Attempting to turn ubf into a money-making enterprise is not a good sign, when they don’t know if they are a church or para-church. And why is this still considered a non-profit organization?

I’ve updated my statistics page.

And more importantly why did the organization make so much money? What do they plan to do with it?

From a former member perspective this looks rather bad: Focus on making a million dollars while neglecting the core tenets of Christian reconciliation.

#2 about the International Summer Bible Conference (May 2013) – 356 comments.

#4 regarding Galatians and Legalism (May 2014) – 266 comments.

#6 on UBF at the Crossroads (Aug 2013) – 209 comments.

I think that’s it, which is interesting in that it is no longer easy to make the top 10 list.

And Anon said, “They may not want the conversation to spread among the rest of the congregation.”
– See more at: http://www.ubfriends.org/2013/04/11/issues-ubf-ignores-are-not-ignored-on-ubfriends/#comment-14847

Too late. The conversation already has spread.

The new 2013 numbers are posted on the ECFA website.

The “other revenue” jumped significantly. Business mission kicking in?

Offering went back up some and as expected, the total assets continue to increase as they build on the $13 million.

“It is part of the group dynamic of any group with a clear mission… where the mission is more important the people who are a part of it.”

I would argue against this. I’ve been part of numerous groups with a “clear mission”. Such groups tend to talk.

Also,they may not want to promote any “negativity” in the conversation, trying to keep it positive. They may feel uncomfortable with the whole topic because it means discussing failing and mistakes they have made in the past.

They may not want the conversation to spread among the rest of the congregation. They may not want to hurt the faith or the feelings of others and so they remain silent, not knowing what to say.

Instead of talking publicly, or even among friends, they may just opt to try to do the right thing “from now on” hoping that everything be alright in the future.

I believe that people want to talk openly but they feel they can not, even among friends. The tendency to not talk is very frustrating to some people. I think that this tendency to not talk is not unique to UBF. It is part of the group dynamic of any group with a clear mission. It is a response of human nature. That does not make it right however.

Your list of 6 topics is telling. I believe these topics reveal the mindset of a ubf person. Aren’t we all saturated in the ubf ideology? I personally am counteracting this with trying to be saturated in the gospel of Jesus.

Here is what I mean.

Exodus – the ubf mind most highly values being part of the “in” group

Cult – the ubf mind is very concerned with authority: what is it? how can I get it? What do I do with it?

Marriage – the ubf mind is fixated on marriage because before marriage you know, as a ubf member, that marriage is considered the ultimate test of your faith. You make every effort to pass that test.

Honesty – the ubf mind instinctively knows that the ubf ideology is disconnected from reality. The KOPHN fantasy continually falls apart, so the ubf mindset continually desires honesty. The ubf mind also wavers back and forth between denial and acceptance, between lying to propogate KOPHN or facing the facts of reality.

Dialogue – the ubf mind is starved for dialogue but can rarely find two-way conversation within ubf. The ubf mind is trapped in one-way dictation and conformance to being taught.

Gospel – the ubf mind clings to the gospel. Why? Because the gospel is the one and only source of hope. The ubf mind clearly knows the futility of the ubf lifestyle and the poor public image that has existed for decades. Still, unfailingly, the ubf mind dwells on the gospel. Although the ubf mind refuses to dive deeper into the gospel, for fear of disturbing the community, the ubf mind really wants to do so.

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My contention is that all of these things are evidence that if ubf people allow the gospel of Jesus to pull them out of the ubf hamster wheel, we might just see one of the most extravagant and vibrant displays of gospel power ever witnessed. Either that or a catastrophic failure… I pray for the first :)

Joe, when I asked a missionary in my chapter why nobody in UBF does anything against a certain abusive chapter director, he told me: “He has too much power.” I also heard the phrase “I am not in a position to…”. Not only from Wesley on this board, but coincidentally also from another Wesley in my chapter. My wife told me that in her former chapter, members literally feared the chapter director. The truth is: In UBF there are people with power and there are people without power. Those with power can rebuke those without, but never the other way around. The people in UBF are very well aware of the role of power, as my few examples showed. They think this is normal, but as Ben said, it is completely unbiblical. In our assessment of others we should be impartial. A good example for this is what Paul did in Gal 2:11. Peter was surely the man with the most “power”, but this did not hinder Paul to rebuke him. And by the way, it also didn’t destroy the friendship between Peter and Paul. Paul was not expelled because he broke “the spiritual order”. Peter didn’t care at all about such spiritual order. He considered himself a “fellow elder”, not a “top elder” or “general director”.

The Bible shows how we can overcome shame-based culture. After all, the oriental culture of the first Christians was a shamed-based culture, too. This does not mean that we should not respect others. Shame and honor are important. Sure. But truth and justice is even more important. 1 Tim 5 says: “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.” The UBF Korean version of this would be “Do not rebuke an older man. Ever.”

How long can some leaders (elders, seniors) in UBF keep using their positional authority and think that by their “wisdom” and “maneuvering” they can handle and control the situation to their advantage?

It’s interesting how the perception of such behavior is different between eastern and western culture: In eastern culture, they are considered “wise”. To quote the Wikipedia: “In Japan the proverb is simply regarded as a Japanese Golden Rule.” On the other hand, “In the Western world both the proverb and the image are often used to refer to a lack of moral responsibility on the part of people who refuse to acknowledge impropriety, looking the other way or feigning ignorance.” and “It may also signify a code of silence in gangs, or organised crime.”

Note that the “golden rule” of Christianity is very different. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If we experience abuse done to us in our fellowship, what do we expect other to do? Be silent about it?

What did the prophets in the OT do when they saw evil? Did they close their eyes? Did they keep silent?

1 Tim 5:20-21 says: “But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 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.”

Yes.

In terms of importance, I think that “#6 Gospel” is actually #1. Our understanding of the gospel has become reductionistic and shallow. How can anyone possibly think that the gospel can be proclaimed and lived out in a community that lacks honesty, integrity, openness, dialogue, respect for individuals, equality and love? But many people actually think that. They think that the issues being raised on this website are a distraction from the all-important work of proclaiming the gospel and making disciples. It’s time for a reality check. How well do we understand the gospel? Not very.