Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of University Bible Fellowship
The following is a hypothetical scenario. I do not believe this hypothetical scenario is the goal of most or maybe any ex members, but I want to give a more extreme example to demonstrate a point. I certainly do not desire the extreme example I give.
Let's say legal actions were taken against the University Bible Fellowship headquarters in Chicago and all the University Bible Fellowship buildings were seized by the "governments" of all the countries that have UBF buildings in them. Let's say all the top officials in University Bible Fellowship in every country were also arrested, everyone with an official ranked position on the books of the legally recognized organization known as University Bible Fellowship but the sheep and shepherds who do not have a officially listed position were not arrested. Some of the stronger believers in the Shepherding System and or what some people have called the UBF KOPAHN (Kingdom of Priests and Holy Nation Doctrine) who still remain would feel obligated to continue to use these principles and continue doing the Shepherding System because the UBF belief system would still exist in their minds. On a side note this is why ex members should not just leave discussing UBF alone and just not show up and not criticize it if it is not for them since they need to deal with the beliefs that were implanted in their minds through discussing them in order to achieve improvement in the quality of their lives.
Now let's look at another hypothetical scenario that is less extreme
Let's say somehow some reformer got selected to be on the top hierarchy. Those who believe they should obey those on the top hierarchy would feel obligated to obey the commands of the reformer some of whom would have not made those changes if University Bible Fellowship was shut down as in the extreme example above. However there would still be some wicked people who would use the old ways to control people for ill gotten gain but the problems would be reduced.
Now this more moderate solution might be more feasible if legal action was taken against the worst abusers you can find within University Bible Fellowship who appear to be doing their wicked actions out of known and malicious intent. I am not saying Peter Chang of Bonn Germany is guilty. But if Peter Chang of Bonn Germany is guilty of what people claim, he, for example, should receive a sentence in solitary confinement in my opinion. It has to be solitary confinement because otherwise he would use psychological manipulation on other prisoners. Only very knowledgeable prison guards in techniques of brainwashing should be appointed to oversee him so he does not brainwash the staff. Arresting the worst offenders would leave better people in the top hierarchy to reform the system making this moderate solution more feasible. This would not remove all the abuses associated with a authoritarian Shepherding System but it would greatly reduce them. I
The top hierarchy could then officially announce a different set of tenets and correct the old set of tenets of a authoritarian Shepherding System. The top hierarchy could distribute official information on line refuting some of the old teachings. At the point the top hierarchy does it, it would automatically renounce the very idea of a authoritarian top hierarchy. None the less, official positions might still exist in a voluntarily association organization, as people could make suggestions for how to organize voluntary meeting events and other voluntary forms of organization. If people for example wanted to go to a regional or local conference how could they do that unless a system was implemented to announce a time and location that was agreed upon by some people and if people wanted this could be appointed by selected representatives, whose suggestions could be ignored or implemented on a individual level.
The authoritarian system could be replaced with a voluntary Bible discussion system. People would simply meet up with people and discuss the Bible with them but not claim they have a moral obligation to obey certain authority figures such as sheep obeying shepherds, etc. Sheep and Shepherd and Bible teacher and Bible student could be dropped from the vocabulary at least in a hierarchical sense instead both people could learn from each other instead of one person "teaching' and commanding and the other person "learning" and obeying.
Do I realistically see this moderate solution or that extreme solution previously described as happening any time soon?
No, in fact maybe never.
Do I see the moderate solution I described being implemented partially?
Yes, there are a mixture of different people in the leadership positions. I have talked to at least one who listed many suggestions for improvements and admitted gross moral failings from University Bible Fellowship leaders similar to many other ministries, which occured in the past and he believed could have been prevented or reduced in number or severity of harm were certain changes made decades ago. This individual knows my disagreements with the policies of University Bible Fellowship and does not seem to hold them against me. He even took several hours of his life to counsel me on unrelated personal problems at my request as a listening ear without giving me orders and did not hold my personal failings against me even though he was a busy too level leader and I have great respect for this man. Another man however who was also a top level leader expressed looks of hostility towards me for bringing up problems with University Bible Fellowship and had many evasive words instead of repenting although I believe he has personal direct knowledge of these problems. Because of this mixture of hard liners and moderate reformers I do not see any great progress as feasible on a organizational level but it would be conceited of me to oppose the moderate reformers attempts to change things with criticism for even trying a seemingly impossible task and instead I choose to encourage them to continue to try it they wish to do so even though it may seem an impossibility but I understand those who are too tired of this and simply want to do something else productive with their lives after seeing this work go nowhere.
Because of repeated failures in desired level of outward results from the actions of myself and others am I obligated to quit trying?
No
My role is simply to announce the possibility of the solution above, it is other people's responsibility to decide what actions they take based on the information I present. To me it is simply important to educate people about the principles of undue influence whether it is accepted on a large scale or not I can help at least a little by doing so if at least a few people choose to act on the information I give. Even if no one other than me makes lifestyle changes based on the information presented, I have still done a good deed by presenting the information and by doing so giving the opportunity to make different choices more easily, whether people make different choices based on the opportunity of freedom I present or the same choices they would have otherwise made.
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