I sent you email privately, but I hope to publish something you have to share. It would be helpful to know more about CMI and how it was formed, especially how it relates to UBF.

I would say the fantasy land an “utopia” which can not exist in reality. In this Utopia, UBF members have to pretend. They have to pretend to be holier than the others. They have to pretend that they really have a shepherd heart. They have to pretend that they love Jesus more than anyone ……

In this Utopia, UBF members have to imagine. They need to act many many roles and they have to imagine. They need to treat the others as sheep while we treat ourselves as their shepherds. Then they need to imagine that they are really their shepherds, like Moses, David, Jesus, etc. Sometimes they need to imagine that they are David who fight Goliath (Enemy). Sometimes they need to imagine that they are Jesus who rebukes the Pharisees (Enemy). Sometimes they need to imagine that they are Jesus who is very poor and feeds the sheep from dawn till sundown (shepherd heart). Sometimes they need to imagine that the missionaries are Moses and “somebody” are Korah (especially when “rebellion” happens! Who is “somebody”? Let’s find out the answer yourself.) And then, they will pretend to embrace their weakness, pray for their sins, teach them something or even rebuke them, etc.. (Sometimes their imagination is too real that they cannot even distinguish it is real or not. This may cause psychological disorders.)

However, in reality, they are nothing. They are just pity man who have been fooled for a long time. They need somebody give helping hands and to tell them the truth of the matter although it is not easy for them to accept the fact at the beginning.

Those who left UBF has came back the reality and he has got rid of UBF’s hireachchy. They can see clearly that UBF is an abusive church and the leaders are just manipulators.

My point a year ago, exactly! I spent 24 years in UBF… it was like I was always in a fantasy land. The disconnect between perception and the reality (of myself, others, the world) became too much for me to bear. I had to come back to reality. Now I blog for the future, for the next exodus of leaders (in about 2019 or so, I predict). I blog to undo my public defense of UBF in 2004.

http://www.priestlynation.com/archives/976

Brian, where can we see the two different copies of the final lecture for the 50th anniversary?

As you have pointed out, if you want to try to bring it down to a bottom line, the real problem with UBF is that in writing everything seems biblical and Christ-centered. But in reality, the mission-driven mindset is totally disconnected from the Spirit of Christ and SPIRIT-DRIVEN ministry and mission and life and leads only to guilt and fear which are not of the Lord.

“we in the planning teams experienced complete support and encouragement from the UBF leadership”

Complete support and encouragement? Really? You imply you had no struggle over this and the senior UBF leaders were so happy to have Rand come and speak and lead a “Spirit-session”. Is this really true? I know that such a blanket statement is not an honest testimony of what happened.

I’ve mentioned before that most of my sources are hearsay. People say things before and after service and GBS, between programs at conferences, over lunch, etc. By no means am I claiming that my sources are 100% accurate.

But please note this (for this might come as a surprise for regular readers of Brian’s blogs): we in the planning teams experienced complete support and encouragement from the UBF leadership to not only invite an outside speaker but to follow the Spirit’s leading to organize a different style of conference that we thought would better minister to the needs of those who attended. And I say this only to address the implicit tone that I sensed was underlying anonymous’ question.

Anonymous, I appreciate the question, but would appreciate it even more if anonymous would kindly share these facts to the original source of that claim. Thank you!

I heard that people in charge of The Well (formerly YDC) were reprimanded for inviting an outside speaker…

“In one passage you write that the 2001 movement was initiated by Koreans from Chigao. I’m not sure about that. There were several large movements in Korea, Germany and the US which shared the same goals and communicated with each other, but I’m not sure which one was first. I tend to believe it originated in Korea where they established a “reform committee”. Many chapters in the world followed their example, because these missionaries were sent out by these reform chapters and considered their leaders their shepherds. Other chapters in the world did not follow, because their mother chapter in Korea was hardcore. After all, in UBF people tend to follow their shepherds. The reform movement in the US was a bit special because they contacted the reformers of 1984 to get advice, some of who had already left UBF and were reluctant to participate because they saw little hope.”