As pointed out by a commenter, the hidden Yelp reviews of Gracepoint Fellowship Church at Berkeley are rather telling. Here is a review posted by "Grace" on 8/19/2016.
As new students arrive to Berkeley, I must review Gracepoint rather than stand by. I don't deny that the outward actions of Gracepoint members seem nice. I myself experienced the positive aspects many describe: a sense of community, people bringing me food or helping me move, etc. But there are deeper issues at stake:
At Gracepoint, thinking for yourself is discouraged. In a bible study, I heard one member respond to "How can you believe in something you cannot see?" with, "By listening to authority, by trusting people who are wiser and know more than you." Yet Christianity is deep and complex and requires thought and understanding, not blind following.
Obeying authority is a constant theme. Leaders often quote Hebrews 13:17, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority..." The verse doesn't bother me, but rather the proportion of times this is quoted at Gracepoint compared to other passages, such as those that describe the role of a spiritual leader. For instance, they never quoted 2 Timothy 2:24-26: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." The congregation is constantly reminded to obey leaders, but the role of leaders as gently correcting and patiently enduring while erring Christians repent of their own volition is unmentioned. This imbalance conveys the sense of being controlled rather than repenting on one's own.
Bible studies are structured rigidly so that multiple interpretations are discouraged. In addition, sin is emphasized while God's love is de-emphasized. Once, in prayer and devotion group, I shared that Hosea 11:1-4 showed me the magnitude of God's love. My leader replied that I should instead think specifically about how to repent. In another bible study, one girl said she thought the passage showed God's love. The leader instead emphasized the sinfulness of the characters in the passage. Later, when I was having dinner one-on-one with the bible study leader, she recalled the discussion and said she thought the girl was wrong in emphasizing God's love, and that we should focus on our sin. This focus on sin and reluctance to allow the congregation to recognize God's love results in a legalistic, Old Testament church experience that centers one's actions entirely on guilt, and creates dependence upon Gracepoint leaders for guidance in all areas of one's life. It breaks my heart that some Gracepoint attendees will only ever experience Old Testament guilt, but none of the New Testament love that comes from Jesus' death for us.
Moreover, hanging out with non-Christians, or even non-Gracepoint Christians, is discouraged, though indirectly and subtly. A Gracepoint member told me she had no non-Christian friends, because "What would [she] talk to them about?" Members occasionally remarked on how "other bible studies" drink alcohol, or how "other churches" were unfriendly and didn't have as many activities. This institutes an us-versus-them mindset, transforming Gracepoint into an exclusive group. Whereas Christianity is about loving other people and not judging them, and emulating Jesus, who actively chose to spend time with prostitutes and tax collectors. This Gracepoint exclusivity is judgmental, and results in members forming an identity that is completely dependent on Gracepoint group identity. E.g., members who sometimes doubted Gracepoint behavior told me they would never consider leaving because "all their friends were at Gracepoint" and they lived with other members so even their housing depended on Gracepoint. Two other members said they would rather spend Christmas with Gracepoint than with family. The subtle discouragement against spending time with non-Gracepoint people results in isolation and total dependence on the church.
I left Gracepoint because as a Christian, it was difficult in such an environment to distinguish between what Gracepoint wanted for me and what God wanted, and my focus should have been on the latter. Leaders would tell me, "My vision for you is that you become a leader in this church." I find that problematic, since I'm concerned with God's vision for me, not another human's vision for me.
So while on the surface, Gracepoint seems like a biblical church, I strongly advise anyone checking it out to 1) think for yourself; 2) attend other churches too and gain experience on the various manifestations of a biblical Christian church, especially if you are new to Christianity; 3) read the Bible on your own, as verses can be taken out of context or interpreted narrowly. 4) Reconsider whether you are worshipping God or a church. Some church cultures lend themselves too easily to worshipping the church itself rather than God, due to subtly legalistic behavior.
It's too bad that so many one star reviews are hidden. And while I understand reviewers' desire to post anonymously (only having 1 review in that profile), it seems Yelp hides those reviewers more easily. It's actually quite telling that so many are afraid to come out publically with their past experiences of Gracepoint. Don't you think?
If you feel comfortable with it, I encourage you to post a review using your regular Yelp profile so that your review doesn't get hidden and does get factored into the star rating.
You can find all reviews here: https://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/gracepoint-berkeley-berkeley
As new students arrive to Berkeley, I must review Gracepoint rather than stand by. I don't deny that the outward actions of Gracepoint members seem nice. I myself experienced the positive aspects many describe: a sense of community, people bringing me food or helping me move, etc. But there are deeper issues at stake:
At Gracepoint, thinking for yourself is discouraged. In a bible study, I heard one member respond to "How can you believe in something you cannot see?" with, "By listening to authority, by trusting people who are wiser and know more than you." Yet Christianity is deep and complex and requires thought and understanding, not blind following.
Obeying authority is a constant theme. Leaders often quote Hebrews 13:17, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority..." The verse doesn't bother me, but rather the proportion of times this is quoted at Gracepoint compared to other passages, such as those that describe the role of a spiritual leader. For instance, they never quoted 2 Timothy 2:24-26: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." The congregation is constantly reminded to obey leaders, but the role of leaders as gently correcting and patiently enduring while erring Christians repent of their own volition is unmentioned. This imbalance conveys the sense of being controlled rather than repenting on one's own.
Bible studies are structured rigidly so that multiple interpretations are discouraged. In addition, sin is emphasized while God's love is de-emphasized. Once, in prayer and devotion group, I shared that Hosea 11:1-4 showed me the magnitude of God's love. My leader replied that I should instead think specifically about how to repent. In another bible study, one girl said she thought the passage showed God's love. The leader instead emphasized the sinfulness of the characters in the passage. Later, when I was having dinner one-on-one with the bible study leader, she recalled the discussion and said she thought the girl was wrong in emphasizing God's love, and that we should focus on our sin. This focus on sin and reluctance to allow the congregation to recognize God's love results in a legalistic, Old Testament church experience that centers one's actions entirely on guilt, and creates dependence upon Gracepoint leaders for guidance in all areas of one's life. It breaks my heart that some Gracepoint attendees will only ever experience Old Testament guilt, but none of the New Testament love that comes from Jesus' death for us.
Moreover, hanging out with non-Christians, or even non-Gracepoint Christians, is discouraged, though indirectly and subtly. A Gracepoint member told me she had no non-Christian friends, because "What would [she] talk to them about?" Members occasionally remarked on how "other bible studies" drink alcohol, or how "other churches" were unfriendly and didn't have as many activities. This institutes an us-versus-them mindset, transforming Gracepoint into an exclusive group. Whereas Christianity is about loving other people and not judging them, and emulating Jesus, who actively chose to spend time with prostitutes and tax collectors. This Gracepoint exclusivity is judgmental, and results in members forming an identity that is completely dependent on Gracepoint group identity. E.g., members who sometimes doubted Gracepoint behavior told me they would never consider leaving because "all their friends were at Gracepoint" and they lived with other members so even their housing depended on Gracepoint. Two other members said they would rather spend Christmas with Gracepoint than with family. The subtle discouragement against spending time with non-Gracepoint people results in isolation and total dependence on the church.
I left Gracepoint because as a Christian, it was difficult in such an environment to distinguish between what Gracepoint wanted for me and what God wanted, and my focus should have been on the latter. Leaders would tell me, "My vision for you is that you become a leader in this church." I find that problematic, since I'm concerned with God's vision for me, not another human's vision for me.
So while on the surface, Gracepoint seems like a biblical church, I strongly advise anyone checking it out to 1) think for yourself; 2) attend other churches too and gain experience on the various manifestations of a biblical Christian church, especially if you are new to Christianity; 3) read the Bible on your own, as verses can be taken out of context or interpreted narrowly. 4) Reconsider whether you are worshipping God or a church. Some church cultures lend themselves too easily to worshipping the church itself rather than God, due to subtly legalistic behavior.
It's too bad that so many one star reviews are hidden. And while I understand reviewers' desire to post anonymously (only having 1 review in that profile), it seems Yelp hides those reviewers more easily. It's actually quite telling that so many are afraid to come out publically with their past experiences of Gracepoint. Don't you think?
If you feel comfortable with it, I encourage you to post a review using your regular Yelp profile so that your review doesn't get hidden and does get factored into the star rating.
You can find all reviews here: https://www.yelp.com/not_recommended_reviews/gracepoint-berkeley-berkeley
