Need for Outside Input to See Things Objectively

Jan 13, 2010 1:53 PM
Need for Outside Input to See Things Objectively
by makestraight

The following is a passage from the book “Churches that Abuse”, from Chapter 8 [available for online reading].

The similarity to how Pastor Ed Kang and his wife Kelly operate in Gracepoint Berkeley Church is astounding:

Unwavering obedience to religious leadership and unquestioning loyalty to the group would be less easily achieved if analysis and feedback were available to members from the outside. It is not without reason that leaders of abusive groups react so strongly and so defensively to any media criticism of their organizations. Don recalls what happened when adverse publicity about the community of Jesus began to appear in the media. “We were told in a meeting by Mother Cay and Mother Judy that we were not to read the article in Boston magazine and the newspaper article because we didn’t need to know about it. They said it was all baloney and that we were above all that sort of thing. We would stand for the persecution in the same way Jesus did.” But then Don adds: “Some of us who were rebels did read it, and in our brainwashed state, swept under the rug a good bit of what was said. But I think it did lay some of the groundwork for later questioning.“

In response to questions submitted by The Cape Codder to the Community of Jesus, the leadership issued a statement that essentially denied the allegations made by ex-members, claiming that the Community “stands in the long and honored tradition of monastic and semimonastic communities, which have existed since the early days of Christianity.” Regarding the role of founders Cay and Judy, the statement said that members “certainly do not regard them as infallible or surrogates for God.” The statement also made reference to Jesus’ words, “By their fruits you shall know them.” “We submit that the fruit of this Community’s life can be seen in the incredible abundance of creativity — music, drama, art, crafts of every description, gardening, and writing (to name a few) . . . “

Regarding the latter reference about being known by one’s fruits, a former COJ member remarked to me, “The fruit of the Spirit is well outlined in Galatians chapter five and has nothing to do with gardens, music, drama, art, and crafts.” Another ex-member, reacting to the statement, commented: “The leadership has done a beautiful job of putting together a large number of words that say nothing. They have never in any way responded directly to any of the facts which were stated as facts by various individuals in the media coverage. They always come out with a straw man that they set up and then batter down. ‘Oh, we don’t know of any of these things which the former members allege.’ But they were not allegations, they were facts. We witnessed the events, we knew they took place, and they happened to us.”

I would not be surprised if many of you reading are current Gracepoint Berkeley members with seeds of doubt about what’s going on there. What I’m trying to do with my blog is to provide support and validate those doubts as true.

It’s okay to doubt. Doubting the leaders there may be discouraged at Gracepoint, we need to see that it’s the context of doubting that makes it right or wrong.

Doubting what’s true, doubting God, etc, is what’s wrong. But you SHOULD doubt lies and anyone who’s not telling the truth. In Adam and Eve’s sin, Eve doubted God and trusted the serpent, when she should have doubted the serpent and trusted God.

But back to topic at hand, I encourage you to find time to speak to a pastor at another church, or speak to your other Christian friends [ones that do live out their faith] so that you can get an outside voices of truth and reason. I know this is easier said than done, considering that if you’re a staff member there, they would frown upon you doing such things. [I don't even know if you would have had the time to make any outside-of-Gracepoint Christian friends either.]

You NEED outside input to see things objectively.

Have courage. You should have a “hunger for truth” – as Pastor Ed stated himself in his message about truth. If you are seeking truth, then your leaders should actually encourage you.