Dangerous Leadership

In the Honor Academy, you are taught to give absolute submission and obedience to your leaders there. You are told that the leadership are basically God’s representative to you. To disobey them is to disobey God. They actively promote the idea that you, as an intern, should submit to them in every way and take their judgments for you and about you as the words of God. Of course, they encourage you to pray and seek God on your own, but usually only when that conforms to the context they have laid out for you.

Funny thing is that they only take this stance when it benefits them. After all, it can be very convenient to set yourself up as God in this way. When you play that card, nobody can question you.

This leads to many problems, but perhaps the most serious situation occurs when an intern is dismissed from the Honor Academy. After weeks or months of being told to believe that the words of Dave Hasz are the words of God to you, being kicked out can easily feel as if God is abandoning you. The leadership who represents God to you is saying that you are not good enough, that you do not deserve mercy – and so by extension it feels that God Himself is saying those things to you.

Yet at this point, Dave Hasz would like to separate his opinion from God’s and say that although He is kicking you out, it does not mean God is rejecting you. After all, the Honor Academy never says that you lose your salvation if you are kicked out or that God looks down on you. They never say it. But they don’t have to. The culture they’ve created does it for them.

In fact, I will go so far as to say that I don’t even think Dave intends to send this message, but he does.

You can’t have it both ways, gentleman. You can’t insist on blind obedience to your leadership in the name of God and then ask people to do a head-spinning reversal and discern between your opinion and God’s as you are kicking them out.

It’s just not possible.

16 comments:

Anonymous said…

“In fact, I will go so far as to say that I don’t even think Dave intends to send this message, but he does.”
I’m remembering my time as an intern. Mr. Hasz really cared about us a lot. To the point of complete obsession. often I rememer him saying something along the lines of, “people tell me that I shouldnt pour all my time and energy into the H.A. and I just tell them, why not? why not give everything you are to what you believe in?”
And he was really nice. Like, Mr. Hasz is REALLY nice and he loves a lot. He totally loves the Lord and I think he is trying to get things done the best way he knows how to.
the problem is… He’s not the one who needs to get things done.October 28, 2009 4:25 PM

mybowsandarrows.wordpress.com said…

I really think this is inaccurate.

By no means do I want to belittle your point of view, but in all my time involved with Teen Mania in various capacities – this was never communicated by leadership.

I remember needing to correct some misunderstanding interns who thought this very thing. But as an intern, Gi and staff member I was always encouraged to talk to leadership, ask questions and search out the Bible – as staff member I went out of my way to make sure interns felt comfortable in asking questions, communicating doubt or concerns, or even objections.

Matthew 18 has always been the best biblical answer to objections/concerns. In a business setting there should always be an Open Door Policy… I found TM always had a blend of the two when it came to ministry placements, and a good emphasis on Matthew 18 with personal disputes.

Jeff OOctober 29, 2009 9:59 AM

Recovering Alumni said…

I’m glad you’ve had a different experience.October 29, 2009 11:08 AM

Anonymous said…

I do not believe Dave Hasz cares at all about the ‘inferior’ interns. My son was dismissed, which was a very difficult and painful time for all of us. Thank the Lord he came home to parent’s who loved him and loved the Lord even more. We also understand the concept of God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness. Apparently HA does not. NO ONE at HA or TM has followed up with my son to see how he was doing or readjusting or anything…all that talk about them caring for teens is b.s. in my opinion.

A month after my son’s dismissal, we received the invite for the HA graduation ceremony. I called in tears and told the girl that I couldn’t believe the insensitivity of such an oversight. She apologized profusely and prayed with me and promised that Mr. Hasz AND Mr. Stoner would certainly be notified of our conversation and my disappointment with HA as a whole and the fact that they didn’t contact my son (he wasn’t even given a ‘growth plan’ for re-entering the ‘world’). She assured me that one of them would call us on the following Monday (this was a Friday afternoon). My husband and I even took the day off work in order to talk to either Dave or Heath–and we are now entering November and have NOT HEARD a word!!!

I shudder to think of what could have happened to my son if he didn’t have the family and church support that he is blessed with…as I see on these postings, there is much hurt and pain.

My prayer is for all of you that have been hurt by TM. May you all be washed in the love, forgiveness and healing of our Lord Jesus as my son has been able to do.October 30, 2009 10:25 PM

Recovering Alumni said…

I’d be interested in hearing your son’s story if you are open to sharing it. It’s important for people to know that the things I’m describing are not outdated anor isolated.October 30, 2009 10:42 PM

Anonymous said…

This is definitely not outdated…in fact, is’t so fresh that it’s still painful for me to tell his story at this time. He did break a rule, I’m not making excuses for him–however, how can teens (or anyone for that matter) learn about the love, grace and forgiveness of God when it is not shown to them–especially at such a young age and by an organization the professes the Love of Jesus.

I sometimes think this has affected me as much as it affected my son. Actually, I know so. We had been going to TM events for YEARS and my son decided as a sophomore in high school that he wanted to go to HA after he graduated. He also went on 5 GE mission trips. We went to numerous Battlecry events…We, as parents, brought groups and also volunteered for ATF’s..we even participated with our son at two SOAR events. We were walking advertisements for TM.

That is why the way they have treated him–first by dismissing him for not being good enough–yes, he was told that–then the indignity of giving his ring back, ripping the patch off his blazer and turning in his i.d.-and then no followup care is SO painful. We believed in this organization when we dropped him off, when we came down for his ring ceremony, and even the painful ride down to pick him up after dismissal. But, he was shown, No mercy, no grace and no afterthought on TMs part.

It seems that Dave Hasz reads these postings. Hopefully the Holy Spirit will speak to his heart about the pain inflicted on those ‘not good enough’ or the ‘cream of the crop’ And, no, Dave, I’m not slandering, I am telling the truth–and I shouldn’t have to be the one to reach out to you when I was promised by your staff that we would be contacted by you. BTW, I do pray for your wife and wish her complete healing. And I pray for you too.

God is working on my heart to completely forgive HA and TM. It has been quite a process of pain and spiritual growth. The Lord is also working on my son as he serves at our church and has gone on to college.October 30, 2009 11:09 PM

Recovering Alumni said…

I’m really sorry to hear this. I think it hurts even more when you are that invested.

Can someone explain to me what the blazer and patch is? I’m not familiar with that.

I’m glad he had a good family to go home to. I’ve heard stories where interns are dismissed with no place to go – even being dropped at an airport with no money and no ticket.October 30, 2009 11:13 PM

Anonymous said…

Part of their uniform is a blue blazer and they have to sew on the Honor
Academy patch–their ‘coat of arms’ to so speak. They wore the uniforms at formal events–so after dismissal, they have to give back their honor ring–since they don”t consider them honorable anymore, and can no longer wear the patch of HA, so it is ripped off their blazer and returned. This is further punishment on a dismissed and ‘disgraced’ intern…October 30, 2009 11:22 PM

Heath Stoner said…

I am so sorry your son was not followed up with. This is my responsibility to make sure it happens, and it did not. I will find out where in our system we had the problem, and do everything I can to make sure it does not happen again. I as a parent would be as upset as you are. I will call you early next week to discuss this with you if you will take my call. I am in contact with several interns that have been dismissed over the years and they know they are loved by us. I know your son probably does not feel that way, but I am going to do everything I can do to let him know that we do.

Heath Stoner
903.324.8052October 31, 2009 12:25 AM

Anonymous said…

Thank you, Heath, for your reply–it is appreciated and I look forward to your call.October 31, 2009 12:32 AM

Natalie said…

Gah!!! Great post!!!!


“After all, the Honor Academy never says that you lose your salvation if you are kicked out or that God looks down on you.”

I’m actually pretty sure that Dave does go so far as to say God would look down on you for breaking your commitment but can’t confirm it. I don’t think I ever heard the message that God loves us *anyways,* at the H.A. Dave doesn’t preach it.
Thanks R.A. for these post. There is so much… Truth/love in them. These are awesome, I think…November 22, 2010 7:53 AM

heartsfire said…

Yea sorry RA I remember that he said that God would deny me blessings in my future for not completing the program. I think that’s pretty much the equivalent of God looking down on me. That said I do think that such talk from him causes self fulfilling prophesy in many of us. I mean if a person that was billed as having an amazing relationship with God tells you that your relationship with God will suffer for not finishing so many people then see it happen because they think that Dave must be right!

To anyone out there feeling like this DAVE IS SO WRONG! You lost nothing from God by choosing to leave.November 22, 2010 10:06 AM

Recovering Alumni said…

You know what – you are right! I wrote this many, many months ago before I heard Dave say those things. I will correct the post right now.November 22, 2010 10:33 AM

Anonymous said…

One of the craziest things I heard at the cult was, “God knew what the Honor Academy was all about and you signed the commitment. God would want you to be a woman/man of honor and follow through on your commitments. God knew before you were here exactly what would be asked of you this year and HE would want you to honor your commitments, not break them.”

I must have heard those words a MILLION times while I was there from staff and interns. This is one of the biggest cult tools they use to manipulate interns. If you do not keep your commitment then you are a liar and the Bible is very clear about what happens to liars. This is one of the easiest tactics they use to control interns.November 22, 2010 1:26 PM

Lisa Kerr said…

“In the Honor Academy, you are taught to give absolute submission and obedience to your leaders there. You are told that the leadership are basically God’s representative to you. To disobey them is to disobey God. They actively promote the idea that you, as an intern, should submit to them in every way and take their judgments for you and about you as the words of God. Of course, they encourage you to pray and seek God on your own, but usually only when that conforms to the context they have laid out for you.”

Gosh this is so reminiscent of what I went through in Master’s Commission, it’s ridiculous. Thank for your speaking up and not being silent. It helps me so much to know I’m not alone and I’m not crazy.November 22, 2010 6:20 PM

Kimberly said…

Wow! Blind submission is so dangerous. Even the people during biblical times searched the scriptures to see if these things were so. They had the disciples who walked with Jesus leading them and they still challenged leadership. When I stand before Christ no one will be there but me so I have the right to challenge every word presented to me. I wish I caught that revelation when I was an intern (January Class of 2001).November 23, 2010 6:59 PM