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EDITOR'S UPDATE
The information presented in chapters 11-14 was based on interviews Gene
Vinzant conducted early in 1987 with leaders of discipling churches. There
have been some significant changes since then that need to be noted as we
now prepare for the second printing of this book. Several discipling churches
have rejected the hierarchical concept of the Boston Church of Christ and
have charted an independent course. These include: Crossroads in Gainesville,
Florida; Miami-Gables in Miami, Florida; Central in Huntsville, Alabama;
Boulder, Colorado; Rocky Mountain in Fort Collins, Colorado; DeKalb, Illinois;
South Baton Rouge in Louisiana; and several others. In almost every place
where the Boston church has taken over an existing discipling church, the
church has divided and there are now independent discipling churches in
these cities. The hierarchy, however, continues to grow. Discipling churches
in Normal, Illinois, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, have now joined the Boston network.
Several other recent developments should be noted. The structure of the
Boston church has changed. Kip McKean now leads all the churches of their
hierarchy and the Boston church has
pointed four other evangelists to be in charge of four 1,000-member churches
that still function in many ways as a single congregation. Leaders of the
Boston church are now much more open in expressing their judgment that members
of other churches of Christ are not true Christians and never have been
saved. They have publicly stated their judgment that Alexander Campbell
was not a true Christian and did not really start the Restoration Movement.
Their position seems to be that Kip McKean started the Restoration Movement
in Boston in 1979. Perhaps the most important development in the year since
this book was written is that counselors in virtually every city where this
radical movement exists are now being flooded with clients who are the psychological,
emotional, and spiritual victims of this authoritarian movement. Psychologists
who specialize in treating cult victims have reported that in several cities
they are now treating more people from these discipling congregations than
from all other groups put together. These professional counselors are unanimous
in their judgment that the Boston-led hierarchy of discipling churches is
a dangerous cult.