I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised anymore at Teen Mania’s evil deeds, and yet I find myself surprised almost weekly with new stories and revelations. This clip from ATF TV in 1999 is astonishing not only for its strange “Josiah Project” sketch, as discussed yesterday, but also because of Ron’s blatantly aggressive gay bashing. “Hi, […]
Ron Luce’s Anti-Gospel Teaching Read More »
This Acquire the Fire video is from the tour sometime between 1996-1998. Strangely, Teen Mania seems to be promoting a very harsh way of dealing with our non-Christian friends. The video skit in question starts at 6:15. The climax of the scene begins when the newly saved main character, Joe, starts getting rid of his
How to Treat Non-Christians: Part 2 Read More »
How should we treat our non-Christian friends? Should we advocate violence against anyone that offers us drugs or alcohol? Should we show our zeal for God by punching our friends in the face because they are not believers? Well, what if I preach that message to a crowd of thousands while accompanied by rock music
How to Treat Non-Christians: Part 1 Read More »
Dr. Robert Lifton studied thought reform (AKA brainwashing) and mind control during the Communist takeover in China back in the 1950s. His studies led him to write the seminal work Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. In the excellent book, The Heresy of Mind Control, Stephen Martin takes the 8 conditions necessary for any
8 Techniques for Thought Control, Pt. 1 Read More »
Teen Mania has told so many lies about ESOAL and the physical health and safey of interns, I thought it was worth summarizing. These lies are even more egregious because they come from a ministry that continually stresses integrity, honesty and “doing the right thing no matter what the cost.” I’ve limited the list to
Teen Mania’s Many Lies Read More »
The Honor Academy believes ESOAL will help interns reach the death and burial of their flesh, followed by a resurrection. They call this experience BAR. In this talk from the last year, Dave explains the reasons behind ESOAL to facilitators. (2021 Update: Video has since been taken down) @11:57 We want everyone at ESOAL to
The Theology of ESOAL Read More »
I’m not really sure why the Honor Academy thinks it is exempt from so many New Testament teachings. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:7 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? Romans 14:10
Exempt from Scripture? Read More »
Today, you get 2 quotes for the price of 1! “Pain is temporary while growth is permanent.” Pain is temporary – except when you ignore the temporary pain and it becomes a life-long injury! “Pain is weakness leaving your body” Really? I thought pain was the body’s warning system that something was wrong. Perhaps these
Dumb Quote of the Day #2 Read More »
Today’s dumb quote comes from Dave Hasz’s “Aura of a Statesman” teaching: I always think its very interesting when I see people come to church wearing shorts, wearing jeans, and tennishoes – because I think it dictates a certain amount of respect that they have for being in the house of God as well as
Dumb Quote of the Day #1 Read More »
When asked pointed questions (like during the conference call) Teen Mania leadership often obscures the truth with doubletalk. Instead of admitting what they’ve said and done – they often say the exact opposite of what we all know to be true. While they’d like to say that I’m the one taking them out of context,
Putting Things In Context Read More »
Somehow we’ve come to believe that leadership and excellence are key pillars of the Christian life. Yet Jesus own ministry violated many principles that we teach in the name of these ideals. Jesus chose blue collar workers without an education to be his friends and his representatives. His communication was often confusing. He didn’t play to the
How Leadership and Excellence Damage People Read More »
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about different aspects of the conference call. Today, let’s look at the “popular” HA teaching – Beat your body and make it your slave. MY QUESTION: @ 1:18:25 – Through the overuse and misapplication of “Beat your body and make it your slave,” interns are conditioned to believe
Conference Call: Beating Your Body Read More »
If you are drinking something, put it down right now, otherwise it may come out of your nose. An alumnus sent me the following document, “Ways a Teen Mania Woman Acts on Campus,” that was presented to all intern women during her year. My comments and questions are in italics. Curriculum for Practical Guidelines for
Honor Academy: Ways a Teen Mania Woman Acts on Campus Read More »
This thought is only partially developed, and its a little rough around the edges. Stick with me and maybe you can help me fully flesh it out in the comments. Firstly, actions speak louder than words. If you tell me that God is love when you are filled with hate – which lesson do you
Isn’t it ironic that Teen Mania will travel across the world to reach a tribal witchdoctor but befriending a local bartender is considered scandalous? Isn’t it ironic that TM teaches that the honorable, the statesman-like and the disciplined are blessed, but Jesus said that the broken, the hungry, and the poor in spirit are blessed?
At the Honor Academy, they talk a lot about the “fear of the Lord.” You are cautioned not to become too “chummy” or familiar with God – after all, He is the King of Kings, the God of the Universe and you need to show him the proper respect. Here is a recent comment to
The Place of Fear in the Christian Life Read More »
Even though there is no way we can top yesterday’s post (at least I hope not!) I thought we’d keep the theme going and look at another dumb thing the HA teaches about marriage. I can’t point to a particular audio recording, but I know I’ve heard this teaching multiple times (let me know if
More Bad Marriage Advice Read More »
This is the “Week of the Ring” at Teen Mania’s Honor Academy. The culmination of this week is a banquet where each intern will recieve an honor ring. According to wikipedia: Interns receive a ring to symbolize commitment to a lifelong pursuit of God. This ring is called the Honor Ring. The inscription on the
What Happens If You Preach a False Gospel? The gospel: distorted;God: deserted;the preacher: damned. (Gal. 1:6-9) by Justin Taylor This post caught my eye because I’ve definitely seen the first two happen… In truth, this thought actually makes me sick. I don’t want anybody damned. I really don’t. Dave Hasz and Ron Luce, please quit
The Ramifications of a False Gospel Read More »
(2021 Update: The videos embedded in this post have since been taken down. If anyone happens to have the training videos described here, please email recoveringalumni@recoveringalumni.blog) So, what did the Honor Council decide in our mock case? In the training videos linked below, you can see their deliberation process. (Thanks to my readers for sending
Honor Council, pt. 2 Read More »
This Ethics and Leadership class gives a great glimpse of the true nature of the Honor Academy. You will see just how the interns are primed to accept the absolute control of the HA leadership. The main thrust of this video is Dave’s teaching on the nature authority and submission. Especially the “common problem a
Submission to Authority, pt 1 Read More »
Here is an excerpt from the Ethics & Leadership class Dave Hasz taught during the campus preview weekend. (Video has since been taken down) @24:10 – If you are in leadership, you need to recognize who gave you the authority to be in leadership. And who is that? God. And what could he do? (Unintelligible)
Old Covenant or New? Read More »
Dave Hasz says “There is no shame in being tired, but there is great shame in falling asleep in class.” Last time I checked, the only person who uses shame as a tool is the devil. Jesus came to set us free from shame. Falling asleep in class isn’t even a sin! No wonder interns
In this video, David Hasz tells the interns that in order to be a leader, you have to pass a test called the “integrity check.” One of these tests is making restitution. If you have stolen something, you must make restitution with the owner. That sounds like a good idea to me. But then he
More Gross Distortions of the Gospel Read More »
In this talk, Dave Hasz spends the first 15 minutes counseling interns to be like the Bereans by studying the Word to find out if what he is teaching is truth. He encourages them to be critical thinkers instead of just trusting whatever he says with regards to theology. He also takes the time to
Freedom to Disagree or Just a Smokescreen? Read More »
