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Media Reports on the Bonn UBF chapter<\/p>\n
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Translation of an article published on 8\/23\/2002 (article in \u201cGeneral-Anzeiger Online\u201d)<\/a><\/p>\n Bonn.<\/b> Somewhat hidden, but still noticeable among the commercial buildings lies the giant bungalow. On the main and side entrances, signs: University Bible Fellowship. Behind the walls, Korean and German members of the student organization, University Bible Fellowship (UBF) meet frequently.<\/p>\n Meeting place<\/b> for UBF members in Bonn is, among others, this bungalow. The leader of the religious community moved to that house a few months ago. Picture: Malsch<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The leader of the Bonn UBF is the Korean Peter Chang. And the public prosecution department has been investigating him since the fall of 2001 on charges that he did bodily harm to others.<\/p>\n According to the words of Andrew Sch\u00e4fer, cult commissioner [the cult commissioner has the official task to observe and inform the public about cults]<\/span> of the Protestant Church in Rhineland, Chang is regarded as a \u201chardliner between UBF loyalists and reformers of UBF.\u201d Sch\u00e4fer claims that Chang has a \u201ctotalitarian power position\u201d in the Bonn UBF.<\/p>\n Already in the 80s, rumors had spread of UBF members neglecting their children. The youth welfare department had been informed, says Sch\u00e4fer, and there had also been investigations. The results of the investigation, however, are not known. The youth welfare department knows very well about UBF, as a spokeswoman for the City government assured us on Friday. The youth welfare department stated that \u201cPreventive measures\u201d had been taken against the group.<\/p>\n On the Internet, Sch\u00e4fer reports, reform-minded members of UBF have made public for a while what has allegedly been happening behind the walls and unknown to the broad public up to now Regarding the reports, the cult commissioner says: \u201cI consider them all credible because the ones leveling the accusations are by no means desiring to take revenge for the things they left behind, but they have a sincere desire to reform UBF from within.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Dortmund UBF homepage [Dortmund is a reform UBF chapter]<\/span> a woman writes: \u201cM.\u00a0Peter teaches the children … with violence. When the child (meaning her own son) was whimpering in front of the door, he beat the child\u2019s feet the entire evening until the child was exhausted and fell asleep on the floor. He (Chang) said that doing this he wanted to lead the child into submission, because the evil spirit was expunged that way by him.\u201d<\/p>\n She continues: \u201cThe first son of Jakob and Sara … very often banged his head against a wall out of boredom when the parents left him alone at home.\u201d That reportedly came to the attention of the neighbors, who then filed charges with the police.<\/p>\n Andrew Sch\u00e4fer<\/b> is cult commissioner of the Protestant Church in Rhineland. Picture: GA<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The City government has confirmed that the police had been informed a couple of times about the child neglect \u2013 the parents being busy with worship services, Bible studies, meetings and writing testimonies.<\/p>\n A police spokesman told the General-Anzeiger that citizens had told an officer that Bonn UBF children were not dressed according to season. In winter, the children ran around outdoors barefoot or in short pants.<\/p>\n Kindergarten teachers also confirm this sort of neglect. They noticed that up to one or two years ago, children from UBF came to school in dirty clothes for an entire week. When a child once came to the kindergarten very sick, the kindergarten aides tried to contact the parents without success.<\/p>\n Later, Chang was reached [they tried to contact the parents, but they could only contact Chang]<\/span>, and \u201cafter repeated pushing,\u201d the child was taken home two hours later. It has become better lately, but the kindergarten teachers still speak of behavioral abnormalities among the UBF children: \u201cThey are screaming, aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n Neighbors of UBF members noticed this, also: \u201cThe children are intimidated, stunted in their development.\u201d The neighbors saw with their own eyes how children in the garden \u201chad to stand at attention for 20 minutes, while Chang was watering the lawn.\u201d A girl once told them with tears how \u201cGrandpa Peter\u201d had beaten her hands with a stick.<\/p>\n The Kindergarten teachers also report beatings. According to them, the stories of the children are \u201cabsolutely credible. They told so many details.\u201d Among the details, parents supposedly said that a disobedient child has to be beaten. Physical signs of violence on the children, however, were not found.<\/p>\n On the subject of violence, the [Dortmund]<\/span> UBF homepage states [in an ex-member\u2019s testimony]<\/span>: \u201cM.\u00a0Peter cares for the children of all coworkers in many ways. Then again, because of this, the children learn to obey him more than his parents.\u201d When he [the ex-member]<\/span> rebuked his son to not hit his sister on the head, he [the son]<\/span> simply answered that M.\u00a0Peter allowed him to give the girl clouts on the head when she was disobedient.<\/p>\n On the current status of the prosecution in progress, the public prosecution department did not want to give a statement, \u201cfor investigation-tactical reasons.\u201d Similarly Chang\u2019s lawyer, Stefan Hiebl, said: \u201cI have no comment.\u201d And the Korean himself was not available for an interview with the General-Anzeiger. Repeated ringing of the doorbell on Thursday evening was not answered, even though light and noise could be perceived from the bungalow. \u201cHe\u2019s not here right now,\u201d a female UBF coworker said, as she was cycling to the center.<\/p>\n In 1961, Samuel Chang Woo Lee and the American Sarah Barry founded what later became the University Bible Fellowship (UBF, or \u201cUniversit\u00e4t-Bibel-Freundschaft\u201d in Germany) in the South Korean city of Kwangju as an evangelical student movement.<\/p>\n UBF was founded with the rationale that a spiritual alternative should be offered in the environment of increasing student demonstrations. The worldwide headquarters of the UBF is in Chicago, USA. After a first reform attempt in the year 1976, a split occurred in UBF, according to information provided by Andrew Sch\u00e4fer, cult commissioner of the Protestant Church in Rhineland.<\/p>\n Since 1969, this group has existed in Germany, also. Founded primarily by Korean nurses who evangelized among fellow Korean nurses in the beginning, UBF has been active in campus recruitment at many German universities since 1978 \u2013 one of the locations being Bonn.<\/p>\n According to information provided by Sch\u00e4fer, UBF is continuing to recruit \u2013 despite a ban on entering the buildings \u2013 at the \u201cRheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit\u00e4t\u201d in Bonn . A university spokesman stated, however, that they did not notice UBF recruiters on the campus recently. The spokesman stated that two years ago the university decided not to provide rooms for UBF meetings on campus.<\/p>\n At that time, the conference of college rectors (HRK) had warned in a circular about the \u201cbible-fundamentalist group, University Bible Fellowship, recruiting on university campuses.\u201d The HRK also spoke of UBF as a \u201cworldwide cult-like group\u201d.<\/p>\n The UBF claims that basis of their beliefs is the Bible. \u201cWe believe that the Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Bible represents our standard of faith and behavior. We confess the Apostolic Creed.\u201d<\/p>\n According to information provided by Andrew Sch\u00e4fer, the cult commissioner of the Protestant Church in Rhineland, no appreciable dialog exists between the UBF and Christian churches. Through their \u201cshepherds,\u201d UBF consciously looks to gain personal-intimate access to recruits, or as they are called in the UBF jargon, the \u201csheep.\u201d<\/p>\n The UBF practices one-to-one Bible studies. The group claims: Everybody is a pupil, everybody is a teacher. Sch\u00e4fer believes that the one-to-one Bible study employed by UBF is potentially dangerous. Their division into \u201cshepherd\u201d and \u201csheep,\u201d according to the conference of college rectors, holds the danger of dependency, at least for insecure recruits such as university students during exam periods.<\/p>\n According to Sch\u00e4fer, this \u201chierarchical organization\u201d of \u201cshepherds\u201d leads to a situation of the \u201csheep\u201d blundering into a system that eventually exercises power over them. Also, an important part of the activities of this group is the sharing of \u201csogams\u201d \u2013 a kind of personal Bible interpretation, mostly a confession of guilt, which is delivered publicly in groups. Another important practice in the lives of the members of UBF is the marriage of group members by arrangement.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Translation of a follow-up article published on 8\/30\/2002<\/p>\n (article in \u201cGeneral-Anzeiger Online\u201d)<\/a><\/p>\n By Frank Vallender<\/p>\n Bonn.<\/b> They spent their time alone in a room, had to do homework with empty stomachs right after school before they were given what was left over from the adults to eat, and even had to be thankful for being beaten with a stick.<\/p>\n Michael K\u00fcsters, a 25 years old student in Bonn, was a member of the Bonn University Bible Fellowship (UBF) for three years and brings serious accusations against its director, the Korean Peter Chang.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does not lead a faith community, but a personality cult,\u201d K\u00fcsters says. Members of the so-called UBF reform call him \u201cSatan\u201d who is bringing disaster to UBF, as can be read on the Internet at \u201cwww.voy.com\/60734\/<\/a>\u201d. On the German UBF reform web sites there are shocking reports of the conditions in Bonn UBF.<\/p>\n As reported, the public prosecution department began in October of 2001 to actively investigate the charges against Chang, that he did bodily harm to others. Especially, children were reportedly suffering under his brutal education methods.<\/p>\n K\u00fcsters: \u201cThe duty of the parents was to break the will of the children, so they could learn obedience. \u2018The children need that,\u2019 Chang said, who was called Grandpa by all the children.\u201d<\/p>\n Those who cared too much for their children were considered \u201cfamily-centered\u201d and had to repent. K\u00fcsters: \u201c\u2018God cares for our children,\u2019 they said.\u201d Chang\u2019s own sons reportedly even thanked him for giving them beatings in the UBF assembly.<\/p>\n Michael K\u00fcsters is one of the few ex-members who openly and honestly criticize the methods of Bonn UBF. Others are more timid in this respect: Because almost all the female members are slaves to Chang, their husbands who are willing to criticize or leave UBF are \u201cin a very difficult situation.\u201d<\/p>\n If they criticize Peter Chang openly, the \u201cServant of God,\u201d as Chang calls himself, threatens them with divorce from their wives. This is because UBF members do not have normal marriage lives, but \u201chave to love the Servant of God more than their own husband\/wife.\u201d<\/p>\n Peter Chang, who once even called himself \u201cGod,\u201d as another UBF member testified on the Internet, is a small, stocky man who initially makes a jovial impression on new recruits, according to K\u00fcsters.<\/p>\n Chang supposedly studied Pharmacy and comes from Korea, \u201cwhich is certainly the reason for his methods of punishment.\u201d However, even Korea is said to have outlawed corporal punishment in schools two years ago.<\/p>\n The youth welfare office has not intervened yet, even though kindergarten staff who care for UBF children reported UBF to the City government. \u201cBut so far, the youth welfare office sees no reason to act,\u201d as a spokeswoman for the City government said.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, the City government is \u201cin contact with the public prosecution department and the police. Next week there will also be a consultation with the kindergarten.\u201d<\/p>\n On the Internet, an author encourages especially the women of Bonn UBF: \u201cPlease go to the police and tell your story!\u201d But their submission towards Chang is tremendous.<\/p>\n This is because, according to K\u00fcsters, \u201che [Chang]<\/span> makes every member promise to lay down their own necks [lives]<\/span> for him, even in cases where Chang gets into trouble with the law.\u201d<\/p>\n The student [K\u00fcsters]<\/span> once witnessed how UBF members delivered such a written testimony of faithfulness [towards Chang]<\/span> before their marriage ceremony. The public prosecution department will hear Chang\u2019s response to these allegations soon. Chang himself cannot be reached by telephone, and his lawyer is currently on vacation.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Translation of yet another follow-up article published on 10\/8\/2002<\/p>\n (article in \u201cGeneral-Anzeiger Online\u201d)<\/a><\/p>\n Bonn.<\/b> In the preliminary proceedings against Peter Chang, director of the Bonn \u201cUniversity Bible Fellowship\u201d (UBF), public prosecution is still waiting for an explanation from the Korean. The investigation on suspicion of bodily harm done has been ongoing for almost a year.<\/p>\n He [Chang]<\/span> is under suspicion of having abused children in the form of punishments. Kindergarten workers had reported strange behaviors and beatings. They said, however, that they did not see physical marks of violence (the General-Anzeiger reported<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cThe investigations are going on,\u201d said Fred Apostel, a spokesman for the public prosecution department. In the meantime, another witness \u2013 a former UBF member \u2013 has reportedly made incriminating statements against Chang and his group, according to the district public prosecution authority.<\/p>\n According to information given to the General-Anzeiger, there has recently been a quarrel between Chang and his lawyer, Stefan Hiebl. \u201cThe mandate has expired,\u201d Hiebl said on request. He did not want to say whether it was he or Chang who ended it. The Bonn UBF director could not be contacted.<\/p>\n Also, many UBF members have apparently gone into fearful hiding. Dropouts are only occasionally voicing criticism on the Internet now. \u201cBe unobtrusive and don\u2019t stand out negatively in public\u201d \u2013 this is apparently the motto of the UBF for the moment. This impression is also comfirmed around the organization\u2019s building \u2013 at least during the last few days, it has been completely quiet: there are no bicycles parked there as before, no students around anywhere.<\/p>\n Chang, as the General-Anzeiger has discovered, cooperates with Kaleb Hong more and more. Hong, leader of the UBF Heidelberg, was appointed to be the Germany and Europe director of UBF recently. Therefore, as insiders believe, the UBF headquarters in Cologne\/Bonn might be transferred to South Germany.<\/p>\n (with kind permission of the \u201cBonner General-Anzeiger\u201d)<\/p>\n
\nby the German newspaper \u201cBonner General-Anzeiger<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cHe has a totalitarian power position\u201d<\/h2>\n
Public prosecution department investigating the leader of the Bonn \u201cUniversity Bible Fellowship\u201d \u2013 kindergarten teachers, neighbors and members report on neglected and beaten children<\/h4>\n
By Dagmar Blesel<\/h5>\n
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The history of UBF<\/h2>\n
The beliefs of the UBF<\/h2>\n
\u201cChildren thankful for beatings\u201d<\/h2>\n
Serious allegations against the leader of the Bonn University Bible Fellowship, Peter Chang \u2013 youth welfare department sees \u201cno need to act yet\u201d \u2013 Public Prosecution to hear Chang<\/h4>\n
\u201cBe unobtrusive and don\u2019t stand out negatively in public any more\u201d<\/h2>\n
Public prosecutor is waiting for an explanation from the director of the Bonn \u201cUniversity Bible Fellowship\u201d<\/h4>\n
by Dagmar Blesel<\/h5>\n