User:Xiaphias/Sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

International Churches of Christ
Classification	Protestant
Orientation	Evangelical [1]
Polity	Episcopal [1]
Founder	Kip McKean
Origin	1979 June 1 Lexington, MA
Branched from	Churches of Christ
Separations	Portland Movement
Geographical Area	global (159 nations)
Statistics
Congregations	543 (2005)
Members	95,751 (2005)
ICoC official statistics[2] New Religious Movements[3]

The International Churches of Christ, commonly known as the Boston Church of Christ or Boston Movement, is a controversial Protestant sect which splintered from the mainline Churches of Christ in the late 1980s under the leadership of Kip McKean.^[4] Its aggressive recruitment tactics, high commitment expectations of members, and use of discipling partnerships have caused some researchers, observers, and ex-members to label the organization a ‘cult,’ ^[5][6][7][8] and it has been sanctioned or banned by 39 college campuses and the country of France.^[9][10] Historically, church officials have been unapologetic for their assiduous evangelism (believing this to be the duty of all true Christians) but have renounced any allegations of impropriety as unfounded. ^[5][11] In recent years, however, a faction has emerged within the organization which acknowledges these critiques and advocates reform – a process already undertaken by many congregations, some of which have seceded, others which have remained affiliated with the ICoC but revised their policies.^[12][13]

Once the fastest-growing Christian movements in the United States,^[14] membership has dwindled since the unceremonious departure of McKean in 2002 and subsequent internal turmoil, with total membership falling 23% between 2002 and 2004. Even so, the ICOC still boasts nearly 100,000 members in 160 nations around the world.^[2]

Contents 1 Nomenclature and Affiliations 1.1 Name-related Issues 1.2 Alternative Names 1.3 Affiliated Organizations 2 History 2.1 Roots 2.2 Origin 2.3 Growth 2.4 McKean’s Resignation 2.5 Aftermath and the ICOC Today 2.6 Beginnings of Portland Movement 3 Institutional Description 3.1 Ideology & Sacred Rituals 3.2 Practices 3.2.1 Sunday Worship 3.2.2 House Church 3.2.3 Bible Talks 3.3 ‘Discipling’ 3.4 Political Hierarchy 4 Criticism and Controversy 4.1 Aggressive Recruitment 4.2 High Commitment Expectation for Members 4.2.1 Time 4.3 Brainwashing & Personality Change 5 Notes 5.1 References 5.2 Further Reading 5.3 External Links

[edit] Nomenclature and Affiliations

[edit] Name-related Issues

The organization’s somewhat generic title, and its similarity to the names of other unaffiliated institutions, can be a source of confusion.^[5] Even more precarious is identifying (by name) which local churches are affiliated with the ICoC, which is complicated by the fact that local congregations do not always publicize this connection and that several former ICoC fellowships have seceded without changing their names. Traditionally, community churches are called “The [city name] International Church of Christ,” though sometimes the word ‘international’ is omitted, and often the name doesn’t resemble this formula at all.

[edit] Alternative Names

Known as the Boston Movement for its first two decades, the organization formally adopted the title ‘International Churches of Christ’ 1993;^[15] both titles remain in common usage. More than a dozen other terms apply to the institution itself or the movement from which it was born. Some are legitimate alternative names, others mere pseudonyms used by unscrupulous recruiters. In a 1996 sociological study of former Boston Church members, 87% of respondents reported that they were initially informed that the bible study which they were attending was unnamed and nondenominational; 33% said that at the time of obtaining membership, they were told a name other than ICoC or BCC.^[6]

[edit] Affiliated Organizations

The ICoC directly administers or partners with over a dozen organizations. Some function as appendages of the church, others are entirely unrelated in their mission and activies. Of these, the largest and most well-known is “LOVE,”a charitable foundation run by ICoC which serves as the primary beneficiary of the church’s charitable donations (though it is funded through other sources as well). Founded in London in 1986, LOVE moved to a global scale the following year.^[16] It sponsored the largest blood drives in Brazil and Mexico in 1994, and opened an orphanage in Hong Kong that same year.

The following companies and institutions are also operated by the ICoC:

• Discipleship Publications International – official ICOC publishing company, which prints mostly spiritual literature. ^[17]
• UpCyberDown Offline – bills itself as “the online community of the International Churches of Christ.” ^[18]
• KNN/Disciples Today
• Upside Down, the official monthly publication of the ICoC.
• llumination Publishers International (IPI)
• FunInTheSon.org
• International Churches of Christ Missions Society, Inc. (ICCMS)
• Florida Missions Council
• Chemical Recovery
• Ministerio Latino
• Baltic Nordic Missions Alliance
• Taiwan Mission Adventure
• European Bible School
• Athens Institute of Ministry^[19]

[edit] History

[edit] Roots

The Boston Movement can trace its roots to the American Restoration movement of the nineteenth-century, which sought a return to first-century Christianity by eliminating denominational divisions and honoring the Bible as the sole source of church authority, surmised by the axiom: “where the scriptures speak, we speak; and where the scriptures are silent, we are silent.” But by the 1860s, some felt that the movement had become polluted by the institution of missionary societies and use of musical instruments in church. A schism developed, and the mainline Churches of Christ officially broke away in 1906 with some 160,000 members, growing to 1.2 million by the end of the century.

In 1967, Chuck Lucas – minister of the 14th Street Church or Christ in Gainesville, Florida (later renamed the Crossroads Church of Christ) – instituted a new project known as Campus Advance (based on principles borrowed from the Campus Crusade and the Shepherding Movement). Centered on the University of Florida, this program called for a strong evangelical outreach and an intimate religious atmosphere in the form of soul talks and prayer partners. Soul talks were held in student residences and involved prayer and sharing overseen by a leader who delegated authority over group members. Prayer partners referred to the practice of pairing a new Christian with an older guide for personal assistance and direction. Both procedures led to “in-depth involvement of each member in one another’s lives,” and critics accused Lucas of fostering cultism. ^[20]

[edit] Origin

In 1972 (the fifth year of the Campus Advance program), the Crossroads Church recruited a young freshman at the University of Florida. His name was Thomas ‘Kip’ McKean, and his encounter with the church would forever alter the destinies of both. McKean completed his degree program while training at Crossroads and afterwards served as campus minister at several other mainline Churches of Christ locations. His most prolific commission came in 1979, when he was offered the position of pulpit and campus minister at a struggling Boston-area congregation called the Lexington Church of Christ. Under McKean’s hegemony the church – renamed ‘Boston Church of Christ’ – witnessed remarkable resurgence, growing from 30 members at the time of his arrival to 300 in just two years.

McKean believed that the true measure of a church’s value was its growth rate, and that the Churches of Christ and other ecclesiastic institutions were too lethargic in this area.^[21] Chronicler Russell Paden explains, “While [McKean and his followers] would probably concede that there are false religions that experience growth, they would contend that a true church of God must be experiencing growth.” ^[20] Once among the fastest-growing religious movements in the country, expansion of the mainline Churches of Christ had stagnated by 1970. McKean sought to reverse this.^[22]

[edit] Growth

At the start of the 1980s, Kip McKean came to feel that the Lord had given him a “vision for the world,” which required the establishment of ‘pillar churches’ in key metropolitan centers to spread the faith globally. With this in mind, he oversaw the establishment of sister churches in Chicago and London in 1982, and in New York City one year later. But as it grew in size, it also grew away from the mainline Churches of Christ. Members of each organization viewed the other with increasing displeasure,^[23] and by 1988 the two had irrevocably separated.^[24]

With a strong consistent emphasis on evangelism and church-spreading – a process termed planting – membership skyrocketed, reaching 42,855 in 130 congregations by 1993 (including 15,800 members in 58 congregations overseas). Boston and New York remained the two key centers, each boasting an average Sunday morning attendance of over 5,000 parishioners.^[20]

In 2000, the ICOC announced the completion of its six-year initiative to establish a church in every country with a population over 100,000.^[25][16] Two years later, membership peaked at 135,046 in more than 540 congregations across the globe.^[2]

[edit] McKean’s Resignation

Controversies over financial abuse and administrative mismanagement compelled Kip McKean to take a thirteen-month sabbatical, ultimately resigning from his supreme position in November of 2002.^[26][21][27] McKean himself attributes the resignation to his daughter’s decision to leave the ICoC, which “along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak caused uncertainty in my leadership among some of the World Sector Leaders.” ^[28][22] Later in 2002 the remaining central leadership was officially dissolved at the 2002 ‘Los Angeles Unity Meeting’.^[28]

[edit] Aftermath and the ICOC Today

What followed was a period of increased sovereignty among local churches, what McKean calls a “reactionary ‘new vision’ of autonomous congregations, consensus leadership with no lead evangelists, the elimination structured outreach (Bible Talks) and the elimination of discipleship partners.” Many in leadership positions issued public apologies for their participation in authoritative abuses, and some resigned or were asked to leave. By 2004, Boston, Atlanta, and New York City had lost over 30% of their members, and some entire congregations severed their ties with the ICOC.^[29]

Local fellowships varied in their reactions to the power vacuum. ICOC Chronicler Chris Lee asserts that three factions emerged, still extant today: a conservative group which seeks a return to the former, authoritarian structure; a moderate group that, “while they recognize that reform is necessary, feel that the current rate of reform is sufficient;” and a reformist group which advocates radical restructuring.^[12] The latter group is exemplified by Henry Kriete of the London Church of Christ, who penned an influential^[30] 2003 letter criticizing the “four systemic evils … [of] our corrupted hierarchy, [namely] our obsession with numbers, our shameful arrogance…[and] our seduction by mammon.”^[13]

According to the 2004 International Leadership Conference of affiliated churches, the ICOC no longer exists as an organization with a headquarters, structure, or hierarchy where a single church is set up over any other churches; it exists today in a diverse and decentralized state.^[31] Some churches have drastically changed their practices (and, in some cases, their names); others carry on in the traditional ICOC fashion of aggressive evangelism and total immersion,^[12] and the practices of some churches have caused national controversy as recently as June of 2007.^[32]

[edit] Beginnings of Portland Movement

In 2003, Kip McKean was invited to return to Oregon’s failing Portland International Church of Christ, no longer affiliated with the ICOC.; he preached his first sermon on July 23 to a congregation of some 60-70 parishioners. Six months later, membership had doubled, and by mid-2005 an average of 425 coreligionists visited the church every Sunday.^[28]

Its subsequent revitalization and the continuing uncertainty within the ICOC movement prompted other congregations to break from the ICOC and rejoin with McKean.^[22] This new movement, currently numbering twenty congregations in eight nations, has been termed the ‘Portland Movement’ or ‘International Christian Churches’;^[33][34] it comprises an estimated 800 members.^[35]

Bolstered by his recent successes, McKean set his sights on establishing a Portland Movement church in his former capitol city of Los Angeles. In preparation, he dispatched an anonymous email in October 2006 to Angelino ICOC members, deceptively inviting them to a ‘bible talk’ session where he attempted to recruit them to the Portland Movement. This came to the attention of ICOC leaders who responded with a letter advising members to avoid contact with McKean’s new organization.^[36] Four months later, McKean led a ‘mission team’ of 42 Portland-area parishioners to Los Angeles where they joined with fourteen local supporters to found the new City of Angels International Christian Church. The movement continues to focus heavily on recruiting from area campuses.^[37]

[edit] Institutional Description

[edit] Ideology & Sacred Rituals

In many ways, the belief-system and rituals of the International Churches of Christ are comparable to other American evangelical traditions. Members accept the virgin birth, the substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Trinity, and the Second Coming.^[7] But despite the apparent similarities, the movement is exceptionally exclusivist, believing that it is the most ‘pure’ form of Christianity and that followers of all other faiths (including other Christian sects) will not be granted access to heaven.^[38] McKean explains, “[We are] very fundamental in our following of the Bible, so we have convictions that are narrower than some groups about what it means to be a Christian. We don't apologize for our beliefs.”^[26]

Like the mainline Church of Christ, the ICoC recognize the Bible as the sole source of ecumenical authority, and extrapolate from it that there should only be a single, unified Christian denomination, though the ICoC goes a step further to say that there should be only one church per city or town. Both organizations accept the Nicene Creed and the necessity of baptism by immersion for spiritual salvation; neither allows infant or childhood baptism (one must first reach the “age of accountability” ^[39]). The ICoC teaches that only those “baptized as a disciple” (i.e., through the ICoC) will receive salvation.

The ICoC does not affirm the perpetuity of spiritual gifts, original sin, the perseverance of saints, predestination; it does acknowledge incarnation, atonement, eternal conscious punishment, the final judgment, and amillennialism. Its view on Ephesians 2:8-9, or works-based salvation, is somewhat more complex: though ostensibly denying works-based salvation, in practice “works of faith” (like baptism) are deemed requisite of salvation.^[40]

[edit] Practices

[edit] Sunday Worship

Sunday morning prayer involves singing (without use of instruments^[41]), praying, preaching, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.^[7]

One of the most unique elements to ICC tradition is the lack of established church buildings. Congregations meet in rented spaces: conference rooms, schools, public auditoriums, conference centers, small stadiums, or rented halls, depending on the number of parishioners; the location may vary from month to month.^[42][43][7] Though the church is not static, neither is it "ad hoc" – the leased locale is often furnished with an elaborate stage and sound-system.^[42] Parishioners are proud of these unrooted tabernacles, negatively referring to traditional churches as “religious.” ^[44] “From an organizational standpoint, it’s a great idea,” observes Boston University Chaplain Bob Thornburg. “They put very little money into buildings…You put your money into people who get more people.” ^[42]

[edit] House Church

Each congregation is divided into House Churches (formerly called Family Churches) of thirty to fifty members, which meet separately several times during the week. ^[45]

[edit] Bible Talks

Bible Talk groups consist of some six to fifteen coreligionists who gather several times weekly. They can meet almost anywhere, including college dormitories, restaurants, and member’s houses. All are encouraged to bring at least one guest per week to these sessions, which are often promoted as low-key nondenominational Christian socials but actually designed primarily to recruit new parishioners.^[45]

[edit] ‘Discipling’

The practice of discipling is one of the most defining – and controversial – elements of the ICoC methodology. Members believe that this practice is based upon and encouraged by biblical passages.

Kip McKean: “I believe it is biblical for us to imitate the relationship Jesus had with the apostles and the relationships they had with one another. For example, the apostles had a student/teacher or younger brother/older brother relationship with Jesus. They also had adult/adult relationships with each other. Jesus paired the apostles for the mission. (Matthew 10) Both types of relationships are essential to lead people to maturity. Another text that demonstrates the student/teacher relationship is in Titus 2 where the older women are to train the younger women.”^[46]

All new members are assigned a discipler to facilitate one-on-one training and interaction. One of the first steps in becoming a member is meeting with the discipler for a comprehensive confessional, whereby the new recruit is encouraged to reveal his or her most intimate secrets, especially those of a sexual nature. The confessor is often unaware that the outcome of this confession is recorded on a so-called ‘sin list,’ which is passed on to church leaders.^[47] Al Baird initially denied the existence of such lists in a 1993 interview,^[11] but justified their usage five months later during another interview by explaining that "the leader of the group must know his people."^[48] Some former members have claimed these sin lists were used to break reluctant prospective, and as a form of control on members.^[11][47]

One of the most criticized aspects of discipling is the degree of control possessed by the discipler. They are tasked with monitoring the spiritual growth of their apprentices, and some members say the partnership was more like having a good friend than anything else.^[4] But the practice has been called “dictatorial” because the discipler may also supervise the secular daily activities of their subordinates and sometimes give ‘advice’ which involves severing family ties, breaking off relationships, or dropping out of school programs.^[49][26][5]

[edit] Political Hierarchy

By 1988 the budding Boston Movement had congregations in more than eight cities across the globe, and Kip McKean found that running the organization single-handedly had become unwieldy. He selected a handful of men that he had personally trained and assigned each a number of churches in a geographic region, naming them ‘World Sector Leaders’ and taking the title of ‘Leader of the World Sector Leaders’ for himself. In 1994, the subservient position of Geographic Sector Leaders was added. ^[16]

The leader of each congregation is referred to as an Evangelist, and the Evangelists at in the several ‘pillar churches’ outrank the others. Larger churches may have an Assistant Evangelist or some number of elders – older, married men with at least one baptized child.

Since each city has a single church, its membership may be large and geographically disperse; if so, it is divided into regions and then sectors of perhaps a few small suburban communities, overseen by Region Leaders and Sector Leaders (known collectively as Zone Leaders). The Sector Leader is usually the lowest-tier salaried official, with those below him being volunteers only.^[45]

This governing system has attracted criticism as overly-authoritarian, ^[4] but the ICoC denies this charge. “It’s not a dictatorship,” says Al Baird, former ICoC spokesperson; “It’s a theocracy, with God on top.”^[46]

[edit] Criticism and Controversy

Since its inception, the International Christian Churches have drawn criticism from school officials, members’ families, and former parishioners. The Cult Awareness Network reported in 1993 that it received more calls about the ICoC than any other organization except for Scientology and Satanism. The primary sources of complaint are the aggressive recruitment techniques, and the pressure placed both on recruiter and recruitee; the high commitment expected of members in terms of time and money, and resulting social isolation; and the alleged use of ‘brainwashing’ tactics. Thornburg, Theologian at Boston University and outspoken ICoC critic, summarizes these concerns:

Dean Robert Thornburg: “Church members lie to students, badger them to join, and then try to talk them into giving the church their tuition and book money...they are told that they leave it, terrible things are going to happen to them – their parents will die, worms will infest their body – and even when they have been out for a period of time the sense of fear and guilt that grips the student is just unbelievable.” ^[48]

[edit] Aggressive Recruitment

Leaders within the International Churches of Christ do not deny the highly evangelical nature of the organization: they boast of it, suggesting that other Christian sects are listless or overly complacent when it comes to recruitment. They believe the practice is supported – even mandated – by biblical passages like John 15: “If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.... If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” ^[49] Antagonists, though, have questioned the morality of some recruitment techniques and the extent to which they are employed. That proselytizers target college freshmen, – seen as a particularly vulnerable and impressionable demographic – is itself a source of controversy.^[50][11] The church’s ‘Bible Study’ sessions serve as the initial point-of-contact for potential converts; one ex-member reported that the meetings could be secretly pre-structured for a specific attendee, causing him or her to believe that God was acting through the organization.^[49] Once a potential proselyte has attended a meeting, he or she is doggedly pursued until receiving a firm commitment.

The other side of the issue is the pressure placed on current members to engage in active recruitment. Congregationalists are expected to bring at least one person to each week’s Bible Study; some have been told to bring seven or eight, or to talk to 20, 40, or 60 people in a single day.^[11][51] One former parishioner reported that she was told her family would be damned if she could not recruit new proselytes.^[11]

Church administrators retort that egregious tactics are not used in any state of the recruitment process, or at least not condoned by the leadership, and point out that much of the criticism is based solely on the testimony of ‘bitter’ ex-members. ^[5]

[edit] High Commitment Expectation for Members

The time and money required of ICoC religionists has concerned onlookers, particularly since members of the target demographic – college students – tend to be famously deficient in both.

[edit] Time

Though a self-admittedly immersive organization (which leaders say more closely duplicates the type of religiosity advocated by the Bible), some have argued the ICoC goes too far. Former convert Sarah Cope-Faulkner recounts, “I attended 20 meetings a week and became estranged from my family and friends. I was up at 4am for Bible study, and I spent all my time trying to please everyone.”^[52] A psychological survey of several dozen former parishioners found that almost three-quarters were told that going home to be with family, or spending time with non-members, could cause Satan to get a foothold on them; an equal number were advised to move out of present living situations to be more proximal to coreligionists. The ICoC advises that worshipers spend no more than two weeks at a time with family members.^[4]

Spending time on other activities, even school work, is made difficult by the large number of ICoC meetings which parishioners are required to attend: in addition to Sunday worship, there are several House Church sessions and separate Bible Talk meetings each week. Disciplers review the daily timetables of their apprentices, sometimes going so far as to arrange their schedule for them.^[11] Members are encouraged to sell personal possessions, even their homes, to raise money for the organization;^[4] an internal ICoC memo urged that “many need to give large gifts resulting from selling houses, land, cars, jewelry, etc.” ^[48] In a 1996 sociological study of former Boston Church members, ¾ of respondents reported that they were told that they should be willing to sell personal items to give more money for the group, and half now feel that the ICoC views a personal savings account as “falling-away insurance.” ^[6]

[edit] Brainwashing & Personality Change

The discipling relationship can be very dominant; one chronicler characterized the technique as a “cloning practice”.^[53] For the 1996 sociological survey of the organization, 100% of ex-members reported that they were encouraged to imitate their discipler and four-fifths were chastised at some point for failing to do so; 93% were told to trust their discipler or church leaders over their own opinion.^[6] Some church leaders explained to parishioners that their actions are “covered” if they perform a sinful deed, so long as they were obedient.^[54] When carried to the extreme, this practice has been accused of “changing people at all costs – even at the cost of their personhood, autonomy, and uniqueness.”^[55] It has been documented that ICoC members tend to shift towards personality type ‘ESFJ’ (one of sixteen possible types) once joining the church. McKean has suggested that this simply indicates Jesus was of this personality type. ^[49]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Religious Affiliations, 2000. U.S. Membership Report. The Association of Religion Data Archives (2006). Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Data and Analysis. ICOC Info. International Churches of Christ (2006 April). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
3. ^ {{Cite web | url=http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/icc.html|title=International Churches of Christ, a.k.a. Boston Church of Christ|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=University of Virginia|year=2001 [[April 23]|author=Justin Cooke|work=New Religious Movements}}
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} Davis, Blair J. (1999 Mar 4). The Love Bombers. Philadelphia City Paper. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Fox Files. Fox, 1999 January 21.
6. ^ ^{a b c d} [D. Langone, Ph.D.] (2001 November 7). "An Investigation of a Reputedly Psychologically Abusive Group That Targets College Students". Cultic Studies Review. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d} Qin Wang (1996 April 25). "International Churches of Christ". 
8. ^ see lists of books, video programs, and news articles concerning the International Churches of Christ.
9. ^ Kleiner, Carolyn (2000 Mar. 13). A Push Becomes a Shove. US News & World Report. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
10. ^ Randall, Colin (2006 Aug. 17). Family Battle Between France and Canada. Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
11. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Believe It Or Else. abc2020. ABC (1993 Dec). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
12. ^ ^{a b c} Lee, Chris (2005 Sept). Three Major Factions. REVEAL. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
13. ^ ^{a b} Kriete, Henry (2003 Feb. 2). Honest to God. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
14. ^ Schroedel, Jenny (1999 Mar. 18). Controversial Group Recruiting on Campus. University of Portland Beacon. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
15. ^ www.carm.org/icc/icc_what_is.htm
16. ^ ^{a b c} Brief History of the ICOC. KipMcKean.com (2007 May 6). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
17. ^ http://www.bigchurchdirectory.com/By-Denomination/International-Churches-of-Christ/General-Information/1-58-2909-46703-0-Discipleship-Publications-International.html
18. ^ http://ucd.discipleforum.com/
19. ^ http://www.icocinvestigation.com/entities.htm
20. ^ ^{a b c d} Paden, Russell (July 1995). "The Boston Church of Christ", in Timothy Miller: America's Alternative Religions. Albany: State University of New York Press, 133-36. ISBN 978-0-7914-2397-4. Retrieved on 2007-08-07. 
21. ^ ^{a b} {{Cite web |url=http://www.rickross.com/reference/icc/ICC325.html|title=The Christian Chronicle interviews Kip McKean|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Christian Chronicle|year=2004 Jan. 21|author=McBride, Bailey & Erik Tryggestad}
22. ^ ^{a b c} Biography of Kip McKean (2007 Jan. 23). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
23. ^ Norton, Howard W. (1987 Feb). "Second Thoughts on Boston". The Christian Chronicle 44 (2). 
24. ^ 1979&ndash1987: The Boston Era. REVEAL (2001). Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
25. ^ McKean, Kip (1994 Feb. 4). Evangelization Proclamation. International Churches of Christ. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
26. ^ ^{a b c} The Associated Press (2004 Jan. 27). "Church prompts concern on university campus". 
27. ^ {{Cite web|url=http://www.kipmckean.com/Documents/sabbatical.pdf|title=Kip & Elena McKean to Take Sabbatical|accessdate=2007-07-09|year=2001 Nov|author=McKean, Kip|format=pdf}
28. ^ ^{a b c} McKean, Kip (2005 Aug.21). The Portland Story. Portland International Church of Christ. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
29. ^ Greeson, Timothy (2005). ICOC Update 2005: Is the Threat Resurfacing?. New Covenant Publications. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
30. ^ http://tolc.org/falters.htm
31. ^ http://www.newcovpub.com/icc/update2005.htm
32. ^ {{cite journal | author=Phelan, Shane| title=International Churches of Christ cult killed my brother!| journal=Daily Mail, UK| year=2007 [[June 13]| url=http://www.factnet.org/?p=119}}
33. ^ CyberEvangelist (2007 Feb. 26). Church Directory. City of Angels International Christian Church. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
34. ^ Disciples Today Editorial Advisory Board, Roger Lamb (publisher) (2006 Dec. 1). "Kip McKean Starts The International Christian Churches". Disciples Today. 
35. ^ International Christian Churches. Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
36. ^ The LA Leadership Group (the elders and region evangelists of the LA Church of Christ) (2006 Oct. 6). To: The Ministry Staff and Small Group Leaders of the LA Church of Christ (pdf). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
37. ^ McKean, Kip & Elana (2007 Apr. 7). Heartfelt Letter from Los Angeles: by Kip and Elena McKean. Eugene International Church of Christ. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
38. ^ What is the International Church of Christ?. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (2003). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
39. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/19970617021342/http://www.du.edu/~sullyatt/icc/
40. ^ International Churches of Christ Doctrinal Positions. RESOURCE (1998 Sept 16). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
41. ^ http://cnview.com/on_line_resources/international_church_of_christ.htm
42. ^ ^{a b c} David Frey (1999 July). "The Fear of God: Critics Call Thriving Nashville Church a Cult". InReview Online. 
43. ^ Pam Martin (2001 April 27). "Church or Cult?". WSB-TV Action News 2. 
44. ^ Steven E. Rauch (1994). "International Church of Christ". Christian News & Views. 
45. ^ ^{a b c} The Organization of the International Churches of Christ, prior to the Henry Kriete Letter, 2003. REVEAL (2006 Jan). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
46. ^ ^{a b} Ostling, Richard N. (1992 May 18). Keepers of the Flock. Time. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
47. ^ ^{a b} A Church of Christ Or Cult of Cash. New York Daily News (2000 Oct 22). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
48. ^ ^{a b c} untitled. Inside Edition (1994 May). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
49. ^ ^{a b c d} Gordon, Seth (1989 Oct 20). "Disciples; doctrine-Obey, bear fruit, be happy". The Tech 109 (44). 
50. ^ Ahmad, Shaheena (1995). "Church seeks to proselytize Yalies". The Yale Daily News. 
51. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nydailynews
52. ^ Wallis, Lynne (1 Oct 2003). "Let us Prey". The Gaurdian (UK). 
53. ^ Thornburg, R. W. (1989). The Boston Church of Christ at Boston University. Boston: Boston University, Marsh Chapel., –. 
54. ^ http://cnview.com/on_line_resources/international_church_of_christ.htm
55. ^ Yeakley, F. (Ed.). (1988). The Disciplining Dilemma. Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company. p 19.

[edit] Further Reading

• Hall, Douglas Leon (1991). Authoritarian Theology in the Boston Church of Christ A Short-Circuit of Christianity.. Abilene Christian University. 
• Stearsman, Jackie M (1987). A Critique of the Multiplying Ministries of the Boston Church of Christ. Lakeland, FL: Stearsman's Publications. ISBN B00071A620. 
• Giambalvo, C.; Rosedale, H.L. (1996). The Boston Movement: Critical Perspectives on the International Churches of Christ. American Family Foundation. 
• Malinoski, P.T.; Langone, M.D.; Lynn, S.J. (1999). "Psychological distress in former members of the International Churches of Christ and noncultic groups". Cultic Studies Journal, 16 (1): 33-51. 
• Langone, M.D. (1996). "Study reveals cultic group’s abuses Boston Church of Christ/International Churches of Christ Movement". AF F. Cultic Studies Study Resources. Research. Recuperadoel 7. 
• Zukeran, P.Y. (1996). A Critique of the International Church of Christ. 

[edit] External Links

• The International Churches of Christ (official homepage)
• Apology and Resignation letter of Kip McKean, from 2002
• McKean, K. (1992). "Revolution through Restoration". Upside Down, agosto de.