Materials produced by The Triton do not reflect the views of the Regents of the University of California and the Regents do not endorse, warrant, or otherwise take responsibility for said content. Commitment to church ordered all of life: Tabulated spreadsheets organized staff schedules by the hour, often stretching late into evenings and weekends. It seems your friend is walking down this path. But does this type of rebuking do more harm than good? Every group at Berkeley who actively recruits seemed to be on the high end. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. They do good, but the process in which they enforce that good is spiritually abusive, said Joshua Mun, a former member who grew up attending the Berkeley church and served at various Gracepoint church plants throughout his 20s. You can do that here. Gracepoint had secured him a $400-a-month apartment in Berkeley, where he was attending college. We moved out in July 2021 with the hope of creating a gospel-centered church for college students. According to emails from former leaders, members were asked to change their wardrobe (I think I need to get some odd clothes out of [this members] closet too so she doesnt get tempted to keep wearing them.), dietary habits (I found out [that you] regularly eat late at night. proverbs31.org. According to Hendrickson, that was when her relationship with her son began deteriorating. Ed Kang is the son of Korean immigrants. Here are some ways to process the readings for each day. Some former members said their departures were mischaracterized within the organization, with current attendees saying that those who left did so to pursue the world by purchasing pets or getting Disneyland passes. And third, I made some good friends. Gracepoint personnel did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Triton and declined to comment when approached in person. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. Whole-life discipleship did in fact extend to every area of life. Gracepoint Berkeley. We want to help make your first experience at Grace Point a great one! Log In Sign Up If you're in an organization like that, it might pay to stop and really think about what you're doing, especially since the odds are that you will turn completely against this type of thing in a matter of several years. The Berkland network disbanded in 2006, and the Berkeley and Davis churches rebranded as Gracepoint, eventually planting churches in college cities and towns beyond California. I say it is extremely damaging! Welcome toGracepoint San Jose. Image: Edits by Christianity Today / Source Image: Justin Sullivan / Getty. used for personal study and small groups. We know meeting someone for the first time can be intimidating, and going to a new church for the first time can be nerve-racking. But Christians still have questions about how the church markets faith. During the early years, many others (who would later go on to start other churches) also started coming to the church. Global Rank. 88 episodes. Without the church's support, he might have had nowhere to live. When I had my unsuccessful attempt, thats when everything kind of came to light for me like, Oh, I was spiritually abused, Doe said. Gracepoint is one of the larger churches in the Berkeley/Alameda area (not that numbers necessarily matter), has very mainstream/middle-of-the-road Protestant beliefs, and is certified by the Southern Baptist Convention. Content Warning: The following article contains discussion of depression, suicide and sexual abuse. I'll try to be succinct and objective. To put it very simply, in the spiritual economy of the Gracepoint ecosystem, getting rocked is like getting audited and passing. Other churches in or near Berkeley include: First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, Livingwater Church, Evangel Bible Church of Berkeley, and Reality SF. Again, it is often a horrible, humiliating ordeal. Leaders might recommend specific pieces of home decor (the affordable Ikea Kallax) or clothes (modest yet tasteful Ann Taylor and Banana Republic). CRU wants you to kiss dating and sanity goodbye, Navigators: They scope out people to recruit and groom you to ask for money, Navigators: Costly Programs, Social Hierarchy, Dating Restrictions, Cru - "one of the most extreme christian groups", "has damaged me and others ", InterVarsity (IV) - "a lot of prejudices", "treated him differently, looked down on him, almost", CRU "only wanted to take, never to give me time or answers to my questions", CRU's Negligence Led to Young Missionary's Death, Navigators: "Brainwashing Cult", "the same kind of round [about] answers", Navigators: Pervasive Negativity and Pyramid Scheme Concerns, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBr4V4ynYt0, Anonymous Testimony Submission Google Form Link. Klesis is a campus Christian group at UC Berkeley, open to all students at Cal. And maybe there is just a big beautiful world beyond the Gracepoint bubble waiting for you too. The pastor and his wife are a fine couple that lead the congregation and have given up lucrative careers to do so. was removed from leadership for his level of bullying and control. You can disagree with me if you want, this is just my opinion, but it does seem to me that even the slightest amount of adversity will cause Christians to play the persecution card. In recent years, former members and staff of campus ministry groups have spoken out about the trauma they experienced as members of Gracepoint on UC campus subreddits, including UCSD, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and UC Davis. Turns out, lying was a standard tactic of the group. You can do so here. Please, do not get sucked into this cult. My sometimes "cult" concerns would have been inflamed if she didn't go to a public school. I say this as a preface to make clear that I have no ax to grind. Like in communist countries, or stuff like that. The church grew in number steadily. He told CT that eight people have contacted him since he first posted in April 2021. Doe initially planned on returning to Gracepoint, until she realized it was no longer a safe place for her. Hereis a Yelp Review (that is hidden and not tallied into their final score) that is from October 2018 from Christain that sounds exactly like the Berkland I attended decades ago. I've been thinking about the mentality at GP. I thought someone mentioned somewhere that PED suggested the people who criticize him and GP (i.e. One of my old friends is apparently is in this church and I wanted to find out more about the "cult-like" organization after a mutual friend brought up how she's completely been brainwashed by them. One of the things Im learning now that Im out [of the church] is that I can actually make my own decisions without checking with somebody, asking for permission, being afraid that Ill get in trouble, she said. My daughter is involved with this church, as a leader. They are a bit too rigid in their beliefs, to me. July 2020 to August 2020 . Kang confirmed the church no longer operates on the campus, though some students still attend the San Francisco location. She was asked to write reflections and was repeatedly told that she had not seen the full reality of her sin. Pastor Ed, stop playing the victim card, as you like to tell your sheep. (LogOut/ Also, Ive even seen leaders refer to how they got rocked by Pastor Ed or Kelly with a smug smile. Church Online is a place for you to experience God and connect with others. Next Session: 8/22 @ 7:30-9PM Gracepoint Berkeley Church - Alameda 2000 Northloop Drive. I realized I was never going to be able to prove that I was taking my sins seriously.. Of your background, we invite you to come . Acts2Fellowship Instagram Marketing Intern. 269276. After all, there was a lot of yelling, most likely some crying, and maybe some forced fervent and desperate prayer. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to help show content that is more relevant to your interests. These constant assessments about me being unrepentantthey didnt reflect what I was actually thinking and feeling, said Noelle, who is also an abuse survivor and asked CT not to use her last name due to her job as a teacher. You have to disciple them in a particular way, or you need to isolate them or separate them from certain influences, Tang said. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Disclaimer, College ministry (known as KBSU, ABSU, or KBSK, depending on the year). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I remember being very sleepy because this happened very late at night. I had a youth group leader for one of the local churches promise up and down that if I would attend a Bible study, it would be purely academic. Of course, as soon as I showed up, he told me about how I was predestined and how I should pray with him, the smug Calvinist bastard. It's highly possible your friend deleted Facebook because she felt that she was stumbling in her beliefs due to an addiction to social media or something to that effect. Members said they were manipulated into confessing sins, screamed at by leaders, and overloaded with obligations to the point of illness. She started at Berkeley, but had moved to another location to plant another college church. Six ex-Gracepoint staff said mental breakdowns contributed to their decisions to leave the church and, for some, the faith. Are they still okay? Again, not out of malice, but because, when youre at Gracepoint, you learn to fit everything into the Gracepoint narrative. By gracepoint In Devotion Text, Genesis with Comments Off on Bible Reading: Gen 31-34 Bible Text: Genesis 31-34 Here are some ways to process the readings for each day. Our passion is to raise up Gospel-advancing leaders & to share the love of Jesus to students and those in . Ed Kang is the son of Korean immigrants. Gracepoints training documents teach staff to explain why the churchs hierarchical leadership is not authoritarian or why negative perception of the churchs culture of rebuke is overblown due to an emotionally fragile generation. Weary of internal programs being leaked, leaders asked members to periodically delete sensitive recordings and emails containing talks and trainings or to watch them under supervision. Learn More query_builder Worship Service I planned to ask a girl out in the fellowship, and I asked a peer for her number. My leaders words were like the words of God, said Mun, who left the church last year due in part to anxiety. Besides, hearing out my story and telling me Im sorry you were hurt, but I dont think they realize that they almost had blood on their hands, Doe told The Triton. 8.3K. Gracepoint is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and a part of the SEND Network. Those kinds of values were considered essential as part of the church.. Although the sites primarily focus on the issues surrounding the Gracepoint Berkeley church run by Ed and Kelly Kang, many of these issues are also manifested in other Gracepoint churches including Davis. Doe stated that during the repentance process, the church leaderships repeated statements about her character eventually made her question her reality. 5:11, ESV). My point is- any criticism of you, especially because of the things you actually said or did, is not persecution. Paul Lee, the former Riverside church member, experienced physically debilitating stress that caused stomachaches, headaches, and frequent panic attacks. 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