Any student who attends a ubf event can see right away that the group is all about Bible study. Let’s examine that study more closely. Today’s article focuses on the new Bible that students are presented with. That Bible study with a ubf shepherd has little to do with the entire Bible and there is not much study going on, in the academic sense. The group likes to call their method the inductive study method. I call the ubf Bible study method repetitive reductionism. I was not surprised then to read in the new 2015 chapter guidelines how a leader must study a set of about 12 books of the Bible, and focus on those books more than the rest of the Bible. This is at the heart of the unbalanced and incomplete nature of UBFism and the theology of sacrifice found at ubf chapters around the world.
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Author: WikiGoat
Deconstructing UBFism – Part 1
Deconstructing your belief system is a difficult, painful task. It is however one of the healthiest and most beneficial tasks anyone can do. Are my beliefs able to stand up to criticism? That’s what I ask at the end of my book.
“UBF shepherds are taught that they must feed sheep because it is God’s calling for their life. At the same time, they are taught to consider sheep a burden in their life. This dichotomy of serving sheep being both God’s mission and a burden results in dysfunctional miserable shepherds. Sheep are considered burdens because they do not obey absolutely, they are not immediately committed to UBF, and because shepherds must work hard to raise the sheep from a terrible, selfish person to a UBF shepherd. Jesus’ call for the disciples to feed his sheep does not include considering sheep as terrible burdens. It is God’s grace that we are saved from our sins and have an opportunity to preach to others about Christ. The problem is that UBF shepherds are taught that they must do some great work to raise disciples. In reality, no one can raise disciples. Jesus said that unless compelled by the Holy Spirit, no one can come to Christ. UBF shepherds are asked to do what only God can do.”
–Anonymous, former Akron UBF member
A Mother’s Letter
[picture credit: A Mother’s Love by Andy]
One of the most encouraging events during the writing of my book, Identity Snatchers, was to make contact with Dr. Reinhard Hempelmann, who is the Director of the Protestant Centre of Religious and Ideological Issues in Berlin Germany. This Berlin organization has a rather large collection of documents about UBF. Dr. Hempelmann not only gave me the following endorsement, but also gave me written permission to publish a letter from a mother of a German student who had begun one-to-one Bible study at a UBF chapter in Germany.
“This book is part of a critical examination of University Bible Fellowship. It gives insight into the structures and methods of this controversial group that’s work is focused on students.”
—Dr. Reinhard Hempelmann, Director of the Protestant Centre of Religious and Ideological Issues, Berlin Germany
A Former Member Poem
This poem resonated well with me. I feel as if I understand this person and can somehow relate to their experiences. It is written by a former member. See if you can figure out who wrote this. I’ll share the author in the rest of the article.
Poem: Survivor’s Rights
I never have to explain my past to curious on-lookers
I always have the right to say “NO” and I never have to explain.
My friendships do not allow for emotional debt
My opinions, feelings, and needs are as valid as anyone’s
No one has the right to claim my experience or to own my actions
I am the only credible witness of who I am and what is best for me
I never have to act out of guilt
It is all right and appropriate to ask for and accept support
If I feel hurt then I am being hurt, regardless of anyone’s intentions
I’m responsible only for my own actions, never for the actions of others
I have the right to extricate myself from any situation at any time
I can end conversations whenever they becomes too painful
There is a time for me to disclose things at a pace which is right for me
I am my own greatest resource
I have a right to live without guilt and shame
I have a right not to be exploited by others for their personal or financial gain
I have a right to be loved and love again
Love for my fallen friends does not diminish my love for others now
I have a right to my own interpretation of the past
I have free will
Bible Study or Arranged Marriage?
I begin with the end-game of UBF shepherds. Regardless of any good or bad motive, the truth is that the leaders want to pair up successful marriage partners who will remain loyal to the group. If the group told freshman college students what plan they have for their lives upfront, students would run for the hills whenever they saw a UBF Shepherd approach them on campus! So I begin by exposing the goal of that one-hour-per-week Bible study invitation. The goal is marriage. In fact the entire purpose of the group could be summarized as increasing the number of married couples loyal to the ministry. Such couples are called house churches and are arranged by group leaders. The common prayer topic is to raise 10,000 house churches by the year 2041 (80 years after 1961 when the group was founded).
A Word for Current Members
You may be wondering what will happen if you read this book. Maybe you are confused about what I am doing. Should you believe the Brian who once spoke glowingly about our ministry? Or should you believe the Brian who now bashes and criticizes our ministry unceasingly? Should you believe the Brian who prayed so much and sat quietly in meetings, enabling our country to become a priestly nation? Or should you believe the Brian who now slams Korean missionaries at every turn?
Quotes From My New Book
My new book is free, today only, on Kindle. Here are some quotes from the foreword section. This is what Ben and Joe had to say about the book:
“Brian is a tireless and very hard worker, especially for UBF conferences. He is also the most passionate, zealous and outspoken defender of UBF.” This is what I heard about Brian Karcher during the two decades plus that he was in UBF, though I never knew him personally. My interaction with him began online when he started posting on UBFriends.org. Soon after that, in 2012, we finally met up. We have chatted for hours on numerous occasions when he visited me and West Loop UBF in Chicago several times, when we were part of a six month cohort hosted by Dr. John Armstrong, and when we drove together from Chicago to Minneapolis and back to attend a John Piper conference.
Upon first meeting him, I was rather surprised that Brian is a gentle, soft spoken and mild mannered gentleman. This is because when I read his blogs and comments online, I expected him to be a rough, overly aggressive, bombastic, argumentative and a somewhat intimidating and “in your face” sort of person. But to my pleasant surprise, in person Brian is the very opposite of what I expected!