CLOSE TO THE EDGE - Issue 17 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 April/May 95 Issue 17 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 TWO YEARS OF TRIUMPHING OVER LONDON CULTS Ayman Akshar, Chairman of TOLC, looks back on the year and answers his critics' accusations. --------------------------------------------- As we celebrate the second anniversary of the TOLC, we stand here and look back with some satisfaction at the events of the last 12 months. Let's look at the continued Weight of Evidence for the second year : The continued investigations by the authorities. The exposure of the hilariously expensive Manila Crisis Conference junket at which London was described as the ICC's worst disaster world-wide (Shame they had to travel so far - and at such expense - to find out!!). The continued exposure in the media in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester and elsewhere eg BBC's Everyman programme, the Scottish Reporters programme, West Country Television and BBC Exeter (TV & Radio) coverage of the LCC annual hype jamboree last August (at which the LCC kept to its tradition of ejecting the reporters - old habits die hard!), GLR radio coverage of the LCC Wembley Fiasco, BBC South East News, Radio 4 - Live at 5 and Carlton TV coverage of the LCC Royal Albert Hall Flop and the BBC Birmingham Pebble Mill report on the Cannon Hill Park Free Barbecue at which the food was plentiful but the recipients were few. The continued negative reporting on the LCC by the newspaper world including such titles as The Times, The Guardian. The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, the Evening Standard, the Birmingham Post, the Birmingham Evening Mail etc in conjunction with coverage by many local papers. Increased overseas interest in the LCC/ICC's activities and practices as evidenced by the rebroadcast of the BBC's Everyman programme by Swedish and Dutch TV and by separate investigations by New York TV's Inside Edition programme and the syndicated Twenty-Twenty programme. The ultra-devastating rejection of the LCC's complaint about the BBC's NewsNight investigation by the Broadcasting Complaint Commission: Douglas Arthur's clones alas could not resist the temptation to put their foot in it again - parrots will, after all, imitate parrots - especially in the generation of hot air!! John Partington's pathetic performance was the least unsatisfactory, even if he failed to persuade the panel and to refute my statements with any hard, concrete evidence to the contrary. The break-away of the Indianapolis Church from the jackboot control of the ICC movement, described by Kip McKean as "a very sad chapter in our history" (August 1994 edition of the the Los Angeles ICC Upside Down magazine). The world leader raged in response against those "who oppose and grumble against God's leaders" - to no effect, however, as the stampede continued unabated. The continued adventures of Fred in Wonderland as he wanders the world in search of a safe haven from the alleged painful attentions of TOLC - first Washington D.C, then on to Sydney and next? The continued deficit in quality leadership in the UK, with Chris McGrath about to embark to warmer, more hospitable climes where his particular talents may be better appreciated. The curious and exceptionally low profile now adopted by the London organisation in the hope that it will escape further unwelcome attentions - described by one insider as the "be happy - enjoy your salvation" philosophy, believed espoused by the recently arrived Guru of East Finchley. The continued obfuscatory antics of Mr. Nevil Lee, the LCC administrator, and his coterie at the LCC office when dealing with correspondents, especially past members. Despite repeated warnings, the LCC office persists in digging itself into a hole from which it may find it difficult to extricate itself. If I were a Trustee, I would make some effort to protect my back. Some people never learn!! As the LCC/ICC have not been able to discredit what I and others have said about their unethical practices, they have now taken to attempted character assassination. Here are some of the accusations levelled at me: 1 I am a Liar Everything I say is apparently a lie although they have declined to sued me to prove this - despite the fact that membership of the LCC has dropped from 1200+ to circa 600 as a result of our allegations. 2 I am a Kidnapper I am supposed to kidnap people to "deprogramme" them, detaining them in my loft and bible bashing them in order to get them out of the LCC/ICC. 3 I am "in it for the money" I am supposed to charge 15,000 pounds for every case in which I am involved. When challenged to substantiate this allegation, the LCC has proved rather silent - much to the disappointment of my bank manager. 4 My marriage My marriage is apparently "in trouble" (we have the allegation on tape in which the evangelist Dr Tommy Chan states very clearly that we left the LCC because of this). Recently two of their leaders have been spreading rumours that my wife and I are no longer together. We are sorry to disappoint them !! 5 Sexual Immorality I am supposed to have slept with every sister in the NW zone of LCC between 1986-1990. (statement made to a member of the London Church of Christ when she was about to visit me with her mother) 6 Homosexuality In spite of my supposed reputation as seducer of every sister in the NW zone, I am also supposed to be a rampant homosexual. 7 Mentally disturbed I am supposed to be mentally disturbed; otherwise I would not have done what I am doing at the present time in exposing the wrongdoings within the LCC. 8 A case of Sour Grapes with the LCC leadership. I am supposed to be acting out of spite and indulging in a personal vendetta against the LCC leadership - in spite of the fact that throughout my time in the LCC, my relationship with the leadership was perfectly amiable until our split on the issue of the lack of ethics in many of the LCC's practices. It should be pointed out that my wife and I were particularly close to Fred Scott, the lead evangelist, and his wife, Emma, and the strength of our friendship was always lauded in leadership circles. 9 Helping myself to the till: I am supposed to have helped myself to the till - one of the allegations which I originally made against them and which is still under investigation by the authorities. They have never made this allegation about me to my face or to the authorities - for reasons best known to themselves. 10 My Demonisation I am apparently demon possessed, if not an actual physical Son of Satan. However, no sign of any horns or tails as yet.. Any illnesses or misfortunes which befall my family eg my wife's recent miscarriage are apparently evidence of God's retribution. I leave it to you to judge why an organisation would turn to such practices when they feel it necessary to defend themselves. Finally I would like thank all those who work very hard in every way to expose all the wrong doings of the LCC/ICC around the world. Ayman Akshar. AUSTRALIA MEMBERSHIP ANALYSIS ----------------------------- Sources in Australia have revealed the sorry tale of membership figures in Sydney. The Sydney Church of Christ started 1992 with over 700 members. After the 1992/1993 reconstruction it was left with approximately 450 members. During the year they baptised over 300 people into the Sydney Church of Christ. However, by the end of 1993 they still only had approximately 450 members (as more members were added, other members decided to leave). By mid 1994 the Sydney Church of Christ still had only about 450 members - a very disappointing result for a movement set on evangelising the entire world within a generation. WORLDWIDE MEMBERSHIP ANALYSIS ----------------------------- The following is quoted from Jerry Jones, Th.D, former elder of the Boston Church of Christ. Jones writes: "The following are the Boston Church's figures on growth (these figures were taken from an unpublished report by the Boston church): 1986 17% 1987 23% 1988 26% 1989 10% 1990 -5% "The above represents an average of 14% a year with about 100 people on staff." Later he writes: "The following is an analysis of the Boston Movement growth. 1990 Report Membership 1989 21,254 (Boston Bulletin 1-7-90) Membership 1990 28,724 (Boston Bulletin 1-20-91) Total Growth 7,470 Baptized 1990 17,851 (Boston Bulletin 1-20-91) Net Lost 10,381 1991 Report Membership 1989 28,724 (Boston Bulletin 1-7-90) Membership 1990 37,604 (Boston Bulletin 1-20-91) Total Growth 8,880 Baptized 1990 22,135 (Boston Bulletin 1-20-91) Net Lost 13,255 Two-Year Analysis Total Growth 90/91 16,350 Total Baptism 90/91 39,986 Total Net Loss 90/91 23,636 Percent Drop Out Rate 59% "The above figures indicate that it took 39,986 baptisms to produce a growth of 16,350. Not included in this growth number are those who placed membership in Boston Movement churches who were not baptized. These figures show a turnover rate of the members of the Boston Movement, with a drop out rate of 59%. The net loss for 1990 and 1991 was 23,636, which was more that the total membership of 21,254 in 1989. It would be interesting to see the breakdown of the 37,604 members as to how many of them have been Christians for one, two, three, four, or five years. It is true there are more coming into the Boston Movement each year than are going out, but there appears to be a "merry-go-round" effect in the membership." ----------- Jones, Jerry, Th.D. "What Does the Boston Movement Teach?: A Critique of Kip McKean's 'Revolution Through Restoration'". Volume III. pp 35-36. Bridgeton, Missouri: Mid-America Book and Tape Sales, 1993. Mid-America Book and Tape Sales 12880 Bittick Bridgeton, MO 63044 (314) 739-6434 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD -------------------------- SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Dominic from Sydney has contacted the TOLC office thanking us for the effort and help we gave him in helping leave the Sydney Church of Christ. Dominic received material from us concerning the church and subsequently decided to leave. Not surprisingly his old “friends” at the Sydney Church of Christ are no longer talking to him. LONDON, ENGLAND An investigative documentary is currently being made about the London Church of Christ, and is due for transmission later this year on BBC2. This follows the damning investigation carried out by Sue Bishop of BBC's Newsnight programme last year. TOKYO, JAPAN The leaders of the Tokyo Church of Christ are watching developments carefully as the Japanese government cracks down on the dangerous Aum Shinrikyo religious sect, implicated in the recent attack on the Tokyo subway that left 12 dead and 5000 people sick. One report has suggested that the cult leader, Shoko Asahara, ordered his followers to set free the lethal Naxi nerve gas, Sarin. The Aum Shinriko cult typically appeals, like the Boston Church of Christ, to intelligent middle-class young people. There have also been suggestions that the Tokyo Church of Christ may be investigated about the large amount of land they allegedly own in the city. PERTH, AUSTRALIA The International Church of Christ is planning to plant a new church in Perth (the capital city of Australia) in the middle of this year. The February edition of the Australian Church of Christ's glossy monthly newsletter stated that they plan by the year 2000 to have a church in every city in Australia with a population of 100,000 plus. Mark Maguire featured on a video about the Church of Christ in Australia stating that the Adelaide church had 40 members and Adelaide had thousands of other churches. His vision for Adelaide is by the year 2000 to have as many disciples as churches in Adelaide (approximately 2000+, although others believe there are 4000 churches in Adelaide). BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND Jimmy from Birmingham has contacted TOLC thanking us for the material we sent him regarding the activities, abusive practices, and hypocricies of the church's leaders. After four days of careful contemplation he decided to leave the church. We urge other current members of the London Church of Christ to read all the information available and question the leaders. SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA The Sydney Church of Christ has asked all church members to contribute AU$5 weekly to support "a new medical centre" (church?) in Papua New Guinea. Reports have reached TOLC that the rental on the house Sydney members live in reaches AU$675 per week. This is in addition to all other contributions. It has also been ascertained that every fortnight the church flies people back and forth between Sydney and Papua New Guinea despite very expensive air fares. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND Twelve members of the Manchester Church of Christ's student ministry have decided to leave the church. Two members, Paul and Andrew, contacted TOLC via the Internet (available, via Janet, at most universities) and confronted the leadership with the evidence they had uncovered. They decided, after church leaders were unable to answer questions satisfactorily, that they could no longer put up with the hypocrisy of the church and its totalitarian hierarchy. INDIANAPOLIS, USA TOLC has received transcripts of the dramatic meetings held last year during the Indianapolis Church of Christ's breakaway from the International Church of Christ. These transcripts are revealing because they show clearly the "hatchet job" done on Ed Powers, leader of the Indianapolis Church, by Marty Fuqua and Kip McKean. Transcripts include a full record of what was said by McKean, Fuqua, Powers, and Al Baird. LONDON, ENGLAND A family from the Midlands have contacted TOLC thanking us for the help we offered in helping their son decide to leave the London Church of Christ. Whilst other members of the London Church of Christ were meeting at Wembley Conference Centre on Easter Sunday their son chose to examine evidence against the church's leaders and view the testimonies of former members on video. The London Church of Christ had threatened him that it was impossible to be a Christian outside the movement, but he was relieved to find out this was not the case and has now decided to leave the church for good. One particularly influential element in this decision was watching a video tape of World Sector Leader Al Baird say he was prepared to lie and break the law in order to further the movement's spread. MEDIAWATCH ---------- Throughout the first few months of 1995 the London Church of Christ has continued to be investigated by the media in print, on radio and on television. The Observer (a well-respected UK Sunday paper) has been doing a special three-week investigation into religious cults. The second week of this series focussed heavily on the London Church of Christ with a special report from the former member, Karl Williams. Karl is no stranger to criticizing the practices and methods of the London Church of Christ having appeared on many television programmes and written articles for national newspapers. Regular readers of Close To The Edge will recall that Karl was involved in the Scottish Reporters TV investigation where he said: "I personally know of three people who were suicidal after having left. There were a number of other people who actually did attempt suicide... Many, many have severe emotional problems. I know seven people who have had to be sectioned into psychiatric institutions as a result of their membership of the church." Karl was also critical of the pressure put on those who could not afford to give money, "Their love for God was directly equated to the amount of money they gave". MTV is scheduled to broadcast a programme about the Boston Church of Christ on May 30th. London News Radio broadcast a report on April 14th about the controversy raging about the London Church of Christ's use of Wembley Conference Centre. Reporter Dan Damon interviewed a former member of the London Church of Christ about his experiences, and spoke with a man whose best friend was sucked into the group. NEW USENET NEWSGROUP FOR BOSTON CHURCH OF CHRIST DISCUSSION ----------------------------------------------------------- Earlier this year a new Usenet newsgroup opened on the Internet. Alt.religion.christian.boston-church is a forum for both former and current members of the Boston Church of Christ to discuss their experiences. There is mounting speculation that the leaders of the International Church of Christ will soon label this newsgroup "spiritual pornography" and prohibit members from reading and contributing to the discussions taking place there. TOLC urges all current members of the International Church of Christ to take part in the debate and read the evidence and experiences available in this group: Newsgroups:alt.config, alt.support.ex-cult, talk.religion.misc, alt.religion.christian, alt.religion.christian.boston-church From: modemac@netcom.com (Modemac) Subject: Request: Booster for Church of Christ newsgroup Message-ID: Followup-To: alt.config,alt.religion.christian.boston-church Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] Date: Thu, 9 Mar 1995 22:27:10 GMT Lines: 28 Sender: modemac@netcom3.netcom.com Xref: news1.digex.net alt.config:58235 alt.support.ex-cult:778 talk.religion.misc:99985 alt.religion.christian:20108 alt.religion.christian.boston-church:1 The newsgroup for discussion of the Boston (a.k.a. International) Church of Christ is seeing regular traffic, and the discussion is already proving to be enlightening, as the members of the newsgroup are explaining the history of the organization, its founder, and its practices. In the past few days, I have received several email requests from people for access to the group, including requests from people in England. I have also received a request from help from an individual who feels that the Church of Christ is keeping one of his closest friends away from him, and he is interested in contacting people who can give him information to help bring his friend back. Therefore, I am making an official request for system administrators and interested persons to please issue "booster" newgroup messages, so as to increase the distribution of this newsgroup on Usenet and allow many more people to read it. The name of the newsgroup is: alt.religion.christian.boston-church In addition, interested parties who wish to access the newsgroup are encouraged to please email their system administrators and ask that this newsgroup be carried on their systems. Thank you for your attention. -- +---------------------------------------+ | Reverend Modemac (modemac@netcom.com) | +-------------+ "There is no black and white." +------------+ | First Online Church of "Bob," A Subfaction of the Excremeditated | | Congregation of the Overinflated Head of L. Ron Hubbard | +------------------------------------------------------------------+ IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? --------------------------- Hello and greetings from Indianapolis, Indiana! My name is Marla, my husband (Brad) and I were members of the Indianapolis International Church of Christ for approximately 10 years. As you probably know about a year ago the Church went thru a split and we found ourselves in the middle of the most heartwrenching experience of our lives. My closest friends will no longer associate with me and believe that we are lost. We are now members of the Circle City Church along with about 450 other former members of the ICOC. Everyone seems to be "healing" at a different rate and in different ways. Personally, I am still extremely devastated about the whole thing. I am having trouble "picking up the pieces" and getting on with my relationship with God. I don't even really feel I know who God is and get physically ill when I think about any kind of organized religion. We have gotten some counseling and plan to continue doing so, it has helped but I guess I'm writing to see if I could have some kind of E-mail pen pal who would be willing to communicate with me regularly to just talk about feelings and experiences. Please let me know ASAP I am desperately seeking a "friend " who can relate and understand what I'm going through! Thank you. Marla Anyone who would like to contact Marla (or indeed Brad) can do so at the following email address: 72272.1750@compuserve.com 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. 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 April 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. 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 In Our Midst; Dr Margaret Singer; 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. PLACES OF INTEREST: Internet newsgroups: alt.support.ex-cult, alt.religion.christian.boston-church