(Moderator’s Note: Katie (yes, her real name!) recently sent me the letter that she sent to the Board of Directors. If you are just now joining us, the Board of Directors is looking into the allegations of spiritual abuse made on this blog. They are looking for former interns to tell their story so they can understand what is actually going on at the Honor Academy. To send in your story, please go here for the details.
Anyway, I am publishing her letter here, though I’ve taken the liberty to condense it by eliminating her comments addressing the board directly:)
I joined the Honor Academy in August 1998, directly after graduation from high school. I had offers of scholarships to different colleges, but I felt that God was calling me to Teen Mania. I wanted the opportunity to grow in my identity as a Christian and have a firm foundation in my faith before I attended college, and Teen Mania seemed to be a good place to do that. I figured at the time that it would be great to be surrounds by hundreds of other people my age that all wanted to serve the Lord. Going to college felt like something that would be for me, whereas a year at the internship would be for God, and could be devoted to ministry and service. I still feel like this is an important part of what Teen Mania represents and offers, and my hope is that it could become the environment of grace, learning and opportunity for service that I expected it to be.
I don’t think I was at all prepared for what life in the internship was actually like. I had been on a summer mission trip and attended Acquire the Fire, and I expected that my time in the internship would be basically a volunteer position working to maintain those ministries and continue to make them possible for other teens. I knew that I would also attend classes and chapel and have time to grow spiritually, while my work time would be committed to spreading the gospel. What I actually was got upon arrival was some kind of bizarre boot camp initiation into the Honor Academy.
The first week of the internship is called Gauntlet week, and we were woken up at 5:30 in the morning to do calisthenics and run a mile around the track. I don’t remember what all we did, but that first week involved a lot of outdoor ropes courses and other testing, after which we were placed in our job assignments. After the first week mandatory exercise increased until we were running three miles in the morning, in anticipation of climbing Pike’s Peak. Now, I’m not against exercise, but I was surprised by the emphasis on it, and the explicit correlation between pushing ourselves physically and our spiritual state. This was not some kind of balanced incorporation of physical fitness into our routine, this was the Gauntlet. Weakness was weakness, whether physical or spiritual, and you did not want to be weak at Teen Mania. Real believers pushed themselves, I mean billions of lives were at stake, you have to push past pain and ‘beat your body and make it your slave.’ Perhaps you can see how this laid the foundation for manipulation from the very beginning. Before you even know anyone you’re thrown into a situation where the immediate focus is on pushing your limits and proving yourself to the new organization, for which you just left friends and family, moved across the country, put off college, raised thousands of dollars to attend, and have committed a year of your life to.
2 comments:
Katie, it doesn’t seem like TM’s changed much since you were there. It’s actually unnerving to see that it’s pretty much the same…
Granted, once you get there, Hasz does promise, and I quote, “you will cry yourself to sleep at least once in the internship”, so there you go. More keeping-to-their-word.
February 23, 2010 12:54 PM
mom of ex-intern said…
” this was the Gauntlet. Weakness was weakness, whether physical or spiritual, and you did not want to be weak at Teen Mania. Real believers pushed themselves, I mean billions of lives were at stake, you have to push past pain and ‘beat your body and make it your slave.’ Perhaps you can see how this laid the foundation for manipulation from the very beginning. Before you even know anyone you’re thrown into a situation where the immediate focus is on pushing your limits and proving yourself to the new organization,”
They are still doing this to the interns…although they don’t go to Pike’s Peak anymore, due to some serious injuries, and now they go to Big Bend…My son suffered a serious injury to his quad (thigh muscle) due to overuse: according to his doctor–and was ordered by his doc to rest it for six weeks–my son was only worried about not being ready for the hike–I wasn’t–I don’t understand the ‘beating your body’ thing (I’m sure its because I’m a fat lazy unexcellent sinner).
But the part that also bothers me is Katie saying “I mean billions of lives are at stake”–they still put this pressure on the teens now. That is a huge burden to place on kids. Yes, I know that Jesus said ‘go ye therefore and make disciples’…and they need to ‘reach a lost and dying generation’, but the interns need to know that their bodies need rest too–even God rested. And yes, I did contact the HA leader of interns at the time of my concern and was told not to worry–my child would learn that he needed sleep and would eventually ‘figure it out’…Not so..when they are being pushed so hard and running on less than five hours of sleep…
February 23, 2010 1:03 PM