Hello,

I heard that someone in this forum claimed that UBF (University Bible Fellowship) is a cult group. I couldn't find where that topic was, but anyway, I want to exactly know why they are being considred a cult to some people.

I have been doing Bible Studies with them for couple month now, and they were very good. To be honest, I was also tried InterVarsity and Campus Crusade, but I could easily see that UBF people were more "serious" and more humble.

If anyone knows why this group is a cult, would you please let me know? And please do not say something like "UBF is a cult because they study the Bible too much," or "because they evangelize"... Believe it or not, I get those from some people... or no more of those "because they are Korean" either... I mean, I guess Korea has a lot of cults, but they are also the country that has the largest church in the world - more than 10 times bigger than Rick Warren's Saddleback Church.

Anway, if there is a serious reason for UBF being a cult, I also want to take a look into another church/ministry that is really serious about bible studies.

See [www.culteducation.com]

And also see [www.culteducation.com]

There are some interesting additional resources and research at the following Web sites.

See [escape.exubf.org]

And also [ubf-info.de]

First I want to say I am no expert on cults, but in answer to your question of why they may or may not be a cult, I am writing. Some of the more obvious qualities of concern are not that this group is from Korea, it does not matter where they are from, or that they evangelize, and especially not that they study the bible a lot.

The alarming things are this: being militant in recruitment, focusing on works more than grace, being arrogant about spiritual gifts and understanding of text, too much focus on hierchy in the church among it’s members, focusing too much on the church/ organization, requesting submission to elders/ senior members, creating too many chains of command, regimentalizing everyone to be the same, using the same language/ rhetoric. These are all attempts to enslave people under a bureaucracy and not into a fellowship with God.

pls delete this for me

[this post was later edited and comments removed]

[this post was later edited and comments removed]

[www.apologeticsindex.org]

Quote

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Executive Committee has voted to terminate the membership of the University Bible Fellowship (UBF), which had been a member of the NAE since 1995. In late 2003, the NAE began an investigation into allegations of cultic and aberrant UBF teachings and practices, around the time that an online petition was begun, requesting that the NAE revoke UBF's membership. The online petition can be found at [www.petitiononline.com] Link.
Source: Email feedback to Apologetics Index, Apr. 2, 2004 (on file)

[www.culteducation.com]

[rsqubf.fortunecity.net]

Thanks for the replies and infos that you guys provided.

But one question still remains for me:
I have been studying with UBF for almost 2 month now and believe that I have truly grown in the past 2 months. I have NEVER exprienced any of the negative claims about UBF, at least not yet. No one has pressured me on doing anything - except the early morning bible study, which I find it extremely helpful, no one has told me to leave my family, no one is arrogant about anything (they are one of the most humble people I have evern met), etc...

Are some of the claims start to show as I study with them more and more? Perhaps, some of the claims are cultural thing rather than their religious beliefs? Here, there are two staff members, a Korean and an American, and the Korean staff is more strict and direct comapre to the American who is comparatively laid back. I know that in Asian culture, people are more obedient and respect the elders more. Just a thought.

There is no accountability through democratically elected church government or financial transparency provided by a published and independently audited financial statement.

UBF is essentially totalitarian and run by the Koreans.

They have a deeply troubled as reflected by the bad press they have received and history of serious complaints.

It's not about culture, there are many evangelical Asian churches in the US that have no such similar history or issues.

My friend has been a member for over four years. He has even moved into a home with a bunch of other guys that is called the "Brothers house" where you are not allowed to date when living there. He attends bible study almost everyday and the people he studies with are very persistent. They've tried to get my husband and sister to attend.

My friend is a very happy, outgoing and friendly person but as of late he has been acting quite strangely. He has always had a crush on my sister, ever since high school but he just recently called her and told her he can no longer hang out with her, reason being...he's going to get married! What?! He made it clear to her that this was a very private thing and that nobody else knows.Apparantly it's to some woman from another country that he met through the UBF at some conference. After doing much research this sounds like a faith based marriage, AKA, an arranged marriage that the church has arranged, and now as memory serves a couple of his friends from UBF have undergone the same thing in the past years. None of his friends or family knows. He still won't tell us he keeps dodging the questions and is acting paranoid. He even asked us if we put our phone on speakerphone! I know we only have a short time before he gets married, his bride will not be in the U.S. until the end of January or February. He did mention to us that there is a girl but he refuses to reveal her name or any personal information and has told us to not ask any questions. To just respect it for what it is.

We are deeply concerned but fear it may be too late. I'm only posting to see if anyone has any similar stories and/or if anyone can offer some sort of advice.

Quote
SleepingToDream
He did mention to us that there is a girl but he refuses to reveal her name or any personal information and has told us to not ask any questions. To just respect it for what it is.

Probably he doesn't even know her name. UBF's arranged marriage is sold under the name "marriage by faith." Often they marry people off to somebody they haven't even seen before and pressure members to accept such a marriage "by faith." If you need more information, please write an email to hdchris at ubf-info.de.

This also gives an answer to a question posed above, why UBF is a cult. In the beginning, there is not much abuse, but love-bombing. Then, the more you are getting dependend from them (because you start to believe they are God's servants and working for them is God's calling, and because the group starts to become your replacement family and only circle of friends), the more they pressure you to do the things they want, including marrying when and whom they decide. Most members experience a lot of spiritual abuse over time, and the longer you stay, the less it is about learning the Bible and friendship, but about obedience and what they call "training." Another reason why they are called a cult is how they deal with the huge sums of offering moneys they collect from their members.