Southend-on-Sea, England: Kung Fu master Tony Anthony and Avanti Ministries

**Jadonblade** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 8:03am

Posted this at shoalinwolf but you guys might be able to help me, I smell some proper BS here.

I work at a youth centre in guildford,surrey,england. And a while ago we had a guest speaker called Tony Anthony, who claims to be 3 times world kung fu champion. He has a book as well called the taming of the tiger (kid version = the cry of the tiger). I was wondering if you guys knew anything abit more about him. Basically he was convincing kids to become christian through his story how he got converted at prison.

But when I approached him asking a general question of the type of competitions he was competing in he answered with contempt, wasnt rude just very short. I felt he really disliked anything to do with kung fu now, even though it was his main "hook". He claims his grandfather is Cheung Ling Soo, a direct descendent of the venerable 5. He was taught because he was the only boy in his family (32 girl cousins!). But as he now seems to see it with such contempt I very much doubt his taught his children and probaly ended a 500 year family tradition it seems.

Ive been around some world champions before and felt reasonably comfortable, but just being near this guy really put me at unease. Very nice guy but I felt something was off. He genuinly seemed to believe kung fu can take people away from god (even though he admits the horrible things he did were against his teachings). He saw Buddhism as being very opposed to christianity as well. Claiming the phrase "there is no god but the one within". Can anyone explain that more clearly?

Anyone got any extra info on this guy to validate or expose or even expand his story other than what he wants people to know in his book?

I gave his book a read but had to stop after he "tiger punched" his way through 5 armed men.

**ty5** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 12:38pm

Originally Posted by Jadonblade

Posted this at shoalinwolf but you guys might be able to help me, I smell some proper BS here.

Help you in which way though?

Having done a quick google I think this guy is a complete nut:
http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/noel...onyAnthony.mp3

http://www.avantiministries.com/biog...php?RecordID=1

Sent to train Kung Fu at the age of 4 with his grandfather, 3 time world champion, competed in lots of secret asian illegal competetions where people got killed.. until he got bored of it.

**variance** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 2:14pm

Puahahha.... he doesnt look chinese at all.

If his grandfather was anything traditional
he'd be a bit xenophobic.

They wouldn't teach a "gwai lo" or a "hapa" as an heir to the system.

Just analyzing his speech off the bat, it feels like he's a typical pathological liar.
It's the only way someone could maintain sanity / feel well within themself
to make up such an elaborate lie and have the gall to use that in "evanglism"
and condemnation of another religion.

Seems like a "Born Again" version of Frank Dux with a British Accent.

Are there any comprehensive(relatively) genealogical databases of asian heritage?
I think one of the churches (LDS Church?) has a pretty thorough database but dont know if it covers minorities very well.

**Jadonblade** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 2:46pm

In the book he says he suffered alot of abuse by being a "round eye". Another odd claim was that after winning these comps he was trained as a bodyguard by IKFF (international kung fu federation - or something similar). Where he went on to work for some very rich people. Then he killed some people, went to jail in cyprus. And went all holy.

**ty5** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 2:52pm

I don't think they train bodyguards, it is just another club membership organisation, they do organise their own competitions, but 'world champion' is such a loose phrase.. email them if you want to about this man:
http://www.internationalkungfu.com/

**Yamabushi** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 5:02pm

It's a bit odd that his grandfather shares his name (with a slight spelling difference) with a US stage magician who spent his professional life impersonating a Chinese and is most famous for dying when a bullet catch went wrong.

Still Cheung (or Chung) Ling Soo might be a common Chinese name...

**variance** · Posted On: 9/18/2007 11:42pm

Originally Posted by Yamabushi

It's a bit odd that his grandfather shares his name (with a slight spelling difference) with a US stage magician who spent his professional life impersonating a Chinese and is most famous for dying when a bullet catch went wrong.

Still Cheung (or Chung) Ling Soo might be a common Chinese name...

Irony..

I don't know about chinese names.. I know there are common nicknames though
Cheung is fairly common as a surname

I wonder if they are common like vietnamese names..
I know so many vietnamese with the surname of Nguyen, Tran, Phan, Ngo, Le

**boondock lee** · Posted On: 9/21/2007 8:55pm

The guy said that he had a chinese mother and a Italian father. So its possible that he might of learned kung fu from his maternal grandfather. I don't know if he was a bodyguard or that if he went to prison.

The reason is he doesn't like to talk about kung fu is that it brought some bad memories and that martial arts doesn't really help with God. AT least that is what I read.

I might go find this book and check it out. I'll do some more digging and Ill post what I find.

**Jadonblade** · Posted On: 9/25/2007 9:56am

Excellent, as kung fu is the only reason he gets any sort of attention for his talks I would of thought he would acknowledge that factor abit more. He even says he went completely against the principles he was taught.

**Lebell** · Posted On: 9/25/2007 1:21pm

Jadonblade, next time you post about this kind of situation,ad some links and sources with it.

Buddhism doesnt oppose christianity at all.
Some hardcore christians would say you must accept Jesus in order to be saved, but it's a way of interpreting things.
Jesus said/explained to people: I am the light, the way to the kingdom of the father etc.
Instead of thinking about what is being said people chant: HE is the light, the way to the kngdom of the father etc. instead of realising it could be them aswell...
Jesus hinted on several occasions you can see the father/god/heaven/nirwana/the devine through introspective behaviour, its just misunderstood by a lot of people.

In short: buddhism says the God is within, but so does Jesus.

As far as the kungfu worldchampion things go, ask him next time in what federation, if he's defensive ask him why or if as a christian he's hiding things,or why it would be a problem for him to mention these things.

He shares that he's killed people,but can't tell you what competitions he won?