CLOSE TO THE EDGE March 1994 Issue 5 Triumphing Over London Cults is a group of former members of the London Church of Christ, and Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Tokyo, and International Churches of Christ TOLC, PO BOX 348, MORDEN, SURREY SM4 6ZD Tel: 081-646-7477 Fax: 081-646-8151. FRED SCOTT LOSES JOB AS UK CO-LEADER CHRIS McGRATH STEPS IN, AS DOUGLAS ARTHUR PULLS THE STRINGS FROM THE STATES... On February 8 members of the LCC were told that Fred Scott was no longer UK co-leader of the London Church of Christ. A dramatic top-level meeting of the LCC leadership decided Scott’s fate, whilst Douglas Arthur - Scott's boss - flew in from the States to appoint Chris McGrath as interim leader. Close To The Edge can reveal that Scott is returning to Washington DC with Arthur for "retraining", a popular euphemism within the Church for reprimanding those who have failed World Leader Kip McKean. It appears McKean and Douglas Arthur plan to make Scott the "fall-guy" for the most disastrous year in the London Church of Christ's history. As exclusively first anticipated in the November 1993 issue of Close To The Edge, rumours about Scott’s future in the movement have been growing for the last five months. One church insider has described recent leadership meetings chaired by Fred Scott as being held in a "shark-feeding frenzy". Scott eventually became an immense liability for the LCC, when they are trying their hardest to fight off investigations by the Inland Revenue, Charities Commission, national media, and former members. MISSION: TOKYO TOLC MEETS TOKYO CHURCH OF CHRIST A member of TOLC flew half way around the world in February to speak to a member of the Tokyo Church of Christ. Ayman Akshar, volunteered to speak to the young woman member, and - as is TOLC policy - asked for no charge for his time and efforts. The family had become so concerned about the detrimental effect Church of Christ involvement was having upon their daughter, they asked Akshar if he would join them on the fourteen hour flight to Tokyo, Japan. The family have asked us not to publish their name, as they fear they will be harassed by the LCC. Akshar accepted, and explained that it was TOLC policy to do everything free of charge. To reduce the costs to the family Akshar offered to sleep on a friend's floor while staying in Tokyo, rather than staying in a hotel. Despite strong pressure and harassment from other members of the Tokyo Church of Christ the young woman decided to leave the movement, after seeing the overwhelming evidence of abuse accumulated by TOLC. Any legitimate organization would never discourage contact with former members. Similarly, legitimate organizations would support any member's decision to leave, even though they might not like it. The London Church of Christ is very keen that you don't contact former members of the church. You might wonder why. If you ever want to find out why someone should ever want to leave the London Church of Christ, and why the Inland Revenue and Charities Commission are currently investigating the LCC, give us a call on our 24 hour hotline number: 0860 579211. MOLE HUNT! LCC ATTEMPTS TO PLUG LEAK Douglas Arthur has told the membership of the London Church of Christ that one of his fellow leaders is passing confidential information onto Close To The Edge. In an extraordinary statement on February 8th Douglas Arthur, who for some years has been positioning himself as heir apparent to the Boston Movement empire, declared that an as-yet unnamed fellow leader was "falling away". The LCC leadership thrives on controlling information from its membership. They tell their members not to believe the newspapers, not to watch documentaries about the Church on the television, and not to believe any bad news about the church. The admission that high-level members of the LCC are working closely with TOLC suggests that perhaps not all is as rosy as they would like to suggest. Later in this issue we explain how you can find out for yourself about the LCC's finances. We hope you will make the most of this opportunity. Close To The Edge #5 TOLC, PO Box 348 Morden, Surrey SM4 6ZD Telephone: 081-646-7477 Hotline: 0860 579211 Editor John Drake Executive Editor Ayman Akshar Subscription Manager Harriet Bentham EDITORIAL In February an event of enormous significance took place. To the rank-and-file member of the London Church of Christ it was more significant than the Newsnight investigation and Al Baird's admission that the Church of Christ was prepared to break the law to achieve its ends. It was perhaps even more significant than the continuing investigations by the Inland Revenue and Charities Commission. Fred Scott, co-leader of the London Church of Christ, was told to stand down by his bosses Douglas Arthur (and ultimately Kip McKean). Close To The Edge can reveal that Douglas Arthur was originally to have taken over the UK leadership, discipled by McKean. When Arthur discovered that TOLC was aware of this plan, he quickly promoted ex-boxer Chris McGrath to interim leader. McGrath, however, is considered as much of a liability as Fred Scott. In inner circles of the London Church of Christ Chris McGrath is known as "the hyena" for his distinctive style of evangelism. There is nothing to suggest that Douglas Arthur will not be pulling the strings of the London leadership. Douglas Arthur will be leading in all but name. So who runs the LCC? Is it Chris McGrath in London, or Kip McKean (via henchman Douglas Arthur) from the States? Hold onto your hats, 1994 is going to be a bumpy ride. JOHN Close To The Edge Issue 5 is Copyright (c) 1994 TOLC All Rights Reserved. Published March 1994. Close To The Edge welcomes contributions from readers and writers, but unsolicited mail is sent at the sender's risk. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: To ensure you don’t 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. Christian Worker article slams London Church of Christ Close To The Edge is pleased to have the opportunity to reprint a magazine article by a former member of the London Church of Christ detailing some of his experiences. This article originally appeared in the Christian Worker earlier this year. Recently, there has been many reports in the media about the London Church of Christ (LCC). This church was formerly known as the Central London Church of Christ (CLCC or CLOCC). Some people believe that the LCC has not been fairly presented by the media and ex-members of the group. It should be pointed out that they share the name Church of Christ with long established, well respected churches in the UK and the LCC should not be confused with them. I am part of a group of former members of the LCC and we can provide testimonies of people's experiences within the LCC. These come from all different ages, backgrounds, ethnic origins and beliefs. We believe that as Christians we have to tell the truth and we must be fair. Is the media attention on the LCC misplaced, just a series of false accusations? Is there any element of truth in the allegations or is it a vicious unwarranted attack? I can only speak of my own experience. I was a member of the group for six years and seven months. Whilst I was involved, I believed that all the activities of the media were undeserved persecution. During this time I learnt much from the preaching and their publications, specifically 'Shining Like Stars'. This book contains almost all their doctrine and their interpretation of the scriptures. I believe that there are fundamental ideas expressed in the true Gospel of God that are at odds with what is taught in the LCC. Their aim of evangelizing the world in this generation would have been achievable if they kept to the word of God and not let man's teachings take over. It takes courage to tell the truth about the LCC, people have been too badly damaged and they are unable to speak out. The London Church of Christ, uses systematic, manipulative techniques of thought reform and mind control to obtain followers and constrain their thoughts and actions. I was under such control, even though I did not realise that. Members of the church tell an individual what to do, saying that 'This is what the Bible says,' this is not always the case. In a meeting with Douglas Arthur (leader of the Commonwealth Churches), Fred Scott (lead evangelist in London) and several brothers, the leaders admitted that a part of their doctrine was not in the Bible. The meeting was to discuss the issue of discipleship and its many abuses. Doug Arthur admitted "That discipleship is not in the Bible, but it is a good idea and it works." Techniques such as discipleship produces observable changes in the individual's autonomy, thoughts and actions. Discipleship might sound like a principle out of the New Testament. As they say in the LCC "We want a person to change their autonomy, thoughts and actions to match those of the Gospel of Christ." However, the Gospel of Christ is to be presented in an atmosphere in which the person knows what is going on, and gives their permission. Christ never hid His teaching from anyone. Control in a cult is invested in a person or the system, not in Christ. The LCC places financial pressures on members, who are expected to pay three kinds of mandatory contributions. These are, a weekly contribution of at least 10% of gross income to support the church, a weekly contribution for the poor and an irregular contribution, (2-3 times a year, of ten times the weekly contribution). There is also clear misuse of the funds, money is diverted from the poor to the administration of the church without consultation. In addition there is no real accountability to the members. Any questions are seen as weak faith and not answered until the individual has repented. There are also marital pressures, as married couples are asked to spent their entire time with the group of disciples. They attend so many meetings eventually getting to the point where you have no time even to have one meal with your wife a week. We are aware of a couple who has not yet been married for one year. The husband has hit his wife, as a result, we believe, of the pressures imposed by the church on them. In a survey we did, almost 80% of those who leave the LCC become disillusioned and do not want anything to do with God and Christianity. This is a terrible thing for a so called Christian church to be responsible for. What has been seen in the last seven years in the movement has made almost 2,500 former members, including myself, come to the conclusion that there are no other words one can use to describe the LCC except as a destructive cult. Ayman Akshar (Morden, Surrey) NEWS IN BRIEF Der Spiegel magazine investigates Berlin Church of Christ The well-respected German news magazine, Der Spiegel, has recently run a report on the practices of the Berlin Church of Christ (as well as its sister churches in Bremen and Munich). Der Spiegel came to the conclusion that the Boston Church of Christ was a destructive totalitarian cult. Members told the magazine that any writings against the church were classified as "spiritual pornography" and were not to be read under any circumstances. A magazine photographer was on hand to witness the baptism of a young woman into the church in the Alexanderplatz, Berlin. Scottish Television investigates On February 15 Independent Scottish Television transmitted an investigation into the Edinburgh Church of Christ. The report interviewed former members of the church (some of whom are still practising Christians) and revealed the financial, mental and psychological abuses that have occurred world-wide. Silence from Scott Last issue's open letter to Fred Scott has met with no reply from the now former co-leader of the London Church of Christ. Therefore, we are unable to publish his right of reply. Readers will remember that we asked Scott to produce evidence that Ayman Akshar has benefited financially from criticizing the LCC (as Scott had claimed in a magazine article). The letter concluded by saying: "If you are unable to respond to this letter I (Ayman Akshar) and the members of the London Church of Christ will be forced to assume you have no such evidence." One former member of the London Church of Christ commented: "A conspiracy of silence speaks louder than any words". Milan Church of Christ stumbles... Some months ago the Milan Church of Christ underwent a major upheaval as their native-born leader, Alex Presenza, left the movement. Presenza left after a long battle with Boston elder Gordon Ferguson and Bob Tranchell. About half of the Milan church recognized the abuses in the Boston Movement Alex Presenza had been fighting against, and followed him into a new ministry. Close To The Edge has now begun to receive reports that many of those who remained in the Milan Church of Christ are now reconsidering their position, and following Presenza out of the Boston Movement. ...and leader leaves Singapore Church Reports have reached one of Close To The Edge's international correspondents that Tan-Chio Chang the leader of the Singapore Church of Christ has decided to leave the Boston Movement. It appears Chang left after evangelist John Louis was deported by the Singapore government for obtaining his visa through deception (see Close To The Edge issue 3). Tan-Chio Chang is believed to be now living in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Membership leaves empty-handed The long-awaited LCC financial meeting took place on 22nd February. Close To The Edge's representative at the event reported that some members were "disappointed" that a presentation was made without handing out any copies of the accounts. Instead the presentation was made on an overhead projector, causing one member to comment: "What on earth is this? Things are going from bad to worse. They (the leadership and the trustees) should be a lot more open and at least give out a copy of the accounts. They must have something to hide if they do not hand out the accounts and the details of the expenditures". Members wishing to receive full copies of the accounts should contact the Charities Commission at the address given below. You never give up do you? As members of the London Church of Christ arrived at Battersea Town Hall on February 8 to be told of Fred Scott’s fate, they were met by TOLC volunteers distributing newsletters. A number of LCC members asked why the volunteers never gave up, and asked how much money they were paid to distribute newsletters. TOLC would like to assure members of the London Church of Christ that no money is paid to the distributors of Close To The Edge. They are all volunteers who offer to give up their free time to help members of the LCC. The majority of volunteers are former members of the LCC who became aware of the abuses going on inside the movement, others are family and friends of current members. The only reason they distribute newsletters like this outside LCC meetings is through a sincere urgency to save the LCC membership from a deception. These former members have a conscience and are unwilling to see old friends in the movement continue to be abused by the leadership. If you do not agree that abuse is taking place then we would like to offer the following challenge. If you write to the Charities Commission they are obliged to send you the complete financial accounts for the London Church of Christ (the same accounts that the BBC Newsnight investigation uncovered). You may feel that contributions such as the poor fund are going to the charitable causes. This is your way of finding out for sure. The address is: The Charities Commission, St Albans House, 57/60 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4QX. You would be very foolish not to take this simple step to find out where your money is going. We believe you will be shocked by what you discover. We sincerely hope you will write to them immediately. Summer convention Last year the LCC held a conference at Keele University - attendance was compulsory. This year another event is being planned - at an as yet unannounced venue. The venue is unlikely to be Keele, however, as Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Fenden told a member of TOLC that the LCC would not be welcome at the university for the "foreseeable future". NUS Vice-President Kevin Sexton commented: "We want to stop them being allowed to use facilities at universities. We are advising student unions on all campuses about the potential problems.. These people can be quite difficult for students to cope with if they are feeling insecure and we need to give them help" The Keele convention came just as Newsnight's detailed investigation looked deeply into the LCC's accounts, and revealed only 1% (one per cent) of church donations went to "benevolent causes". One man invited to the conference at the University of Keele was Christopher Morgan, a religious affairs correspondent from BBC Radio 4. On July 18 1993 the presenter of the Sunday religious affairs programme was literally thrown out of Keele University by LCC ushers after being refused a pre-arranged interview with Fred Scott. The recording of the dramatic expulsion was broadcast the following morning on Radio 4. AVAILABLE LITERATURE: 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; Sarah 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 (as well as videos, transcripts, and audio tapes) please contact us. 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 March 1994. Close To The Edge welcomes contributions from readers and writers, but unsolicited mail is sent at the sender's risk. Copyright (c) TOLC 1994, 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.