So, the ICoC has a 'prophet' (Kip McKean) who believes he has discovered some lost truths about Christianity. That's nothing new. The ICoC's members are zealous, evangelistic, believe themselves to be living godly lives - that's nothing new, either. The ICoC has great singing - nor is this anything new. These are all things that the ICoC uses to justify themselves as The One True Church�. But has anyone noticed that you could say those exact same things about the Mormons (for example), too? The ICoC thinks they are it; the Mormons think they are it; The Way International thinks they are it; The Unification Church thinks they are it; Scientology thinks they are it. And everyone has an opinion about how to tell who is "it," especially those who belong to groups who believe that *they* are "it," to the exclusion of all others.
I can't speak for other groups - but I do have some years of firsthand experience with the ICoC. They are just another in a long line of groups who say they are 'it'; they all think they're living it, but are plagued with both internal and external problems.
I became a former member of the International Churches of Christ because I have some serious problems with the ICoC's methods. Mind you, I am not judging their *beliefs*; it is their *practices* against which I speak out. For example: they can believe that the ICoC is The One True Church� if that's what they want to believe. They can believe that one-over-one discipling� is a Biblical mandate, if that's what they want to believe. They can believe that people who leave the ICoC have Rejected God� and are on their way to Hell, if that's what they want. They can believe that those who leave are, without exception, prideful�, rebellious�, bitter� or disunified� if they want. That is their prerogative, and I also have the prerogative to vehemently disagree.
But when a religious group:
- Deceives potential recruits about the history and purposes of their group;
- Uses incremental disclosure in order to "ease" people into an enslaving and legalistic system of emotional and spiritual bondage;
- Uses peer pressure and the "gang" mentality to manipulate people into becoming members;
- Lies to potential converts by telling them that the ICoC is "just a non-denominational church" whose members are "just trying to follow the Bible";
- Tells its converts that they are following Christ, when in reality the "god" they typically convert people to is actually a "god" of the church's own making;
- Refuses to state publicly its actual membership numbers and financial information (on both a broad and local level) in a truthful and straightforward way;
- Tells people that monies contributed are used for one purpose, when it has seems very apparent that that these monies are being used for other, and selfish and self-serving purposes;
I have a MAJOR problem with that.
From a broadly Christian perspective, the ICoC seems to me to be a church out of focus - they use other churches as a basis of comparision for their Christianity instead of using Jesus Christ as the model. The ICoC seems to be in a pissing contest with all other Christian churches, trying to prove the ICoC is the only valid type of Christianity.
"Sheep stealing" has always been the ICoC's main means of gaining new converts. The purpose of the Discipleship� study has *always* been to prove - to those whom ICoC members identify as religious�, especially - that they just don't measure up in the eyes of the ICoC. If you go to church - any church - but are not a member of the ICoC, then to them, you are merely one of the religious, not a true disciple�.
Each person who picks up a Bible deserves the freedom to interpret the Scriptures for him/herself, and should have the freedom to hear about many different perspectives, without repercussions. This is a basic freedom that the ICoC systematically denies its members - except the ones at the top, of course.
In some ways, the so-called "non-denominational" ICoC is even more structured than Catholicism. And yet, structure isn't wrong - unless structure becomes your god. How embarrassingly obvious it is that the ICoC's doctrines regarding the Kingdom� and authority� have become the group's golden calf.
All ideas, even if they come from the Bible, are colored by our own human perceptions. NO ONE is exempt from this tendency to interpret�. People in the ICoC interpret� Scripture as much as anyone else out there who reads the Bible. That's how *ALL* New Religious Movements (NRM's) get started - someone has a different interpretation of the Bible or other spiritual work, and surrounds him/herself with a group of followers who agree with that particular interpretation.
Reflecting on my 5+ years of firsthand experience with the ICoC, I think that being an ICoC member has a number of characteristics common to dysfunctional relationships. If anyone inside the ICoC views the sect's problems as the result of a fundamentally flawed system, they tend not to verbalize those concerns. As members, we saw people get ridden out of town on a rail for daring to question the system to which we lived in abject submission.
How ironic that someone like Kip McKean, whose own apparent pride� and rebellious� spirit did not permit him to stay and work out his problems within the looser structure of the traditional Churches of Christ, would turn divisiveness� into a mortal sin in the sect he founded. Kip McKean knows firsthand how easy it is to divide a church.
I would like to make clear that I do not view myself as a
"victim." I was definitely a victim while I allowed people in the ICoC to dictate my thinking for me, but choosing to leave in spite of all the pronouncements of doom I'd always heard from ICoC members about rejecting God takes me clearly out of the victim category. The concept of free will gets a lot of lip-service in the ICoC, but when it comes right down to it, you can't leave the ICoC without someone telling you you've rejected God and are going to Hell. In the ICoC, Jesus Christ doesn't save you - becoming and remaining a member of the ICoC does.
Questioning? Unhappy with the ICoC? You Are Definitely NOT ALONE!
I have really reduced my participation in online activities in the year 2000 because I want to get out into my local community and have a greater awareness of, and presence in, the real world. I have always gotten a lot of email from people who've departed, who want to leave, or have a loved one trapped in the bizzaro world known as the ICoC.
Anyone can take or leave anything I say here - that doesn't offend me. I WANT you to think critically. I believe in your freedom to choose - but I do believe that free will is only "free" if someone has a broad perspective on the issues. The truth or value of whatever information you uncover about the ICoC must be decided by you alone. No one in the ICoC will allow you that freedom! How thankful I am that I need not be your judge. I see it as my job to affirm your worth as a person and support your right to decide for yourself - and let a Higher Power take care of the rest.
Have you or has someone you care about become involved with the International Churches of Christ? Here are my few little tidbits of advice�:
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