be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Our service ended with Mother Barry’s closing prayer.”

Here is the ubf business mission report from France.

Quotes about France UBF

On April 14, Paris UBF had a special worship service to celebrate the 10th anniversary of LIKE (an accessories company), established and headed by M. Rebecca Choi.

Dr. Marc challenged us to come to the cross of Jesus in order to receive healing. He also pointed out that as disciples of Jesus we have so many spiritual riches to gain and also some human riches, like brothers and sisters in Christ; we are definitely not losers!

After making a good profit in the first year, Dr. Marc Choi used all this money to buy the present center in the heart of Paris. Still God continued to bless them. God has used this company also to grant proper jobs for missionaries. Not least of all, being a businesswoman also earns M. Rebecca respect among tough French students. Although the present economic situation doesn’t seem inspiring, Dr. Marc and Rebecca Choi have a vision that God may use LIKE to support 100 missionaries to Africa.

Two ubf networks

Some ubfers may not understand what I’m talking about. To such people I would suggest doing some asking and researching. You should be able to find out that there are two UBFs. 1) a business mission, corporate UBF and 2) a Christian-like bible study UBF.

I explained some before about ubf business mission. France ubf is being held up as so exemplary because they actually succeeded in making a profit. Most ubf attempts at business mission end in failure.

This business mission is rampant in Europe but not so much in America.

1. SALVATION
UBF seems to teach their people that salvation and righteousness is by works and can be lost if the Shepherd is disobeyed. Eternal salvation also seems to depend on leadership approval and some are kept in constant doubt of theirs. There even seems to be the thought that no one outside of UBF is saved. How can anyone who knows the Bible believe any of this? Eph. 2:9 says “Not of works last any man should boast.” In John 10:28 Jesus said “Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

2. THE GREAT COMMISSION
UBF seems to believe that this is the highest command of God. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love one another. Additionally, the Great Commission also includes water baptism (Matthew 28:19), to which UBF gives little emphasis. How can you obey half of Jesus’s command and thumb your nose at the second part?

3. HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit seems to be given little emphasis and takes second place to UBF leadership commands (human dictates). This leaves no room for the leading of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. For example, Missionary appointments are by the organization and not dependent upon the call of God. How can anyone who knows the Scripture leave out the work of the third person of the Trinity in their life or the lives of their members? You might want to do some Biblical research on just what the role of the Holy Spirit is in our lives.

4. ORDINANCES
Jesus instituted the ordinances of Water Baptism and Communion (The Lord’s Supper). In fact, he commanded them. How can you just ignore Jesus’s commands and neither teach nor practice them except on rare occasion?

5. SHEPHERDING
Shepherding seems to be a fulcrum of UBF teaching. This practice is not taught in Scripture and leads to abuse and excessive leadership control. In fact, the originators of the shepherding movement (not UBF) have renounced it as a mistake and apologized for their part in it? Why would you want to be a part of an organization that is so caught up in this misguided practice?

6. TESTIMONIES
Testimonies are wonderful but what is the reason for asking people to share sins of which “they need to repent?” It is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to convict of sin, not man’s. Repentance is a personal action between ones self and God, not with an added “father confessor.” Why would you want to participant in an activity In which man attempts to usurp the Holy Spirit’s role?

7. DATING
Dating seems to be looked upon as sin and members are highly discouraged from having any romantic relationships. Why would you want to promote this since it’s not Biblical (read Song of Solomon and the book of Ruth)? Additionally, God made young men and women to be attracted to each other. Why would you want to take something beautiful that God made and condemn it?

8.ARRANGED MARRIAGES
Without getting into details, this is utter nonsense. We live in America, not some other country that still practices arranged marriages. Isaac and Rebekah’s arranged marriage was a special circumstance and has nothing to do with God’s direction for today. How could anyone support such a nonsensical practice that is far from Biblical?

9. DICTATORIAL TACTICS/ DOMINATION OF TIME
There’s a lot that could be said about how UBF uses guilt, authoritarianism and compulsion to control the lives of their members and gradually takes more and more of their time until UBF is the only thing that’s important. How can you sanction using these practices on young people that are trying to get an education and prepare for the future? Do you think God is pleased with this?

10. NEGLECT OF FAMILY DUTIES
UBF has a history of pressing their married members to the point where they neglect their children. There are documented cases of local authorities being notified of parental neglect by UBF parents. How could you be a part of an organization that would so dominate their members as to push them to such non-Christian actions? Do you think God is pleased with this?

11. INTERACTION WITH OTHER CHURCHES
The Bible teaches that His family should not isolate themselves from other Christians yet UBF tries to avoid contact and cooperation with other churches or ministries. You might ask yourself “is there something they are afraid of?” Do you really believe that UBFers are the only ones going to heaven?

12. EXIT STRATEGY
Just one question here: How could you feel good about being a part of an organization that uses threats, fear and intimidation to keep members from leaving. This isn’t exactly the approach the Bible teaches.

13. FINANCIALS
There seems to have been no supervision or control over finances in the past so members didn’t know anything about how much money the organization had or how it used it. How could anyone be expected to support an organization that is so secretive and is not accountable to the people that contribute? Again, not what the Bible teaches.

14. THE BLUE BOOK
Do you have a “blue book” from the 50th Anniversary Missionary/Shepherd Seminar in Korea? If so, are you comfortable with what it says and what’s going to be expected of you over the next 50 years?

You might be in a cult if…

…your leaders decide to kill of two of the most promising and healthy programs in your ministry.

…your leaders continue to ignore the voices of sound Christian men and women in your group.

…your leadership is always engaged in a godfather-like struggle for power.

…your organization resembles a business.

…your leaders make claims indicating tragic events are examples of God’s anger.

…your leaders continually live in denial of real pain and hurt.

…your leaders repeatedly marginalize those who follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

…you aren’t sure who is in charge.

…your group’s missionaries implant their own culture in every country they go to.

…your group’s missionaries lord over their authority in life-long shepherd/sheep bonds.

…numerous former members report trauma triggers and panic attacks.

…your organization’s mission statement doesn’t mention Jesus.

[Note: The ubf 50th anniversary mission statement was re-written and did not mention Jesus. The link was removed from the ubf.org website, but remains on the Korean websites.]

December 19th, 2012

Abraham Kim, General Director & All UBF Directors and members
University Bible Fellowship
Worldwide

Dear UBF Directors,

We are now in the 2012 Advent season, just before Christmas. As I ponder the amazing life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I am moved to share this public letter. Why do I write publicly? The reason is clear: over the past 50 years, many members of UBF and former members of UBF have raised questions, issues, concerns and allegations about the ministry you now oversee. Many attempts have been made to follow Jesus’ direction on handling matters of concern in private. The result has been overwhelming silence, minor changes now and then and an increase in the effort of those who remain in UBF leadership to deny and dismiss the concerns.

So today I write openly, after resigning my position of Director of Detroit UBF in the summer of 2011. I write today in hopes of realizing what my friend James Kim wrote in his open letter in 1994: “I wanted to build a better UBF.”

I’d like to begin by drawing your attention to the meaning of Advent, some prior open letters sent to UBF leadership, and to share with you some numbers.

Advent Season

In the spirit of Advent, I write to you today. There are two heart postures of Advent: holy dissatisfaction and hopeful anticipation. These heart attitudes also have two corresponding practices: repentance and meditation. I write to you today both with holy discontent and hopeful anticipation, and after my own repentance and meditation.

Advent’s Holy Discontent – Repentance of:
Apathy
Indifference
Distance
Sin

Advent’s Hopeful Anticipation – Meditation on:
Jesus’ Second Coming
Jesus’ birth
Jesus in our lives

Prior Open Letters

There have been many open letters to UBF directors. Here are a few.

In 1976, some senior Korean leaders in UBF wrote their open letter:
http://rsqubf.info/documents/reform/1976-open-letter/

In 2007, a former Korean leader in UBF wrote an open letter:
http://rsqubf.livejournal.com/123416.html?thread=625432

In 2011, a current American UBF leader in UBF wrote an open letter:
http://www.ubfriends.org/2011/02/02/questions-for-the-next-general-director/

Numbers

First of all I would like to point out 3 positive events that have occurred in the past 2 years since I left UBF. “The Well” ministry has made significant improvements to the traditional UBF ministry. I fully support this initiative. “Westloop Church” has become what I call “redeemed UBF”. I have worshiped with them and visited three times recently. “The Ethics Committee” work with John Armstrong has been an extraordinary step in the right direction. Listening to Mr. Armstrong and connecting with the larger body of Christ is essential for any ministry to be healthy.

Even though UBF ministry has taken those three steps forward, I want to point out the huge load of burden that UBF carries. In total, there are at least 11,153 reasons for concern. I would like for you to notice the following:

159 – There are 159 testimonies of pain, sorrow, agony and abuse written by former UBF members and published on this blog: http://exubf.blogspot.com/ These testimonies have been published already for many years. They form the primary public record of UBF.

13 – Since I left UBF, there have been 13 UBF leaders (fellowship leaders or director level) who have reached out to me to share their concerns and issues with UBF ministry.

103 – I counted up all the people who had left Toledo UBF (my prior UBF chapter where I spent 16 years as a member and fellowship leader). If you count men, women and children, 103 people left Toledo UBF with a problematic departure over the course of 21 years, from 1990 to 2011. I know all of them. Many are still friends with me. None of them left on good terms, though some have since reconciled at least partially. Some won’t discuss UBF any longer. Others have written UBF ministry out of their life story because of the pain.

5,269 – According to Google Analytics, there have been 5,269 “unique visitors” on my priestlynation.com blog over the past 1 and half years. This means 5,269 unique computing devices viewed at least one page on my blog. It is safe to say that several thousand people from around the world are interested in reading my criticism of UBF minsitry. The top 10 countries of people reading my blog are from the countries with the largest UBF chapters, such as the USA, Germany, Canada and South Korea.

220 – So far, I have published over 200 articles on this blog, priestlynation.com. I have shared my personal journey as I left UBF, my thoughts on what could be changed, and various thoughts that came to mind as I struggled to make sense of my 24 years in UBF ministry.

503 – Not only are a lot of people interested in reading my articles, the content generated over 500 comments. Several people are very interested in discussing the issues and topics I raise here.

206 – My blog is not the only public discussion website. The ubfriends.org website published over 200 articles as well. That website is far more friendly to UBF and presents more robust articles than mine.

4,680 – The 206 articles on ubfriends.org invoked over 4,000 comments. Many of those commenting are current UBF members and leaders. This is evidence that the topics covered on that website are highly important to UBF members, many of whom are willing to openly discuss the topics.

Two Demands

In light of my own struggle with leaving UBF ministry and the mountain of evidence above, I submit the two demands below to you for UBF ministry. I have given much thought and prayer to this. I have read all of the evidence above for myself. For many years now, I have been discussing UBF matters with dozens of former and current UBF members from places such as the USA, Germany, Russia, China and Ukraine. I have had well over 3,000 email conversations regarding problems, abuses, issues and changes. I have had in-person meetings and discussions with John Armstrong. I have read several heartbreaking emails from former UBF members who continue to reach out to me– people who are struggling with things like depression, anxiety and the burden of guilt left over from their time in UBF. Several former members are seeking psychological counselling or have considered such counselling. And most importantly, I have discussed these things with my wife.

I have attempted to express my feelings through several songs:
http://www.priestlynation.com/category/lyrics/

If you listen to these songs, or at least read the lyrics from my point of view, you may begin to understand the range of emotions behind this open letter.

I have become convinced the following two issues are at the core of the present “crisis” facing UBF– the crisis of members leaving. I use the word “crisis” because that is what your 50th Anniversary Book describes in the last lecture.

In order to build a better UBF, I submit the following two demands for your consideration as a starting point for the new year.

Demand #1 – Admit abuse.

Publicly and internally end the denial and admit the reality, facing the fact that UBF shepherding has created an environment that has led to many instances of abuse, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, spiritual abuse and emotional abuse.

Demand #2 – Release the bonds.

Publicly and internally announce that all UBF shepherd/sheep relationships are now dissolved– any remaining study relationships are now voluntary, not required of every member, no longer binding for life, secondary to the Holy Spirit’s work, and at the discretion and choice of the “sheep”.

Questions

Can you be healthy spiritually, emotionally and psychologically by ignoring these two demands?
Is the work of God primarily about denial and authority?
Can UBF ministry continue without facing the facts?
Will UBF ministry be effective by continuing to enforce permanent shepherd/sheep relationships?
Might the work of God be done through friendship?

If you are willing to consider these thoughts, I would be happy to meet in public or in private or virtually to discuss my further thoughts on how UBF might find a way to become a healthy Christian ministry. I would welcome your public or private response to this letter.

Sincerely with hope,

Brian Karcher
Former Director of Detroit UBF
UBF member from 1987 to 2011
12/19/2012
http://www.priestlynation.com
http://www.ubfriends.org
http://www.lambheartedlion.org
http://www.justbeingthere.org

December 13th, 2012

Abraham Kim, General Director
University Bible Fellowship
Chicago, IL USA

Dear Abraham,

We are now in the 2012 Advent season, just before Christmas. As I ponder the amazing life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I am moved to share this public letter. Why do I write publicly? The reason is clear: over the past 50 years, many members of UBF and former members of UBF have raised questions, issues, concerns and allegations about the ministry you now oversee. Many attempts have been made to follow Jesus’ direction on handling matters of concern in private. The result has been overwhelming silence, minor changes now and then and an increase in the effort of those who remain in UBF leadership to deny and dismiss the concerns.

So today I write openly, after resigning my position of Director of Detroit UBF in the summer of 2011. I write today in hopes of realizing what my friend James Kim wrote in his open letter in 1994: “I wanted to build a better UBF.”

I’d like to begin by drawing your attention to some prior open letters sent to UBF leadership, and to share with you some numbers.

Prior Open Letters

In 1976, some senior Korean leaders in UBF wrote their open letter:

http://rsqubf.info/documents/reform/1976-open-letter/

In 2007, a former Korean leader in UBF wrote an open letter:

http://rsqubf.livejournal.com/123416.html?thread=625432

In 2011, a current American UBF leader in UBF wrote an open letter:

http://www.ubfriends.org/2011/02/02/questions-for-the-next-general-director/

Numbers:  11,153 vs 3

First of all I would like to point out 3 positive events that have occurred in the past 2 years since I left UBF. “The Well” ministry has made significant improvements to the traditional UBF ministry. I fully support this initiative. “Westloop Church” has become what I call “redeemed UBF”. I have worshiped with them and visited three times recently. “The Ethics Committee” work with John Armstrong has been an extraordinary step in the right direction. Listening to Mr. Armstrong and connecting with the larger body of Christ is essential for any ministry to be healthy.

Even though UBF ministry has taken those three steps forward, I want to point out the huge load of burden that UBF carries. In total, there are at least 11,153 reasons for concern. I would like for you to notice the following:

159 – There are 159 testimonies of pain, sorrow, agony and abuse written by former UBF members and published on this blog: http://exubf.blogspot.com/  These testimonies have been published already for many years. They form the primary public record of UBF.

13 – Since I left UBF, there have been 13 UBF leaders (fellowship leaders or director level) who have reached out to me to share their concerns and issues with UBF ministry.

103 – I counted up all the people who had left Toledo UBF (my prior UBF chapter where I spent 16 years as a member and fellowship leader). If you count men, women and children, 103 people left Toledo UBF with a problematic departure over the course of 21 years, from 1990 to 2011. I know all of them. Many are still friends with me. None of them left on good terms, though some have since reconciled at least partially. Some won’t discuss UBF any longer. Others have written UBF ministry out of their life story because of the pain.

5,269 – According to Google Analytics, there have been 5,269 “unique visitors” on my priestlynation.com blog over the past 1 and half years. This means 5,269 unique computing devices viewed at least one page on my blog. It is safe to say that several thousand people from around the world are interested in reading my criticism of UBF minsitry. The top 10 countries of people reading my blog are from the countries with the largest UBF chapters, such as the USA, Germany, Canada and South Korea.

220 – So far, I have published over 200 articles on this blog, priestlynation.com. I have shared my personal journey as I left UBF, my thoughts on what could be changed, and various thoughts that came to mind as I struggled to make sense of my 24 years in UBF ministry.

503 – Not only are a lot of people interested in reading my articles, the content generated over 500 comments. Several people are very interested in discussing the issues and topics I raise here.

206 – My blog is not the only public discussion website. The ubfriends.org website published over 200 articles as well. That website is far more friendly to UBF and presents more robust articles than mine.

4,680 – The 206 articles on ubfriends.org invoked over 4,000 comments. Many of those commenting are current UBF members and leaders. This is evidence that the topics covered on that website are highly important to UBF members, many of whom are willing to openly discuss the topics.

Two Demands

In light of my own struggle with leaving UBF ministry and the mountain of evidence above, I submit the two demands below to you for UBF ministry. I have given much thought and prayer to this. I have read all of the evidence above for myself. For many years now, I have been discussing UBF matters with dozens of former and current UBF members from places such as the USA, Germany, Russia, China and Ukraine. I have had well over 3,000 email conversations regarding problems, abuses, issues and changes. I have had in-person meetings and discussions with John Armstrong. I have read several heartbreaking emails from former UBF members who continue to reach out to me– people who are struggling with things like depression, anxiety and the burden of guilt left over from their time in UBF. Several former members are seeking psychological counselling or have considered such counselling. And most importantly, I have discussed these things with my wife.

I have attempted to express my feelings through several songs. If you listen to these songs, or at least read the lyrics from my point of view, you may begin to understand the range of emotions behind this open letter.

I have become convinced the following two issues are at the core of the present “crisis” facing UBF– the crisis of members leaving. I use the word “crisis” because that is what your 50th Anniversary Book describes in the last lecture.

Demand #1 – Admit abuse.

Publicly and internally end the denial and admit the reality, facing the fact that UBF shepherding has created an environment that has led to many instances of abuse, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, spiritual abuse and emotional abuse.

Demand #2 – Release the bonds.

Publicly and internally announce that all UBF shepherd/sheep relationships are now dissolved– any remaining study relationships are now voluntary, not required of every member, no longer binding for life, secondary to the Holy Spirit’s work, and at the discretion and choice of the “sheep”.

Is the work of God primarily about denial and authority? Can UBF ministry continue without facing the facts? Will UBF ministry be effective by continuing to enforce permanent shepherd/sheep relationships? Might the work of God be done through friendship?

If you are willing to consider these thoughts, I would be happy to meet in public or in private to discuss my further thoughts on how UBF might find a way to become a healthy Christian ministry. I would welcome your public or private response to this letter.

Sincerely with hope,

Brian Karcher
12/13/12
http://www.lambheartedlion.org
http://www.justbeingthere.org

SUMMARY REBUKE OF KOREAN AUTHORITY IN UBF

8/14/2011

SOURCE OF REBUKE:

2 Peter 2:16

“16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey–a beast without speech–who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.”

For 24 years, from 1987 to 2011, Brian Karcher has treated Korean leaders in UBF with double-honor. He has obeyed absolutely at every turn, treating them as prophets of the LORD and acknowledging the glorious work of God done through Korean leaders. Surely the LORD God has poured out His blessings abundantly through the sacrifice, integrity and hard work of Korean leaders in UBF.  For 50 years, God has used the vessel made by Korean missionaries sent from UBF to many countries. It has been said that Brian Karcher is an exemplary fruit of UBF ministry–a model of obedience, faithfulness and thoughtfulness.  His testimony has already been reported around the world among thousands of UBF coworkers.  And many have rejoiced.

Brian Karcher is a man of few words. For all practical purposes, he has been like a donkey who cannot speak. Since being alone in Detroit for 8 years, God has now given Brian Karcher a voice to speak and to restrain the madness that has also been created by the Korean leaders in UBF.  Along with the many, many blessings, Korean leaders have intentionally and unintentionally exerted excessive demands to obedience, placing heavy burdens on American shepherds and shepherdesses. This has caused many American families much sorrow, anguish and confusion.  This open rebuke from Brian Karcher is to address this excessive authority issue in an attempt to prevent the pattern of pain from re-occurring in the next 50 years of UBF ministry.

BASIS OF REBUKE:

To rebuke is to criticize sharply; to reprimand, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. God’s command for Christians to rebuke is clear in Scripture.

Leviticus 19:17

“Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.”

Psalms 50:21

“These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.”

Proverbs 27:5

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”

Matthew 18:15-17

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.  16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

1 Timothy 5:17-21

“17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.  18 For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”  19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.  20 Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.  21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.”

2 Timothy 4:1-3

“1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:  2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.  3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

DESCRIPTION OF THE SIN COMMITTED:

American leaders have been like donkeys, carrying Korean leaders in humble obedience on their backs for nearly 40 years.

Korean leaders have beaten down the American leaders and refused to turn over leadership to them. Korean leaders have refused to obey the vision God gave to the UBF founders, Sarah Barry and Dr.Samuel Lee. Their vision and prayer was for 561 American campus shepherds to be raised.

The story of Balaam and his donkey being confronted by the angel of the LORD is a Biblical metaphor that describes the sin of Korean leaders in UBF. In this metaphor, Balaam (the prophet of the LORD) represents Korean leaders. Balaam’s donkey represents American shepherds and shepherdesses. It is time for American leaders in UBF to take a stand in hopes that God may spare His wrath and pour out his blessings once again upon UBF.

Numbers 22:20-33

20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”  21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.  22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.  23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.  24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides.  25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her again.  26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.  27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff.  28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”  29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”  30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said.  31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.  32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.  33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.”

EVIDENCE OF THE SIN:

Brian Karcher has observed the excessive authority of Korean leaders for 24 years, since 1987.  He has stored up many things in his heart, but not knowing what to do about the sin. As Brian Karcher prepared his 2011 Key Verse testimony, no word of God came to him.  Then he read Sarah Barry’s New Year’s letter.  In it she prayed this prayer: “I pray for the UBF ministry worldwide to be salt and light in the world. I pray that our lay missionaries, who live and work in every area of society, may be men and women of integrity, with unashamed gospel faith. May they penetrate society like salt and light with godly influence that changes the world. May each of us dig deep into the Scriptures, grow in the image of Jesus and be Bible teachers. May God make us a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Based on this prayer, Brian Karcher took Matthew 5:13-16 as his key verse, not knowing how God would use this word.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

After attending the 2011 Easter Bible Conference with Toledo UBF, Brian Karcher was introduced to the Holy Spirit through a presentation on the Holy Spirit prepared by Tuf Francis. At that conference, Brian Karcher suddenly became an instrument in the hands of the Spirit of Truth (John 16:7-14).

The Holy Spirit of God prompted Brian Karcher to open a dialogue with Korean and American leaders in Toledo UBF on April 20^th, 2011.  He opened this dialogue by sending a conference report that contained an explanation of things that troubled him and also things he learned from the conference.

From that day until now, August 14^th, 2011, Brian Karcher has intentionally kept the dialogue open, refusing to quickly reconcile matters with Toledo UBF. The Spirit has worked in new and remarkable ways. Korean and Americans began talking to each other like never before. Instead of vertical-only conversations with shepherds, Brian Karcher’s dialogues opened up many horizontal-conversations, sparking debates and dialogues among numerous groups of coworkers, both in Toledo UBF and in other chapters around America. This dialogue has now run its course. This document serves as the closing reminder of this dialogue.

DEMANDS OF THIS REBUKE:

Leave no family alone in the mission field and send coworkers to every lone house church in America.

Create a plan for 561 American campus shepherds to plant 561 UBF chapters so that each chapter is fully supported by a regional chapter.

Request a succession plan from every Korean director to establish American leadership as ordained pastors by the central chapter

Draft a collaborative UBF Constitution, UBF Core Value Statement and UBF Mission Statement.

SUMMARY REBUKE OF KOREAN AUTHORITY IN UBF 2011.08.14

As I’ve said several times, I am not seeking change or reform of UBF. I seek redemption. I believe UBF should not continue to exist as it is, or as it plans to be as described in the 50th Anniversary material.

Why do I have such an attitude? I think this way because there have been four attempts to reform or change or improve UBF. Each time, the result is a stronger adherence by UBF members to the UBF spiritual heritage.

NOTE: There are a small number of UBF chapters who are in the process of re-founding their ministries. The best example is Westloop UBF in Chicago. To such men and women of God, I simply say Amen!

2012 Summary of UBF Reform Attempts

1. Overview of Attempts to Reform UBF

1.1. First Attempt: 1976

UBF was founded in 1961 in South Korea. In 1976, after the letter of reform sent by seven Korean UBF staff shepherds, UBF was founded in the USA. In just 15 years, UBF had serious issues that needed reformed.

The first reform attempt was by Koreans from Korea UBF.

1.2. Second Attempt: 1989

In 1989, James Kim (Director) of Toledo UBF helped lead another Korean shepherd reform movement, which resulted in the Kim’s family being driven away from UBF with a secret pact.

The second reform attempt was initiated by Koreans from Toledo UBF.

1.3. Third Attempt: 2001

In 2001, Jimmy Rhee of Chicago UBF and other Korean shepherds, missionaries and directors led another Korean shepherd reform movement, citing the same kinds of reform that were needed in 1976 and 1989. The result was the founding of Campus Ministry International (CMI) and another exodus of UBF leaders from places like Toledo UBF (USA), Chicago UBF (USA), Korea UBF and Germany UBF. Even the first UBF USA sheep from Toledo UBF, left UBF at this time and were labeled as enemies.

The third reform attempt was initiated by Koreans from Chicago UBF.

1.4. Fourth Attempt: 2011

In 2011 and the years prior, reform movements were sparked around the world. The notable and most vocal movements were in: Toledo UBF (USA), Penn State UBF (USA), Westloop/Chicago UBF (USA), India UBF, Kiev UBF, Russia UBF and Hong Kong UBF. The result was a mass exodus of dozens of long-time UBF leaders. One result was a large exodus of longtime UBF native (national) leaders. Another result was a large number of UBF leaders (Korean and native/national) who decided to remain as members of UBF in order to initiate new reforms internally.

The fourth attempt was initiated by native (national) UBF leaders around the world.

Based on this pattern, I predict another reform attempt will be made sometime around 2019 unless there is divine intervention.

2. Reasons for this Summary

In 2011, UBF published a 50th Anniversary Book that contained several messages and lectures given at the 50th Anniversary celebrations. This book is the most clearly defined collection of official UBF teachings and plans to date. Because the book mentions nothing about any reform movement, I am prompted by God’s Holy Spirit to document the reform attempts in the UBF history. This is to prevent UBF from re-writing their history so as to leave out the dark side and the violent nature of UBF’s founding.

In 2003, my family was sent to Detroit from Toledo UBF to pioneer a new UBF chapter. The reality is that I was sent to Detroit as obedience training because I failed to demonstrate absolute loyalty and obedience to the director of Toledo UBF. Detroit UBF is no longer in existence.

I am documenting all these things in order to draw public attention to the hidden events that have occurred in UBF the past 50 years, from 1961 to 2011.

3. Positive Results of Reform Attempts

The four reform attempts have had some level of impact on the UBF organization. Although the fundamental teachings and practices of UBF have remained constant the past 50 years, the reform attempts have brought about some positive change.

3.1. First Reform: 1976

– UBF established an American presence, the land of the free. Although Americans seem to be the last in fighting for freedom in UBF, I believe many USA UBF members will lead the way for freedom in the future. If UBF had remained in Korea, such change would likely not have had a chance to flourish.

– UBF stopped, for the most part, the violent training methods that were equivalent to terrorist torture methods.

3.2. Second Reform: 1989

– UBF focused on raising disciples of Jesus as many members were protected from the power struggles at the top of the UBF power structure. The reformers cared deeply about Jesus and the gospel and the students. Therefore, many of the struggles and problems were hidden from members. Although this may be a questionable way to attempt reform, this demonstrates that the Christian values of patience, kindness, forgiveness and goodness have already been implored in the reform movements.

– UBF had a documented history that included the dark side events. James and Rebekah Kim’s long letters have proved to be an invaluable reference.

3.3. Third Reform: 2001

– UBF joined the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)

– UBF began reaching out to non-UBF sources (NAE, John Armstrong, Scott Moreau)

3.4. Fourth Reform: 2011

– An Ethics & Accountability Committee has been formed.
– Many leaders in UBF left and found healthy churches around the world.
– Many leaders in UBF stayed in order to fight for real change that pleases God.
– UBF senior leaders acknowledge there are “serious problems” that won’t go away.
– A few UBF chapters re-invented themselves, re-founding their ministry on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
– Public awareness was raised around the world through blogging and social media.

4. Overview of Allegations that remain in 2012

Every positive change from the reform movements is tainted by the yeast of legalism, elitism and sectarianism. UBF minds continue to be bound to a Christianized Confucianism. Some of the positive changes were made by UBF either out of panic to prevent problems (such as joining the ECFA to avoid an IRS fine in the US) or as an appeasement to satisfy growing concerns among members (such as the invitation of non-UBF speakers at North American Staff conferences).

The initiatives from Korean UBF during the 50th Anniversary celebrations negate any positive change that has occurred.

Thus, in 2012, several allegations of abuse remain, all of which are similar to the 1976, 1989, 2001 and 2011 calls for reform of similar abuse. I encourage UBF leaders to take these allegations seriously, to investigate them thoroughly and to take swift, public action to ensure such abuse ends in 2012.

These allegations presented in this document are based on my 24 years of UBF lifestyle, the process and struggles that led to my resignation as Director of Detroit UBF and my engaging in over 1,000 dialogues through phone, email, blog, Facebook and in-person coffee shop meetings, in 2011 and 2012, with current leaders and members of UBF as well as former members of UBF. My discussions have been with UBF and non-UBF students, leaders, missionaries, non-UBF pastors and elders, family and friends. I have met with the Toledo UBF council in person in 2012, along with other former Toledo UBF members, to discuss various issues.

I have concluded that UBF can no longer be reformed or changed because many of the same abuses that existed in 1976 have not been addressed in any meaningful way, and still exist in 2012. Furthermore, many of those who helped perpetuate the abuses in 1976 and 2001 are still in leadership positions in UBF. Many have even been promoted to higher positions with greater responsibility.

Because of these continued allegations, all of which tie back to the 1976 allegations, I contend that UBF needs to be re-founded or re-started with new, Biblical principles.

5. 2012 Allegation #1 – Offering Abuses

5.1. Lack of financial accountability in satellite and international chapters

I claim that the 1976 allegations of offering abuse exist in 2012. Although the Chicago UBF headquarters has taken steps toward financial accountability by joining the ECFA and avoiding a large IRS fine, the satellite UBF chapters remain unaccountable. Each UBF staff conference has a morning “financial” session, quickly thrown together and often not in the program. Offering accountability is still left to a small number of people, who try to do a good job, but simply cannot enforce any valid accountability in satellite chapters. Chapters outside Chicago UBF in the USA are left to their own accounting methods, although they are asked to submit a form (yes a single form) to the UBF headquarters on a yearly basis. The typical non-profit accountability methods are not employed in UBF in the US. And who knows what the accounting is like in other countries and especially in Korea?

5.2. Obscure expenses and expenditures

In spite of the ECFA membership, obscure expenses still exist. Random and odd expenses have routinely occurred in my experience the past 24 years. Often, the various UBF committees do not even know exactly where some satellite chapters are! It took many years for my contact information to become correct, even though we’ve had the same address since 2006. I repeatedly gave the same contact info every staff conference since then. Examples of obscure expenses: A UBF director calls the chapter bookkeeper at 4:30 am in the morning demanding cash. A UBF director is offered something called “UBF insurance” for things like car accidents. A student gets a parking ticket while on a UBF conference trip, and UBF pays for the ticket. When proper accounting controls are in place, people feel confident that their offering money will be used as stated. In 2012 in UBF, such confidence does not yet exist.

6. 2012 Allegation #2 – Human Rights Abuses

6.1. Narcissistic Behavior

I claim that the violent acts of the past history in UBF training have been replaced, in America, with narcissistic acts. While there are a few UBF leaders who may indeed have full-blown Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), many UBF shepherds display narcissistic behavior.

6.2. Coerced arranged marriage

“Marriage by faith” is an official, documented teaching of UBF. Although there is no longer one man, Lee, arranging marriages, there are many “marriage arrangers” who often use similar political or strategic plans to coerce UBF young people to marry within UBF. As of 2012, wanting to marry someone outside UBF is still grounds for being driven out of UBF. The claim of “no divorce” in UBF is also false. One rather recent arranged marriage in Toledo UBF ended in divorce only months afterward.

6.3. Ignoring the law of the land

I have seen enough first-hand events and have understood the UBF teachings enough to claim that UBF continues to ignore the “law of the land”, no matter which country they go to as missionaries. When I discussed my illegal breaking-and-entering in 1990 with UBF Korean missionaries, they could not decide whether such activity was lawful or unlawful. Their minds are still bound to doing anything and everything for God’s glory, upholding the name of God by illegal means if necessary. This directly contradicts the behavior admonished by Scripture. In 2012, one UBF chapter in Chicago UBF was asked to vacate the home where they had been holding worship services because they had ignored the village zoning laws for places of worship.

6.4. Destruction of Family

I claim that UBF continues to destroy human families in order to bind people to the “UBF family”. One young woman was asked by her UBF shepherd to choose between her parents who left UBF, or the UBF fellowship members as her family. The list of evidences to support my claim are far too many to list here. Any young person who studies the Bible in UBF will eventually discover this most deeply rooted problem in UBF.

7. 2012 Allegation #3 – Non-Biblical Education

7.1. Pavlovian Response Study Methods

As a former Director in UBF and member for 24 years (1987 to 2011), it is very easy for me to see how the claims against Lee can be levied against numerous current UBF leaders and in fact against the official teachings and practices of UBF as an organization. It is even more apparent to me that a core problem in UBF is doctrinal error. The teaching of UBF, and the methods used to perpetuate that teaching, are indeed non-Biblical. This is extremely ironic, given the inordinate amount of time dedicated to Bible study in UBF. But even that is not so ironic to me. It is very easy to see that “Bible study” in UBF is not critical thinking or explorative learning, but is almost exclusively “Pavlovian response technique” and “Bible memorization”. UBF repeatedly trains people to ask certain questions based on certain Bible passages until they can respond in the UBF-ordained manner.

7.2. Dependence on UBF-created material 

UBF continues in 2012 to rely solely on UBF material for teaching. Some UBF members have begun seminary work, but the official teaching methods are strictly bound to Lee-style question sheets and Lee-influenced messages.

The UBF 50th Anniversary book lectures describe plans to create a K-12 UBF school and a UBF university. There are plans to produce UBF Bible research experts. This demonstrates to me that the recent attempts by some UBF leaders to invite non-UBF speakers and to learn from seminary-type teachers are nothing more than appeasements.

8. 2012 Allegation #4 – Teaching a false gospel

In UBF teaching, the Gospel is misused. The Gospel of Jesus is misused because it was presented with little grace and an emphasis on works. Many messages suggested that our works affect God’s love for us. This really created an atmosphere of fear and guilt and lead to many unhealthy families in my opinion. In fact, not long after having children, I found that there was no family that I wanted to emulate. The answer to every question is to work harder, feed more sheep, develop more capacity and everything will be OK. This is so incorrect. There are only so many hours in the day. At some point, you can do no more. This is not a Biblical message. When I focus on what I can do-I am left with guilt, shame, exhaustion, low self-esteem. When I focus on Jesus and His grace, miraculously, I can still work really hard, but, as Jesus promised, the burden is light. This focus damages and controls people. This message diminishes the power of the blood and grace of Christ.

9. 2012 Allegation #5 – Covering up sin and wrongdoing

UBF has a history of covering up the sin of their leaders and saying that it has been dealt with. But there is no transparency or public repentance. There have been serious sexual sins committed by leaders that have been covered up. UBF money has even been used as hush money-this is money that people sacrificially gave to Jesus! This is a ministry living in the darkness and refusing to come into the light of Christ.

This pattern is also seen whenever anyone has any negative thing to say. UBF leaders urge people who bring up negative realities to simply focus on the positive and the grace they have received through the ministry. Also, a story is created to explain why people leave the ministry. Supposedly, one shepherd left because of “his wife’s problems”. Another family supposedly left because they “could not handle the burdens of life”. Supposedly one shepherdess died in her sleep (the reality is she committed suicide). Putting spin on why people leave or why certain chapters are having difficulties only works for so long. Eventually it causes a serious breach of trust. Shortcomings in the ministry and its leaders need to be acknowledged when they arise. Instead, in UBF, truth is sacrificed for the appearance of an honorable organization.

10. 2012 Allegation #6 – No evidence of real change

There is no reason to think that anything will change at any level. The 50th Anniversary mission statement that was on the UBF website was proof of this (It still exists on the Korean website, but not on the USA website). There was no mention of Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, but instead a focus on the traditions of an ungodly organization.

When UBF leaders came to Toledo, they stated, at one point that people simply needed to focus on 1-1 ministry. They obviously think nothing needs to change-people just need more of the same. UBF leaders also have stated that if many families continue to leave, they will just start all over with new students, training them in the same UBF methods that have been in place since 1976. Holding to the traditions of a man made organization is far more important than loving and caring for families that had supported him and the ministry through many years. In UBF, practices are far more important than people. Obedience is more important than love. Honor is more important than truth.

I further contend that whatever change has occurred, has been steeped in deception. For example, two versions of the final, and most important, lecture from the 50th Anniversary Book were published. One was in printed form only for private distribution, and only to certain leaders. The other was in online form for the public to see. The differences are striking, and highly deceptive.

First of all, “spiritual heritage” is a trigger phrase. UBF people reading this already know what I’m talking about. Let’s identify what these words mean so the rest of the world can understand. UBF material mentions “spiritual heritage” a lot… for example:

“God did not call us to be ordinary people who does ordinary work. Among all peoples of all nations, God called us to be shepherds for students. Our mission does not end in gathering students. God called us to be disciple-makers who raise up spiritual leaders and shepherds. May God help us to keep this spiritual heritage of God’s specific calling to us as disciple-makers among college students to the end.” http://ubf.org/node/155

“They don’t like to be absolute because it requires struggle. Rather, they choose to be relativistic because it does not require any struggle. In place of struggle, compromise became a virtue; rationalization in place of repentance. As a result, they are perishing, not being able to overcome the temptations of sin and physical desires. In this generation, God gave us solider spirit and fighting spirit as our spiritual heritage. ”
http://ubf.org/node/155

“On the first day of the conference, we are going to have a time of reviewing and appreciating the 50 years of UBF ministry and the spiritual heritage well presented during the missionary seminar from May 30-June 2 in Korea. I pray that God may raise young UBF leaders through the European YLC who can change this world.”
http://ubf.org/content/4th-european-cbf-conf-report

“When I came to the States in 1995 after 10 years, I saw him wearing the suit with its button holes worn out. From his deep love and union with Christ came the giving and manger spirit, sacrifice and love for one soul which became the spiritual heritage of UBF. We must remember that we were created in Christ Jesus. We too should be filled with Christ through our love and submission to Christ and grow in His image by following His footsteps.”
http://www.ubf.org/content/memorial-service-late-dr-samuel-lee

“I thank God for greatly blessing the 50th Korea UBF anniversary, the 2011 World Mission Report, and the missionary seminar. Most of all, I thank God for Dr. John Jun’s message that will direct the next 100 years of our UBF ministry.  …  First, we pray to raise the next generation leaders as professional Genesis Bible teachers. Using the late Dr. Samuel Lee’s Genesis lectures, we are going to intensively and thoroughly study all of Genesis in 6 days and 5 nights. Second, we are going to study topics covered at the missionary seminar in Korea again and give young leaders a chance to inherit UBF’s spiritual heritage and philosophy.”
http://ubf.org/content/europe-young-leaders-conference-preparation-report-germany

What is UBF Spiritual Heritage?

As you can see from the quotes above, UBF spiritual heritage is very important to UBF people. But rarely is it clearly defined and documented. Each member seems to define this heritage in their own terms, making it into something they can live with.

In my experience the past 25 years, UBF spiritual heritage is a collection of inspiring slogans proof-texted from the Bible. The heritage is a classic example of eisegesis Bible study. I have heard 5-point heritage, 7-point heritage, 8-point heritage and 12-point heritage mentioned as UBF leaders attempt to codify what they really mean by “spiritual heritage”.

God bless your soul if you start to question what these mean. And may your soul rest in peace if you criticize these points.

The 12-Point Heritage

Here is how UBF spiritual heritage was defined for me, in my part of the UBF world. We have a framed picture of this, which used to hang in our house.

“A kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

1. Back to the Bible
2. World mission
3. Campus evangelism
4. Manger ministry
5. A spirit of giving
6. Spiritual order
7. Lay missionaries
8. House churches
9. One to one Bible study
10. Disciple-making ministry
11. Daily Bread
12. Testimony writing & sharing

The 8-Point Heritage

This is how UBF USA defines the spiritual heritage.

1. Campus evangelism and leadership training
2. Bible-centered ministry
3. One-to-one ministry
4. Manger spirit
5. Giving spirit
6. Soldier spirit and fighting spirit
7. Absolute obedience to the world mission command
8. Earnest Prayer

http://ubf.org/node/155

There are times when I think UBF wants me to go insane! Why? UBF published TWO versions of this last lecture, one online for the public and one in book form for directors (not all directors by the way…).

Here is the private (published/book) version:

2011ubfBlueBook-LastLecture

Here is the public (online) version:

http://ubf.org/content/50th-ubf-anniversary-seminar-closing-message-sh-david-kim

I’ll buy lunch (and even a round of drinks) for anyone who posts the differences… (hint #1, look at part 1). This lecture is one example of why I claim that UBF leadership is steeped in deception. They cover up sin and wrongdoings while making every effort to create a good public image. They display anger, narcissism and hatred in private, but show flattery, honor and charisma to the public.

Teaching material is already in the works. UBFTV used to list many Korean language Staff training videos. (Note: new video website– http://www.ubf-media.org/staff/)

The plan is to create Kindergarten, elementary, middle school and high school curriculum (K-12). This is mentioned on page 150 of the 50th Anniversary Book. The book also mentions a UBF University for college students.

Today I found the demo website  setup for the UBF schools:

http://ubfschools.org/

Here is a link with the English translation (even though Washington USA UBF is the host)

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fubfschools.org%2F&act=url

Here is a link to the summary of the K-12/University school system to be created:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fubfschools.org%2F&act=url

Google translation below:

[2 years(?)] Education Ministry

There are some clear reasons why the para-church movement (which begain in the 70’s) has re-surfaced in UBF since 2000.  The para-church groups I am referring to are the “Seed” or “Narrow Gate” campus groups that UBF has formed. Twenty years ago, in America, these groups did not exist.

1. Official link to campus

In the 1980’s, American campuses were still “open doors”. In fact, openness is a hallmark of the American university system. America is the land of the free. However, in recent years, that openness has been challenged. The Yale lab murder. The Virginia Tech massacre. The Ohio State shooting. All these have contributed to danger and fear on campuses. Often, these open universities are forced to increase campus police and begin closing doors to the openness that once existed.

My point is this: You can no longer just walk on campus, grab some students for Bible study and create a ministry. It is not so easy. Universities require “official club status” to use campus rooms or even to be on campus. For years, campus ministries such as InterVarsity, were officially registered clubs or organizations. UBF was kicked off a few campuses early on, but flew under the radar, for the most part.

Now UBF finds that in order to remain connected with new college students, they must register as an official club. So they create “Narrow Gate” or “Seed” or “Deeper Roots”, appointing a “president”, “vice president”, etc. I found this rather easy to do. On the campus near me, I could create an official club with just two students and one faculty adviser.

2. Retention of Second Gens/Students

The 50th Anniversary Book mentions the fourth “crisis” in UBF. This crisis is yet another exodus of long-time leaders and members, this time from chapters around the world. UBF members are still pondering whether to leave or not. One of the high ranking search terms that leads people to this blog is “how to leave UBF“.

The real crisis for 1st Generation Korean UBF missionaries however, is their 2nd Generation children. In the past 10 years, those children in America have become adults. They have gotten married and gone to college. And they have rejected the spiritual heritage of UBF, in many cases. A rather surprising number of these 2nd Gens dutifully play along with their parent’s UBF activities, but secretly question whether God even exists. Many of them have become trapped.

Where will you find the 2nd Gens in UBF chapters? You’ll find them in the seed groups. UBF church has become irrelevant to young people, but the seed groups have found ways to not only attract students, but to help them. As UBF church stifles and struggles, UBF para-church is even thriving in some chapters. The recent event called “The Well” is evidence of this.

3. Mutually Beneficial

So then the Bible study front groups on campus became a sort of contract of compromise. The 2nd Gens would have left UBF all together en masse. The seed groups allow them to be counted as UBF members, but have the freedom to express themselves. UBF senior leaders like this because they get to count all the numbers. They can say “See, UBF is still relevant to students!” And the 2nd Gens like it because they get their parents off their back, for awhile.

This is all “well and good”… pun intended :)  But where are the American families in all this? They are squeezed in between UBF church and UBF para-church. There really is no good place for them. They are simply demanded to suffer and sacrifice their family life in order to remain part of the campus ministry. For example, my wife and I had to live like single college students for 15 years in order to remain part of UBF ministry. The solution for American shepherd families is often to leave or pioneer a new UBF chapter.

What do you think? Are there other reasons for the rise of the para-church groups? Am I understanding this correctly?

The fifth and final allegation from the Korean staff shepherds in Korea in 1976 is that the UBF ministry depended entirely on one man, Lee.

The claims were:

• Paralyzed function of UBF committees
• Dictatorship style leader’s meetings

What follows these claims in the 1976 letter is a rather long and severe rebuke, recounting Lee’s teaching methods and actions. I will leave my readers to read this for their own if they choose.

I will simply conclude this series of reviewing the 1976 UBF reform letter with the Korean shepherds’ own words:

We have wrongfully thought you are the spiritual father of UBF. You take advantage of your authority as the spiritual father, teacher and leader of UBF. However, God, our lord, is the only father, teacher and master. We are all brothers (Matthew 23:8-11). We understand that you should be respected as a spiritual father to establish spiritual order. Saint Paul also called Timothy son. The equality in UBF is, however, broken. Under the broken equality, calling you a spiritual father leaves UBF members in the relation of master and servant. You are nothing but a cult leader because you tried to become God. As a result, Satan works in UBF in several areas. We cannot but conclude that your words and deeds are tied up to the evil spirit of lying, killing, and fear (Roman 8:15).

Shepherd Lee! You might think that we lead a rebellion against you for political reasons or we are Satan led by one shepherd. We, including you, should repent together before God. You know well that UBF becomes a problem as a cult in our society. You made an excuse saying that UBF is strict. You also criticize the religious leaders. Why, then, do you flatter them by spending money inviting them? We cannot but think that you flatter them because you fear the disclosure of UBF’s wrongdoing.

We will not keep silent about all the evil in the name of God’s glory. We will not allow the evil ministry that idolizes you and manipulates our sheep. We pray that you repent and resign from UBF. This is the only way to restore the ministry of UBF for the glory of God. We are going to wholeheartedly pray for  you. Please pray for us that we might continue to serve the ministry of God. We sincerely pray that the Lord of Lords, the righteous God, may win the victory.

April 15, 1976

Samuel H. Lee
Barnabas Chang
Peter Suh
Nathaniel Ahn
Matthew Sohn
Joseph Lee
Jonah Kim

As a former Director in UBF and member for 24 years (1987 to 2011), it is very easy for me to see how the claims against Lee can be levied against numerous current UBF leaders and in fact against the official teachings and practices of UBF as an organization. It is even more apparent to me that a core problem in UBF is doctrinal error. The teaching of UBF, and the methods used to perpetuate that teaching, are indeed non-Biblical. This is extremely ironic, given the inordinate amount of time dedicated to Bible study in UBF. But even that is not so ironic to me. It is very easy to see that “Bible study” in UBF is not critical thinking or exploritive learning, but is almost exclusively “Pavlovian response technique” and “Bible memorization”. UBF repeatedly trains people to ask certain questions based on certain Bible passages until they can respond in the UBF-ordained manner.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

1976 Allegation #4 – Non-Biblical Education Methods

Forced Repentance

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that Samuel Lee ordered a missionary candidate to put red pepper in his eyes and bang his head on a wall to demonstrate his repentance. The letter also claims many more physical abuses, but does not name them.

FACTS: The forced repentance is well-known in UBF and well-documented. In the book “Churches that abuse“, a statement is recorded: “Preparation for Summer Conference [in UBF] usually reached fever pitch the three weeks prior to the event. It was during these times that extensive spiritual manipulation and indoctrination occurred. Lee would meet nightly with all the UBF staff, accusing some of “playing Satan,” and actually saying that he had prayed they would die if they did not repent.”

COMMENT: The 1976 Korean shepherds said it best: “Missionaries who experienced inhumane training have bitter and askew hearts. We can not bear it any longer. Isn’t repentance originated by the Holy Spirit?”

Forced testimony sharing

CLAIM: The 1976 letter acknowledges that testimony sharing can be used as a good educational method through which we can accept God’s word into our hearts. The claim is that Samuel Lee abuse this method, forcing shepherds to confess their sin so that he could give them some kind of suffering or penance, and so that he would know their weak points.

FACTS: UBF teaches a “shape up or ship out” attitude.

COMMENT: Coercion is a major contradiction of Jesus’ teaching methods. Such forcing of testimonies is a form of BITE control.

Personal (Lee) philosphy

CLAIM: The 1976 letter claims that the essence of Christianity is Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection, and that this essence was tainted by Lee’s overstressing of Genesis Bible study. The claim was that this resulted in Bible study methods that were not those of Apostle Paul or of Jesus. They further claim that Lee’s personal philosophy was infused into messages and Bible materials in a way that blocked free and creative thinking, and as such, hindered the faith of students.

FACTS: Nearly all the question sheets and messages used for UBF Bible study are heavily influenced directly (almost verbatim) from Samuel Lee’s material. Some recent effort has been made to create new material, but such effort is simply a rewording of Lee’s material at best.

COMMENT: 24 years of UBF study and UBF life clearly demonstrates to me that Lee’s philosophy is very much alive. If you don’t believe me, then read the UBF 50th Anniversary book. A precious few leaders in UBF in 2012 have begun to question the Genesis-based philosophy that permeates UBF.

Inhumane training

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that Samuel Lee was absorbed with all kinds of training, to the point of becoming proud, thinking himself to be the best trainer in the world. They claim that Lee’s training was spiritual, mental, emotional and physical abuse, using harsh language, beatings and torture. The claim was that this resulted in all UBF shepherds becoming nearly identical and also universally feeling horror, guilt, shame and self-accusation.

FACTS: The UBF motto is declared on their UBF history page: “We are soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. By correctly handling the word of God, we want to establish a Christian view of life.  We are soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the sake of Bible Korea and World Mission, we participate in the sufferings of Christ voluntarily.” Such soldier mentality was not accidental. Thinking and living like “holy soldiers” gives rise to submitting to inhumane suffering as training.

UBF further admits to training shepherds in Korea to be “pillar-like”… “But from 1967 we trained students and raised them up as messengers. Through this training, student leaders grew to be independent Bible teachers. Even after graduation, they continued to study the Bible and struggled to live according to the word of God and later grew to be pillar-like shepherds in each UBF center.”

COMMENT: Again the 1976 Korean shepherds have the most appropriate comment: “You are proud that you are the best trainer in the world. We have been proud that we have wonderful trainer like you. What are the fruits of your training for the last 10 years? You were proud that you chose us from the best intellectuals. We tried our best to accept your training. But according to you, we turned out to be useless. Is there any problem in your training?”

As I read the letter of these seven courageous Korean UBF staff shepherds, I marvel at the God-induced, Spirit-led, Bible-based guts these Korean men displayed! If I even had an ounce of their bravado, I would be thankful.

1976 Allegation #3 – Illegal Activity

Theft

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that Samuel Lee ordered people to steal the passports of missionary candidates and also stole a working permit of another missionary, for the sake of training. The victims are listed by name.

FACTS: The claim of stealing passports for the sake of training is substantiated in this report.

COMMENT: Samuel Lee’s anti-ethics philosophy has permeated UBF thought. The 1976 letter comments: “Christianity never ignored ethics and morals in society (Matthew 5:20). You, however, said that the contradiction of ethical morals should be overcome. This non-biblical philosophy has justified many illegal activities.”

Tax Evasion

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that UBF used a fake name, “City Evangelism” and formed a fake committee to deceive a Korean court into changing the status of the Kwan-Ak center building in 1975, in order to avoid paying higher taxes.

FACTS: UBF has used many different names, as stated in its own history document and in the 50th Anniversary book: “University Bible Research Society was the first name of UBF. But after a while we realized that the Bible is the absolute word of God, not the object of research. Therefore, instead of doing research, we need to read the Bible, accept it and obey it. So we changed the name into “University Bible Reading Society.” In 1976, a few shepherds caused a division and left our ministry. The next year Dr. Lee was sent to America as a missionary. We had time to reconsider the identity of our ministry and changed the name of our ministry into “University Bible Fellowship.” Even though we changed the name of our ministry several times, in all of our names, “The Bible” was always included.”

COMMENT: Why change the name so many times? The names seem to indicate similar meanings. The timing of the name changes corresponds to the allegations of changing the names for the sake of tax evasion. Is this just coincidence? UBF in the United States narrowly escaped a tax evasion fiasco sometime around 2007 and the years prior to that. The IRS was ready to issue a rather substantial fine for ignoring the US non-profit laws. In general, UBF leaders ignore the “laws of the land”, even in America. For example, in 1990, several UBF people broke into a house of a UBF director and removed all his belongings in the middle of winter. In 2012, the DuPage UBF chapter was found to have ignored the municipal regulations regarding places of worship. The village board voted unanomously to ask the UBF chapter to leave their “Bible center” because it was a house in a residential zone.

Destruction of family

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that Samuel Lee destroyed the family life of numerous shepherds in Korea, ignoring the Christian teaching that the family unit is a foundational unit of society. The claim was that Samuel Lee intervened into family life to the point of harrassment, even ordering divorces. They further claimed that Lee ordered married men to sleep in separate buildings from their wives for up to one year at a time.

FACTS: The obsessive intervention into family life through the UBF teaching of “marriage by faith”, through ordering divorces and through directing the personal lives’ of UBF shepherds and missionaries is well-known and well-documented.

COMMENT: Samuel Lee is dead. But the practice of destroying family life flourished during and after his death because UBF strongly believes and teaches the UBF people are the true family members (page 2 of this document states “Bible teacher is not just a teacher. He’s a parent”.) These teachings often cause UBF actions to lead to destruction of human families.  UBF asks people this question: Which is more important, children or mission? Their “active integration strategy” on this page states: “Priority: Have clear priority whether children or mission come first.”

2012 Allegation #3 – Illegal Activity

Ignoring the law of the land

I have seen enough first-hand events and have understood the UBF teachings enough to claim that UBF continues to ignore the “law of the land”, no matter which country they go to as missionaries. When I discussed my illegal breaking-and-entering in 1990 with UBF Korean missionaries, they could not decide whether such activity was lawful or unlawful. Their minds are still bound to doing anything and everything for God’s glory, upholding the name of God by illegal means if necessary. This directly contradicts the behavior admonished by Scripture.

Destruction of Family

I claim that UBF continues to destroy human families in order to bind people to the “UBF family”. One young woman was asked by her UBF shepherd to choose between her parents who left UBF, or the UBF fellowship members as her family. The list of evidences to support my claim are far too many to list here. Any young person who studies the Bible in UBF will eventually discover this most deeply rooted problem in UBF.

1976 Allegation #2 – Human Rights Abuses

Violent Behavior

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that UBF training involved beatings, sitting naked in ice water, starvation and pulling toenails. They further claimed that shepherds were instructed to hit each other and that several shepherds were hospitalized. The claim is that these things were done rather randomly, even for seemingly reasonable failures, such as missing a leader’s meeting because of a severe snowstorm.

FACTS: It is clear that something happened in the first 15 years of UBF history to cause numerous Korean shepherds who were leaders to speak out about such human rights abuses. Their statement in this section is telling: “We can not find anything like this in Jesus. If a victim sues you, UBF will be considered a cult and will be sentenced as guilty.”

COMMENT: I have heard this statement in UBF messages: Jesus did not care about human rights. The result of 24 years of UBF teachings was that my conscience became numb. Although the acts of violence appear to have ended (though some reports do exist), such actions have not been replaced with compassion. Instead, acts of violence against people’s minds and souls have taken the place of the historical acts of violence. There are reports of “dead dog” training in isolated cases after 1976. But such training has been changed into what I call “dead conscience” training. The physical torture has been replaced with mental torture. Shepherds in America will experience such mental pain typically only when they raise questions or issues about actions or teachings or history that bothers their conscience.

Forced arranged marriage

CLAIM: The 1976 claim is that Samuel Lee forced single male shepherds to take an oath: “I am the husband of a female German missionary.” The claim is that marriage was used to strategically encouraged loyalty to UBF and to Lee himself. One man’s name was changed to “Three Years”, so that he would remember Lee’s direction to marry in UBF within three years. The claim was that Lee ignored existing engagements and excommunicated anyone who would not marry in the way Lee ordered, which set up Lee as the arranger of marriages.

FACTS: The 50th anniversary book published by UBF in 2011 states that UBF wants to create a “culture of mature actions”. One of those actions is listed as “marriage by faith”.

COMMENTS: No one outside UBF would understand the phrase “marriage by faith”. But to an insider, this means the ultimate test of loyalty to UBF. Marriage done “by faith” requires both partners to be UBF loyalists. They must have already demonstrated clear loyalty to UBF teachings and ways. The majority of such marriages were indeed arranged by shepherds. After Lee’s death, other leaders took over this responsibility. Often multiple marriages would be celebrated on the same day. This was not as extensive as the mass weddings by the Moony/Unification Korean organization, but has a similar look and feel.

2012 Allegation #2 – Human Rights Abuses

Narcissistic Behavior

I claim that the violent acts of the past history in UBF training have been replaced, in America, with narcissistic acts. While there are a few UBF leaders who may indeed have full-blown Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), many UBF shepherds display narcissistic behavior.

Coerced arranged marriage

“Marriage by faith” is an official, documented teaching of UBF. Although there is no longer one man, Lee, arranging marriages, there are many “marriage arrangers” who often use similar political or strategic plans to coerce UBF young people to marry within UBF. As of 2012, wanting to marry someone outside UBF is still grounds for being driven out of UBF. The claim of “no divorce” in UBF is also false. One rather recent arranged marriage in Toledo UBF ended in divorce only months afterward.

The 1976 allegations are extremely serious and must be analyzed. Even a secular organization should be prompted to investigate such allegations and make public statements (or at least internal findings and actions). It is unfathomable to me now, to think that an organization that claims to be Christian and obedient to the Word of God would dismiss all the 1976 allegations outright. And it is further astounding to consider that I have heard several leaders in UBF say that such allegations are some sort of “badge of honor” or “persecution that proves UBF is God’s ministry.”

But back to the analysis at hand. Objectively speaking, it does not matter whether I or anyone else believes that the 1976 allegations are true or false. What matters is logic. What matters is that the allegations were made by Koreans 36 years ago.  In tonight’s reflection, I will use the five allegations from 1976 as a basis to discern the state of UBF over the past 24 years of my involvement as a shepherd, a leader and a Director.

If any of the 1976 claims are false, then we should see no evidence of their claims in the past 24 years.  If any of the 1976 claims are true, then we would hope to see evidence that the abuses ended in my 24 years. In fact, one would expect that the 11 years from 1976 (reform movement) to 1987 (when I joined UBF) would have been more than sufficient time to correct such abuses. So logically, during my time in UBF, I should not have seen any evidence of the abuses.

One fact to note is that the allegations cannot be dismissed as just “Korean culture”. Why? The reason is because Koreans started the reform movement in 1976. Also, the same abuses have been reported around the world in a consistent manner: Hong Kong, India, Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, America and Germany have been most vocal in these matters. Unfortunately, and to my shame, America (the land of freedom) is one of the last countries to become vocal about the abuses in UBF.

Here is my analysis:

Did UBF change the past 24 years? If UBF did change, how did it change? Did UBF get better or worse after the 1976 reform movement? How effective and valid were the 1976 suggestions for ministry direction?

1976 Allegation #1 – Offering Abuses

Misappropriation of offering money

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that the $20,000 dollars offered for Bangladesh was not fully offered to Bangladesh. The offering money was raised by students selling wedding rings, textbooks and even donating blood for money. The UBF members in Korea took this offering seriously. The money should have been handled, then, with utmost care. The claim is that only $1,000 (from a different offering) was actually sent to Bangladesh and that the $20,000 sacrifice was used to buy the Kwan-Ak building (UBF center) in 1975.

FACTS: Indeed, the main ubf.org website in 2012 now claims to have sent $1,100 to Bangladesh: “In 1971, we sent $1,100 to Bangladesh refugees after the flood in that country. In 1976, $11,000 was sent to World Vision and the Christian Charity Institution in Bangladesh. In 1985, $22,000 was sent to Mexican refugees after the earthquake.” And in fact, Kwan-Ak was pioneered in 1975.

COMMENT: Do you see how infuriated you would feel in this situation? In 1976, the Koreans who made these claims were excommunicated by UBF. Yet, now UBF uses the misappropriation of offering as a “statement of glory” to show how sacrificial they are!

Concealment of an accounting book in UBF headquarters

CLAIM: The 1976 claim was that Samuel Lee and a small number of people were the only people who could see the UBF accounting book. There was no external audit and no financial accountability. Nobody knew how the offerings were actually used.

FACTS: In 2002, Samuel Lee died in a fire in Chicago, Illinois. It was only then that UBF started to consider financial accountability.  In October 8, 2007, UBF joined the ECFA as part of the bid to be reinstated into the NAE. It was then revealed that UBF (at least the American headquarters) has nearly $13 million.

COMMENT: Some chapters outside Chicago kept, and continue to keep, detailed offering records. But only a select few leaders are privy to such information. Even with the ECFA information, many questions need to be raised. How will the $13 million be spent? Does the ECFA accounting reflect UBF worldwide or just America? Is the Korean UBF offering separate? How did UBF avoid a major, multi-million dollar fine from the IRS in America in 2007?

Obscure expenses and expenditures

CLAIM: The 1976 claims were that Samuel Lee did a lot of obscure spending of money, such as buying a lot of real estate without discussion, spending more than his salary of $100, and bribing Korean religious leaders who were criticizing him.

FACTS: I simply don’t have any facts here. Some would say it doesn’t matter what Samuel Lee did because he is now dead. It matters tremendously however, because his influence was everything up until 2002.

COMMENTS: The 1976 letter has an intriguing comment: “You show us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).”

2012 Allegation #1 – Offering Abuses

Lack of financial accountability in satellite and international chapters

I claim that the 1976 allegations of offering abuse exist in 2012. Although the Chicago UBF headquarters has taken steps toward financial accountability by joining the ECFA and avoiding a large IRS fine, the satellite UBF chapters remain unaccountable. Each UBF staff conference has a morning “financial” session, quickly thrown together and often not in the program. Offering accountability is still left to a small number of people, who try to do a good job, but simply cannot enforce any valid accountability in satellite chapters. Chapters outside Chicago UBF in the USA are left to their own accounting methods, although they are asked to submit a form (yes a single form) to the UBF headquarters on a yearly basis. The typical non-profit accountability methods are not employed in UBF in the US. And who knows what the accounting is like in other countries and especially in Korea?

Obscure expenses and expenditures

In spite of the ECFA membership, obscure expenses still exist. Random and odd expenses have routinely occurred in my experience the past 24 years.  Often, the various UBF committees do not even know exactly where some satellite chapters are! It took many years for my contact information to become correct in the UBF daily bread booklet, even though we’ve had the same address since 2006. I repeatedly gave the same contact info every staff conference since then. Examples of obscure expenses: A UBF director calls the chapter bookkeeper at 4:30 am in the morning demanding cash. A UBF director is offered something called “UBF insurance” for things like car accidents. A student gets a parking ticket while on a UBF conference trip, and UBF pays for the ticket. When proper accounting controls are in place, people feel confident that their offering money will be used as stated. In 2012 in UBF, such confidence does not yet exist.

Some claim, as I used to, that UBF has changed and is changing, and is no longer cult-like, or never was cult-like. This is partially true, but such conclusions are made by those with blind eyes who are in denial of historical fact. Such people are those who praise God, but ignore division.

Indeed, internal changes are constantly happening in UBF. After every reform movement the past 50 years, UBF leaders adopt new and better language such as “theology” or “grace” or “Holy Spirit”, but these are nothing more than internal adjustments. The fundamental doctrines of UBF (i.e. the Spiritual Hertiage of God’s ways from Samuel Lee) remain unchanged. From time to time, I see small glimmers of the Spirit working, but see little evidence of the abundant, transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, I see a constant re-writing of UBF history by UBF people.

In the past two years, UBF’s headquarters in Chicago has made much effort to keep a good public face to the larger Christian community. While this is unprecedented, given UBF’s absolutely closed past and severe criticism of Western Christianity, such public-facing activities have not made an impact outside Chicago. Indeed, from both an inside and an outside perspective, such attempts at being loosely connected with Western Christianity seem to be only a way of covering up the problems that have led UBF to be on cult-watching groups.

Yes, in 2012, there are six groups that list UBF as “being watched” or as “abherrant”.

1. Apologetics Index
2. Rick Ross Institute
3. New England Institute of Religious Research
4. Cult Information Services of Northeast Ohio, Inc.
5. CARM
6. Freedom of Mind

The Apologetics Index says this:

“In short, we have seen nothing that suggests University Bible Fellowship’s teachings and practices should not — at the very least — be cause of concern for Christians. In our opinion, the UBF is an unhealthy organization whose teachings and practices provide a breeding ground for spiritual elitism and spiritual abuse.

Theologically, we consider the University Bible Fellowship to be at best an aberrant movement. In Christian theology, aberrant means, “Off-center or in error in some important way, such that the doctrine or practice should be rejected and those who accept it held to be sinning, even though they may very well be Christian.” (source)

In 2004, UBF was expelled from the NAE. What the public probably doesn’t know is that only the Chicago chapter was a member, and not as a denomination but only as an organization. In 2008, UBF re-applied, more officially, and persuaded the new NAE board members to accept them, partly because of the new UBF public relations activities.

But has UBF changed?

To answer that, I look back at the three reform movements and note the ongoing 2011 independence movement (called a crisis by the UBF 50th Anniversary Book). After reviewing the reform material, I’ve decided to focus on the 1976 reform movement and see what reforms, if any, suggested by the Korean staff shepherds in 1976 have been implemented as of 2012.

Below are the highlights of the Korean-drafted 1976 UBF reform letters. In follow-up comments to this article, I will share my observations as an American Director shepherd who was “Mr.UBF” and defended UBF for 24 years, from 1987 to 2011. I would hope others would share their observations (minus the emotion and focusing on facts).

The 1976 reform movement:

– Led by seven Korean UBF staff shepherds

– Reform letter was sent April 17, 1976 before Easter to Samuel Lee

– Their allegations are based on factual, eye-witness accounts, most of which are well-documented

– Allegations of Offering Abuses:

• Misappropriation of offering money
• Concealment of an accounting book in UBF headquarters
• Obscure expenses and expenditures

– Allegations of Human Rights Abuses:

• Examples of violence
• Forced arranged marriage

– Allegations of Illegal Activity:

• Theft
• Forged documents and bribe
• Destruction of family

– Allegations of Non-Biblical Education:

• Forced repentance
• Forced testimony sharing
• Infusion of personal philosophy
• Inhumane training

– Allegations of Ministry centered on Samuel Lee:

• Committees unable to operate freely
• Dictatorship style meetings

1976 Reform Direction

Ministry directions of UBF

UBF should be the ministry that God may use after solving the problems mentioned above. We suggest the following ministry directions based on the Bible. We want to change the regulations of UBF based on the following directions.

Main direction: The Holy Spirit instead of one person should lead ministry. The agenda should be discussed and determined together.

1. System

(1) Identical man-made system should be changed to creative and independent system that respects the ministry of local chapters (Ephesians 2:21,22).

(2) Each chapter is led under each chapter director’s responsibility. UBF discussion committee should be organized.

(3) Abroad chapters are independently administrated. Offering money for missionaries’ education and training should be sent to the main accounting department (Romans 15:25,26). Missionary sends offering to his home chapter by his own will.

2. Enforcement of committee

The function of committees should be reinforced to establish budget, audit, inspect accounting, and administer personnel (Acts 20:28).

3. Separation of administration

Administration personnel will control budget, accounting and auditing. (Currently, the president of leaders has controlled accounting even though he should concentrate on the
prayer and the ministry of the word.) (Acts 6:3-6)

4. Education of shepherds and missionaries

Impersonal physical training should be stopped and education should concentrate on spiritual inspiration. (1 Timothy 4:7,8)

5. Administration of personnel

Personnel administration committee should maintain the administration of personnel. (Currently, the president of leaders decides and maintains the administration of
personnel.) (Acts 1:15-26)

6. Protection of private life

The family of shepherds and laymen should not be inhibited by anybody for any reason.

So again I ask, did UBF change after the 1976 reform movement?

I present the letter from the 2000 UBF reform movement, again led by Korean staff shepherds, as evidence that nothing fundamentally changed in UBF from 1976 to 2000. The “change” was nothing more than internal adjustments and appeasements.

The 2000 reform movement:

God established UBF 39 years ago and has blessed her to send out over 1,500 missionaries to 87 countries. Being convinced that we need the mentality of reform, open-mindedness and an embracing attitude in order to grow and progress further, we declare the following in this beginning year of a new millennium:

First, the Lordship of Jesus Christ should be restored in UBF. It is God who established our fellowship. But in the last 39 years, everything has been decided and ruled by one man and many people have been hurt in the process. This ill must stop now. We need to accept Jesus Christ as the King of our fellowship. UBF should be guided by the Holy Spirit and grow and develop by the free consultations and cooperation of coworkers.

Second, our fellowship should become a Christ-centered community of love. Thus far, due to authoritarianism and number-emphasis in our fellowship, the personal relationships among coworkers has been jeopardized. Love and trust have been sorely missing. Now we need to get back to our Lord’s command, “Love one another.” Our fellowship needs to become a mature fellowship built around love and service.

Third, we need to embark on educating staff shepherds as spiritual experts in order to have spiritual quality.

It is our sincere desire to pursue the above goals in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation. We do not want UBF to be divided. We will keep the spirit of dialogue in the Holy Spirit to the end.

May 23, 2000

Initiating members of the committee for UBF reform:

MyungRoon UBF
DaeJeon UBF
MohkPoh UBF
JeonJoo UBF
SooWon UBF
DaeGoo UBF
InCheon UBF
KyoungHeemoon UBF
Pusan UBF
KyoungJoo UBF
ChungJoo UBF

(source)

Here is a presentation from 2005 regarding the teaching of “business mission” by some high-level UBF missionaries:

UBF Business Mission

UBF has already created some businesses and front-groups, especially in Europe.

Bible Study front-groups

Seed at Penn State:
http://seed.pennstateubf.org/

Seed at NYU:
http://www.nyuseed.com/

Seed at University of Waterloo:
http://seedsofwaterloo.blogspot.com/

Narrow Gate at University of Toledo:
http://www.utchristians.com/index.php/resources/biblestudymaterials/cat_view/14-narrow-gate-resources

UBF Club at York University:
http://www.yorkubf.org/XE/Forum/3162

“EMPNG” – Empowering The Next Generation:
http://www.empoweringubfnewgen.org/

Medical Mission:
http://www.ubfmedicalmission.com/

ABC Bible Study Group:
https://sites.google.com/site/bonnubfabcbibelkreis/

Businesses:

Honors Review: Princeton Branch (New Jersey ties)
http://princetonhonors.com/en/?page_id=72

“5L2F” – 5 Loaves & 2 Fish Orchestra (New Jersey/Germany ties):
http://newjerseyubf.org/fiveloavestwofish

CO-WORLD GmbH: Ximeta Technology partner (defunct?; Germany ties)
http://www.coworldcs.com/en/products/sd_dualdrive.php Note: CO-WORLD stands for “conquer the world” per the UBF Business Mission document link above.

FIAA GmbH (precursor to Nest41?; New Jersey and Bonn/Germany ties)
http://www.linkedin.com/company/fiaa-gmbh
http://www.fiaagames.com/

Nest41 GmbH (successor of CO-WORLD GmbH?; Germany ties)
http://www.nest41.com/company_1.php
Note: The “41” is curiously similar to the Business Mission prayer topic to raise 100,000 UBF missionaries by 2041.

UBF employs a business-like, B.I.T.E model of ministry which has become a religious machine intended to produce super-apostles to lead the world. UBF activities are geared toward behavior control, information control, thought control and emotional control.

These seminar presentations have the look and feel of a classroom-style lesson. Could these be the foundation for the textbooks to be used in the new private schools: UBF K-12 curriculum, UBF University (as mentioned on  page 150 of the “blue book”)?

Here is a summary of teachings from Lecture 101:

1. The success of UBF comes from a great strategy (slide 6).

2. The UBF lifestyle is an endless cycle of work (slide 8).

3. UBF fishing is done in order to keep the UBF workforce young and dynamic (slide 15).

4. One purpose of UBF fishing is to reproduce 2 UBF people, derived from a woman’s average number of children (slide 17).

5. Another purpose of UBF fishing is to hand down the UBF ministry to children of UBF people (slide 18).

6. The odds are against UBF fishing being fruitful (slide 40).

7. UBF fishing is intended to make a good impression and break down emotional defenses (slide 47).

8. UBF fishing is an exercise in ruling situations (slide 52).

I will leave it up to my readers to see what UBF officially teaches in these lessons. Such things make me sick, and I never would have believed all this was official teaching, except that I lived UBF for many years.

I’ll just leave it to this picture from one of the UBF presentations. I think this says it all…

And this slide makes it clear that UBF really, really, really wants to raise super-apostles:

And what does this teach? If this is serious, it is bad. If it is a joke, it’s even worse:

And yes, UBF is attempting to follow a pyramid-scheme model of making disciples:

Screen-captures of the presentations:

ubf-lecture101

ubf-lecture102

ubf-lecture103

Official UBF links:

2010 Leadership Forum Presentations

Seminar 101: Introduction to Outreach and Fishing

Seminar 102: Hardcore Contents of 1:1 Bible Study

Seminar 103: Discipleship Explored

Bonn UBF Public Presentations

This part is comprised of five lectures. There is a lot of mention of various UBF works and activities in these lectures, and how much of a blessing those works are. If you have been in UBF a few years, you’ve heard all those lines. So I’ll just share the conclusion of each lecture, which captures the essense of what each person is conveying.

1. The Spirit of Campus Ministry by Elisha Kim (pages 40-43)

“Campus disciple-making is our main goal and purpose… we need to help students find current methods and strategies for disciple-making. We also need to raise professionals and specialists for the next generation.”

2. Discipleship and the House Church by Moses Yoon (pages 44-48)

“The UBF declaration shows well this sense of leadership: ‘One, I am a soldier of my Lord Jesus Christ. I will correctly handle the word of truth and build a Christian outlook. One, I am a soldier of my Lord Jesus Christ. I will participate in the sufferings of Christ for Bible Korea and world mission (2 Timothy 3:3,15).’ Leaders were raised based on this word.”

“We all desire a revival in our ministry. The answer to revival does not lie in group movements… May we walk the road of discipleship, unwaivering in our faith. When we do so God will raise disicples of Jesus just as he has done in our ministry before.”

Ok time out again. So this part was supposed to be about “house church”? There is a small section on “house church” but there is no explanation of what a “house church” is. Just that some leaders formed house churches with other leaders. Clearly UBF values “soldiers” who live as if they were not married. Clearly UBF ignores children in families, for are not children part of a house church? But children are not mentioned here.

3. One-to-one Bible study by Nehemiah Kim (pages 49-54)

“The motto of the world is ‘Faster and more for less.’ But people cannot be mass produced…Besides the labor of love, the grace of God is absolutely necessary for the transformation of souls. May God use our 1:1 ministries to raise influential leaders for Christ and his kingdom.”

4. Daily Bread by Moses Noh (pages 55-59)

“Writing Daily Bread is an important way that many UBF leaders practive living by the word of God on a daily basis, 365 days a year.”

This lecture describes many benefits of doing Daily Bread 365 days a year. It has no conclusion, but ends with explaining four steps of how to write good Daily Bread, which is very similar to what is published on the front cover of every Daily Bread booklet. So the message here is simply: Do Daily Bread 365 days a year.

5. The Purpose and Principles of “Sogam” Writing by John Park (pages 60-64)

“‘Sogam’ (i.e. reflective understanding on particular passages of the Bible) or “testimony writing” began in 1973 in UBF.”

“Testimony writing and sharing is a great way to experience God’s grace and truth in our lives. This is also quite useful in raising up college students as disciples of Jesus… God has used testimony practices in UBF to honor Christ and advance his kingdom in Korea and around the world.”

True. But leaders in UBF have used testimony writing to enslave and burden young people around the world.

When I realized that over a fifth of the blue book is devoted to just introducing UBF, I realized that the blue book is a snapshot of my 24 years in UBF. Over the course of 24 years, UBF ideology was presented to me in almost the same manner as the blue book presents it. 22% of 24 years is about 5 years. That’s about how much time was spent “introducing” UBF to me, which corresponds to the time I spent in college. That is the way UBF disciples students: spend the college years in orientation and introduction. Then the challenges begin, after graduation.

Back to the book itself. The introduction is divided into two lectures:

1. spirit, ministry, vision by Heon-Il Jeong (pages 31-32)
2. A Biblically based Spirit by Elisha Ahn (pages 33-39)

First of all, even as a director in UBF and after 24 years in the ministry, I have no idea who Jeong and Ahn are. Who are they? Why are they introducing the blue book lectures? I have no clue. Secondly, why is “spirit” intentionally not capitalized in the title of the first introduction lecture?

1. spirit, ministry, vision by Heon-Il Jeong (pages 31-32)

“The word “spirit” refers to a fundamental concept, philosophy or idea. A “spirit” is not a concrete object, but a reaction; a strength that occurs within and among people. A “ministry” is spirit in visible form. Thus, it could be said that a ministry is the visible manifestation of an invisible spirit.”

“A “vision” is future circumstances foreseen, but based on reality. Thus, spirit, ministry, and vision cannot be viewed separately from each other.  There cannot be a ministry without a spirit, and a ministry’s spirit cannot exist without a ministry. A ministry can be shaped by its spirit, and at times, a ministry may create its own spirit. Here, a vision is the search for a better future based on the self-examination and reflection of a ministry and a spirit.”

Time out!!! Anybody confused? Are we supposed to be talking about the ministry from Jesus Christ? Is this Christianity? Could Apostle Paul please come back from the after-life and refute this? Ok hold on for the ride on page 32…

“We cannot reflect on our spirit and ministry without reflecting on Dr. Samuel Lee, the founder of UBF. This is because the spirit and ministry of UBF is closely connected to Lee.”

What a minute.. I thought a “spirit” is invisible? So how can a “spirit” be closely connected with a man? And since when was UBF founded by Samuel Lee alone? What about Sarah Barry? Why has she been written out as a founder?!?

“The spirit of UBF is, in short, “Living according to God’s word.”… “”We have organized UBF Spirit, Ministry, Vision into six parts:  Introduction, Campus Ministry for Discipleship, World Mission and Self-supporting Missionaries, the Power and Influence of a Believing Community, a Pioneering and Independent Spirit, and finally, To the Ends of the Earth: North Korea and beyond.”

Notice how “Introduction” is a “part”. Orientation and introduction are key concepts to understand in UBF. Those are normally “fed” to young students over the course of their college days, so they are “prepared” for the “greater” teachings.

2. A Biblically based Spirit by Elisha Ahn (pages 33-39)

This introduction lecture is based on John 8:31-32: ” 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”

“UBF was first called University Bible Research Group. But since obeying the word of God was more important than researching it, the name changed to University Bible Fellowship.”

Time out!! So obedience is more important than researching? That explains the “accept absolutely” attitude displayed by UBF shepherds. Rarely is a student given enough time to properly think about a Bible passage for themselves. “Study” in UBF is redefined as “accept” and “trust and obey”. Thinking critically is highly discouraged, and now it is documented de-facto.

Based on that premise, the next several pages introduce how the Bible has become an idol in UBF. Let’s jump to the last paragraph on page 39:

“Therefore, we need to build a message research institute and establish it as a key ministry in UBF. At the same time, we need to raise specialists that can continue to develop the tradition of our inductive Bible studies through more research and study.”

Wow. Obedience is more important (supposedly) than research. But the conclusion of this lecture is: raise research specialists! What this means is (as I always suspected), UBF intends to let students just “accept and obey” the “tradition and research” of the Bible specialists.

This is quite sad to me. Koreans in UBF seem to have stolen the ministry away from what Sarah Barry had hoped. Clearly UBF is at a “fork in the road”. Does UBF choose the spirit of Lee or the heed the sound advice of Barry?

First, “What do these stones mean?” (pages 7-10)

The first message is really just an opening address.  The message is labelled as “World Mission Report 2011 Opening Address.” Based on Joshua 4:21-22, people are welcomed:

“At this 50th anniversary of our spiritual community I attribute all glory to God. I thank and praise God for blessing the 50th anniversary World Mission Report and renewing his call and vision for us to be “a royal priesthood”!

The attendants of the meeting are addressed as “…all of you who are here today are front-line, spiritual warriors and great builders of the kingdom of God. I love an respect you.”

The conclusion of this opening address is:

“I pray that we will be used as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to send out missionaries to 140 unpioneered countries and 100,000 self-supporting tent-maker missionaries to 233 countries by 2041, and that God’s kingdom may come. I also pray that God will give the same grace to all of our UBF family members around the world who are not with us today.”

Second, “You are a royal priesthood” (pages 11-18)

The second message presents one path for UBF to follow the next 50 years: the path of being a royal priesthood. Such a priesthood is defined in the first sentence:

“We give thanks to God that he established UBF in 1961 and through the past 50 years, raised around 2,000 missionaries in 93 countries to serve world campus evangelism.”

Based on 1 Peter 2:9, this message exhorts UBF people to be a royal priesthood.

Part 1: The Lord made us a holy nation, a people belonging to God (9a,c).

“God’s nation also has its own nature and character. The unique character of the people of America is generosity, a can-do spirit, individualism, and pleasure seeking. The character of God’s people is holiness and purity. God’s people have been cleansed of their sins by the blood of Jesus. They have to live holy and pure lives unlike secular people in the world.” (pg 12-13)

“Some believers being tempted by sin, fail to live holy lives and end up being objects of criticism. Some live as shameful and secular people rather than as a holy nation. In particular, these days in the USA, many believers being influence by the world live disgraceful and dirty lives and are criticized by non-believers. Most spiritual leaders deplore this with one voice.” (pg 13)

Part 2: The Lord appointed us as a royal priesthood (9b)

“Look at verse 9b. “…a royal priesthood.” This verse tells us that our identity is as a king and priest like Melchizedek the king of Salem (Ge 14:18). Through spiritual union with Christ, believers reign over the whole world and at the same time, serve God as priests like Christ (Rev 5:10).” (pg 13)

The conclusion of this message is:

“UBF shepherds should continue to devote themselves to the task of a royal priesthood. I pray that we may renew the certificate of appointment as a royal priesthood from the Lord and faithfully fulfill our responsibility. I thank and praise the Lord who saved smelly sinners with the word and the Holy Spirit and appointed us as a royal priesthood. I praise the Lord that he has been using America as a kingdom of priests for the whole world. ” (pg 18)

Third, “A testimony to all nations” (pages 19-28)

This third message is the longest and presents a second path for UBF people to follow: the path of being a testimony to all nations. Of the three opening messages, this one is the most like what I might hear at a Christian conference. Based on Matthew 24:1-35 (not just a key verse but the whole passage), the message expounds on Matthew 24.

“As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we give thanks to God. We are here to praise God for his gracious work in and among us. We are here to worship him. We are here to pray for one another and encourage one another. Through the blood of Jesus and by God’s grace alone we have forgiveness of sin. Through his resurrection, we have life and hope in the kingdom of God. We are ready to welcome and worship our King when he comes.” (pg 19)

Part 1: Jesus’ sorrow– Jerusalem destroyed

“In Matthew 21, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble king, riding on a donkey. He went first to the temple. He cleansed it. He drove out all those who were doing worldly business there. He rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He wept over Jerusalem because it rejected God’s love and blessing.” (pg 20)

Part 2: The end of the age and Jesus’ second coming

“Jesus begins his answer to the question about signs with a warning: Do not be deceived. People who look only for signs are frequently deceived. Watch out that no one deceives you-false Messiah’s will come.” (pg 22)

“Like Noah, we should walk with God in prayer, listen to his word and be ready. Jesus will come like a thief in the night. He will come at a time when we do not expect him. Therefore, we should keep watch.” (pg 24)

Part 3: What God is doing in these times and what will he do?

“What is God doing? First, he is working to help his elect stand firm.” (pg 24)

“God’s elect are those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.” (pg 24)

“We have ‘Roman Roads’ in our time too. We live in the world of the internet, satellite TV and radio; in the world of facebook and Twitter and Youtube.” (pg 26)

“Jesus keeps his promise. His coming is our glorious hope.” (pg 27)

Part 4: How can we respond to what God is doing?

“We can love God and love one another.” (pg 27)

“We are in Christ and he is in us. We can stand firm. May God use our lives as a testimony to the nations.” (pg 28)

As I begin to read the book, I am quickly confused. The title is “spirit, ministry, vision”. The word “spirit” is intentionally made lowercase. Why would this be? The Blue Book is about “spirit”. This is clearly not the Holy Spirit, but some other spirit. I’m not sure what spirit the book is referring to, but I want to find out.

The teaching is also about “ministry” and “vision”, which doesn’t seem so confusing.  So I would expect to find teachings in this book related to what UBF ministry is about and what vision UBF has for the future. This is a good thing. Finally, after 24 years, I have found a book that documents what UBF is all about!

As I open this book, inside the front cover,  I am presented with an opening statement, followed by a rough outline of the six parts of the book. Some of the words are boldly highlighted in all CAPS and blue coloring:

THE SPIRIT OF UBF is, in short, “LIVING ACCORDING TO GOD’S WORD.”

Having been a leader in UBF, I think that accurately sums up everything you need to know about UBF. In UBF, you will answer questions about God’s word, pray God’s word, write testimonies about God’s word, share God’s word, preach God’s word, talk about God’s word, sacrifice for God’s word, make banners about God’s word, accept God’s word and most supremely: teach God’s word.

I begin my review of the UBF Blue Book with the last lecture, which is entitled: “Shepherd-Missionary Seminar 2011 Closing Message: Terrible Times and the Bible”. The lecture has 2 Timthy 3:1-17 as its Bible passage. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is the key verse of the lecture.

Part 1: “Have nothing to do with them” (verses 1-9). 

In Part 1, the lecture begins with an overview of the text, mentioning verse 1, verses 2-5a. The lecture leads us to think there is a crisis facing Timothy, known as terrible times. Then a declaration is made:

“This is the picture of the crisis that our church community confronts today. Nowadays, people love themselves and money. They love pleasure more than God. The waves of sin flow into the church community and infect our souls.”

The following quotes from Part 1 summarize what the author is communicating:

• “Co-workers who were once great in their faith fall into the temptations of sin. Some become tempters to knock down the faith of others. Those who once stood firm on the gospel faith and were once a good influence for their faith are rather influenced by sin and the value system of the world.”
• “Many are losing their identity as a royal priesthood and a holy nation.”
• “Paul strongly urges Timothy to “having nothing to do with them”.
• “But the women are never able to acknowledge the truth even though they are always learning.”
• “They are not the ones who serve God with sincere faith, but those who live hypocritical and superficial lives before people.”
• “Their folly will be clear to everyone.”
• “Paul clearly warns Timothy to turn away from them.”

Part 2: “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of” (10-17).

Part 1 was only two pages long. Part 2 is eight pages long. Much time is spent in Part 2 declaring how some chapters in UBF have failed to continue in what they have learned. The application of verses 10-17 begins with the words

“I believe that this is also what God says to us. We are living in a world which changes rapidly.”

The author acknowledges that UBF is having difficulty serving the new generation of young people, who are very different from the young people UBF encountered in the 1960’s and 1970’s:

“We encounter difficulties and limits in serving the new generation who follow the popular trend of life infected with sin and go with the mainstream of sin. For this reason, we began to wonder if we should look for alternatives and changes different from what we had in the past.”

The author then goes on to rebuke chapters in UBF:

“Some chapters tried to implement the spiritual movement, giving up raising disciples through one-to-one Bible study because it was so difficult. Other chapters tried to live a religious life without the burdens of sharing Daily Bread and writing testimonies. There were also some chapters that tried to attract the attention of the young through singspiration, rather than focusing on profound Bible studies or testimony training.”

The author then simply concludes that the UBF activities are the “best ways to raise disciples” and “nobody can deny” that such ways are the best ways.

Then we have the ultimate teaching, the heart of what the author seems to want to declare:

“If the spirit that worked in the UBF ministry for the past 50 years came from human efforts or ideas, we don’t need to continue in them. Those that come from human thoughts and ideas are limited and will change or disappear someday in the future. However, the spirit that worked in the UBF ministry for the past 50 years didn’t come from the ideas of Dr. Samuel Lee or Mother Barry. It was not a typical UBF spirit, but the eternal truth of God’s words.”

This is a new teaching. When I came to UBF in 1987, everyone was clear: UBF spirit came from Sarah Barry and Samuel Lee. Now UBF spirit came from God? The thinking that UBF is the “best ways” and the “truth of God’s words” was always an unspoken rule that I thought people didn’t really believe. But the teaching is now described clearly in this Blue Book lecture.

The “Terrible Times” lecture continues with expounding on the 2 Timothy verses. And then the lecture concludes with a brief summary of the last 50 years of UBF history, weaving 2 Timothy verses into the stories of Samuel Lee and other UBF missionaries.

The lecture concludes with the following statements:

“We will bear much fruit in season. I earnestly pray that we may give our whole heart to love the word of God so that we can be filled with the breath of God all the time and become men of God who can breathe his Spirit to move hearts. May we be able to serve the great and heart-moving work of God in our own mission fields.”

From this  conclusion it is easy to see the UBF teaching here:

• Be ambitious and work hard (but is there room for God to work?)
• Love the word of God (but what about loving people?)
• Be filled with the breathe of God (but what about being filled with the Holy Spirit?)
• Become men of God (but what about the women of God?)
• Be men of God who breathe his Spirit to move hearts (but isn’t God in control of that?)
• Serve the work of God in our own mission fields (but doesn’t God own all the earth?)
• Have nothing to do with former UBF members (but shouldn’t we love others?)

From this lecture it is clear the Korean UBF leaders think UBF is facing a crisis. It is clear that the crisis is co-workers  leaving  the ministry and UBF chapters not following the UBF ways as they had in the past.

Is this lecture a proper, Godly, Biblical response to the crisis?

For example, there is a lecture entitled “Independent Mindset”, which explains some reasons why UBF kept separated from mainline churches (and apparently will continue to do so). That lecture also documents the creation of a “culture of mature actions”, which includes actions such as “marriage by faith”. The “mature actions” are not defined, just documented partially.

Back to my original reason for today’s post: more quotes from the concluding lecture of this book. As I read this lecture several times, I just could not believe what I was reading. I had heard the criticisms against UBF for many years. But I always dismissed one of the biggest criticisms: replacing grace with works in regard to salvation. I thought, even up to yesterday, that this criticism had no basis. Well, we can now judge for ourselves whether this criticism has any merit.

“From the 1990s, we made every effort to find better ways and alternatives to serve this generation.”

Every effort? I was there. I saw no effort, other than a few appeasing actions, such as allowing some modern songs instead of demanding only hymn songs at Sunday worship service.

“However, we have not found alternatives better than one-to-one Bible study, Daily Bread, testimony writing, a life giving spirit with five loaves and two fish, a pioneering spirit, a community spirit, and a self-supporting spirit that we have had from the beginning of UBF history. Nobody can deny that those works are the best ways to raise disciples and missionaries who can preach the gospel.”

Nobody can deny this? So the mass exodus in various major chapters around the world this year is because these “best ways” worked so well? Oh wait, they are the people mentioned in part 1 of this lecture: “Co-workers who were once great in their faith fall into the temptations of sin. Some became tempters to knock down the faith of others.”

The lecture goes on to bind the works of UBF to God’s work. Then, after tying these “best ways” to “the eternal truth of God’s words”, we have this rather amazing statement:

“When we continue to stand firm on the truth of the Bible without being swayed in this changing generation, what great hope and blessing will be given to us through the Bible? First, the holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation. Look at verse 15 “…and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Wisdom for salvation!”

Do you see the binding going on? Surely, the Scriptures do make us wise for salvation. But how does UBF say we should find such wisdom? It is through the “best ways” described above. According to UBF, we are to be bound to their “best ways” because the “best ways” are bound to the Holy Scriptures. And in fact, there is no alternative since UBF leaders have not found anything better. Well, in one Bible study at my new church, I found something better: the grace of God.

To make this plain and simple, and to remove all the Christianized wordings: UBF teaches salvation by works. The blue book is proof.

And in case you missed it, all the attendants in Korea at the celebration took a vow to commit themselves to this work.

So now we have an official, codified blue book of the UBF belief system. It describes things like creating a UBF University, empowering Korean children and how wonderful and necessary it is to do various UBF activities. The concluding message from the Korean director made me extremely troubled and inspires me to pray all the more for anyone propagating the UBF machine.

The passage of this final message is 2 Timothy 3:1-17 and titled “Terrible times and the Bible”. Part one is entitled “Have nothing to do with them” (1-9). Part two is entitled “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of” (10-17).

So what is so troubling about this message? The message begins by paraphrasing these verses:

“1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God– 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

Here are some quotes based on these verses:

“This is the picture of the crisis that our church community confronts today.”

“Many are losing their identity as a royal priesthood and a holy nation.”

Then the message continues by emphasizing verse 14:

“14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

A few more quotes:

“However, the spirit that worked in the UBF ministry for the past 50 years didn’t come from the ideas of Dr. Samuel Lee or Mother Barry. It was not a typical UBF spirit, but the eternal truth of God’s words.”

“Therefore, we should continue in the truth that we learned and stand firmly on it. Those who do not continue in the truth will lose the power of godliness and will join in the sinful trend of the world.”

News flash to the world: If you are not doing UBF activities (i.e. the life-giving spirit, a humble mind, one-to-one Bible study, writing testimonies and sending out lay missionaries, otherwise known as the “eternal truth of God’s words”), then you do not have the power of godliness and you are a sinner following the ways of the world.

The message goes on with several more pages of examples from UBF history of those who kept the “eternal truth of God’s words”.

Clearly I made the right choice to get my family away from this group. This new blue book from UBF is a perfect example of binding people’s consciences to a set of ideas from the Bible. For 24 years, I always heard how thankful people were to Samuel Lee and Sarah Barry for the spiritual practices they had developed in UBF.

Now, 50 years after Lee and Barry began a good work, we are supposed to believe that those practices are not from Lee and Barry, but from God as his “eternal words of truth”? The blue book is nothing more than a tool to bind UBF activity to the word and work of God. However, the world created by God is not “UBF holy nation people” and “anti-UBF sinners”. The world and the people in it belong to God.

I for one will not submit to UBF authority nor do any UBF activity.