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 »
Glossary 9/15/2010 Recovering Alumni Glossary of Terms and Acronyms Alternate – Stands for “Alternate Exercise” for those who are too weak or injured for regular corporate exercise. Alternate participants are often considered lazy. AP – Accountability Partner ACA – In charge of their particular room (4-5 interns). Reports directly to CA. ATF – Acquire
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 »
Frequent commenter, dan, wrote this in the forum last week and I thought it was too good not to share. Dan is a former Marine and has a long history with Teen Mania including being both an intern and Project Director. His military experience coupled with his TM experience gives him valuable perspective on ESOAL:
A Marine’s Point of View 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 »
ESOAL 2010 starts next Wednesday. As we’ve discussed before, ESOAL is physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually unsafe. The list of injuries is long including staph infections (one that almost killed an intern and led to a month long quarantine), broken and dislocated bones, panic attacks, hypothermia, diabetic issues and more. Keep in mind that in some
So many good entries, thanks for all the laughs! Without further ado, drumroll please….. Honorable Mention: Anonymous “no cult here. we’re just a regular christian ministry who happens to wear army fatigues.” 3rd Place: Julie Dave, I found a wadded up dollar in your drawer. That’s a fail! 2nd place: Renae “Aaahh, I love the
Caption Contest Winner Read More »
There is no doubt that Teen Mania leadership is authoritarian and controlling. Even the fans will admit that, though they say it’s in service to a good cause. However, can top-down control ever really effect heart transformation? Can spiritual growth really come from a forced obedience to a set of external rules? Lately, I’ve been
Leadership and Authority Read More »
It’s Labor Day weekend, time for some fun! Write a caption for this photo. I’ll pick my favorite. Contest is open until midnight on Tuesday. The winner gets a copy of 12 Christian Beliefs That Can Drive You Crazy. 35 comments: Nunquam Honorablus said… “Betch, please.“ … that’s all I got :<September 3, 2010 7:38 PM
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 »
Continuing our series of lessons you will learn at the Honor Academy… #2 – Everything is your fault This not so subtle message applies to issues both big and small in daily life. – Car broke down and you were late? It’s your fault.– Flight delayed and your luggage was lost? It’s your fault.– Teen Mania didn’t
Honor Academy Lesson #2 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 »
The journey back from spiritual abuse inevitably involves doubt. We doubt ourselves, the church, and even God. Maybe, especially God. Its hard to know which way is up when everything you believed in and poured out your life for is called into question. If you were spiritually abused at Teen Mania, what does that mean
For all the talk of being fundamental, conservative and sticking to the Bible, its ironic that the Teen Mania Honor Academy “discipleship” program actually has no basis in New Testament Scripture. If we are going to call ourselves Christians, then you would think we would actually look like Christ. Since He is our Head, our Source, our
Where is Jesus in This? Read More »
Today’s post is inspired by The Onion. 8 comments: katydid said… -Intense therapy.-Diving into scripture and letting the grace of the Lord wash over me..-Connecting with others who were also damaged/hurt and realizing that you’re not alone–and healing. August 27, 2010 6:59 AM heartsfire said… -running from “Christianity” for 10+ years-recovering from eating disorder-trying to get
How Are We Spending Our Post HA Lives? Read More »
We’ve examined several of the most popular teachings at the Honor Academy as given by Ron Luce, David Hasz and Heath Stoner. But we all know that lectures aren’t the only way we learn. In fact, I’d say we primarily learn about God, ourselves and others through the way we are treated. Lectures may give
Honor Academy Lesson #1 Read More »
A friend recently sent me this excerpt from the book Captive Hearts, Captive Minds. I haven’t read the book, but this passage is outstanding. I hope this gives you the freedom to feel your feelings. The emergence of anger is one of the first signs of recovery. Anger is a normal and healthy reaction to the
Anger is Part of Recovery 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 »
My favorite thread on the forum has got to be the Teen Mania haikus (all 6 pages!). I’ve posted a quick sampling below. They are sure to put a smile on your face. Feel free to post your own in the comments. This generationWill be lost to God unlessWe do our push-ups. I found a
There are several really great blogs about that cover the topic of spiritual abuse. Pushing Jesus specifically focuses on recovering from spiritual abuse using the 11 steps. I found this post particularly helpful in recognizing the difference between God and the people who abuse in His name. I’ve reprinted it here, but the blog is worth a visit: Refer
As documented here, the Honor Academy teaches a theology of very strict submission to your authority. According to their teachings, even if you don’t agree with your authority figure’s decisions, you must submit to them and obey them because God has placed them in your life. To disobey your authority is to disobey God. What this
Absolute Submission to Your Authority (Unless They Disagree with Me) Read More »
I saw this comic over at the ASBO Jesus blog and immediately thought of Teen Mania. Does this reflect your intern experience or maybe your experience with Christianity in general? Why? Discuss! 7 comments: Recovering Alumni said… Wow, no comments yet? This comic really resonated with me. The beginning of the internship is full of hype and energy…but
Many interns have complained about Ron Luce’s sex teaching which includes the ideas that oral sex is wrong, lingerie is wrong and missionary position is the only correct way to have sex. (Yes, he is actually serious.) In the past, Dave Hasz has responded by saying that Ron is just giving his personal convictions, not
At some point, if we are going to call ourselves Christians, we are going to have to actually look and see if what we are saying and doing reflects Christ. Its funny how we have four books of the Bible that tell us all about Jesus and his disciples – and yet our methods of
Honor Academy’s Culture of Confrontation Read More »
2 quick notes and some good links for your Friday. 1) The spam filters on the forum are very aggressive. If it won’t let you in, send me an email and include the username you’d like and I will manually add you. 2) I think that I’ve now published all the stories that have been sent in.
Housekeeping + Link Roundup Read More »
