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So This is Christmas... and What Have We Done?

December 20, 2012, 10:20 am
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(disclaimer: I'm not endorsing the United Methodist church--I just think this is a good message.)

Christmas is complicated. At least, that's my experience, but I would guess it's a hard time of year for others in the community as well. In my case, the holidays stir up a deep loneliness and longing for family. Some years it applies pressure about giving the perfect gift, and other years stress results from not knowing what I'll do on Christmas. Maybe I'll stay home alone with my cat. Maybe I'll find a place to volunteer my time for others. Maybe I'll ask a friend if I can join their Christmas traditions.

In the past, Christmas meant family drama. It meant being a child and unable to control the violence or pain around me. It meant apprehension about the return to school after winter break, because I knew my friends would ask questions about what I did and the presents I received, and I would feel judged. If I'm honest, I actually have very few happy childhood memories involving any holiday, but it's especially true about Christmas.

Despite my age or social/familial situation, Christmas has frequently inspired guilt. The holiday was supposed to be about peace, goodwill and Love, yet I would think about myself and feel envious of friends. I felt intense guilt as a little girl for the gifts given to me by my mother and grandma, because I knew they had to scrimp and save to give them to me. And coming from somewhat of a Messianic Jewish background, I carried guilt about Christmas being a secular holiday and not the actual day or season of Christ's birth.

The truth is that I carry a lot of Christmas baggage. But I am slowly unpacking those issues and creating my own traditions and finding a bit of joy and different outlets to direct my Love.

How about you? Is Christmas Cheer a reality in your life? Or does it weight you down with pressure, excessive spending, too many calories, or arguments with extended family? Does it raise unpleasant memories or confuse you about religion or faith? I think that for most people, Christmas is at least somewhat of a mixed bag. It carries great cultural and spiritual meaning, so it can be difficult to overcome expectations and experience joy of the season.

To be completely honest, I believe that the point of Christmas has been lost in many if not most homes. Regardless of your religious conviction, Christmas is supposed to be about Love. And Love does not equal presents. Love does not equal food. Love does not equal expectations.

This is the time of year to pull together and Love someone. The crazy Aunt who makes you gawdy reindeer sweaters. The nosy grandmother who asks what's wrong with you and when you're going to settle down. The parents who just refuse to treat you like an adult. Yes, Christmas is the time to love the difficult people in our lives, while clinging tightly to the ones who are there for us, who are so unbelievably easy to love.

So if you're feeling a little bit overwhelmed this season, take heart and remember that Love is the operative word here. Maybe you can start some new traditions that take some stress off of the whole family.

One of my personal Christmas traditions is watching Christmas or holiday films, like Elf, and the Snowman (above).

In the comments below, feel free to share your thoughts about Christmas--your struggles, your fond memories and traditions, your suggestions for others... anything you want. I'll follow up with you all by making another post on Christmas day. I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts!

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Creating a Culture of Killing

January 8, 2013, 7:41 am
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Last month on the Honor Academy Director's Blog, Ron Luce wrote a post called What's the Real Cost of a Video Game? In it, Ron made a correlation between violent video games (aka worldly culture) and the Newtown Massacre:
If we know nothing else about this 20 year old gunman, fresh out of his teens, we know for sure that he’s been submerged in a culture of violence from a very young age. We know that, in addition to suspected social disorders, he played violent video games. 
I am by no means surprised that TM would sponsor such a view. Fellow alumni from my year (2000-2001) likely recall the many rules and guidelines revolving our conduct and entertainment options. The first X-Men film was new at that time and consequently banned from being played in the student union. We were inspired to "live honorably" by watching an edited copy of Braveheart. Gladiator was mentioned as another honor-inspiring film, but Dave Hasz wouldn't show it because he didn't have an edited tape.

It's all contradictory. On one hand, Teen Mania men are called to be MEN, not "pansies" or "wimps". Interns are called to non-violence and peace, yet spurred to honor by watching war movies. Much of the marketing to teens revolves around being elite and chosen warriors who sound a battlecry against the destructive culture of our world. Interns are forced to endure name calling and military-style drills during Gauntlet. Pretty sure all of us know someone who was a bit traumatized or injured by being shot at with paintball guns on too high settings and no protective gear. Many of us can recall the fear and panic in our hearts during some of the retreats and being sent to "jails" with facilitators who enjoyed their roles a bit too severely.

What is that culture called? I cannot call that Love.

In reality, the culture of Teen Mania is anything but non-violent. It pushes and manipulates and essentially brutalizes beautiful souls into either becoming spiritual abusers, or remaining oppressed in spiritual abuse. You can't complain. You can't question what's happening because you're there to PROVE how much you want to be there. How WORTHY you are for the kingdom.

But such is not the kingdom of heaven. It's a culture of killing.

Personally, for me, I find a narrowness and rigidity in a viewpoint that equates the world with Satan. Or violent entertainment with murder. It ignores the complexities of cause and effect. Of free will and mental illness. Even the possibility of evil in the world, and the responsibility of the church to Love rejected people within it.With this view, we quickly blame "the world" or "secular culture" for every bad thing.

From what I've seen in The Bible, Jesus never said that. He didn't heal people caught up in bondage or destruction and say, "oh it's the secular culture". It's not as if that culture was less violent than ours! Yet, Jesus admonished the religious culture--their hypocrisy, their evil, their failure to help those in need, their greed. Jesus accused the religious culture of essentially crushing spirits of people and stomping out their faith--and that's exactly what Teen Mania has done to so many inside the RA community.

When religious culture turns the world into "the big bad", the end result is an Us vs. Them mentality. This is seen constantly in TM and the HA, even though people constantly say it's NOT what's happening. Well, I suppose it's a very subconscious thing, but it needs to be rooted out of any supposedly good ministry because it only breeds division.

If Teen Mania is serious about putting an end to violent culture, I urge them to stop the violence among themselves. They must let go of the idea that anyone is any more chosen or called than another. The real Gospel message is that God is Love, He expressed that Love as Jesus, and Jesus died for all. That's all-inclusive with no walls or fences. There are no weaklings, no pansies who couldn't cut it. God chooses all and there's no less Love for those who play violent video games, who smoke or who swear.

RA community, what are your thoughts on this? Whether or not you are still in "the church", do you agree with the hypocrisy and destruction I've mentioned here? Do you have anything to add about tying popular culture to tragedy? I eagerly await your thoughts.
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Sabrina's Story

January 21, 2013, 7:32 pm
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I write because its 2013, and I'm still pretty torn up.

I went on a mission trip with GE in 2011.

But who knew one month of my life could hurt me so much?!

Right when I think I'm over it, I can see and feel everything all over again. Its like time picks at scabs and makes them bleed again.

I used to be SO ON FIRE for the message of Christ. I wanted nothing more than to be His hands and feet. I want to BE like Jesus before talking about Him. I was so ready to just spread His LOVE. (The real kind of Love, not Teen Mania Love.) I still am, in a way...

But I am scared now.

I am scared because now, whenever I find mission organizations, I freeze up. I become suspicious. And I automatically shy away the moment I hear ANYTHING concerning "checklists." SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS require "training" in prayer and healing. Whether or not they are up to the standards of Teen Mania is beyond me, but I see TM EVERYWHERE. I see traces of it in almost every ministry and the moment I see any similarity, I freak out. I get angry, I cry, I become anxious and can't feel any peace. There are no words to describe how fearful TM made me.

For instance: The other day, I thought I saw my Project Director. My heart sped up and I almost had a panic attack. I am not kidding you. My breath quickened and I got dizzy. I HID.

And I KNEW it wasn't him! Yet him LOOKING like him was enough! He looked like the man who had no grace for me whatsoever. He looked like the man mocked Hindus to their faces. He looked like the man who, for one month, almost made me believe every single sexist lie TM teaches.

Oh those lies!

I came home, and for months all I could do was sit in a hot shower and BEG God to turn me into a boy. I had begun to believe that there was no way I could be this "perfect, Proverbs 31 woman." I had begun to believe that I had to be silent, and beautiful, and submissive, and that there was no way I could POSSIBLY be a pastor because I was born without skin hanging between my legs.

I swore to myself that I would rather cut off my breasts than be the image TM taught.
And that scares me.

Scarier still....

Even when TM found out I was hurt, you know what happened?
They called me.
And they said, "Sorry for your experience."
That's it.
Then you know what happened?
They DEFENDED all the crap that happened on my trip.
And here I am, scared out of mind, terrified of this person over the PHONE, sobbing my eyes out.
I told someone who I thought was a "friend."
And she said I was deceived and speaking the lies of Satan.
Both people offered to pray it out of me.
And all I did was CRY.
And cry.
And ask myself what I did wrong.


I had NIGHTMARES for MONTHS.
And you know what?
I was a Jerk when I came back. I was legalistic beyond belief. My family was concerned. And I beat myself up over everything.
I still beat myself up.
Because somewhere, deep down, I still believe that everything was my fault.
That maybe I didn't "have enough faith."
That maybe I really was "deceived."

How can one month screw you over so badly?
How can it keep you from going to church?!
How can it strip you of all your conviction for ministry?!
How can it take your fire away?!
How can it keep you from trusting people!

And the truth is, a year and a half later, I am still scared to speak out.

I am still terrified.

And I am still hurt.

(Note from RA: This individual asked me to remove the indentifying details and specifics of her story because she does not want to be contacted by TM again. Suffice it to say that her experience is a common one on both GE mission trips and the HA internship: abusive physical conditions, inadequate rest and medical care, oppressive legalism and the lesson that everything bad that ever happens to you is your fault.)
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If You're Working in "The World", You're Doing it Wrong.

February 12, 2013, 12:01 pm
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HA Alumni I-20 plan - Working in the Secular Work Place


Note: This is a response to a video made by an intern and aimed at interns, about how to work as a Christian in a non-Christian job. I'm hoping that those in our community who are not Christians will also contribute to this discussion, as I know there'll be great points made.

Above is a YouTube video for Honor Academy interns, offering advice about working in a secular environment. While I don't doubt the creator's good intentions, my feeling says this video is just one of the many demonstrations that something is broken within Teen Mania Ministries. This is the idea of "love" that infiltrates the internship. These are the ideals that so many teens and young adults who emerge from Garden Valley try to emulate.

I encourage everyone to watch the video and discuss in the comments section. I cannot even begin to list my problems with this video. The division, the elitism, the small mindedness that such a message breeds is so frustrating to see. So this is a wide topic with lots of different points to mention, but I'd like to focus on the idea that working in a secular environment calls for any special preparation or consideration. Frankly, I don't believe it does. I would say that if a Christian has to plan how to behave in a non-Christian environment, they are operating under the oppression of The Law.

Definition--as opposed to separation--between Christianity and the world is a commonly discussed issue among Christians. The Honor Academy strives to create leaders who are set apart from the world. Possibly the most oft-quoted verse about the world is found in Romans:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:2 (NASB)
In fact, "the world" is referred to repeatedly throughout the New Testament and ascribed to both Jesus and His disciples:

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. -John 17:14-16 (NASB)
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. -1 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NASB)

What does it mean to be of the world? That might be a good question for Christians to ask before anyone begins discussing how it is that they should live in it. Everything I experienced at the Honor Academy tells me that leadership is afraid that the interns might be seen as worldly. And they pass on that fear to each new crop of interns. My personal conviction is that this is a symptom of hysteria, not the fruit of Love. 

The world is physical and temporal. Things within it waste away. If we talk about not being of the world, I'm inclined to think we're talking about the idea that we are spiritual beings. Not focused on the material or tangible offerings of life, though we may most certainly still enjoy them. Every one of us will one day die, so it only makes sense that we would want to pursue things like Love, peace, and justice. That we'd care more about our relationships than money or possessions. 

I don't believe the world refers to Christians versus everyone else, but teachings within the Honor Academy precisely say that. At Teen Mania, it's easy to distinguish whether or not someone is of the world or of God. Godly people do not drink alcohol, swear, watch R-rated movies, make sexual jokes, or do drugs etc. Godly people "do and don't" to avoid the appearance of evil. It speaks little of a person's heart, let alone Love.  

If a Christian goes into their workplace with the desire to "save people", they're missing the point of the Gospel message. I have a huge concern when the video focuses on learning how to listen to people and talk about "random" things... because not only is that called being human, but the implication is that decent, kind and respectful behavior has a motive: to win souls for Christ. As the video goes on, it's clear. That's what the point of learning how to work in a secular environment is all about. And that is hardly Love. 

It's commonly said that Jesus had a reputation among the religious folks of His day for hanging out with immoral people. Most Christians hear the stories about Jesus eating with drunks, prostitutes, money collectors, etc. Supposed people of the world. Pharisees and Sadducees basically accused Christ of being of the world or of Satan, due to the people who surrounded Him and the things He did or did not do which didn't line up with The Law.

But this is where Jesus began to teach that there is a spirit of The Law, a spirit of the world, and a spirit of God. You might say his response was all about getting to the heart of a matter and acknowledging that only God can judge a person's motives. Jesus' followers asked Him point-blank what the most important commandment was and He could have said anything. He could have said ALL the commandments were equal. He could have said that being like the world is the worst thing ever and the disciples should never, ever be like the world. But instead, Jesus elevated Love--to love God and love others (loving others was actually a new one) as the most important of all the commandments. Hundreds and hundreds of commandments mind you.

I'm pretty sure that if Teen Mania would have also prioritized Love, we wouldn't be here talking about healing from abuse. We wouldn't be talking about how to work in a secular environment. Interns wouldn't have a list of rules to follow and accountability cards to prove they lived for God that week. Global Expeditions missions trips would put on work gloves--not dramas--and they wouldn't be concerned with how many people they could get to say the Sinner's Prayer. 

At Teen Mania, and unfortunately throughout the Christendom, there is this idea that everything we touch must be sanitized then Christianized. There are Christian bands, Christian movies, Christian clothing, Christian board games, Christian novels... all sorts of inanimate objects somehow become Christian everyday. Yet those outside of the church are supposed to believe that Christianity is really about a relationship with God. That Christian culture is not trying to shove their beliefs down anyone's throat. See the disconnect? Seriously, the advice in this video encourages a very plastic and highly sanitized way of life that Jesus never taught. 

As a Christian, if you are talking about working in the the world--trust me--you're doing it wrong. You've forgotten that all Christians live in the world and all are called to be lights unto it. Let me be so bold as to say that the light Christians ought to shine is Love and Love alone. 

What do you guys think? There's a lot being said in this video that I think is worth discussion, that at some point probably affected us all in some way.

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Lindsay's Story

February 18, 2013, 2:45 am
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Ever since I saw the Mind of Mania broadcast and found this blog, I’ve considered posting, but never did until now. I suppose it is because I am embarrassed to say I ever had anything to do with Teen Mania or even worse, that I recommended it to others. I was horrified by what I saw on the broadcast and by the stories I read here. I always felt there was something off about the Honor Academy, but really knew what went on there. I will never again participate in anything TM and will try to warn others about getting involved with them.

I first heard about TM from my husband, who was an experienced TL with them. We both felt called to full time missions (before we ever heard about TM) and thought that TM would be a good way to be involved in missions while still in college. My first trip was to El Salvador Z, 1999 as a TL. My second was trip C that was supposed to be church planting in Nepal but was changed to Thailand in 2001. As a Team Leader I had a lot more control over our trip than MA’s or missionaries. I think that kept the trips from being as terrible as some other people have shared.

Even still, I had a few issues with them that I now realized I should have taken more seriously. To me the big issues with Global Expeditions were lack of sleep, over rigidity and emphasis on rule keeping, and not enough experience &/or maturity in leaders. However, the biggest problem that I found with Teen Mania was poor doctrine/Theology. To this day Teen Mania is an example to me of just how bad things can get when your theology is not sound. During training I heard some lectures that I didn’t completely agree with. I heard one on naming and claiming that actually made me pretty mad. Still, I chalked it all up to be an interdenominational group and let it slide. I should have paid more attention. What seems like a small thing, like an unbalance view of works vs. grace, can turn a group from the heart of the gospel, which is love, forgiveness and restoration to being all about rule keeping, image maintaining, and being better than everyone else. Also the belief that if you just have enough faith you will be healed, lead to medical negligence of the part of the leadership. For example, on one trip when my husband was still an MA, he had a fever, bad cough and was delirious. It got so bad that when he would attempt to speak he couldn’t say anything that made any sense. Despite being that sick he was not taken immediately do a doctor. It wasn’t until a change in the Project Directors, weeks later, that he was taken to the doctor and told that he had a bad case of bronchitis and may have had pneumonia previously. This is just one instance where medical issues were sort of dismissed and doctors were not consulted or ever recommended. There is much more than can be said about this, but I think you get the picture.

I have walked away from this experience with a firm conviction that it really is important to hold up all teaching to the light of scripture, to be willing to question all teaching, and the value in studying what you believe and why you believe it. My husband and I seek out the truth and aren’t afraid of where we find it. As a partial reaction to the teaching of Teen Mania and teachings he heard in other contexts, my husband now has PhD in New Testament. He actually wrote a book about wealth from the teachings of Paul and Jesus (let’s just say it is very different from Teen Mania’s teaching on wealth). In our search for truth we never lost our faith, but rather were strengthened in it. It is possible to really study and think and debate what you believe and still be a dedicated Christian. Our Christian walk doesn’t look much like Teen Mania’s idea of the model Christian. Thankfully we never experienced the depth of destruction that many of you faced in the HA and were still able to maintain our love for missions (we are now full time missionaries in Japan). I understand that this is not true for everyone here and I am so very sorry for those of that you had such destructive experiences. Finally, I wanted to give a heartfelt apology. If any of you were on any of my teams, please forgive me if I was too forceful in my convictions, for letting my culture shock influence my speaking, for not standing up for the truth and for any other unintentional (but no less legitimate) hurts I might have inflicted. It was never my intent to harm you in any way. I did care about each of you. I was young and inexperience and to some degree influenced by Teen Mania myself. Still I will take responsibility for my actions and say I really am sorry. If there is anything I can do, if there is something you need to say to me, I am willing to listen and do anything I can to help (whether you were on one of my teams of not). I pray that God will bring healing and hope to all of you.

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Filmspiration: Paradise Recovered

February 24, 2013, 6:24 pm
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“There has to be a better way to love God and feel free.”
-Esther, Paradise Recovered

Paradise Recovered is an independent film that follows a fundamentalist believer’s journey to freedom. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is at the heart of story, though here it is a church that has robbed our victim and left her for dead through spiritual abuse. The film so deeply resonates with me and reminds me of the blind faith I once held for Teen Mania and the legalism involved both with the internship and my time as a Messianic Jew.  

Anyone who’s been through what we have with The Honor Academy and Global Expeditions will find something of their voice in this film. I’m sure of it. I am a firm believer in the healing power of art. There is just something about the act of creation that taps into a hidden consciousness. Art is fundamental because it allows us to assign a more tangible form to our indescribable emotions—good or bad. Enjoying art created by others is a natural extension of that healing.

Previously I've mentioned how I spent a decade—practically all of my twenties—in confusion and terror of losing my salvation, like an ocean wave constantly crashing back and forth from The World on one side and The Law on the other. That sort of tempestuousness left me with a battered soul. Paradise Recovered ably captures that internal storm, and I admit it reminds me that my healing is still not complete.  

Much like the film’s protagonist, Esther, I am challenging my former prohibitions. Yes, I test the waters and engage in things I used to believe (or have been told) are wrong. Not to be rebellious or get away with as much as possible, but to work out the meaning of my faith. I do things now to better understand what my faith looks like in action, and more fully explore Love to enjoy my freedom.

My freedom. Currently, freedom for me includes: using profanity and saying OMG. Drinking alcohol. Practicing yoga. Learning about Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. Getting acupuncture. Studying open theism. Attending the church of a previously blacklisted pastor. Allowing myself to hear and make sexual jokes. Reading books with liberal views on sex and the Bible. Dating people who would have been off-limits in the past. I frequently wear "low-cut" shirts and allow myself to   

Perhaps I’ll take a cue from Esther’s story and go skinny-dipping soon. I don’t know—the point is that my future is open. I’m no longer willing to let other people tell me what to think and how to live. My faith is strong enough to stand up to questions and my own search for freedom. Again, Love is louder.

What strikes me most about Paradise Recovered is the way in which a non-believer helps guide a Christian into freedom. I’m actually kind of jealous of these fictional characters. I think about how amazing it would have been to have not been alone for so long with my own recovery. To have had a friend who would help guide me to live so freely. I then consider the parable of The Good Samaritan and I ponder the roles that I have played, as well as my future part.

Who do we want to be in the story? I’m not talking labels of religious beliefs. I’m talking about action and Love. Each person who has suffered abuse under the guise of godliness—well, at some point all are battered and left for dead on the road. All need healing and freedom, just like TM survivors. Will you stop for them? Will you inconvenience yourself to help set another person free?

Many offer help to the wounded, but do so with an agenda. They may seek to win a soul for the kingdom. They may confront a person with guilt or obligation and coercion. They may point out sin and faults, calling it love. Yet God’s Love, pure Love is all about freedom. Free will. Free choice. Non-violence. Real Love allows for questions, discussion and doubt. True Love does not seek to connive or convince and obtain a certain result beyond the act of loving.

Paradise Recovered demonstrates God’s Love as something not limited to those who call themselves Christian. Love is not owned by those who uphold the Teen Mania standard. The Honor Academy leadership is not full of experts in the art of loving. For cult survivors, that is a huge realization. Being able to see goodness and Love in the secular world is a significant step to freedom.

My hope is that it is a part of your freedom as well.

For more information on Paradise Recovered, check out their website.
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David Hasz Hired by Bethany College of Missions

March 20, 2013, 11:12 am
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After leaving Teen Mania last year, David Hasz went to work at a company in the Houston area that was staffed by many Honor Academy alumni. Now, he has moved on to another "ministry" job. After serving on their Board for several years, he has been hired by Bethany International - the group that collaborated with Teen Mania for the now defunct "Honor Academy North" campus. Unfortunately, Bethany has not learned from his disastrous tenure at the Honor Academy and I can only hope that we won't be seeing similar stories from Bethany College of Missions students in the coming years.

Here is their official annoucement:

Introduction to David Hasz

Beginning March 18th, David Hasz will join Bethany as our Vice President of Leadership Development and Discipleship. His primary responsibility will be to engage the whole Bethany team in the discipleship journey of students and interns to truly know the love of God as His children, grow in intimacy with Jesus, and discover their gifts and calling as they prepare to join God in His global mission to reach the lost wherever they may be found. For nearly seven years David has served on Bethany’s Board, bringing tremendous insight, vision, enthusiasm and support.
David is married to Beth and they have four children. He served for 17 years with Teen Mania providing leadership for the Honor Academy and more recently as Executive Vice President. We are thrilled that the Lord has led Dave and his family to us.
 
 
 
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Youth Without Youth

March 25, 2013, 12:09 pm
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"Hangman we played double dutch with a hand grenade
Behind the church, hiding place. Apathetic to the devil's
Face. Wear the sheriff's badge put your toys away
They let us go saying let us pray!"

Time passes at an individual pace but offers us--the individuals--absolutely no negotiation. We do not get a say, nor can we decide how much or how little time we might take to recover from our wounds. Sure, we may have the ability to try to take on a more positive outlook. We may make choices to support our healing process through therapy or taking a stronger interest in our personal needs, but we ultimately live with bound hands at the mercy of an invisible force. Waiting for the day when our triggers fade into some tolerable distance. Hoping to smile once again without that nagging pressure poking at our souls and telling us something isn't right. Or calling us damaged goods. We live with the hope that one day, other people won't notice something is off about us, or that people will quit accusing us of being bitter, negative and slanderous.

We long for the day when we will quit hearing: "Let it go. Forget about it and move on."

This is the nature of the beast. Spiritual abuse leaves a visible mark on the psyche, on the soul, and it is damned near impossible to explain this to someone who is unable or unwilling to hear it. Three years ago, Mica posted about the aftermath of spiritual abuse and post-cult trauma. Less than two years ago, I read her words and finally realized that Yes, Teen Mania Is A Cult.
In 2005, around the height of alumni Xanga usage, I began a blog ring called "No, Teen Mania is Not a Cult."
Since then, I've shared much of my personal story on the blog--my failures, experience with depression and small recovery wins. I've shared my hope and vision for healing in the RA community, along with my belief that Love is the point and Love is stronger than any of the crap cards we've been dealt. I've written a bit about my recovery. It seems to be an appropriate time, with the news that former Honor Academy director Dave Hasz has accepted a position in my neck of the woods, to talk about recovery once again.

The hard truth is that at least a pretty big chunk of recovery from spiritual abuse sucks. There's no way around it. Sometimes it just seems that I'm constantly taking two baby steps forward and eight giant leaps back. My age--being 30--is constantly at the front of my mind while wasting my 20s--or having been stunted at 18 and 19--is constantly at the back of it.

Sometimes (read most days), I look at all the work ahead of me for the day and I cry. No, I literally cry. I get so overwhelmed with the fact that there are nowhere near enough hours in the day to go to work, nurture relationships, get my basic chores done, get my blogs written, work on my book, exercise, do what I want to do, and eat or sleep. It's impossible and I think to myself that something has got to give because a life lived in frustration really is not living. Or maybe not worth living? I never make up my mind, but I think about it for a few hours and stress myself out some more. Or attempt to ignore the deadlines hanging above my shoulders and pretend that I think everything is fine.

Then I look at my life and see so many improvements. In a sense I know I'm a million years ahead of where I was even one year ago. But I don't know if that's good enough. I still want to talk about spiritual abuse everyday. I think about the fact that I have friends who are parents and I just don't believe I will have my own children and I wonder if that's alright. Or more like, will I ever actually grow up and quit feeling (as well as behaving) like a child?

The truth about my healing is that I spent my 20s with my brain steeped in religious, abusive Teen Mania jargon. To the point where I was unable to sail my own ship. I allowed guilt, obligation and fear dictate my life until I was so far away from myself that I didn't know how I would make a return. The good news is that I did return. But I know... I had to sort of pick up where I left off. In my own way I had to make up for lost time.

I touched upon this in my Filmspiration post. Regularly now, I test the boundaries of my freedom in pursuit of joy. What I didn't add was that I'm a full decade (at least) behind most of my peers. Emotionally, mentally, financially, perhaps even spiritually... I am very childish. "Child-like heart" has come up several times in my friendships and relationships--and not always in a positive way. But frankly at this point I'm resigned to this idea that I need to be a child for at least a little longer. Though I suspect I may always live with one foot in the clouds of Never Never Land.

At this point, I believe this is a natural response. When I was 18 I had very adult responsibilities for a ministry that was saving the world. Minus the paycheck and affirmation of a job well-done. I was gritting my teeth to get through the physical challenges and pain.. not to mention the terror of Gauntlet and various other retreats. In beating my body and making it my slave, I learned to disassociate my mind from my body so effectively that I am still struggling to quit living inside my head. My personal soundtrack--though immensely improved since beginning therapy--still upon occasion plays from Dave or Ron's Greatest Hits: "You can sleep when you're dead. Embrace adversity. God hates liars and those who break their commitments. This is okay sexually when you're married and this is NEVER okay even when you are married..." And I still have nightmares where I'm being confronted for doing something wrong but no one believes me that I didn't do it. Or I get hit with "fight or flight" terrors when I go to church or have to speak to new people. I had flashbacks to the internship and panic attacks when I read The Hunger Games trilogy.  

Everything that happened in the red dirt of Texas still affects me to this day. Though I wish it didn't. And I wish it didn't affect you, though I know it's rather unlikely. A trigger can lie dormant for years and then flare up without warning. I don't say this to scare anyone or be a negative Nancy. I say it to be honest and to call attention to the fact that we all need some room to grow and mend. Let's be gentle with each other here and gentle with our own selves. We may all be at different places in our healing and faiths/non-faith, but we are still unique in that we know what happened and we know how it affects us now.

If you're up to sharing with the group, let's discuss some of the triggers or symptoms of spiritual abuse that have gotten in the way of simply enjoying your life.
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Megyn's Story

May 2, 2013, 6:55 am
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Since I came to Teen Mania as a staff member instead of an intern, my story is a little different than most here. I graduated from Bible College in the early 90's and struggled with what I was supposed to do with my life. I always had a desire to work in TV and the doors opened for me to do that. But I always felt conflicted by not working in “full time ministry.“  I struggled with should I be working at a regular job or should I be in the ministry, doing a "God" job? Even though I had a great job in the television industry, I never felt at ease because I thought I should be working in the ministry.

One day, I was called with an opportunity to develop a TV production for TM (this was prior to their in house production at the Center for Creative Media). I thought I hit the jackpot because this would be a "God" job. I would finally be working full time in the ministry doing something that I love doing.I flew down to TX for an interview. When I arrived, an uneasiness nagged at me deep down but I didn't take heed. At the time I was working in a very established job with people whom I loved.  It was a hard decision to leave but I thought this was Gods will.  When I arrived in TX, I had an incredibly overwhelming feeling of what I had just done. 

Not only did Texas feel like another world, but on top of that, the culture of Teen Mania was a different world. Some of the staff was nice at first but I often felt a superior attitude with those who have been with Teen Mania for a while. I know this wasn’t the case for all but I definitely got that sense from some. I really enjoyed meeting all of the interns.  If I needed anything set up in my apartment I always had a helping hand. 
Many things really struck me when I started working there.  I thought it was awesome that young people would go to a place to really search their hearts to see what God wanted for them.  I did however think something was off by having young people basically pay to work.  I don’t know how anyone can justify this kind of treatment.  I have heard often that you should “treat it like ministry” yet to the higher ups it’s treated as a business.   I don’t think its right to have young people work for free, especially when the work is more than 8 hours a day on top of other tasks they are expected to do. I remember talking to a few interns who were in tears because they could not raise the money to stay in Teen Mania.  When I attended Bible College I did pay to attend. The difference is I got a degree and didn’t have to work off being there.  Most places I know, because of labor laws, pay interns to work.  From what I understand it is somewhat illegal not to pay people who are putting in 8 hours with no health benefits. To me that was a MAJOR red flag, especially having the experience of working for many years.

As the weeks moved on, I noticed how incredibly disorganized Teen Mania was. For a place where accountability is constantly preached, I didn’t find that to be true from a business point of view.  I met several production houses who did work for Teen Mania and they all said the same thing to me, “You left your good job to work there? “ The pit in my stomach was continuing to grow every day.  The more I would question things the more I would get shunned from staff. (Apparently, women at Teen Mania are not supposed to speak up or have differing opinions.)  I got the impression that business ran off the bare bones and yet still expected things to run flawlessly.  I remember the equipment that was purchased wasn’t right. When I had questions about it, I had a person on a higher level say they never saw someone complain so much and that other departments have a lot less and they make it work. I told him he was naive to think someone could lay hands on production gear and ask the Lord to make it do something else other than what it was supposed to do. Needless to say, that comment didn't win me any favor. If I gave suggestions on bringing ideas for developing anything I was made to feel like I walking against the grain. I was completely like a fish out of water. They wanted a high quality TV show yet lacked the knowledge how to produce and edit one.
I also had another staff member tell me that when I was working in the world, I was a bright light in a dim place.  With me working at Teen Mania, I was now a dim light working in a bright place. I was so hurt, so offended that I quit shortly after that.  When I left I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. For a long time I had questioned myself and that experience. I actually had a few people from Teen Mania contact me to see if I could connect them to anyone from MTV because they wanted their TV shows to be creative like that.  I was highly offended to say the least and I did not assist them.

After my experience, I was very hurt and very confused.  I came home very withdrawn and feeling like the worst person. Shortly after that, doors did open for me and I have been very blessed with my current job.  I work for a major network that reaches the world. Once I started getting back into the swing of things I really looked at what had happened at Teen Mania. I knew I had a choice to make. God didn’t turn His back on me, He actually used a not so pleasant experience for the good. I work with a lot of young people who literally come to work here from all over the world.  I remember how I was treated at Teen Mania and vowed never to do that to anyone.  I may not have gone all around the world doing a skit or preaching, but I learned everything to do everything just as Christ would.  Sometimes it may not be the most glamorous thing but even if it’s a small thing it matters to the person you are helping plus Christ.  I read a lot of the stories on this blog and my heart truly goes out to all those who had a bad experience. I hope I can be an encouragement.  I am not bitter at the Lord nor am I at that ministry.  I chose to take away a positive thing from a bad experience. It didn’t happen overnight but I don’t look back with regrets.
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Mark's Story

May 20, 2013, 8:38 am
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Hmm. Where to begin? I guess that my name is Mark. I was very recently at Teen Mania as an intern and also as a Core Advisor. In this story(or rant) I will be, for the first time, recounting some of my experiences at TM. So if my thoughts are scattered, I apologize in advance. It has now been a few years since I left TM, and every day my heart seems to grow colder. I do not fully blame TM for my hardened heart and disgust for the Christian religion, but I can see how my time there played into it. I'm doing this to possibly help myself. I find myself frustrated by the fact that I severely scrutinize preachers from my pew seat, or that I laugh at the hypocrisy I see from the "Christians" in my life. I would like to know the love of Christ once again, someday...

I left for TM in August, over a year after I graduated from high school. I was at the time, new to Christianity, and "on fire" for my new found faith (or so everyone told me). I'm going to backtrack to March, when I attended ATF for the first time as a teen leader in my youth group. It was loud and bright, like nothing I had experienced before in the religious world. The environment created was almost a false reality, and my pastor at the time marketed it as that. He said for weeks leading up to it, "escape the every day drudge and go to ATF with us!" The weekend was one big spiritual/emotional high. Somewhere in the middle of my emotional drunkeness, I was approached by a random young lady. She was all smiles and cute as could be when she said, "I typically don't do this, but God showed me a vision of you doing something radical for His Kingdom. I think you should go check out the Honor Academy booth in the lobby." She seemed so in tune with God, and so very convincing. And so I did. I even filled out part of an application. This was a radical step in my faith, or so I thought.

In the months between ATF and arrival day at TM. I did my very best to walk with conviction and righteousness, but my immaturity prevailed. I lied to the intern rep who called me once a week about how I was doing. I lied to my family and pastor as they encouraged me in my preparations. I even tried my hardest to squander away the money I was supposed to be saving. But through my best efforts to fail, "the blessings of God," won in the end. My pastor ended up writing a check for $2,000 dollars the day before I left for TM. I smoked two packs of cigarettes on the road trip to Texas. I was determined to let this be a turning point for me. A fork in the road. Because all I had heard were amazing, godly testimonies from the interns at this place.

There were a few things that stood out to me my first day on campus, one of which was the evaluation I went through during registration. I thought it was weird at the time, but now I find it disturbing. We were given a series of exams, or personality profile tests, to evaluate our skill sets. From day one they start separating the more profitable individuals. The new interns who score high on organizational, or communicative qualities, are taken notice of by staff members immediately. Some interns arrive and are obviously less socially adjusted or mature, and those are pegged immediately as grounds and maintenance or kitchen crew members. I know all of this because of my second year as a core advisor. After a series of interviews all the interns are placed on a list. The top of the list are new arrivals who scored high on their personality tests, had an impressive resume, and/or did well in their interviews. At the bottom of this list, the socially awkward, the uneducated, and the lazy ones. Then the head of each department in the ministry gets together and practically has a fantasy baseball draft. Top picks are traded for. Certain departments get better picks. Kitchen crew doesn't even get to pick, they just pick up the free agents at the end of the draft. The ministry as a whole was run like a business. I understand that with a certain amount of money coming through any given organization, a business structure is needed, but I figured TM would be different. Wrong again.

I have no really traumatic tales of ESOAL. I participated. I quit a few days in because of an injury. I did get sick for many days after the event. I can attest and agree with much of what has been said of ESOAL. It was abusive in nature, but not an overly detrimental experience for me.

I want to pair the Honor Academy and Global Expeditions together for a minute, with what is in my mind a horrible ministry tactic. Both of these ministries, will accept ANYONE to participate. I witnessed multiple interns and "missionaries" in my time at TM, who were NOT SAVED! This is sickening to me. Sending unsaved teenagers to "preach the gospel" to unsaved souls. Now given, not every child on a GE trip is unsaved. I would say the great majority of them do know Christ, but the one out of a hundred who doesn't, still gets accepted for the trip. HA side of things are just the same. Many of the interns whom I knew in my two years had little or no knowledge of the bible or salvation before TM, which leaves TM as the basis of their theology (SCARY). And many interns were socially awkward to extremes. One kid my second year had a reading level of grade 3. I had a guy in my core, who could not read his bible, could not pass his "classes" and regularly had seizures. He graduated from his internship in the same khakis as everyone else in August.

A lot can be said of the gender roles issue at TM. I for one can say I did more borderline homosexual activities at TM than anywhere else in my life. Most of which was done in the context of joking around, but still. I feel like TM creates a horrible environment For those who have struggled with homosexuality. Interns are, in many ways, forced to spend ample amounts of time with the same gender, while at the same time, very limited to contact with the opposite sex. For me this was not an issue, but since my time at TM many of the men and women I knew there have confessed publicly to being gay/lesbian. Gender roles become construed and twisted through the lens of an intern. Men are men, and do stuff for women that women aren't able to do. And women are women, and do stuff for men that men don't want to do. That's what I learned at TM at least.

I'll briefly touch on the culture shock TM creates for interns.. I spent two years at TM, and felt like a stranger to my friends and family when I would go home to visit, and especially when I finished that two years. I can't imagine how individuals that spend multiple years at TM feel. The move from the internship to my field of work now, was brutal to say the least. I felt as if I had no backbone after TM. Pardon my language, but TM turned me into a little bitch. I couldn't stand up for myself because I was scared of ruining my witness. I think the whole experience, paired with the six months of hardship adjusting to real life after, actually matured me a lot. I'm thankful for TM. I learned a lot about myself and how deceptive others can be, and thus I am a stronger person. Did my family and friends notice a change? Probably so. It wasn't a dramatic, life altering, praise Jesus kind of change though. Would I recommend TM to friends, or to anyone? Absolutely not.

The blog admin asked me to talk about this blog in reference to my time at TM. Yes the blog was up and running while I was an intern/CA. And yes it was talked about as a hot item on campus. I remember reading the blog myself a few months into my internship(at Starbucks of course, because the TM firewall blocked the blog). The only reason I had heard about it, was because Dave Hasz talked about it in a ministry wide meeting. He made it out to be a bad thing, a horrible thing. That everyone participating in the blog were liars and just bitter from outside factors. He removed the blame completely from TM. So in my ignorance, I too removed blame from TM in my head. We would read the blog and laugh and mock the "silly" stories of eating cat food and rolling through vomit. It was entertaining somehow. I guess that's how exciting our lives were. I know now this is a place of healing and understanding amongst peers. Thanks you for all you are doing.
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VH1 Show about Ex-Cult Members

June 25, 2013, 4:30 pm
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I was recently contacted by a casting agent for a new VH1 show. I do not know enough about the project to endorse it, but if feel like this would be a good idea for your recovery and are interested in participating, here is the info:

The premise is similiar to "MTV's True Life", a docuseries that will focus on particular subjects and what they are going through. One of the desired topics is "Ex Cult or abdoning a faith" and we would like to learn what made them decide this, what happened, why they got involved in the first place etc. The docuseries is only meant to shine a positive light on the subject/story. The intial process is determining if someone is right for the docuseries (i.e 20's-30's, VH1 look/feel) with a strong story. I understand that many may still be vulnerable due to the situation but we want to document the transition etc. We are only interested in shining a positive light and following them through the tr...ansformation process.

If you have referrals please have them submit the following ASAP:

Send Name, Age, Number & Email, Brief description of your situation & Pics to iputyouontv at gmail.com
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Breaking News: Teen Mania Campus in Foreclosure

February 4, 2014, 9:02 pm
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Teen Mania announced today that they can no longer afford their compound in East Texas and are entering a “friendly foreclosure” with the bank, which allows them to take less of a hit on their credit than full blown foreclosure proceedings. (Which would have likely been inevitable.)

Anyone who has been watching their trajectory over the past few years has seen this coming. In 2006-2007, they had around 700+ interns paying a monthly fee to work full time for them on their campus. In the past 2-3 years, each intern class has only been around 200-250. That is a significant drop off in both revenue and the free labor that they depend upon to run the ministry.

I’m not a financial wiz, so I asked someone to interpret their financial position according to their publicly available tax filings. This is what he said:

The latest filing is for the fiscal year ending 8/31/2012.Teen Mania lost $1,149,000 that year and $1,369,000 the year before. 

To finance that deficit, they went further into debt. Their debt exceeded the value of their assets by $4,166,000 that year and $3,017,000 the year before, accruing over another million dollars in debt that year, which means that they either borrowed money from somewhere, or simply didn't pay vendors or others who should have been paid (possibly both). 

Their donations have gone down significantly in the past several years. Going back through the earlier 990's it appears that they've been insolvent since at least 2007.

In addition, at least one of Teen Mania’s vendors is suing them for breach of contract (non-payment?). They are currently in the midst of that legal proceeding.

So how is Teen Mania spinning this epic disaster?

They are changing their name to Teen Mania International (an attempt to distance themselves from all the negative press they have received, I’m sure) and claiming a new strategy for conducting ATF events in foreign countries (where people are less likely to know of their bad reputation?)

Ron Luce says, “Leaders from so many nations have invited Teen Mania to conduct Acquire the Fire events in their nations saying, “Our teens are more like American teens than even our own culture. Can you come and help us reach them?”

The last time (only time?) Teen Mania conducted an ATF style event on foreign soil was in Uganda, 2009. They partnered with local pastor, Martin Ssempa - outspoken advocate for the "kill the gays"bill being debated in the Ugandan government.

So that's great.

Teen Mania will also partner with The King’s University based in Southlake, Texas (suburb of Dallas). “The King's University is coming alongside Teen Mania and offering those who choose to pursue their education and ministry training through the Honor Academy a fully-accredited degree program with academic excellence.”

Accredited by the same body that accredits Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College, it is important to note that the entire degree program at The King’s University consists of ministry, Bible and theology classes. The degree program omits most all general education requirements (math, science, literature, world history) and as such, the courses taken at King’s University will likely only transfer to another Christian university, or perhaps as an elective to a state school. Personally, I graduated from a Christian university but I’m not sure even they would accept transfer credits from a class entitled, “Spiritual Warfare” or “Our Pentecostal Heritage.”

Sample degree program here.


For some people, this kind of education might be a perfect fit but it is important to note exactly what that education will be and what you can legitimately expect to do with it if you plan to transfer to another school.

So will Teen Mania International be able to survive with this new-ish model? I doubt it. None of Teen Mania’s fundamental problems have gone away. They still hold the same philosophies and techniques that they always have so there is no reason to think that future interns (or whatever they decide to call them) will be treated much better than past interns. The main difference in the program is one of isolation. The interns will no longer be dragged out of their beds in the middle of the night and taken into the woods to play torture games. They will also be in close proximity to people living outside the Teen Mania bubble. While those are both improvements to the program, at its heart is still a dangerous, spiritually abusive place to be.

If you'd like to read the full press release, click here. 
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An Open Letter to Ron Luce From Another Alumnus

February 9, 2014, 6:03 pm
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A member of the Recovering community notified me today of a new voice that is raising concerns about Teen Mania's recent problems and specifically with the leadership of Ron Luce.

In "An Open Letter to Mr. Ron Luce Regarding Recent Changes at Teen Mania Ministries" this alumnus calls into question the real reasons behind Teen Mania's recent problems and their announced move before quite respectfully taking Ron to task.

Finally, after all of the above is considered, after seeing the mismanagement ourselves as interns or staff members, after seeing the dismal display of Teen Mania today and the characteristics mentioned above, after hearing friends—trusted friends with their heads on straight—testify to us that there’s a problem, it becomes very difficult to set aside the suspicion that the reason Teen Mania is in the shape it is today is not perhaps because of staff or bad times (all of which would have run their course by now) but—it’s sad to say it—because of the oversight and direction that comes from the top, the very top, that is, from you, Mr. Luce

The alumnus goes on to ask for honesty and evidence to support why Ron Luce should still be trusted as the head of Teen Mania during the planned Q&A call with alumni set for tomorrow night.

By all indications, this letter is written by someone who loves what Teen Mania did for them and wants to see Teen Mania succeed. The failings at Teen Mania have become so obscene that they are starting to lose support from even their loyal followers.

I'll be interested to hear feedback from the entire Teen Mania community to this open letter. 
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Reaction to Teen Mania International Alumni Conference Call

February 10, 2014, 9:31 pm
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Teen Mania International setup a conference call for Ron Luce to explain why the ministry is in foreclosure and what their future plans are. The call lasted about an hour and can be heard here:





I will share a couple of the important moments below. Exact quotes in italics.

Ron Luce starts by explaining the causes for Teen Mania’s financial troubles. He takes zero responsibility for these problems accept in the vague "I'm a leader so the buck stops here" kind of way. Instead he lays the blame on external factors he could not control. He begins by blaming Teen Mania’s financial problems on the following:
  1. Economy since 2008
  2.  Fewer teenagers in this generation
  3.  Local electric co-op rates are too high 
  4. Campus is too expensive, costing $1 million per year to run. He said that the more they built up the campus, the more it costs to run. (One thinks they might have thought of that before and he never states he should have done things differently.)

10:50 – I’m amused when I see the words out there of people think that finances are being used in unscrupulous ways or whatever. I don’t know any ministry that runs any tighter budget than what we do.

18:35 – No, we are not in bankruptcy.

36:00 – Land advisers told us to give the property back to the bank. Appraised value is higher than the note. $15 million
39:07 – The note was 9.5 million.

At one point, Ron said that even if someone paid off the campus, it would still be too expensive to stay (over $1 million per year in operating costs).

The gist of the spin was that Teen Mania doesn’t need a campus and that renting is actually better than owning. I was surprised that Ron actually seemed to talk badly about the campus – like it was a pointless expense. He chalks it up to a "new season" of ministry. I guess God doesn't have a lot of forethought leading them into debt like that? Or maybe God doesn't mind leaving the bank with the bill. Ron also tried to justify going into foreclosure because the bank has made a lot of money off them in interest.

In addition to renting property in the future, they also plan to rent the equipment for ATFs from now on. Is that because the ATF equipment was part of the collateral for their note? Quite possibly. Ron made a lot of vague promises with very little to back them up. He said that the ministry would do even more ATFs with less resources, but gave no plan outlining how that’s possible. Could that be because there is no actual plan?


In fact, no actual concrete plans were given throughout the call for anything - the move to Dallas, the "new" ministry focus, etc. This shows that Teen Mania  move isn’t motivated by actual vision and forethought, but as a reaction to their foreclosure. Otherwise, they would be able to tell us what they are doing in Dallas. 

To finish the call, Ron took the last few minutes to share that he called me in August of 2012. I was upset that Ron misrepresented that phone call. Listeners were left with the impression that things between us were rosy and that I quit blogging because of his phone call. Neither of those are true. 

Things that Ron said that were true about the phone call:

Things that Ron said that were NOT true about our phone call:
  •  I did not “tell him how I became bitter.” The fact that he would even use that language shows that doesn’t even understand ANYTHING about my position or what the recovering alumni community is all about. It is a complete disregard of the essence of the issue, again pinning the blame on the victims. If I did mention anything about my emotional state, I’m sure it was that I was absolutely heartbroken, devastated and confused.
  • I did not tell him that I was permanently quitting the blog. In fact, I remember telling him that I would keep my eye on him and he chuckled at that. By that time, I was already blogging less frequently and considering if it was time to finish.

Things that Ron left out about our phone call:


Unfortunately, this is the only phone call I’ve had with Teen Mania that was not recorded (as I was caught quite off guard, as you can imagine.) However, I’ve referenced my notes of the phone call to refresh my memory. There was nothing about the phone call that was truly genuine in any way and it did nothing to change my views of Ron Luce or Teen Mania, especially considering that he put the blame on everyone else but himself (Dave Hasz, Board of Directors).


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    Ron Luce's Former Assistant Says Reckless Spending is Cause for Teen Mania's Financial Failures

    February 11, 2014, 11:26 am
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    The Great & Powerful Oz: Behind the Curtain of Teen Mania Ministries

    It was February 2008 and I was standing in an expansive crowd at the New York City BattleCry. I was surrounded by thousands upon thousands of young people lifting up the name of God in worship. It should have been the very pinnacle of all my ministry experience, but it wasn’t. I felt disappointed, I felt disgusted with the information I knew, and worst of all I felt like I had let God down. I had just been told by Ron Luce himself that I had committed a fatal mistake that had the potential to ruin his entire vision for this event, and he was clearly disappointed with me. 

    In late 2007 I had been hired to be Ron Luce’s assistant, director of his Executive Office, and the 2008 New York BattleCry had been my baby. I was responsible for literally every minute of the event with regard to the VIP’s and had been given the directive to spare “no expense” to ensure that we handled our ultimate VIP with “world class” attention to detail. I was tasked with being the liaison for Bishop T.D. Jakes and to do absolutely anything (and everything) possible to ensure that he experienced world class VIP treatment. 

    While the ministry was sending out donor letters explaining the dire conditions of the ministries need for more money to stay solvent I was executing a plan that seemed quite contrary to the need. The following can and should be verified by the reader in a demand for a public viewing of Teen Mania’s financial statements. I can assure you that not a single bit of this information is exaggerated or misstated in any way. 

    However before I continue I want to be clear about a few points. I am not angry with Teen Mania Ministries or Ron Luce. I do not harbor ill will towards him or this ministry. On the contrary, my experiences absolutely and completely broke my heart because of the incredible lack of accountability, and how Mr. Luce’s power remains unchecked. I was so passionate about fixing this problem prior to my resignation that in a last ditch effort to help turn the ministry around, I wrote and presented to Mr. Luce an exhaustive report about the “real problem” with Teen Mania Ministries. The problem could be summed up in two words:

    Ron Luce. It obviously fell on deaf ears…

                Like so many of you I grew up with Teen Mania. I have gone around the world on mission trips with Teen Mania. I loved Ron’s heart for ministry and felt compelled to join the ministry full time to make a difference. What I found when I got there was something that I                abhorred and absolutely broke my heart for the ministry and those who have been scarred by it. I am publically calling for Teen Mania to show their accounting records in full disclosure to the public. This is the only way that this problem can be fixed and for others to avoid being hurt by this recklessness. The following is simply my retelling of the facts that occurred during my experience as Ron Luce’s assistant and Director of the Executive office:

    Courting the Bishop

    The premier speaker for the New York City BattleCry had been decided in 2007 (possibly even before that time). This event was designed to be the biggest and most extravagant display that Teen Mania had ever performed, but in order to do that we needed the “big dogs” of the Christian world to attend to attract a large enough audience for the event. Early on Ron fixed his eyes on Bishop T.D. Jakes. I still remember when I received the “engagement dossier” from Mr. Jake’s offices in Dallas. I opened it and began muddling through the contract, green room requirements, hotel requirements, and ultimately the “Honorarium.” 

    If you are not familiar with the term “Honorarium” then I will explain how that works in ministry as it exists in the church today. Notable and well known speakers in the Christian world are not much different than celebrities in the secular world in terms of their speaking engagement requirements. An “Honorarium” is synonymous with an “Appearance Fee.” This is the cost of what the speaker charges simply to come and speak in your church, event, or in this case the New York BattleCry. While the ministry was cutting back on salaries, expenses, costs, and was sending thousands of letters of year explaining the need for more money, I was hiring Bishop Jakes to speak at the NYC BattleCry.

    His Honorarium was $100,000.00. Teen Mania Ministries paid every penny of that cost from the Executive Departments budget. But it didn’t end there…

    Bishop Jakes also required a round trip chartered private Learjet from Texas to New York City. This would end up cost Teen Mania approximately $22,000.00. Additionally Bishop Jakes would need to stay in the Presidential suite of the Manhattan Ritz Carlton at approximately $2,200.00 a night. This too was paid by Teen Mania Ministries. 

    If that weren’t enough, Bishop Jakes required TWO stretch Escalade limousines to take him to and from his hotel and the event. I do not immediately recall the cost for this expense, but I am sure the reader can use their imagination for what two stretch Escalades might cost. I truly wish it had ended there. Ron was not satisfied with merely meeting the requirements listed in Bishop Jake’s speaking contract; he wanted to far exceed his expectations. So I was tasked with transforming his experience into something that exuded “world class excellence.” 

    At the instruction and approval of Mr. Luce we spared no expense and paid many thousands of dollars to have a local florist in New York City make rare and exotic imported flower bouquets for the Presidential suite at the Ritz Carlton. I know this because I delivered those flowers to the suite myself. We spent thousands of dollars buying rare chocolates, desserts, pastries and various imported gifts from around the world for the Bishop, his wife and his children. This included several hundred dollars of i-Tunes gift cards, i-Pods, and various expensive trinkets. 

    Mr. Luce had me draft a complete “minute by minute” of what Bishop Jakes would experience from the moment he stepped off his $22,000.00 private Learjet to the moment he entered the stadium for the NYC BattleCry. This included a green room that was fit for a monarch. We completely transformed the nicest available space in the arena into a virtual oasis of luxury for Bishop Jakes. We rented couches, furniture, lamps and brought the most luxurious items we could find in the city to his green room. The cost for this was astronomical. 

     When it was all said and done we had easily spent well over $125,000.00 (this is a very conservative number, it likely exceeded $140,000.00+, but in the interest of details I want to remain as factual as possible in my recollection) in courting Bishop Jakes, because Ron believed that if we could entice the Bishop to partner with Teen Mania then we would be headed to the Promised Land. Despite my best preparations it seemed we had an Achilles heel that none of us were aware of at the time. Bishop Jakes had arrived at the arena and within a matter of 20 minutes his handler had forwarded a complaint from the Bishop to Ron himself. It seems my office had told the Bishop that he should wear a full suit and tie to the event, and when he arrived seeing dressed down teenagers he was not happy. 

    If you didn’t know that during the time the Bishop spoke on stage (for approx. 50 minutes) you may not have noticed that the Bishop seemed bothered and uncomfortable during his short sermon, but Ron noticed and he was not pleased. Probably the most disappointing part of that experience was the fact that a young man had spoken a few hours before the bishop, someone that the ministry had not paid an “Honorarium.” He brought down the house and had the crowd on their feet at the end of his testimony. The Bishop did not have that affect, not even close. 

    Despite Ron’s best efforts the extravagant luxuries did not appear to have the desired effect. Our small mistake of telling the Bishop to wear the wrong clothes seemed to be far more important than any of the money we had blown courting him. I know this because I followed Teen Mania for years after my departure, and never saw the Bishop again as a reoccurring guest speaker for the ministry in any remarkable capacity. 

    A struggling ministry barely able to pay its staff, the bills, the ongoing operating costs of the campus, that was begging donors for money to stay afloat had literally blown over $125,000.00 on a man who spoke for about 50 minutes, and wasn’t even the best speaker of the event let alone that night. That is, in a nutshell, why Teen Mania has allowed the bank to foreclose. Reckless spending coupled with a leader who answers to no one is a recipe for disaster. 

    It also should be noted that Teen Mania also paid Kirk Franklin $25,000.00 to come and perform at the NYC BattleCry for his “Honorarium.” This also did not include his green room requirements and travel expenses. Maybe this is simply the norm in the business that has become Christianity today, but I for one am disgusted by these examples from our so called “leaders”. What happened to the example that Paul gave us in the New Testament? Not only did he refuse to be paid to come and speak, but he insisted on working and serving everywhere he went. I believe it is time for change, and it has to be demanded from those of us that he given so much to these men and women who we have trusted with our resources and lives. 

    Don’t Look Behind The Curtain

    I really wish it all ended there. Once I started to delve into the financials of the ministry I was absolutely shocked and disturbed by what I found. The Executive Office (“EO”) had ZERO accountability to anyone, including the board. No one ever (or could ever) challenged Ron’s expenditures. I know this because one day I brought our department’s expenses to the Accounting department. The managing Accountant simply rolled her eyes and said, “I have stopped trying to figure out the EO’s finances, I just pay whatever I’m told to pay and keep quiet.”

    Very few people stood up to Ron, but those that did were often shut down. This included Dave and Jon Hasz. My office that shared a wall with Ron’s and I was able to hear countless arguments that included disputes over expenses and costs with the main leaders of the ministry and Ron. But what shocked me the most is when I discovered what I still believe to be deeply disturbing. 

    In 2008 I was made responsible for preparing the Board of Trustees meeting that happened once a year. Ron made it clear that it was during this meeting that he put his best foot forward. He wanted to impress the board with the ministry and would have the marketing department make special brochures and marketing pieces to show them. Then I came across salary information. I will only direct what I know as it relates to Ron and his family, because that is where my concern remains. In 2008 Ron Luce’s salary (as awarded by the board) was nearly $100,000. That seemed very high considering the fact that senior staff members were being paid so poorly (in many cases less than $20,000.00 annually) and even laid off because of the ministries issues with funding. But the most shocking thing to me of all was that Katie Luce, Ron’s wife, was also paid nearly $50,000.00 annually as the “secretary” of board of the ministry. This didn’t make sense to me because I had literally never seen Katie on campus doing ministry work of any kind in the entirety of my tenure at Teen Mania. If she did work for the ministry that was certainly news to me because I knew the whereabouts of the family most of the time and my understanding was that she operated as the stay-at-home mom of the family. If the ministry was struggling then this simply didn’t make any sense to me whatsoever.

    Looking Toward the Future

    Sadly this is merely a few of the dozens of stories that I have to tell. For the past many years this has eaten at me and I would have gone to my grave keeping these secrets for a ministry that I once loved so dearly, but I cannot in good faith sit back and allow this financial mismanagement to continue without speaking up. It may not appear this way, but I truly approach this matter with the deepest love for Ron, his family, and this ministry, and it is in love that I believe change must occur. In the weeks to come I will share others stories that I hope compel those who would hear me to stand up and demand change. 

    I hope and pray that God restores this ministry to what God initially intended it to be, but sometimes the Prophet Nathan brings bad news people don’t want to hear and it’s up to them to make the right choices once faced with the truth. I truly and sincerely hope Ron makes that choice…
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    Teen Mania College Credits Are Nearly Worthless

    February 18, 2014, 6:01 pm
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    Teen Mania has been seeking legitimate college credit for quite some time. If interns could receive actual college credit during their year it would be easier to recruit more of them. Now, in their brand new partnership with The King's University (founded by Jack Hayford), Teen Mania interns may receive college credit for their classes. Or so it seems.

    On Teen Mania's website, you can see the following statements which assure teens that they will be able to spend the beginning of their college career at Teen Mania.

     "Interns can spend their beginning college education fully engaged in changing their generation ..." 

    "The Associates degree prepares the student for the four-year baccalaureate degree." 

    Unfortunately, this college credit is nearly worthless. The King's University is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) - the same body that accredits Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College. I made phone calls to several colleges and universities to see who would accept these transfer credits.



     Of the 3 state schools I called at random, none of them would accept the credits.

     - University of Texas
     - University of Florida
     - Indiana University

    But what about community colleges? In the past, many interns have stayed a 3rd or 4th year and gone to a local Junior college in their spare time. Perhaps future interns could go to a community college in Dallas?

    Nope.

     The two biggest local systems are Dallas County Community College District and Tarrant County College. Between them they have 10+ campuses in the area but they do not recognize the accreditation of The King's University.

    Perhaps this problem is limited to secular schools. Surely Christian schools would accept these classes as transfer credits? Actually, no. In fact, many Christian Schools do not recognize this accreditation body. Perhaps most surprisingly, even the alma mater of Ron Luce, Oral Roberts University would not accept transfer credits from The King's University (though they have their own direct partnership with Teen Mania). Even Sterling University which previously partnered with Teen Mania to provide college credits would not accept these as transfers. Other Christian schools that would not recognize the credit include Belmont University and Union University.

    Outside of the schools accredited by TRACS, the only others I found that would recognize these credit hours were Liberty University and Trinity International University.

     If you or your child plans to attend Teen Mania, please be sure your college credits will transfer to the university of your choice. It would be a shame to end up with thousands of dollars of student loans with no college credits to show for it.
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    Breaking News: Ron Luce Fires Teen Mania's Communications Director for Refusing to Lie about Foreclosure

    March 29, 2014, 6:50 pm
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    Yesterday, Teen Mania's Communication Director officially retracted her statements regarding Teen Mania's foreclosure. She originally stated the following in a comment on the Charisma News article:


    ...What has happened to Teen Mania financially is the same as what is happening with untold other ministries, organizations, etc. in these tighter economic times.

    ...We are being as open as possible with the public about what's happening. Sure, it's a sad situation to leave behind a place where we've built 17 years' worth of memories and life-changing ministry. But the decision to move to Dallas is a financially responsible one and frees us up to do even greater ministry than before. 
    In addition, throughout her tenure as Teen Mania's Communication Director, Mrs. Mallette has been quite adversarial and rude in her dealings with anyone from the Recovering Alumni community so this 180 degree turnaround is quite surprising.

    Just yesterday, she gave an update via her Disquis account on this same comment thread:


    I OFFICIALLY RETRACT MY ABOVE STATEMENT. It was made in ignorance of the true nature of Teen Mania's move to Dallas. I learned the truth in the days after I left the comment. The move was precipitated by a default on the campus's mortgage. When I learned the truth and confronted Ron Luce about it, he specifically directed me to tell the public, "what I told you to say," which is basically the statement above.

    I still love Teen Mania and support its mission, but I could not support misleading the public. I stayed on for one week more as an attempt to convince Ron to be transparent with the public and, in doing so, tell the truth about the nature of the move and present a practical plan for how the ministry could move forward in a financially responsible way. I was removed from my position as Communications Director on Feb. 12 and fired on Feb. 14.

    While this is not the first time a former staff member has exposed Ron Luce's lies,  it is certainly the most recent and I commend Mrs. Mallette for refusing to spread his lies even at the risk of her job. That demonstrates a very high level of integrity. She joins a long line of recently departed staff members including the former COO, CFO, Director of Honor Academy operations, Director of Global Expeditions Operations, and several long time members of the Board of Directors. In light of this, I think its worth revisiting the words of another former senior staff member:

    My issue is with Ron (Luce) specifically. Everyone is a tool, a pawn in his militant attempt to get his vision accomplished. He is militant about the vision, Dave (Hasz) is militant about the vision, and so is anyone who sticks around for any length of time. And, when you fail to dance “good enough” for the king, he just decides you are “not a good fit.” My issue with Ron is that he seems to discard people like toilet paper when they don't please him—his arrogance knows no bounds (he is right no matter what, and you better fall in line) and he had the compassion of a European dictator. But he's sociopathic, so he can win anyone over to his side of things... and those that don't aren't a “good fit.” I mean, people give up so much to come serve Ron's vision—lives, careers, friends, income, houses, etc., etc., etc... and when Ron is done with you, you're out on your butt. I can name multiple people whom this is happened to.


    I applaud Mrs. Mallette for her integrity, for retracting her incorrect statements and for apologizing for her tone in her dealings with our community. If only all Teen Mania staff were so bold in embracing the truth, there would be no need for this blog! Make sure to follow the link to read her comments in their entirety. 

    And of course, this begs the question - What is the truth about Teen Mania's foreclosure situation and why is Ron lying about it?
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    Teen Mania No Longer Accredited by ECFA

    April 7, 2014, 10:26 pm
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    Last month, Teen Mania lost their accreditation with the ECFA.

    The ECFA  (Evangelical Center for Financial Accountability)  "provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, transparency, fundraising and board governance."   

    Accreditation by the ECFA is supposed to ensure ministries adhere to the Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship  so that donors can trust that their monies will be used in honest and appropriate ways. It is basically the Christian world's stamp of approval saying: this ministry is legit.

    Given recent events, it would appear that this accreditation is worthless.

    Teen Mania has been losing over a million dollars a year, since 2011, according to the ECFA.
    It has also been confirmed by former communications director, Cindy Mallette, that Teen Mania failed to pay 3 mortgage payments which precipitated the foreclosure proceedings (contrary to Ron Luce's testimony that a payment was never missed).

    And we now have testimony from Ron Luce's former assistant about absurdly lavish spending. 

    But the ECFA is not the only one to fall down on the job. Their former president, Paul Nelson also has much to answer for.

    Mr. Nelson was the president of the ECFA for over 10 years. After leaving the ECFA, he became a member of Teen Mania's Board of Directors for several years (since at least 2009, if not earlier).

    Teen Mania still touts its relationship with the ECFA and oversight by the Board of Directors as two crucial reasons why they can be trusted with your money. According to Teen Mania International's Finances webpage:

    Given Teen Mania's current financial shape, how can anyone take ECFA accreditation or Paul Nelson seriously? For his incredibly poor performance in shaping Teen Mania's finances, Paul Nelson has joined the "The President's Council." It's unclear how this council is different from the Board of Directors or even what its purpose is but Paul Nelson is still a part of Teen Mania's leadership. And that should be very worrisome.

    The only two things that I can conclude from this set of facts is that the ECFA and Paul Nelson are completely incompetent OR they both serve as yes men to Ron Luce. Either way, they have been abject failures at safeguarding Teen Mania's finances - and thereby the donations of thousands of people. Perhaps even your donation.




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    Ron Luce's Former Assistant: The Executive Office is a Toxic Environment because of Ron Luce's Verbal Abuse

    April 14, 2014, 9:02 am
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    It was the summer of 2007 and I was in Tijuana, Mexico building homes on a Teen Mania mission trip with nearly 600 teens from around the country. A young girl on my team was a current intern at Teen Mania and mentioned to me that the ministry had been hunting for Ron’s new assistant. They have spent several months collecting resumes and interviewing people from around the country. Teen Mania had gone so far as to hire Rebecca Contreras, a former White House aide to President Bush, as a consultant to interview prospective applicants.

    That next morning I woke up early to reach the build site where we were constructing a 350 square foot house for a family that had been living in a glorified wooden shack for many years. The wood and building materials had been delivered the night before and lay in front of their dusty dirt plot that would soon become their home. As I arrived I noticed that the wood had a large blanket laying over it that hadn’t been there the night before. As I grew closer I saw the blanket moving and realized something incredible.

    This poor family had slept on the wood that night to ensure that no one took their future home. The family showed incredible gratitude for our help, and hugged each and every one of us with tears in their eyes as we handed them the keys to their new home.
               
    That was why I made the decision to submit my resume to Teen Mania to become the next assistant for Ron Luce. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to change lives. I wanted to do things that mattered to the least of these, and most of all I wanted my life to count for more than just myself. I gave up my very successful career working for JP Morgan Chase Bank. I sold my home and virtually all of my possessions because I believed I was answering the call. Please understand, I don’t say any of that as credit to myself, but to illustrate that I meant my commitment when I chose to enter full time ministry.

    It didn’t take long before I realized that I had made a terrible mistake. The first day I arrived I had a meeting with my staff of interns. Within the first thirty minutes of that meeting I noticed that several of the interns were crying. I began to probe and try to ascertain what was happening and almost immediately was told a statement that sounded like a rehearsed PR speech, “The Executive Office is a very challenging ministry placement and requires great faith and perseverance to endure.” I had heard “Christianese” lingo like that before, but this seemed like something that had been said thousands of time before my arrival. I knew something was very wrong, but I just didn’t yet know what or who was the source of the problem. Little did I know I was about to discover the truth behind the tears.

    Ron’s son was turning thirteen and Ron had planned a ceremony for him to celebrate his “becoming a man.” As part of this event Ron had instructed us to purchase his son a Braveheart-like sword that would be presented to him at the ceremony. Ron told us to have the blade inscribed with a Biblical phrase in Latin. After it had been inscribed by the engraver I asked a few of the interns to have the sword picked up to be presented to Ron. When they arrived they walked into the office and stood at my doorway looking completely distraught. Apparently the engraver had made a mistake on one single letter. I honestly couldn’t understand why they were so upset. It seemed like such a small mistake and more importantly one that could be fixed. But they knew something I didn’t…

    Ron Luce detests mistakes of any kind.

    Ron had overheard the commotion and walked into my office. He took the sword and noticed the mistake immediately. It was the first time I had ever seen him angry, and it was jarring to say the least. He didn’t speak for what seemed like an eternity, but you could visually see that he was seething. Finally he broke the silence, “I am so deeply and completely grieved at this complete lack of excellence. I am completely disgusted.”

    He walked away without saying another word and then slammed the door to his office.

    The interns were crushed and the ones responsible for the mistake were completely destroyed by his words. This was a man they loved and revered in every sense of the word, and they had let him down by a simple mistake that wasn’t even their fault. Never mind the fact that this was a personal task that he himself should have been doing on his own time. I wish I could say that this was the last time this type of behavior occurred, but even in the short time I spent at Teen Mania I witnessed this type of verbal mistreatment on countless occasions. My job eventually became spending large portions of my week trying to convince many of the interns not to quit and leave the ministry entirely. Crying in my office became a regular occurrence and no matter how hard I tried to shield them from his emotional outbursts, they continued on a regular basis.

    I know this behavior continued long after my departure because a while back I called the Executive Office at random and spoke to one of the interns who happened to answer the phone. Without even knowing her name I told her that I was praying for her and that I understood the hardship that she was facing by working in that department. Not even two minutes into the conversation had passed and she was crying quietly telling me how much she couldn’t stand the hardship of the Executive Office and how much she missed home.

    It is very easy to focus on the financial failures of this ministry. It is easy to poke holes through the mistakes that were made by allowing Mr. Luce to maintain his white knuckled grip on a multi-million dollar empire that it became, but the biggest tragedy are the lives that he has damaged by his words, his actions and his inability to accept fault or failure.

    For me this was best illustrated at the end of my tenure with Teen Mania Ministries. Towards the end of my time at Teen Mania I had discovered that my wife had been unfaithful to our marriage and I believed I needed to take time to try and recover what remained of our relationship. I sought a private one-on-one meeting with Mr. Luce to discuss my need for time away from the office. Despite the fact that I already had one foot out the door and my ongoing reservations with his behavior I decided to bear my heart to Mr. Luce. He remained quiet as I relayed the somber and devastating news to him. When I had finished he very confidently sat up in his chair and said something that to this day completely and utterly blew me away.

    He explained to me that I was responsible for her behavior. He said that my absence from my home was likely to blame and that spiritually I was responsible for the mistake that she had made. He put the blame of my wife’s affair completely and totally on my shoulders.

    To put that into perspective you need to understand the context of why that statement was so completely unfounded. Prior to my tenure at Teen Mania I was working a normal 9 to 5 job and had a very normal and healthy family life. It wasn’t until my arrival at Teen Mania that I was forced to work upwards of 90 hours per week and spend countless nights at the office. In January of 2008, my wife and I had decided to take time to go to Dallas to celebrate our anniversary. Our anniversary fell on a Saturday, but Ron was up against a book deadline and insisted that I come into the office to help finish his book, “Re-Create.” I told him that I would come into the office and work on the book until 2pm that day and that I would leave so that I could spend time with my wife. When 2pm rolled around I called him to let him know that I would be leaving. Well I am sure you can guess what happened next…

    I was at the office until nearly 10pm that night before I was able to go back home and spend a few fleeting moments with my wife and kids before they went to sleep.

    I do not blame Ron Luce for the failure of my marriage. I do not blame Ron Luce for the choices I have made or more importantly didn’t make. I blame him for the fact that he had continued to make slaves or people in the name of “God” and “ministry.” If you have ever spent any time serving in any capacity at Teen Mania you know this to be true.

    Like so many of you I took the leap of faith to partner with Teen Mania Ministries to make a difference in the lives of people who were in need. I wanted to serve, give, and dedicate my life to the cause of Christ and show people His love. It never occurred to me that I would be spending my life running personal errands for Mr. Luce or making sure he was bumped up to first class on every flight or we weren’t “excellent.” What started as a noble decision ended up as an incredible disappointment because the focus went from people to person. It has taken me nearly seven years to get the courage to say all of these things because I truly wanted to just forget this part of my life and move on. But I owe it to each and every one of you to remind you that we serve Christ and Him alone, and when anyone or anything stands in the way of that service…

    Well I cannot speak for anyone else, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

               
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    World Magazine Reports on Teen Mania's Unethical use of Donations

    April 18, 2014, 10:52 am
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    World Magazine just published an in depth report on some of the circumstances that have led to Teen Mania's foreclosure. The entire article is fascinating and covers both things mentioned here as well as some new facts.

    One item that was news to me: for the past two years, Ron Luce has used the Dallas marathon to raise money for Teen Mania - but instead of helping teens, he used much of the proceeds for vanity projects like a new coffee shop.

    Saunier, Teen Mania’s development director in 2011 and 2012, says she would solicit donations for specific projects, but “was never comfortable that we were doing the right things with those funds.” She raised her concerns to superiors and nothing changed. Luce ran in a December 2012 marathon “to raise awareness and support for reaching America’s 26 million teens with the gospel of Christ.” The effort generated about $250,000 in donations, but within months Luce spent $68,000 on campus carpeting projects, $45,000 to install a coffee shop, and $25,000 to build the new conference room. At least one employee resigned in protest.

    How could such financial mismanagement go on for so many years? Because Ron Luce rules Teen Mania with an iron grip and will not listen to outside counsel.

    For example, on March 15, 2012, Ron and Katie Luce met with board members Daniel Williams and Paul Nelson, CFO Jonathan Hasz, and vice president of operations David Hasz, to discuss concerns and the organizational audit that Teen Mania received in January. Within six months, the Luces were the only ones standing: Williams, Nelson, Tom Muccio (another top board member), and the Hasz brothers all were gone.

    According to the Teen Mania bylaws, also obtained by WORLD, Luce can only be removed by a unanimous vote—a virtual impossibility since Katie Luce sits on the eight-member board. The audit recommended removing or revising Ron Luce’s almost unlimited presidential powers and replacing Katie Luce as a voting board member, but neither happened.
     Read the whole thing here. (May require registration for a free trial in order to access.)
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