There is a current graduate intern who has commented on the blog recently and in reading his Twitter account and blog, he seems like a really genuinely nice guy who loves the Lord. Unfortunately, he has been sucked deep into the bowels of Teen Mania’s Honor Academy and it honestly breaks my heart to read […]
Inside the Mind of an Intern Read More »
If you purposely choose to practice self-denial by taking cold showers, limiting sugar, etc – is it really self-denial? Or put another way… Can self-denial practiced for the sake of self-denial really be considered self-denial? 17 comments: w said… RA–good question–esp. in light of the Lenten season where certain organized religions abstain from various things..When you ask
Question for the Day 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 »
Mind control is not just the domain of far-out cult leaders like David Koresh or Jim Jones. It is not magical or mystical and it is not always obvious at first glance. It is a real and psychologically demonstrable and it happens routinely at Teen Mania’s Honor Academy. Mind control and brainwashing are very serious
The Truth About Mind Control: Part 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 »
The article below, found here, discusses an individual’s experience in the aftermath of leaving a cult. Though I do not consider the Honor Academy a full blown cult, (updated June 2011 – I do now!) I think that many of these characteristics apply to interns as well. I reprint it here in its entirety: After
Life in the Aftermath of Teen Mania Read More »
I’m slowly going through the book, The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I hope the author won’t mind me excerpting a page here that really speaks to the idea that sometimes things are not always as they appear. I know many people, myself included, wonder how something that looks
Things Are Not Always What They Seem Read More »
In response to my posts this week critiquing Dave Hasz’s leadership and Ron Luce’s teaching, Teen Mania decided to take down all their videos. That seems like a really odd response to me. If Teen Mania stands behind their teachings and has nothing to hide, why did they take down the videos? They had several options: 1) They
Why Are the Videos Gone? Read More »
There are some folks out there who would like to claim that this blog is slanderous. I take that claim seriously and would like to examine it here. The definition of slander is “a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.” If you disagree with me, you might interpret this blog has spiteful, vicious or
Does Criticism = Slander? Read More »
One of the greatest objections to this blog is that I am not following the Bible’s prescription for confrontation as laid out in Matthew 18:5. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone…” To address this important issue, I’d like to quote an extended passage from
The Myth of Matthew 18 Confrontation Read More »
Humiliation and shaming are two of the most popular tools for “growth” at the Honor Academy. In his talk “Aura of a Statesmen” (available on iTunes) Dave Hasz recounts this story. I’ve never used the word F-A-R-T in front of my wife or my daughter. Ladies, I don’t ever want to hear that word come
Humiliation at the Honor Academy Read More »
Seriously, those of you who know – what is this? (2021 Update: Video has since been taken down. The comments below explain that this is from the Unreached People Group Life Transforming Event [UPG LTE]. The YouTube user who originally uploaded this video has other videos of other interns who attended the HA some time between
As I’ve mentioned here before, I like to believe that Dave Hasz and the rest of the Honor Academy staff have good intentions. Unfortunately, their sincerity does not negate the damage they have done. The book Soul Repair has this to say about spiritual abusers: Spiritual abusers usually are not conscious of what they
Grace for Spiritual Abusers Read More »
Spiritual abuse can happen in a variety of ways, but I’d like to highlight a great description of what I think is the most common way it occurs at Teen Mania’s Honor Academy. I’m returning to the excellent book, Soul Repair, that gives this description of how spiritual abuse happens: For some of us, our
How Spiritual Abuse Happens Read More »
Spiritual abuse can occur in many contexts and in many ways but the same threads run through it all. In the first chapter of the book, Soul Repair, spiritual abuse is described this way: Whenever we give others the message that their relationship with God depends on something other than God’s love and grace –
Elements of Spiritual Abuse Read More »
Some of you might be wondering if I am over-reacting in my diagnosis of what is wrong with the Honor Academy. Sure, no ministry is perfect – so am I just being overly critical? In his book, Recovering from Churches that Abuse, Ronald Enroth tells you how to recognize if you have been spiritually
Is it Really Spiritual Abuse? Read More »
If you need help leaving the Honor Academy, please get in contact with me. It doesn’t matter if you are quitting or being dismissed. If you need a place to stay, someone to pick you up, or just a couch to crash on for the weekend while you think things through – I have sympathetic
Leaving the Honor Academy Read More »
I recently came across this great interview with Jeff VanVonderen, author of “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” Towards the end of the interview, he discusses the recovery process. I’ve found this example to be very true in my life. This especially applies to those who have experienced rejection or disapproval from the HA staff
Why Recovery is So Hard Read More »
We did this new L.T.E. (Life Transforming Event) called “World Awareness.” They didn’t tell us what was going on and it wasn’t optional. It was said to be called “The Movie LTE” we were going to watch movies about persecution and talk about it. We went in for our first movie then all the
Erin’s Story, Part 2 Read More »
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
Dangerous Leadership Read More »
This quote has really been a blessing to me this week: (2021 Update: link now points to Wayback Machine) Sanctification is never advanced by self-focused grief or guilt. It is energized by joy and driven by love. This is the distinction that gospelized sanctification emphasizes. Only a remembrance of the gospel will free us from our
An anonymous commenter recently asked: Does the Honor Academy give the impression that in order to grow closer to God, one must suffer physically? I would answer emphatically, YES. But it goes far beyond just the forced exercise. In fact, by using this philosophy, the leadership at the Honor Academy had discovered what is possibly
Possibly the Best Control Technique Ever Devised Read More »
Here’s another excerpt from my correspondence with Erin (not her real name). I think the disconnect between the atmosphere people think they promote, and what is actually experienced by the people not in authority, is fascinating. It’s as though they lack the imagination to follow their ideas and teaching through to the logical conclusion. I
