In response to some inaccurate statements in Friday’s newspaper, an article is being published today in Sandefjord’s Blad about false accusations against BCC. The issue is even more serious for BCC than the article illustrates. We wish to elaborate here on why we are fighting against the spread of false information.
By Berit H. Nilsen
It is public knowledge that there has been an organized campaign against BCC in recent years.
In February 2019 the American magazine, The New Yorker, wrote about the case in the context of methods used in Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian “information warfare”.
Their research revealed that a party in Amsterdam had requisitioned a smear campaign against BCC from former Israeli private intelligence agency Psy-Group. The article stated that the starting price of such an operation exceeds NOK 3 million.
READ: BCC targeted by former intelligence agents
Shortly after The New Yorker’s article was published, the Tønsberg Blad reported contact with agents from this same campaign. As far as we know, no other media outlets have shown interest in the case except for Sandefjord’s Blad, Østlandsposten, and Vårt Land. It is strange that such an obvious attempt at manipulation and fake news is not taken more seriously by Norwegian editors.
Growing societal problem
All media should be aware of and invested in uncovering this problem. We have probably only seen the beginning of how it can affect society.
READ: False information – the tip of the iceberg
In recent years, BCC has noted several sites and profiles that actively disseminate false and misleading information about our church and its members.
Stories about «Smith’s Friends» have been particularly prolific on Facebook. Among other things, fabricated allegations of child abuse against named BCC members were shared in a closed Facebook group. These stories were completely unfounded.
Just a couple of years ago, a person still central to this Facebook domain actively tried to find fictitious abuse stories amongst our members. In addition to other things, he called an ex-member to ask, “haven’t you been abused by [a certain well-known BCC member]?” The person concerned had not experienced any abuse and was infuriated by his brazen behaviour.
Other stories have been shared that contain a grain of truth mixed with lies and conspiracy theories, making it difficult to discern between fact and fiction.
Various media outlets can thus unknowingly contribute to the spread of information from agents involved in an organized psychological campaign.
Recurring themes
Popular topics include claims that members work too much and give too much to the church community, that BCC is not a good place, and that its leaders prosper financially at the church’s expense.
This picture of a disorderly organization and the impression that members are not independently thinking individuals is incorrect and misleading.
BCC still does not have a full picture of the purpose behind the campaign, but what we do know is that it attempts to place our church outside of what is normal for Christianity. For example, it claims that we have books other than the Bible as a basis for our teaching.
To update our readers we present the following facts:
- The Bible is the only authoritative book for our church. Inspiration can of course be found in other literature, as is the case for many Christians.
- BCC has raised considerable funds in the last decade. Related inspiration, competitions, and fellowship have all been motivated by the Christian purpose. Monthly status reports have been communicated to members and local churches for many years.
- BCC has enthusiastic members from many different socio-economic classes, backgrounds, educational levels, and life situations. We encourage one another to contribute, but always based on personal potential and ability, and absolutely always of our own free will.
- We distance ourselves from pressure and negative social control and have established points of contact for members who wish to criticize the organization or ask questions.
- BCC has public audited financial statements. Everything is easily accessible on the website and in annual reports.
- BCC’s clear guidelines for governance and oversight ensure that all donations go towards realizing the purpose of the organization. No money has gone into anyone’s pockets.
- BCC’s guidelines ensure that any transactions with members or affiliates occur based on current market terms and conditions, and significant transactions must be approved by the Board of Directors. Our auditor PWC is focused on such transactions and makes certain that they are documented and approved in accordance with guidelines.
Christian strength
It is demanding to deal with organized, professional campaigns of this nature which attempt to manipulate people’s perceptions of BCC. However, we will not sit quietly and watch our members be burdened by false information spread through various channels.
As today’s article in Sandefjord’s Blad explains, BCC is a community-friendly church with thousands of members who want to gather around the Christian faith. Members’ level of involvement is a strength which proves Christianity’s relevance in today’s society.
In the coming months we will be publishing intriguing articles which contain the facts behind the false information fabricated by Psy-Group’s campaign.
Read about it in Sandefjord’s Blad here.
Photo illustration: unsplash.com