CLOSE TO THE EDGE ISSUE 3 TOLC, PO Box 348, Morden, Surrey SM4 6ZD Tel: 081-646-7477 Fax: 081-646-8151 Triumphing Over London Cults is a group of former members of the London, Birmingham, Manchester, and International Churches of Christ January 1994 Issue 3 Inside this issue: Church of Christ attend Senate Hearings page 1 Editorial page 2 LCC reject TOLC talks offer page 2 Touche Rosse talk abandoned page 2 Evangelist expelled from Singapore page 2 Ex-members meet in London page 3 LCC marking splits friendship page 3 Catalyst seminar report page 3 Woman harassed on underground page 4 Who are TOLC? page 4 CHURCH OF CHRIST PRAISED BY MOONIES MOONIES APPLAUD BOSTON CHURCH OF CHRIST: "THEY ARE THE NEW MOONIES" The Moonies, one of the worlds most successful religious cults, has drawn comparisons between itself and the Boston Church of Christ... during a Senate hearing. The Boston Movement (of which the London Church of Christ is a member) has found itself in the middle of Senate Educational Hearings in Illinois, USA. The hearings, which are also being attended by the Unification Church (better known as the Moonies) and the Church of Scientology (founded by science-fiction author L Ron Hubbard), aim to investigate a number of allegations brought against the groups. One of the questions being examined at the Senate hearings is the damaging influence on family relations, education and career that involvement with one of the groups may bring. It has been argued that members have little time to participate in activities outside of the movement they have joined. Furthermore some observers have described disturbing levels of control and systematic manipulation of recruits to the groups own ends. During the Senate Hearings a Moonie spokesman described the Boston Church of Christ and its affiliated churches as "The new Moonies". One former member of the London Church of Christ commented: "When you see that the Boston Church of Christ have been summoned along with the Scientologists and the Moonies to a Senate Hearing questions must begin to be asked... Even long-term followers of the Church will be asking themselves "What are we doing there with them?". There can be no smoke without fire". Close To The Edge hopes to bring you more news from the Illinois Senate Hearings as it becomes available. Background The founder and leader of the Unification Church (Moonies) is Sun Myung Moon who was born in North Korea in 1920. After achieving success with his new religion in the Far East, especially South Korea, Moon came to America at the end of 1971 and his cult began to flourish. Today they claim some two million members world-wide. Two of the distinctive features of the Moonies are its special appeal to educated young people from the middle classes, and its habit of conducting business, particularly recruiting, under a variety of guises. Like all cult leaders, Moon claims exclusive knowledge: "We are the only people who truly understand the heart of Jesus, and the hope of Jesus" (Rev. Moon, "The Way of the World") Moon was convicted for tax fraud in 1984 by the US government and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment. QUOTE CORNER "There will come a time when some of us will lay down their lives for the cause. That was the key in the first century, that is, the Christians loved God so much they were willing to become martyrs. The same price must be paid in the 20th Century if we are to accomplish the same goal - that is the evangelism of the whole world." Kip McKean, Boston, 1987 Editorial and News ================== EDITORIAL Close To The Edge #3 TOLC, PO Box 348 Morden, Surrey SM4 6ZD Telephone: 081-646-7477 Editor John Drake Executive Editor Ayman Akshar Subscription Manager Harriet Bentham 1993 was the worst year in the London Church of Christ's history: the membership more than halved, it was subjected to exhaustive exposes on television programmes such as NewsNight, Beam & DaSilva and The London Programme, and they are being rigorously investigated by the Charities Commission and the Inland Revenue. The final element of the LCC's annus horribilus was the Touche Rosse fiasco in December and the Senate Hearings in Illinois. On first impressions it doesnt look as though 1994 is going to bring any better luck for the LCC. As reported in this issue the leaders of the LCC have rejected TOLC's call for conciliatory talks in the cause of Christian unity, despite the fact that everything said at the meetings would have been made publicly available. What an opportunity that would have been; you would have been able to make your own mind up, with all the evidence in front of you. You are an intelligent, rational human being - why should someone else tell you what you shouldnt read? Cant you be trusted to decide for yourself whether another viewpoint is valid or not? The LCC would seem to think not. Over fifty years ago the Nazis burnt books, frightened by opposing views, unwilling to let their fellow countrymen consider any alternative ideology but the one put forward by Hitler. It is disheartening to feel we have not learnt from experience. Books and words cannot kill, different viewpoints cannot harm you. What have you got to lose from hearing another view about the London Church of Christ, from someone who has been there but decided to leave; an ex-member. Make it your new year resolution to contact an ex-member of the LCC to find out what they have to say about the movement. You may not agree with us, but at least you will have listened to both sides of the argument. Our address and telephone number are at the top of this column. JOHN Close To The Edge Issue 3 is Copyright (c) 1994 TOLC All Rights Reserved. Published January 1994. Close To The Edge welcomes contributions from readers and writers, but unsolicited mail is sent at the senders risk. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: To ensure you dont miss an issue of Close To The Edge send a stamped addressed envelope to Subscriptions, TOLC, PO BOX 348, Morden, Surrey, SM4 6ZD for further details. LCC SAYS "WE'LL TALK.. BUT NOT TO YOU" The London Church of Christ has turned down an opportunity to discuss its differences with former members. TOLC, a group of former members of the London Church of Christ, wrote to the LCC on 1st December 1993 inviting the LCC leadership to talks in the cause of Christian union. TOLC had proposed the meeting to discuss the areas of disagreement between itself and the LCC in a fair and frank atmosphere, in the hope that the church would be able to improve itself. The meeting was to have been recorded, with copies available free of charge to anyone who wished to examine them. The original letter had been addressed to UK co-leader Fred Scott, and copies were sent to other leading members of the church including Douglas Arthur and Kip McKean. Unfortunately Scott did not reply, but in a letter dated 22 December 1993 John Partington, LCC Administrator, responded to TOLC honorary chairman Ayman Akshar: "Dear Ayman Thank you for your communication of 1st December. We ask that in future all correspondence to the church staff be directed to the church office rather than to individual's home addresses. We do not wish to enter into a public discussion. We are always happy to talk to any honest seekers of the truth for mutual edification. Yours sincerely John John Partington Administrator" By what criteria the London Church of Christ judges people to be honest seekers of the truth was not elaborated upon. TOLC re-affirms its offer to meet the London Church of Christ at any time, at any location, in a fair and frank manner to discuss its differences in the interests of Christian unity. When this meeting takes place TOLC will take steps to ensure the transcripts of the meeting are made available to all members of the London Church of Christ. TOUCHE ROSSE TALK ABANDONED On December 12 1993 members of the London Church of Christ were to have been given a presentation by Touche Ross into their church's accounts. The presentation was anticipated with interest by both current and former members of the LCC. Many were inquisitive as to where funds (such as the poor collection) have been going for the last few years. Following enquiries by news agencies and media (who wished to cover the event) city firm Touche Ross hastily decided to withdraw its offer. The bad news for current and former members of the LCC is that the presentation has now been abandoned for the foreseeable future. A senior source within the LCC leaked the news of Touche Ross's withdrawal from participation prior to the event, and enabled a number of former members to hand out leaflets offering the congregation their own copy of the accounts. Anyone who would like to see the LCC's accounts should contact the Charities Commission for further information. Their address is The Charities Commission, St Albans House, 57/60 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX. FRED SCOTT IN TROUBLE? Speculation has mounted about Fred Scott's future in the movement. One church insider has described recent leaders meetings as being a "shark-feeding frenzy" and put forward the notion that unless 1994 is a more successful year for the church Scott may be moved. He went on to say that if the move were not forced upon Scott by Kip McKean and Douglas Arthur that factions within the UK church might eventually insist upon it themselves. The only good news on the horizon for LCC co-leader Fred Scott has been his wife recently giving birth to a baby girl, distinctively named Lily Evangelina. EVANGELIST EXPELLED FROM SINGAPORE John Louis, a Church of Christ evangelist sent from London to Singapore, has been expelled by the Singapore government for deception. Government authorities in Singapore discovered John Louis had obtained his visa deceptively. The Singapore authorities have treated the case very seriously and Louis may only visit the country for very short periods of time in future. As well as this he is no longer allowed to preach at all. This is by no means the first time that the Boston Church of Christ appears to have deliberately set out to break the law. When questioned by reporter Sue Bishop World Sector Leader Al Baird made an extraordinary admission. He told the BBC NewsNight programme (broadcast 15 July, 1993): "There are times when the only way to get into a country is to get in illegally" It is sadly understandable if the officials in the Singapore government who dealt with the case of John Louis now have a very poor view of Christianity. ONE YEAR ON: EX-MEMBERS JOIN FORCES Former members of the London Church of Christ met together in early January to discuss and share experiences. Many of those invited had been among those expelled during the LCC's membership purge of January 1993. As then reported in the Evening Standard (22 January, 1993) members were expelled for failing to attract new recruits. One expelled member was reported at the time as saying: "I've repented my sins to the leaders several times in the past few days, but they all refuse to believe what Im saying. They have told me that I am damned.. Because I haven't brought many people into the church they have told me to leave. Ive got nowhere to go. I dont know what to do". However, the LCC's plan to expel members backfired. As Close To The Edge exclusively reported last issue, membership of the church fell from 1200+ at the start of 1993 to only 579 by October. A senior church insider has also confirmed to us that collections are failing to reach their target by up to 700ukp per sector, seriously draining the church's resources. We hope to bring you further details and feedback on the meeting in the next issue of Close To The Edge. FRIENDSHIP FORGOTTEN John Farebrother was told on 12 December 1993 by Dennis Obongonyinge, a senior financial assistant of the London Church of Christ, that he was unable to talk to John because he had been "marked". Farebrother had approached Dennis Obongonyinge outside a London Church of Christ meeting at Holland Park School to ask his opinion of financial abuse in the church. John Farebrother's marking meant he had been publicly named as an agent of the Devil and that no member of the church should speak to him. Therefore you can imagine John's surprise when a number of other church members continued to talk to him, oblivious of his being marked! John Farebrother told Close To The Edge he had been very disappointed by his meeting with Dennis as they had once been good friends, and felt that as a representative of the church Dennis should have been open and tried to answer his questions honesty. John Farebrother suggested that Dennis position within the church and his duty as a disciple and a human being warranted more thoughtful and understanding behaviour. CATALYST SEMINAR REPORT About 50 family, friends and ex-members of the LCC attended the Catalyst counselling group's first seminar at the end of last year. The seminar entitled "Responding to the Church of Christ" studied in detail the charges which have been brought against the LCC's methods and practices. Seminar attendees were shown role-plays of a "sin-study" and taken through the LCC's accounts in great detail. During the event tapes were played of senior LCC leaders making various allegations about speakers present at the seminar. The leaders had been tape-recorded as saying that the people concerned kidnapped members of the church and were paid up to 15,000ukp for deprogramming. This was strongly denied and guest speakers stressed that they would never resort to such tactics or condone such activities. As attendees left after the end of the day-long seminar they were presented with detailed information packs on the LCC (over 200 pages), and copies of the LCC accounts. GODS WONDERFUL RAILWAY? Close To The Edge has a number of volunteers working as distributors outside LCC events. These volunteers are not paid and distribute the newsletter to current members of the LCC and the general public. They generally volunteer to help for two reasons: either because they were once members, or because they have had family or friends involved with the group. One volunteer, Sally McCormick, whose own daughter had been a member, was abused and harassed by LCC members at Clapham Junction underground station for distributing the newsletter in the middle of December. Told by a young woman church member that she looked "very sad", Mrs McCormick replied "No my dear. Im delighted my daughter eventually decided to leave your group!". She was later informed by another church member that she was standing on "God's ground". Perhaps someone should inform British Rail of Clapham Junction's new found status! USHERS CENSOR LCC MEMBERSHIP Sources within the London Church of Christ have contacted TOLC disturbed that church ushers have been confiscating their copies of Close To The Edge upon entering services. This would appear to have been a directive put down by the church leadership threatened by the views expressed by many current and former members of the LCC. WHO ARE TOLC? TOLC are a group of former members of the London, Birmingham, Manchester and International Churches of Christ. Sadly there has been some mis-information about who TOLC are, what we believe in, and what we do. It is important that these accusations are countered in order that people listen to what TOLC have to say with an open mind. Some members of the London Church of Christ have suggested that we are kidnappers who charge thousands of pounds to remove people from the church. THIS IS NOT TRUE. FACT: We believe it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to stay with the London Church of Christ. We would never condone coercive tactics to remove an individual from the group. It is because we respect each person's liberty that we are so keen for them to hear all the evidence about the church. Some members of the LCC have suggested that we left the London Church of Christ because we couldnt cope with the pressures of a Christian life, because our marriages were suffering, because we became mentally disturbed. THIS IS NOT TRUE. FACT: We left the London Church of Christ because we became alarmed by its activities, methods and practices. Some of us tried to solve the problems inside the church, but were rebuked by leaders for being divisive. Some of us have been marked as enemies of the church for voicing our opinions. In truth all we ever wanted to do was improve the church. Deciding to leave the church was for many of us the hardest decision we ever had to make in our lives, and not one to be taken lightly. Members of the London Church of Christ should ask themselves why they are told we are variously kidnappers, sexually immoral, law breakers, divisive and un-Christian. Could it be someone is frightened youll contact us? Our 24 hour hotline number is 0860 579211 Available literature and information about the London Church of Christ and associated groups: A Diary: Why I left the Boston Movement; Susan McGunnigle Condon. A Time to Speak: A Personal Journal of My Years in the Boston Movement; S. Bauer. The Boston Movement: Analysis, Commentary and Media Reports; Rick & Sarah Bauer. Churches that Abuse; Ronald M. Enroth. Combatting Cult Mind Control; Steven Hassan. The Discipling Dilemma; Ed. Flavil R. Yeakley. What does The Boston Movement Teach? (Volumes I - III); Dr Jerry Jones. To receive details on how to receive any of the above please write to us at the editorial address. THIS NEWSLETTER COULD NOT HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF A LARGE GROUP OF CURRENT & FORMER MEMBERS OF THE LONDON CHURCH OF CHRIST. 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. 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. 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. Published January 1994.