University Bible Fellowship

The University Bible Fellowship (Korean: 대학생성경읽기선교회) is an Evangelical non-denominational Christian organization that originated in South Korea in 1961. It was founded through a partnership between a Korean, the late Samuel Chang-Woo Lee, and an American Presbyterian missionary who was sent to South Korea, Sarah Barry. UBF has headquarters in Chicago and Seoul and members around the world. UBF is present at many campuses from American Ivy league schools to small community colleges. The organization's stated goal is student evangelism. [UBF World Mission http://www.ubf.org/worldmission/]

Some outside observers and former members describe the group as cult-like and/or "abusive."

History

The UBF movement began in 1961.Jun Ki Chung, "The University Bible Fellowship: A Forty-Year Retrospective Evaluation", [http://ubf.org/bbs/data/press_media/An_article_from_missiology004.pdf "Missiology: An International Review"] , Vol. XXXI, No.4, October 2003, pp. 474-85] An American college student named Sarah Barry had become a Christian and decided to go to Korea as a missionary soon after the Korean War ended. In Korea Barry met Samuel Chang-Woo Lee, who had been studying in a Presbyterian seminary in Seoul. They shared a common goal to "purify Christianity in Korea and find a new vision and hope for Korean intellectuals." They gathered about 80 students from Chun Nam and Chosun Universities to study the English Bible in the Christian Student Center in Kwangju, Korea. Soon thousands of Korean young people gathered to study. From the beginning of the ministry, UBF emphasized sending missionaries to the world. In 1964, UBF sent a college graduate named Han-ok Kim to Cheju Island. This marked the beginning of one of the largest Korean missionary sending movements. As of 2006, UBF had sent 1,463 self-supporting missionaries to more than 80 countries. [ [http://krim.org/files/The_latest_Korea_mission_status(2006).pdf Korea Research Institute for Missions 2006] ]

Barry was appointed General Director in 2002, following the death of Lee, and served until 2006. When Barry resigned, John Jun, formerly the Korean UBF director, assumed the duties of international general director. Under Jun's leadership, the ministry began working more closely with major Christian organizations in various countries. For example, Scott Moreau of Wheaton College has developed a long-term relationship with UBF as they learn to interact with the broader Christian community. [ [http://www.cosim.info/conferences/Partnership_Case_Study-Moreau_&_UBF.pps Partnership Case Study with UBF] ]

Beliefs and Characteristics

UBF began as a parachurch organization. In time, the ministry became a church and began having Sunday worship services. UBF is conservative evangelical in doctrine and conservative in Korean values of leadership and mentorship. [ [http://www.ubf.org/aboutus/endorsements.php#glass University Bible Fellowship (UBF) - About UBF ] ] UBF believes that God is the creator of heaven and earth and all things. They affirm the Apostles' Creed and believe that the Bible is the word of God. [ [http://www.ubf.org/aboutus/aboutus02.php UBF Statement of Belief] ] They invite students and others to study the Bible "inductively from the point of view of the Bible writers." Bible study in the ministry is primarily carried out on a "one-to-one" basis. The ministry also has small group Bible studies and weekly fellowship meetings. [ [http://ubf.org/bbs/data/announcements/ubf_Brochure_SM.pdf UBF Brochure] ] They seek to lead those who study the Bible with them to a "saving knowledge" of Jesus Christ, and to help them to grow as disciples of Jesus. [UBF Charter, MS, Sec. of State, #2649, bk. 221, pg 524]

One of the main goals of the ministry is to evangelize college students based on the Great Commission. UBF trains ordinary people who have a desire to study and teach the Bible and do missionary work. The organization has a "medical mission" - Bethesda Mission Hospital in Uganda. [ [http://www.ubmh.org/tt/board/int_hospital_en.php UBF Bethesda Mission Hospital in Uganda] ]

Memberships

University Bible Fellowship is a member of several [ [http://www.ubf.org/aboutus/membership.php Memberships] ] Christian organizations including the and the [http://www.emsweb.org/ Evangelical Missiological Society] . [ [http://www.ubf.org/aboutus/associations.php UBF Associations] ]

Controversies

Reactions to University Bible Fellowship have varied between two extremes. A reporter for the University of Maryland, College Park campus newspaper described the local chapter as "...an organization that has students polarized. While some student members have grave concerns about the church, many members love it." [Kelly Wilson, [http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2007/06/28/News/Fellowship.Or.Foe-2919217.shtml "Fellowship or Foe"] , "DiamondBack Online", 28 June 2007, accessed 2008-08-08] [ [http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2008/01/5287/grad-student-finds-redemption-after-dropping-out-decades-ago/ Grad Student Finds Redemption] ]

In May 2006, Christianity Today magazine published a reader's letter that referred to UBF as a cult; in July 2006, the magazine published a correction in which the reader retracted the accusation. [ [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15193979_ITM "Christianity Today", July 2006] ] [ [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15949525_ITM "Christianity Today", July 2006 Correction] ]

Some observers and former participants characterize UBF's practices as authoritarian, abusive, and/or cult-like, as members are encouraged to cut ties with friends and family and submit to the demands of chapter leaders. [Carmen Greco, Jr., "Cult Worries Surround Bible Group", "Daily Herald" (Chicago), 21 July 2003] [Ronald Enroth, "Churches That Abuse", Zondervan, 1992] [Lindsay Saxe, [http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2001/12/07/Features/CultLike.Evangelist.Group.Targeted.Recent.Jhu.Undergrads-2247691.shtml "Cult-like evangelist group targeted recent JHU undergrads"] "The Johns Hopkins Newsletter", 7 December 2001] [Daniel Buckman, [http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=2031&IssueID=95&catID=2 "UIC worries about cult recruitment; three cases this fall"] , "UIC News", 12/1/93] These concerns have arisen at Canadian, British and German universities as well as in the United States. [Greg Reage, "Shepherds no band of simple country folk", The Manitoban, VOL. LXXVIII No.9, PAGE 5, October 3, 1990] [Wendy Stephenson, "Cult personality draws people to Fellowship: Ex-Cult Member Still Feels Fear", "The Winnipeg Sun", Vol. 10, No.90, Tuesday, April 17, 1990, page 5] [Dagmar Blesel, "Er hat eine totalitäre Machtstellung" ("He has a totalitarian power position"), "Bonner General-Anzeiger" (daily newspaper in Bonn, Germany), 8/23/2002] ["They Can Turn Your Mind Upside Down" "THE MANITOBAN" Vol. LXXVIII, No.5.PAGE 12-13 September 5, 1990.] [Jeff Katzenstein, "Religious cults: A dangerous alternative" ("The John Hopkins Newsletter"), "The John Hopkins Newsletter" (daily newspaper in USA), 3/07/2003 [http://media.www.jhunewsletter.com/media/storage/paper932/news/2003/03/07/Focus/Religious.Cults.A.Dangerous.Alternative-2246896.shtml] ]

Some universities have restricted UBF's on-campus recruiting efforts, such as University of Illinois, ["UIC worries about cult recruitment; three cases this fall" [http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=2031&IssueID=95&catID=2] ] University of Winnipeg, [Winnipeg Free Press, Vol. 114., No. 322, page 1, Oct. 25 1986] University of Manitoba, ["The Silhouette" (the student newspaper of McMaster University), February 7, 1991 (Vol. 61, No.22) Page 11] and DePaul University. [WBNS-TV, March 2, 2005 [http://www.rickross.com/reference/ubf/ubf10.html] ]

UBF is used as one of the case studies in the book Churches That Abuse, published in 1991 by Dr. Ronald Enroth about Christian churches and organizations he perceives as "spiritually abusive" and the effects these groups can have on their members.

References

External links

* [http://www.ubf.org/ UBF World Headquarters Website]
* [http://sarahbarry.org/ Sarah Barry] (co-founder of UBF)
* [http://www.ubf.org/daily_bread.php Daily Bread]
* [http://www.washingtonubf.org/Resources/Leaders/leaders.php Spiritual Leaders reports]