Media misrepresentation continues on King Car

King Car, a group of missionaries posing as volunteer English teachers in rural areas, is in the news again -- here is an earlier story from last year. The local news media has now written two large stories on King Car without once mentioning that they are a missionary group. The fact is that King Car is backed by the far-right Christian Institute in Basic Life Principles. Does King Car teach its students that the Earth is only 6,000 years old as IiBLP apparently believes? Scary stuff. Further, IiBLP says bluntly that this is a "ministry", as it is refered to on their website as Taiwan Ministry opportunities to share God's truth. King Car teachers are not trained in any professional program, but instead receive unaccredited distance learning training at home or at the program's retreat through the "Verity Program." As Scott Sommers pointed out in a long-running series of posts on King Car, they are not legally able to teach English in Taiwan: Their website says:

The Verity program is conducted at IBLP's Riverfront Character Inn in Flint, Michigan. It is an accelerated learning program designed to help students earn a bachelor's degree in two years from one of several distance-learning institutions while growing in their relationships with Christ.

Students earn their credits by taking CLEP, DANTES, and other standardized tests. Verity students have the option of living on-site and participating in classes and study groups or earning their degree from home via distance learning. Through interaction with staff and fellow students, Verity students have the opportunity to study each subject from a Biblical perspective. They may also take part in Bible studies, accountability groups, and morning chapel services.

Taipei Times, can we get some truth-in-advertising here? I hope in the next article about King Car their origin and purpose are not obscured by the local media.