Saturday, June 12, 2010

Berkland/Gracepoint: Where are They Now?

Berkland/Gracepoint: Where Are They Now?

I'm hoping that the more articulate blogs can take this topic and run with it. I do not position myself as a blog that systematically deconstructs Gracepoint/Berkland -- this is simply a thought that has been occupying my brainspace.

It's been several years since "the Letter," Ed Kang's Martin Luther-esque indictment of Rebekah Kim & Berkland. In it, he argued that Rebekah Kim was a narcissist and was not the spiritual giant Ed had trained under. He said that he could no longer agree with the way Becky was directing the church. So, he broke off to move forward with (an implied) a new, different kind of church than the old style, deceptive, Korean, (and more or less) secular ways of Berkland.

So where are they now?

Gracepoint seems to be continuing on in the ways of Berkland albeit with a glitzier and more contemporary face. The pressure/stress tactics, legalism, leader-worship/narcissism & focus on performance are still the parts that make up Gracepoint's anatomy. And people still leave spiritually damaged, angry, lonely & confused about church/faith.

What about Berkland (Boston) and the Baby Berklands?
Seems they have all been paralyzed by the break-up. The churches in Boston, Irvine, LA, DC don't seem to know what to do with their members/ministry. Instead of moving forward and trying to figure out a direction for their church, most of these "ex"-Berklands seem to want to err on the side of caution than to try and repeat the mistakes of history. And for the most part, the issues of the break-up still haven't been discussed.

What a sad, broken picture...





http://berkland-berkeley.blogspot.com/

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