I was reading some articles on the Local Church controversies and was much surprised to meet these four names: Joseph Richard Ballew, Jack Sparks, Jon Braun, and Peter Gillquist.
"In the summer of 1976 Peter Gillquist, the presiding NCAO apostle, became the head of the new books division at Thomas Nelson Publishers (Nelson), a respected Bible publisher. The first book Gillquist commissioned was The Mindbenders by Jack Sparks. Sparks was listed as the putative author but the chapter on the local churches was written by Braun, who, although he had never met with the local churches, blamed Watchman Nee and Witness Lee for his negative experience with Gene Edwards."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Church_controversies
In 1977 The Mindbenders, a book authored by Jack Sparks, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., accused Witness Lee and The Local Churches of being a cult and of being heretical in their beliefs. Both before and after publication of their first edition, Nelson received many letters from The Local Churches and their members protesting the falsity of the chapter concerning them. Notwithstanding these letters, Nelson published an expanded second edition in 1979. In 1980 Local Churches brought suit against Thomas Nelson and the author for libel.
In 1980 local churches in California, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas and several individuals filed suits against Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
Jack N. Sparks, Jon Edward Braun, Joseph Richard Ballew, Peter Gillquist, et al over the publication of
The Mindbenders: A Look at Current Cults by Jack Sparks. These suits were later consolidated into a single litigation, which was resolved when Thomas Nelson, Inc., published a retraction in major newspapers throughout the United States.
http://www.thebereans.net/forum2/showthread.php?t=33935
BTW, here is the book:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindbender.../dp/0840756143
I think I am going to get it one day, but I don't know how to explain to my wife, who is still an active member in the LRC, that Richard Ballew, Jack Sparks, Jon Braun, and Peter Gillquist share the same Orthodox Christian Faith with me. So, these four names are well known in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. (Unfortunately, Richard Ballew, Jack Sparks, and Peter Gillquist fell asleep in the Lord years ago).
BTW, Jack Sparks also compiled the writings of the Apostolic Fathers:
http://www.amazon.com/Apostolic-Fath.../dp/0840756615