UBF Exodus in Hong Kong

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The problems facing University Bible Fellowship (UBF) are not isolated to America, Germany and Russia. The problems are being raised around the world, including India and Mexico. Recently I was made aware of shepherds in Hong Kong UBF taking a stand against spiritual abuse.

I must admit my own failure to care for fellow Christians. I did not even realize there was a rather large UBF chapter in Hong Kong! But it is clear they have experienced the same spiritual abuse issues over the past decade that many have experienced. Here is their blog:

http://hkubf.blogspot.com/ (Chinese)

http://hkubf.blogspot.com/ (Google-translated into English)

This is yet another example of evidence that the problems facing UBF are not because of Korean culture. The problems are systemic in nature, woven into the very fabric of UBF’s existence. Our Hong Kong brothers and sisters demonstrate yet again that the world-wide problems in UBF are rooted in lack of accountability for leaders, an unchecked desire for power by UBF directors and an unhealthy focus on “praising God” and personal piety while forgetting to love your neighbor.

10 thoughts on “UBF Exodus in Hong Kong”

  1. I left UBF 3 years ago. It was hard at first – especially with the emails they would send me – saying that God could no longer love me – or that I had shipwrecked my faith – as well as several other unfounded accusations (like that I dropped out of school?). But, UBF does not define who and what you are – God defines who and what you are. It is because of his unfailing love for you that he would not abandon you to UBF. To all who have suffered under the oppressive regime of UBF I say this – look not to UBF for justice – look instead to the Cross – look to Jesus. It is here you will find justice and peace. Let God be the one to take revenge. And surely anyone who steals his sheep, calls themselves a shepherd, and leads the sheep into dark caves to be eaten by wolves – will answer to Jesus – the only Good Shepherd. The sheep will be saved – but the false shepherds will face only wrath and judgement. Because Jesus never ever loses a sheep! He promised this!

  2. Thank you for the testimony of Chris. Even though you might have ineffably pain for the past 3 years due to the spiritual abuse by the shepherds who said that “God could no longer love you ……”, we thank God for you because of his grace and love. May God bless you.

    We would like to give more information about the reality of spiritual abuse in HKUBF. Referring to the article “Praise God, Ignore Division”, we agreed that the UBF reporter and those who posted the report and those who approved the report all know about the painful reality going on for more than a decade in Hong Kong. Yet the UBF report reported the good news but not the bad, such as the left of the HK Director last year (2010), lots of shepherds and many fellowships disappear suddenly during the past 10 years. However, no one dare to report it.(Note: Most missionaries and leaders even bring shame on the former UBF members while they are praising God about the growth in HKUBF on the other hand.)

    Here are more examples of “reporting the good news but not the bad” in HKUBF:

    1. While the leaders praised the growth in HKUBF, they ignored the very serious power struggle problems between former HK Director, CUHK and HKU missionary (actually as well as the shepherds). HKU missionary always defied the former HK Director publicly during the GBS. Once the Director mentioned in his Sunday message that the Yonhee Director Shep D. Kim had weakened his authority in HKUBF by diving HKUBF into three chapters in 2005. At that time, he was suffered from depression. He was suffered a lot and could not sleep at night.

    2. Once CUHK missionary praised publicly that HK UBF medical shepherds who offers two tenths income, “Three medical doctor shepherds were established. They offer offerings sacrificially offering two tenths of their income. ” (source: http://downeyubf.com/2011/01/27/asian-directors-conference-2011/)
    HKU missionary also praised HK shepherds publicly, “Even though HK is a small city rather than a country, but HK Centre’s offering to US HQ ranks no. 3 among all countries. The amount is even more than the sum of the all chapters in one country.” She was so proud of HK shepherds’ offerings. However, they ignored the reality that the shepherds are struggling to offer a lot of money to the church and they must live in poor on the earth. Some PhD. shepherds even proud of absolutely attending the Perdue University SBC by borrowing a lot of money from their parents to buy the air-tickets. Many shepherds need to borrow money from the bank in order to give marriage offerings to UBF (One month salary and offering to Director, shepherds, ……) While they praised the offerings of HK shepherds publicly, they ignore the reality that the current net worth of UBF is USD $12,896,882. While the missionaries teach the shepherds not store up their treasures on earth and not allowing them to buy their own flats, they store up a lot of net worth on earth for the missionaries and built magnificent Centres in Korea.

    It is puzzling to brothers and sisters why do UBF always praise God while ignoring the reality of painful divisions and disunity? According to the cult expert, “Only good and proper thoughts are encouraged”, “Need for obedience and dependency”, “No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate”, are THOUGHT CONTROL and BEHAVIOR CONTROL which are the characteristics of a cult.

    In HKUBF, all brothers and sisters are not allowed to criticize the church policy or the missionaries. For those would be judged by the missionaries and leaders such as “lack of faith”, “human thoughts”, “disobedience”, “proud”, etc. during GBS or even in the Sunday message. However, those who pretend to report good news would be gloried or praised publicly or raising them as messageners or team leaders. In this way, they can easily manipulate the followers.

    In conclusion, “Praise God, Ignore Division” attitude happened in HK UBF too. There are THOUGHT CONTROL and BEHAVIOR CONTROL which are the characteristics of a cult. It is very clear that it is not because of Korean culture, but spiritual abuse. Even we are asians, we cannot accept the spiritual abuse. Hope this information can help the brothers and sisters to know the reality about HKUBF which is always praised by the Korean Director and other missionaries all over the world.

  3. Chris:

    “I left UBF 3 years ago. It was hard at first…”

    Thank you for sharing. I welcome any other thoughts you would like to express. Those who leave often feel isolated and alone. But we need to speak up so that people know how many of us former members there actually are.

    (Admin note to readers here: Chris in this comment is not the same Chris who posted many times here earlier.)

  4. Title: The HKU Shepherdess Armor borrowed money from her father to attend 2008 Purdue SBC

    In 2008, The HKU missionary ordered each house church to send at least one coworker to attend 2008 Purdue SBC, moreover, all unmarried team members must attend.The whole trip costed around HK$ 15000.The HKU top shepherdess Armor, without a proper career but serving sheep all day, had no money to attend.

    At the moment after group Bible study, she announced publicly that she would ask her father to lend her money in order to attend Purdue SBC. She showed herself obeying to (even without money but still ) attend the Purdue SBC abolutely. What a great faith she possessed! At that time, many coworkers didn’t want to attend because of insufficient money. However, upon hearing Shepherdess Armor’s absolute faith, no one dared to unattend. As a results, they found part-time job secretly or ask someone to borrow them money in order to participate. So, they would not be regarded as disobedience or lack of faith.

    I understand that UBF’s teachings stress on overcoming and suppressing your rational analysis and critical thinking. They ask for numbness obedience and absolute loyalty to missionaries. Therefore, rational analysis instead of numbness obedience will cause you to feel guilty or anxiety, but please still be struggle to thinkrationally:
    1. Why should missionary give order: each house church must send one coworker to attend Purdue SBC? If they couldn’t attend due to economical problems (Note: the church will not even have a cent allowance), it is reasonable for not attending. Why should they be regarded as lack of faith or disobedience? (Should the missionary let go until the shepherds take government’s assistance?)

    2. That Shepherdess Armor is already an adult around 35-40 years old. Her father supported her until Ph.D. However, she didn’t find a proper career but treasures so much the HKU missionary’s Bible study materials. She transmits her Bible study materials to sheep all day long until she didn’t have money to attend Purdue SBC. She even needed to borrow money from her father to participate Church activities. If you were her father, would you feel something wrong about your daughter’s church?

    3. As a top Shepherdess but with such manner, is that correct? If she had money to attend SBC, should she be humble to glorify Lord instead of glorifying her absolute faith?

    In fact, that event mentioned is only tip of the iceberg, HK ubfers should know clearly the fruits they bore:legalism, condemnation, judging, dictatorship, lies, manipulation, distortion of the Bible, rewritten lifetestimonies, abuse of power, closed, abuse of money … usually, UBF shepherds did not do such evil thingsintentionally. However, after leaving UBF, they will gradually get rid of such evil.
    “Because there is no good tree bears bad fruit, nor a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Luke 6:43)

  5. The following blog provides the basic and updated information of HK UBF:

    http://ubf1.wordpress.com/

    If you want to know more about the spiritual abuse in HK UBF or if your are experiencing spiritual abuse in UBF, you are welcome to search more information on this web site.

  7. UBF shepherds might violate the law of HK:

    UBF missionaries and leaders always request shepherds to dedicate totally to church affairs, even sacrifice their family. Once a pair of HKUBF parent shepherds, without domestic helper but were requested to attend all meetings, always placed their young children alone at home (without adult accompanied) to have dinner and sleep at night. Under the law of HK, such neglecting children’s behaviour is illegal and could be very dangerous. They can be charged for child abuse.

    For details, please visit at:
    http://ubf1.wordpress.com/category/dec-12-2011-ubf-%E9%A0%98%E8%A2%96%E5%A6%82%E4%BD%95-%E9%85%8D%E5%A9%9A%EF%BC%82/

  8. Will UBF’s teaching violate HK’s law?

    In Hong Kong, the general house church’s parents need to attend all meetings and Bible Camps. Their children, aged below 12, are not allowed to appear in the meetings. Therefore, the missionaries/leaders will ask parent shepherds to pay for employing domestic helper to take care their children. So, the parent shepherds are free to attend meetings and serve sheep after working. Once, a pair of HKU parent shepherds, without domestic helper but were requested to attend all meetings, always placed their young children alone at home (without adult accompanied) to have dinner and sleep at night. Under the law of HK, such neglecting children’s behaviour might be illegal and could be very dangerous. They might be charged for child abuse.

    Questions:

    1. HK UBF missionaries teach Shepherds to sacrifice their families and children (entrust the families and children to God). Some shepherds even leave their young children alone at home in order to attend meetings absolutely. This behaviour may possibly violates HK laws “Leave young children alone at home”. Does it comply with Biblical teaching?

    2. UBF missionaries doesn’t teach believers to held a legal wedding ceremony by legal proceedure. E.g. With HK Government registered venue and pastor. They always had a serious problem: The parents don’t know that their children was married privately in UBF. The married couple registered marriage by themselves afterwards. The unbelievers may marry by this method but as a Church, is this teaching combined with Biblical Principles?

    Summary: According to HK cult experts, cults usually have poor moral conduct, e.g. David’s tribe and YD will teach believers to lie for God’s ministry. UBF will also teach believers to lie, not follow the normal law or even possibly violate HK Law for the sake of UBF ministry. You can see their ethical behaviour (the fruits) to recognize them.

    15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15-20)

    source: http://hkubf.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/dec-12-2011-ubf%E6%95%99%E5%B0%8E%E5%BC%95%E8%87%B4%E7%89%A7%E8%80%85%E9%81%95%E6%B3%95%E9%BA%BC-will-ubfs-teaching-violate-hks-law/

  9. How UBF leaders assign “spouse”? (Full text)

    In Rick Ross’s website tells us how UBF leaders arrange merriage partner.

    “They use arranged marriage first as a bait for the young students, and then as a way to control the married couple. Usually they marry a less loyal members to a very loyal member (therefore the marriages are often between Koreans and Non-Koreans), so the leader can exert control through the more loyal marriage partner.”

    (source: http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,21702,page=2 )

    According to Rick Ross, UBF tends to assign one easier manipulating party to a relatively not-easy-to-manipulating party. When they are bound together, they are more difficult to leave UBF and easier to be manipulated. With such arrangement, if one party wants to leave UBF, his/her spouse will not allow. Therefore, many house church couples have frequent conflicts. Such conflicts occurs when the missionaries/leaders ask one party to control his/her spouse.

    Moreover, the not-easy-to-manipulating party will afraid that leaving UBF might lead to divorce or marrige breakdown, so, he/she has to remain in UBF and will be manipulated gradually . UBF can continue to abuse them spiritually. For a family with children, the situation would be worser. Since UBF leaders request shepherds to dedicate totally to church affairs, even sacrifice their family (Note: UBF missionaries/leaders will ask shepherds to sacrifice their children to God by faith and let God himself be the children’s parent. So, after working, they can dedicate all the time to UBF to attend meetings and serve sheep)

    In Hong Kong, the general house church’s parents need to attend all meetings and Bible Camps. Their children, aged below 12, are not allowed to appear in the meetings. Therefore, the missionaries/leaders will ask parent shepherds to pay for employing domestic helper to take care their children. So, the parent shepherds are free to attend meetings and serve sheep after working. Once, a pair of parent shepherds, without domestic helper but were requested to attend all meetings, always placed their young children alone at home (without adult accompanied) to have dinner and sleep at night. Under the law of HK, such neglecting children’s behaviour might be illegal and could be very dangerous. They might be charged for child abuse.

    There are some examples of how HK UBF leaders control the house church. You may refer to the following website:

    http://hkubf.blogspot.com/2011/10/x-x-ying.html