A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

I recently watched a webcast, called "HM Live," over on the upci.org wesbsite. The webcast consisted of Carlton Coon, who is the UPCI general Home Missions Director, interviewing David Bernard, the General Superintendent of the UPCI.

As I watched, and listened, my jaw hit the floor. It is very evident that the UPCI knows that the Apostolic Identity campaign has been a complete failure.


Coon: You know I was talking to…Brother Hanscom and I…who is our Director of Multicultural Ministries, were talking yesterday about one of our Korean pastors who is a wonderful man…but his observation was that every time he begins teaching lifestyle change to his new converts, they’re gone. Well, my response to Brother Hanscom was that it’s taking a long time… to bring people to where they’re good stewards of life, and where they’re and where…they’re living things we feel to be important to Apostolic Identity. And some of it, I think, is our expectations of there being a quick fix….but conversion doesn’t give people all of the principles of life that they need.

Bernard: Right.

And that forces us…the solution is to be very biblical…

Coon: Right:

Bernard: As a home missionary I had to be very biblical. I’m asking major life changes. I’m asking for a new convert that’s in a live-in relationship to move out of that relationship. That’s a huge thing. And in our culture, the question is “why? Why should I have to do that?”

So, therefore, since I know I am going to be making lots of demands, in a sense, through preaching, and teaching, and love, and counsel…I don’t want to add anything that’s really more cultural than biblical. I have enough on my hands that’s biblical without having to put my cultural, or even personal, expectations. So, a lot of things I delay. A lot of things I don’t even deal with. And, I think your appeal…when it goes more to the Bible…that’s your best chance of that convert changing their way of life.

Coon: I know when I taught our new converts class that was our basis of operation. And when we got beyond scripture…to things that maybe would be my preference…people would begin to ask, “well, now, everything else has been Bible-based…why is this suddenly important and it’s not Bible-based?”

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

Here is the link to the full webcast.

http://www.homemissionsdivision.com/hmlive/

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

Coon: "You know I was talking to…Brother Hanscom and I…who is our Director of Multicultural Ministries, were talking yesterday about one of our Korean pastors who is a wonderful man…but his observation was that every time he begins teaching lifestyle change to his new converts, they’re gone. Well, my response to Brother Hanscom was that it’s taking a long time… to bring people to where they’re good stewards of life, and where they’re living things we feel to be important to Apostolic Identity. And some of it, I think, is our expectations of there being a quick fix….but conversion doesn’t give people all of the principles of life that they need."

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

Bernard: "So, therefore, since I know I am going to be making lots of demands, in a sense, through preaching, and teaching, and love, and counsel…I don’t want to add anything that’s really more cultural than biblical. I have enough on my hands that’s biblical without having to put my cultural, or even personal, expectations. So, a lot of things I delay. A lot of things I don’t even deal with. And, I think your appeal…when it goes more to the Bible…that’s your best chance of that convert changing their way of life."

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

Saw it and commented on this in another thread ... fascinating ... I thought it was interesting that they even suggested "delaying" certain cultural things in order to keep the new converts.

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

I am willing to sell the domain for them if they want to do some AI marketing.

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

Bernard:

things like what ... no beards or facial hair?

How long is the delay on skirts? How long with the live-in boyfriend?

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

Ya, spring it on them when they have their guard down. Or hope that peer pressure will do the job before hard preaching has to.

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

He's advocating the bait and switch.

Re: A Crumbling UPC 'Fesses Up, AI is not working
 

This is more than shocking. DKB has been a very vocal proponent of Apostolic Identity. In fact, he coined the term Apostolic Identity. As South Texas District Superintendent, he pushed to exclude or remove any pastor who did not comply with the basic tenants of Apostolic Identity.

Now DKB admits he delayed teaching AI to his new converts and, in some cases, refused to teach it at all?

Amazing!

I find this admission very frustrating, because many UPCI Home Missionaries have been struggling to "line up" to the extra-biblical expectations of Apostolic Identity for years. They, unlike DKB, did not delay teaching it because they were pressured to teach it. This pressure was applied at every national and statewide conference in America over the past five years.

The hypocrisy is amazing.