Dr Ralph Levy posted a letter of "Impressions of the Church in Latin America" on the UCG Current Crisis website. It stands in direct contrast to the information put out by UCG’s COE on what has been happening in L.A. He writes in part:
There is so much more I could recount about my experiences and impressions of the Church in Latin America. I relate all this because of false information going around, and accusations of ministerial abuse, elitism, neglect and mistreatment. I find these assessments deeply unfair, and they certainly don’t concur with my experience of the Church in Latin America.
But please go and see for yourself. How about a Feast of Tabernacles in Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Central America, or Colombia? You would enjoy it, and be warmly welcomed by your Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters.
Please take the time and read his letter in its entirety.
At the end of the day, of course, it comes down to who you believe. Like many of the others who have left, Levy has always struck me as an honorable man who is unafraid to speak the truth.
I appreciate your blog and I appreciate this letter from Ralph Levy. I have always found Mr. Levy to be service minded and truly a knowledgeable yet humble man.
He was one of my favorite instructors at Ambassador College.
I doubt that anyone is outright lying in this matter. It's much more likely that:
1. Different people visiting have had different experiences
2. Different people living there have had different experiences
and
3. The "political" affiliation of certain people caused them to gravitate toward others with similar experiences, thereby reinforcing each other's particular view.
I have the utmost respect for Dr. Levy, but there are other people that I respect just as much who say otherwise. It's more probable in my view that neither of them are getting the full picture than that one has the full picture (which would imply that the other is totally lying.)
SafeTmanEd says:
I read this and then checked out Harold Rhodes resignation letter. What they did to him was an absolute shame. Lovely christian attitude!!
Steven is absolutely right. Nothing Dr Levy has said in his letter really sheds any light on the situation. I have personally encountered people described as "down-to-earth" by those in their circle, who appear to be extraordinarily generous – but who are entirely different in their behaviour towards those who are not "approved" by them. God knows the truth. We, on the other hand, should all be careful not to judge unless we have hard facts to work from. On both sides of this rift there are very few facts at all.
I found that one of the persons who was trying to convince me of the Council's side tended to not have their facts in order. Of course, he wasn't exactly a primary source, but he had a view into what was then the current UCG leadership that was unique. However, whomever was telling him some things obviously was not disclosing everything to him, and it became obvious after a while.
All in all, there are some left in UCG that are honorable men as well. However, most of the ones I know that I trust are not there any longer. While it didn't help me make up my mind (I didn't even know where most of them stood), it does help to confirm my decision.
I have read the letter from Harold Rhodes also (found on the crisis site)and it is quite shameful —the heart of some of those individuals that now have control over UCG. However, I do see the possibility of something else revealed by the letter that gives me something to ponder on, concerning Harold as well, but I will keep that to myself for now.
Has anyone else read that letter? and what are YOUR thoughts on it?
Anony Jon
@Anony Jon: Well, I reread it, but I'm not sure what you're referring to. It paints a very different picture than Aaron Dean portrays. In defense of Dean, though, it should be pointed out that he wasn't at the meetings with Harold Rhodes.
The picture it does portray is one I'd suspected quite some time ago. There really needs to be spiritual discernment amongst God's people. This has not been well exercised in recent times past; it has only been when events have forced certain issues.
Speaking of friends of Dr. Levy, if he wanted to leave the institution Why did not he?, Why not say goodbye, I follow those who want to follow me or think like me, most faithful members Latin America were driven, in the blink of an eye, the pastor of this church expelled least 30 more members by telephone before the split in a shameful record, including an elderly couple about 42 years in church, the day of the assembly abuse separatist envoy of President and exiled to other 3 members not allowing personal income over a fit of rage and anger unfortunate.
This is the story I know the dr. Ralph Levy writes frankly speaking http://ucgcurrentcrisis.webs.com/ the wonders he saw in this part of the world, unfortunately, behind his good friend, pastor, more than 120 people suffering from what he did in Santiago Chile and these people also shared with Dr. Levy and dance music.
Mr. Levy, the Latin American church is still grieving for you. ensalse one of the leading figures in Latin American division of the work, even if we have a long record of abuses, persecution, dishonest actions of a friend of Levy, we will not publish, even though he has never shown signs of repentance, let alone that God judges with fair trial as he did in the Church.
We say this because you. wrote in a blog of his church the following:
"There is so much more I could tell about my experiences and impressions of the Church in Latin America. declare all this due to misinformation floating around, and accusations of ministerial abuse, elitism, neglect and abuse. It seems very unfair to these assessments, and certainly not according to my experience of the Church in Latin America. "
Where there will not be what you read. Ralph says, in true Internet there are many things wrong, but I say, what is black is black and what is white is white, we recognize the positives of a friend of Levy, but unfortunately we can not deny that we witnessed many atrocities, ud. can not declare what it says, if only appeared for the holidays, had to be here to see what was happening, did you suspend someone over the phone by ejm?, do you speak ill of your boss?, do you pursue a shadowy way someone?, really no, "I would ask her daughter not yet named, to translate important documents from the headquarters to be you. bilingual man?, do you read mails from other people and then say, I came by accident?, so Dr. is better to say nothing and keep the best memories, we also appreciate you.