Keep reading. :)

Although there are some doctrinal issues which define Trinity as being out of the mainstream of Christian teaching (they are a neo-Gnostic group), our critique of them as a cult is based much more on behavioral/sociological criteria than it is doctrinal criteria.

They are a cult because they wield undue influence over their members and are ultimately harmful to people's personal autonomy and freedom, and because of the reasons laid out in other places on culteducation.com.

Let's be careful with our terms here. When we say that TFI fits the criteria to be called a cult we make that judgement based on these three criteria:

1) Is there an authoritarian leader running the show with no meaningful accountability? YES

2) Are there doctrines and/or techniques in place that involve a process of systematically using coercive persuation/thought reform/"brainwashing" methods to mold the minds of the members to serve the leader and the "cause"? YES

3) Are the members, particularly the "inner circle" close to the leader, exploited financially, sexually, psychologically, etc. BY the leader? YES

A healthy church has a democratically-elected chuch leadership with a written constitution and bylaws that the leadership is governed by and held ACCOUNTABLE to. A healthy church is a FINANCIALLY ACCOUNTABLE AND TRANSPARENT church. This holds as well for the finances of its leaders; their salaries, etc. are in the public record. A healthy church has EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS at the topmost levels for its leadership. TFI is missing all of these.

If Ole told the very dedicated Levites over there that they were going to eat some poisoned pudding so that they could go to heaven together in the UFO that was coming to pick them up, they'd be grateful to do it.

I was involved with those people for five months and am only just now
beginning to work through my experiences there. That was about the most profoundly affecting period of time in my life, even more so than being in Iraq for almost a year. Compared to TFI culture, military culture and being in Iraq was a breeze. I get the impression that a lot there had
changed for the better by the time I was involved (for instance, I had
never heard the terms "Hot Seat", "High Place Identity", etc., and nobody
ever pressured me to tithe; in fact, nobody to my recollection ever even
uttered the word "tithe") but they'd changed it out of the wrong motives,
mostly owing to Ole's bad health and constantly medicated state...by the
time I was there they'd become EVEN MORE callous, cynical,
and psychologically brutal. And that's saying something. Now that I look
back, I realize that they'd do variations on the Hot Seat all the time: in
the Lair during lunch, during Big Group...it's freaking horrifying. It
blows my mind more and more every day.

Does this address your concerns, Chaplain? Have you read Wendy's book?

I am in the final pages of the book. Thankyou for your patience.

Your wife has some things to say that raise some very serious questions Doug. I am very grateful for your putting up with me for so long on this thread. I now have some very hard questions to ask TFI. I have aimed very much to give them at least an equal challenge to what I have put you guys through. I really don't know anything of myself. I mean I am clueless left to my own. My faith though is not shaken. I wish to take up a case with TFI in the most challenging way I am able. This is not with an aim to firstly bring them down, but rather to test how they handle the hardest opposition. Are they able to stand up in an honest way? I may not convince anyone, but I hope to God they are shaken in what has not been of Christ there. Those of you with faith may pray for me in that.

The overall result of reading the book is that it has significantly deepened my concern that Ole has had far more control than any one man should have. While Ole struck me as a dominating personality, it seems even more clear that he has had too much control over many areas of TFI's culture. In fact he seems to be the creator of it. This troubled me from the beginning. This suspicion has now fully surfaced.

There are probably many things yet to be discussed here. I want to briefly leave this post now though to express my gratitude for your patience, and willingness to bear with my questions. I apologize to those I have been insensitive towards. Be consoled that your bearing with me has done your case well. I fully intend to challenge TFI in the most penetrating way God permitts.

Thankyou again, and please know that I hope the best for you guys.

Do let us know how things turn out with your attempt to put OA on the Hot Seat, OK Nathan?

You do realize that TFI has been successful in the past at recovering the money that unsuspecting viewers sent to whatever televangelist, only to discover that they'd been cheated? In other words, TFI has helped people to get their money back after exposing some shady TV preaher or other; I think you should try the same. Ask TFI for your money back because you have figured out that TFI is not what is seems to be, and see what standard they hold [i:f4991998a1]themselves[/i:f4991998a1] to. Then let us know what happens, OK?

Quote
NathanA
I am in the final pages of the book. Thankyou for your patience.

Your wife has some things to say that raise some very serious questions Doug. I am very grateful for your putting up with me for so long on this thread. I now have some very hard questions to ask TFI. I have aimed very much to give them at least an equal challenge to what I have put you guys through. I really don't know anything of myself. I mean I am clueless left to my own. My faith though is not shaken. I wish to take up a case with TFI in the most challenging way I am able. This is not with an aim to firstly bring them down, but rather to test how they handle the hardest opposition. Are they able to stand up in an honest way? I may not convince anyone, but I hope to God they are shaken in what has not been of Christ there. Those of you with faith may pray for me in that.

The overall result of reading the book is that it has significantly deepened my concern that Ole has had far more control than any one man should have. While Ole struck me as a dominating personality, it seems even more clear that he has had too much control over many areas of TFI's culture. In fact he seems to be the creator of it. This troubled me from the beginning. This suspicion has now fully surfaced.

There are probably many things yet to be discussed here. I want to briefly leave this post now though to express my gratitude for your patience, and willingness to bear with my questions. I apologize to those I have been insensitive towards. Be consoled that your bearing with me has done your case well. I fully intend to challenge TFI in the most penetrating way God permitts.

Thankyou again, and please know that I hope the best for you guys.

Thank you, Nathan. I appreciate your willingness to remain open and to keep questioning. I do think you have hit on the crux of the matter, which is Ole's having created a culture where he has an excessive amount of control. However, I am not sure he has the insight or the self-awareness to be able to see that that is the case. I will be the most surprised guy in 14 states if your questioning of Trinity/Ole at this point produces anything more than further self-justification on their part. We will, indeed, pray for you.

I hope not to be swayed back and forth too much, however I want to remain open to whatever information becomes available. I'm not at the point where I'd ask for money I've donated back. It is hard for someone like me to be certain about everything in Wendy's book, I find there are significant points that ring true though. So i remain critical of both sides in some ways still. I'd like to push the other side and to see how well they can deal with it at this point. Not that I think I'm really significant in that, i'd hope to cause some discomfort where there is deceit or denial though.

Dear Nathan:
Thank you for allowing us to share with you. This has been an important process for me; as I was a seeker, like you, however, there was no one on the "outside" then to challenge TFI's model.


...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against such things.
- Galatians 5:22-23

Well, hopefully you are finding a healthy and supportive place to be Boanerges. May you be at peace in the grace of God.