They believe they are the only "true" Christians.

And they have a series of "Bible Studies" called First Principles which they will try to use to convince you you're not really a Christian and never can be without joining their church if you agree to study the Bible with them.

They are not to be confused with other Churches of Christ.

They will demand lots of time and money.

They often demand that you attend their church not only on Sunday but also on Friday, Tuesday, and some other days, as well as do volunteer work. Members are expected to give a regular tithe and a "special contribution" which often add up to a total of 15% or more of their income. One former member says she was told to give blood to raise money if she couldn't meet the contribution. Anyone who refuses is told they are not "spiritual" enough and in danger of going to Hell.

The conceal their true nature.

They often claim their church is non-denominational even when the International Churches of Christ fits any dictionary definition of a denomination. They have been known to hold church events while claiming they have no religious affiliation, such as inviting people to a Super Bowl party and holding a church service there instead. In one case, a front group for this denomination was calling itself the Chinese Engineer's society, even though it contained no Chinese and its leader was a Spanish major. One front group they use in many places is a charity organization, known as HOPE - Helping People Everywhere.

Many experts call them a dangerous cult.

You can verify this for yourself by searching the Internet. Many of the anti-cult sites which maintain a list of cults will include the International Churches of Christ or the Boston Church (which it was known as before it moved its headquarters to Los Angelos). Several printed books on cults also list them. They definitely don't want you getting on the Internet and finding sites maintained by former members, such as www.reveal.org or the webring maintained by former members.

They preach that you must recruit other members to be saved.

They have very questionable interpretations of the Bible.

For example, the founder of the International Churches of Christ, Kip McKean, once said, "It's flat unscriptural to be fat!" Other "sins" in this church include shyness, having too much money, and questioning a leader's interpretation of the Bible.

They maintain tight control over their members.

Each newly baptized member is paired with a "discipler" who they are expected to confess all their sins to and seek "advice" in most matters. Usually, people who ignore this "advice" are sternly reprimanded for being "prideful" or "hardhearted." At one point, members were expected to obey their disciplers even in matters of opinion.

Their local congregation is currently known as the Greater Cleveland Church of Christ.

Disclaimer: This leaflet is not endorsed by the International Churches of Christ. In fact, they'll probably tear down these leaflets wherever they find them. It is not necessarily endorsed by REVEAL, either.

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