Amen. I truly don’t view you as an enemy. And I also appreciate your comments here. I’m glad to see someone who has courage and freedom to engage, even though you may need some aspirin from time to time :)

Just one more interesting note. I’ve been on both sides of the UBF issue. As you may know, I once was the ultimate defender of UBF on the internet! I argued intensely against some of those commenting here, even. At that time, I felt the way you mention above (“This type of communication creates life long enemies and ends friendships. That is what hurts. If this conversation is about love, I am not feeling it. I am feeling more of a migraine and a tense feeling in my throat and a desire to get into the fray.”)

Now however, I have a lot of peace and real hope. I am truly excited about my journey of faith this year, more so than the past 10 years. I haven’t felt this way since I went to Russia.

When I defended UBF, I had to keep inventing answers. I had to work hard to understand what was going on. But now it is rather easy. As I dialogue with various people, I am calm and at peace. I am no longer trying to defend or dictate my ideas about what is right or wrong. I am simply speaking as prompted and thinking critically. I feel so much more alive and healthy now!

Most of us former members feel we were pushed into such a place. In fact the only way I could get a response from UBF leaders was to threaten to leave UBF or use the “c” word. Dialogue just wasn’t possible any other way.

So my choices ended up as: be quite and go away, stay and remain quiet about things I have differing opinions about, or “blog it out”. It’s clear what my choice was. It may not be the best choice for others, but my blogging has helped me tremendously. And I’ve made quite a few friends who think in a similar way.

But I’m sure that after 10 years, even the most rabid of the “disgruntled” would largely forget my decades of inexcusably abusive d-baggery, if only my loyal followers would stop coming to my tomb to try to whitewash it (and also my legacy) year after year.

In America? I have plenty of relatives in the grave, and over 100 family members. Yet not once did we take a family photo at the cemetery. And I think my family would be horrified if we took such a photo with about 20 non-family member friends and circulated it on Facebook…

At most, I’ve known friends and family to visit a grave site briefly to put flowers there. Maybe this kind of thing is normal in Eastern countries, but it is disturbing to me.

So the question on my mind in all of this is: Should a missionary respect the culture in which they are living as missionaries? I know that there are examples of American missionaries have failed to do this. And I know that we should “all just get along”. But how should I react when Eastern traditions and Eastern religious thought becomes required (or at best highly recommended)?

I was thinking the same thing: The churches who have a founder’s day seem to look to the future realistically in expectation of what God will do and evaluate their present situation, perhaps briefly remembering the past. I’ve only attended one UBF founder’s day (my first and last) because it glorifies the past, promotes a false hope for the future and ignores the present situation.

I’ve been to Moody Bible Church for their Founder’s Week. Of course, they commemorate Dwight Moody, but that part of it is hardly the focus of their Founder’s Week. Their Founder is largely forgotten on Founder’s Week. Paradoxical. But that’s the way it should be. That’s healthy.

If people are still “hounding” me and blogging about me (negatively) 10 years after my death, it probably means I’ve been an inexcusably abusive d-bag to a lot of people.

No, I’m not looking for slack. I am aware that some people hate me and are angered by my comments. I’m not so concerned about making everyone like me.

I tried the politically correct approaches you mention the past 24 years. When I did that, I watched over 100 of my friends be mistreated in various ways.

Now my goal is to expose, to explain and to examine the UBF system. I am aware that many in UBF, including yourself, are well-meaning and are true Christians. But when will we face the facts about our situation?

Currently, there are two movements going on in UBF. One is the “independence movement”. This year many leaders left around the world before me. I left as a kind of “going on strike” to bring things into the light and begin public discussion of the situation (as some credible Christians have recommended UBF to do). I am now the “poster boy” for the independence movement. I’ve accepted God’s purpose for me to draw the anger and frustrations of UBF leaders toward me. I’ve “taken the fall” so-to-speak in order to bring things out in the open.

The second movement is yet another reform movement. This is the fourth time a reform movement has occurred. The 2011 reform movement however, is different because it is led by native leaders and Korean leaders together. In the past, primarily the Korean leaders led the reform. The other difference is that the reform movement this time is hidden. It is not clearly defined so that the Spirit may work His way. And it is supported by some top leaders in UBF.

My point is not that the reformers have caused the work of God. My point is that all three movements together have allowed UBF to be an instrument of God (traditional UBF, reform UBF and independence UBF). All three are necessary in my opinion for UBF to continue.

But we need to continue to dialogue with respect. It must be born out of love and respect and a desire to honor Jesus, not out of any other negative feeling. The following is a quote from “Eyes That See, Ear That Hear. Perceiving Jesus in a post modern context” by James Danaher. c. 2006. p. 155

“Personal concepts are broad and multifarious. They are therefore very distinct from the kind of narrow and precise mathematical concepts that were idealized by the science of modernity.With these caveats in mind, it is possible to know the personal concepts of another person, although the means to such knowledge will be very different….The primary means to know private concepts is dialogue. Questioning is essential to any dialogue. Through dialogue the interlocutor opens herself or himself to receive the personal concepts of another person. That is, the person to whom the concept is being communicated must also participate, and this participation essentially amounts to asking questions. In short, it is only by questioning that we remain open to receiving another person’s conceptual understanding.”

If we are going to keep the dialogue going we must keep the right perspective. Our motivation must truly be love and a desire to honor Jesus and build up the kingdom of God.

I think that we all need give each other “slack”. Do you want people to cut you some slack? It is called grace and forgiveness and mercy and though you perceive others as not deserving it…you as a Christian must practice it.

Also if it is God’s will to eliminate UBF he will do it. You are all for trusting the Holy Spirit. Then trust that the Holy Spirit can swipe us away at any time. But he hasn’t. If this movement is not from God then it will come to not.

Yes it does say something. As I look back on the past 24 years, I am starting to come to the conclusion that God works through UBF ministry primarily because of the “reform movements” and former members who speak out.

It is really surprising that such an organization as UBF could survive for 5 decades. I used to give credit for this to all the work and sacrifice of UBF members. But we know that God’s work is not sustained by human effort.

I am starting to believe the Spirit can work greater when we work less. Each time a reform movement happens, human effort is distracted, allowing the Spirit to begin new movements.

For 24 years I not only “cut them slack” but also treated them with double honor (1 Timothy 5:17). What do I get in return when I raise a few questions about my friends who are hurting and struggling? I get “it’s none of your business” and “maybe you are spiritually dead”.

How much more slack do they need?