CLOSE TO THE EDGE - Issue 15 TOLC, PO Box 348, Morden, Surrey SM4 6ZD, UK Tel: +44 (0)181-646-7477 Hotline:0860 579211 Email: aakshar@cix.compulink.co.uk hamrag@cix.compulink.co.uk February 95 Issue 15 Triumphing Over London Cults is a group of former members of the London Church of Christ, and Belfast, Birmingham, Bombay, Boston, Brisbane, Bristol, Denver, Dublin, Edinburgh, Indianapolis, Jakarta, Leeds, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Milan, Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Washington DC, and International Churches of Christ NEW LEADER FOR LONDON CHURCH OF CHRIST? Exclusive: Chris McGrath sent to South Africa as American evangelist jets in Less than a year after his appointment as sole leader of the London Church of Christ Chris McGrath is to be replaced. On February 8 1994 members of the LCC were told that their leader Fred Scott was being sent to Washington DC for "re-training". A dramatic top-level meeting of the LCC leadership had sealed Scott's fate, and Douglas Arthur - Scott's boss - flew in from the States to appoint Chris McGrath as interim leader. In fact Close To The Edge knew about the outcome of that leadership meeting before members of the LCC did! We were able to distribute leaflets telling of Scott's loss of post outside the meeting where members were to have been told. Chris McGrath is now believed to be heading for South Africa, following the globe-trotting footsteps of his predecessor who went first to Washington DC before settling in Sydney, Australia. Meanwhile the new leader of the London Church of Christ is believed to be an American evangelist, jetting in from the States. Another prominent American and founding member of the London mission, Douglas Jacoby, is known to be in the country - but there is no suggestion that he will be the new leader. Jacoby is making use of his wife's visa to avoid problems had in the past with the British Home Office. The enstatement of an American leader would, church observers note, be an increasingly desperate move by the controversial church. The London Church of Christ has claimed on numerous occasions, including the Broadcasting Complaints Commission hearing into the Newsnight investigation, that they are not an American church and are completely autonomous. "If an American leads the London Church", one former member said, "they will be revealed as hypocrites and liars. There is no doubt where the church is controlled from - the United States". Kip McKean, the self-appointed world leader of the International Church of Christ, is believed to have taken a personal interest in the affairs of the London Church of Christ together with Commonwealth leader Douglas Arthur.The change in leadership comes at the end of another disastrous year for the LCC's membership figures. Membership in the South and West zones is believed to have plummeted to just 170 people. "The church must be hoping it will be third time lucky with their new leader", a former member said. REAL LIVES "I've Survived and Love It!" A Christian speaks about his personal experiences of the London Church of Christ. I've been a Christian since the age of 12. When I became a teenager and started dating, my faith went out the window for a couple of years and I went right off the rails, getting into sex, drugs & rock&roll, but after becoming totally disillusioned with the world, I recommitted my life to Jesus and enrolled into full-time study of the Scripture, at the school I met a girl who was from the London Central Church of Christ, she liked me and I liked her and within Christian standards we had a great time getting to know one another, I even thought this might be the love of my life! I was 22 and everything was going just fine. Then one day my girl came to me and said that she didn't feel like we should be dating anymore, but that we should be double-dating. I asked who gave you this idea? She said her discipler at Church in London rebuked her for being alone with me too often and too long. Needless to say, I blew up in a fit of rage, how dare anybody rebuke her for a thing like that and involve me in the problem when I'm not even a member of the London Central Church of Christ! I saw red like I'd never seen it before and told her I was never having anything to do with a Church like that! My girl and I knew before God we hadn't ever done anything to be ashamed of, I was insulted like I'd never been before. What really was strange and very offending is that her discipler was over 80 miles away and my girl and I were both living and worshipping at a different Church over 80 miles away at School when we started our relationship almost a year ago, so how had her discipler known about this relationship we had over 80 miles away and judge that it was a danger to be with me alone? Her discipler had never even met me! I was not only hurt, but totally confused. Needless to say our relationship eventually ended, it started out a very beautiful one, but ended in disaster with loads of misunderstandings, we both spent hours in tears and I don't pretend that it doesn't hurt a little bit to remember the events several years on. I'm 31 now and still growing and going in the Lord Jesus Christ! The good news is that her and I both found different partners and are happily married. I live in England and she lives in New Zealand and we both have our faith alive and well. We are now both members of the (mainstream) Church of Christ now and want to help others who have been through this terrible ordeal and share our pain, because it helps. We have found that fellowship, sympathy and understanding in the mainstream Churches of Christ and have grown stronger in our faith and the graciousness of Jesus. The London / Boston Church of Christ is a spiritual menace which unknowingly imparts a legalistic mindset on its members within the confines of so-called brotherly love. They do it because they honestly believe they are doing God's will, but what they don't understand is that God is more patient with people than they are. The common problem they cause is rooted in the false-notion that every Christian should evangelise and grow spiritually to the same degree and at the same speed as everyone else and if you don't, they tell you about it and immediately make you feel guilty for not going and growing in the Lord or not being very "spiritual". I honestly believe from my personal dealings with them that they haven't an ounce of real patience with people, especially new Christians. I feel sorry for them and most of all I feel sorry for anyone reading this after being treated so wrongly and is on the edge of losing their faith altogether. Please let me know if I can help with further info or teaching or if its just the case that a listening ear is what you need, I'm here to help. Jeff Wealand. Email: ctsjeff@cix.compulink.co.uk. Or telephone me on +44-01695-732467 BACK ISSUES: ISSUE 1 (August 1993): Home Office probes LCC's bogus school; John Partington letter exposes tax fraud; Former members set to issue writs. ISSUE 2 (December 1993): LCC rocked by membership crisis; 3rd-in-command in "tape scandal"; Times Higher Educational Supplement dismisses LCC complaint; Open letter to the LCC leaders; West Zone leader "sponging off students". ISSUE 3 (January 1994): Church of Christ praised by Moonies; LCC reject TOLC talks offer; Touche Ross talk abandoned; Fred Scott in trouble?; Evangelist expelled by Singapore government for deception; Ex-members meet in London; Woman harassed on Underground; Who are TOLC? ISSUE 4 (February 1994): Fred Scott's cuckoo conspiracy theory; Open letter to Fred Scott; News from Birmingham Church of Christ; Edinburgh Church of Christ under investigation; Reader's Digest and Everyman investigations. ISSUE 5 (March 1994): Fred Scott loses job; Mission to Tokyo Church of Christ; Mole hunt in LCC as senior member leaks information to TOLC; Christian Worker article slams LCC; Berlin Church of Christ under investigation; Singapore Church of Christ leader leaves Boston Movement; Milan Church of Christ stumbles; Convention news. ISSUE 6 (April 1994): TOLC celebrates first anniversary - Ayman Akshar looks back over a year's events; The strange affair of the LCC trustee; Touche Ross refuse to sign LCC accounts; Scott Bryden and John Partington investigations; Church of Christ in Indianapolis votes to leave Boston Movement. ISSUE 7 (May 1994): Chris McGrath loses control of LCC; Zone leader and 23 members leave Toronto Church of Christ; Child care concerns; Reader's Digest probe; Married couples leaving LCC; Bristol church collapses and is taken over by Birmingham; Mole in London Church; "Give up your jobs". ISSUE 8 (June 1994): Secret Church of Christ report reveals negative growth; Milan Church of Christ members give account of why their church fell apart; Midweek magazine exposes LCC recruitment tactics; Mediawatch on Everyman documentary; Tithes to be phased out? ISSUE 9 (July 1994): Manchester Evangelist earnings exposed; Worldwide evangelists conference in Philippines report; Church of Christ South African Rugby Tour; Birmingham SunSplash wash-out; True membership figures revealed for Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield Churches of Christ. ISSUE 10 (August 1994): LCC vs BBC Newsnight: Complaint rejected - London Church of Christ loses at Broadcasting Complaints Commission; Newsnight answer back; Honest seekers of the truth?; Speak out against abuse; War of the Words: John Partington and Graham Baldwin exchange correspondence, and Tommy Chan, evangelist, admits deception. ISSUE 11 (September 1994): Exeter University denounces London Church of Christ; Exeter Vice-Chancellor issues statement disassociating himself from the activities of the LCC and their conference at his university; "Nevil Lee is an awesome dude!"; West country media investigate the London Church of Christ;Testimony of former London evangelist. ISSUE 12 (October 1994): John Partington claims tithes are not enforced; Former member's testimony of abuse; Former member of Indianapolis Church of Christ explains why their church voted to leave the Boston Movement. ISSUE 13 (November 1994): Report on Fred Scott's activities in Australia; Australian membership figures revealed; "If you don't pay your contribution you can't be a Christian"; Disgraced evangelist visits London; Couple speak out: "Why we left the Boston Movement"; Former member writes of his experiences in The Daily Telegraph; Edinburgh Church of Christ infiltrated by documentary makers; Tips for avoiding cultic deception. ISSUE 14 (December 1994/January 1995): How does it feel to leave the London Church of Christ?; Tim Dannet duped as undercover reporter joins the Birmingham Church of Christ and is taken around luxury home. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE COPIES OF ANY OF THE ABOVE CONTACT US AT THE USUAL ADDRESS. ALL ISSUES ARE SENT UNDER PLAIN COVER AND WE WILL RESPECT YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY. TOLC, PO Box 348, Morden, Surrey, England. email: aakshar@cix.compulink.co.uk email: hamrag@cix.compulink.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)860 579211 Anonftp: ftp.digex.net:/pub/access/ex-cult/Groups/Boston-CC WorldWide Web: www.access.digex.net/~ex-cult/Groups/Boston-CC CONTACT US! Close To The Edge would like to hear from all our readers. We are particularly interested in hearing your stories and experiences of the Boston/International Church of Christ from wherever you are in the world. If you have a story to tell, or just want to drop us a line, contact us at the usual address (pref. by email). With your support we can help current members of the Boston Church of Christ begin to understand what has happened to them, and inform them of the very real concerns about the way the church has abused its members psychologically and financially. All mail will be treated in strictest confidence. Thank you. AVAILABLE LITERATURE: The Boston Movement: Analysis, Commentary and Media Reports; Rick & Sarah Bauer. Captive Hearts, Captive Minds; Madeleine Landau Tobias & Janja Lalich. Churches that Abuse; Ronald M. Enroth. Combatting Cult Mind Control; Steven Hassan. Cults: What Parents Should Know; Joan Ross & Dr Michael Langone. Damaged Disciples: Casualties of Authoritarian Churches and the Shepherding Movement; Ron & Vicki Burks. Dangerous Persuaders; Louise Samways. The Deceivers; Josh McDowell & Don Stewart. A Diary: Why I left the Boston Movement; Susan Condon. The Discipling Dilemma; Ed. Flavil R. Yeakley. Discipling Ministries: An Inside Look; Danny Dixon. The Discipling Movement; Maurice Barnett. The Emperor's New Clothes; Susan Condon. Exit Counseling: A Family Intervention; Carol Giambalvo. Influence: How and Why People Agree To Things; Dr Robert B. Cialdini. The Kingdom of the Cults; Walter Martin. Responding to the Boston Church of Christ; Rick Bauer. The Secret World of Cults; Jean Ritchie. The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse; David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen. Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism; Robert Jay Lifton. A Time to speak: A Personal Journal of My Years in the Boston Movement; Sarah Bauer. Toxic Faith: Understanding and Overcoming Religious Addiction; Jack Felton & Stephen Aterburn. What Does the Boston Movement Teach? (Volumes I - III); Dr Jerry Jones. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those solely of the writers and are not meant to be indicative of editorial policy or TOLC as a whole. We have made every effort to ensure that the information in this newsletter is correct, but we welcome notification of change in case of inaccuracies. Close To The Edge is a non-commercial venture, produced for current and former members of the LCC by current and former members of the LCC. Published February 1995. Close To The Edge welcomes contributions from readers and writers, but unsolicited mail is sent at the sender's risk. Copyright (c) TOLC 1995, All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: To ensure you don't miss an issue send a stamped addressed envelope to Subscriptions, TOLC, PO BOX 348, Morden, Surrey, SM4 6ZD for further details. Editor: Graham Cluley. Executive Editor: Ayman Akshar. Subscriptions Manager: Harriet Bentham. Telephone: +44 (0)181 646 7477. Fax: +44 (0)181 646 8151. Twenty four hour hotline: 0860 579211. Internet email: aakshar@cix.compulink.co.uk (Ayman Akshar), hamrag@cix.compulink.co.uk (Graham Cluley). Back issues are available electronically around the world from the anonftp site: ftp.digex.net in the sub-directory /pub/access/ex-cult/Groups/Boston-CC. Contact us for details.