I am encouraged by your post here, because it seems to me that you are attempting to be genuine. I feel like there is a human being on the other end that I can dialogue with. Usually, when you are simply judging us from on high, I do not feel that way. I’ll try to respond to a couple of your points.
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I think as a core issue here, I have found Trinity's theology to confirm my own experience.
Ole is a theological hermit crab, and he has built on the work of others and implied that it is his own. As a protestant believer, I am somewhat familiar with the work of the reformers such as Calvin and Luther—both of whom, in turn, drew from Augustine. The point is, anything that Ole is teaching that is of value is derivative from what is taught by others. You don’t have to join a cult to find preaching focused on the sinfulness of man and the necessity of the cross for our salvation. Any strongly Calvinist Reformed or Presbyterian Church will do.
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As a recovering crack addict, I can agree for example that I am "the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place," or that my mind is the anti-christ. Many people would find that an abuse of scripture to tell someone this. I on the other hand have seen the devastation my own sin causes to others and myself. So while Ole's teachings may be interpreted as "spiritual abuse," I see them more as accurately speaking to the human condition. While Ole seems hard on people, I find it is more of not putting up with people's inflated views of themselves. I wonder if this may be a very essential point by which we are divided about Ole? From reading the book, I get the feeling that Ole's views that way did not jive very well with Wendy. I think she and others have percieved Ole as focusing too much on the wretchedness of human nature, and not enough on the inherent worth of a human being.
The fact that you are a recovering crack addict is irrelevant. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all saved by grace.
I do think that Ole goes too far in continuing to focus too much on our sinfulness and not enough on the joy of our new life in Christ. You are not the "the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place," you are a precious child of God purchased dearly with the blood of our Lord.
All of the focus on depravity at Trinity Foundation actually led people to behave worse than they otherwise would have. It was out of balance. Here is an email from a former member (who has since passed away) that she sent to Wendy shortly after we left the group, which is reprinted in the book:
[i:63fb270257]Wendy,
I’m so tired of hearing from anyone, in any form, “bad dog, bad dog.” I have been struggling with the message that Trinity Foundation gave us concerning how evil we were and how God hated us. How long can a person hear that message without falling into the pit of despair? Why was all the focus on how incredibly sinful we were?
Probably the hardest thing for me is what Trinity made of prosperity gospel preachers and what evil things they were doing by teaching about God’s blessings. What was wrong with focusing on the goodness of God instead of always emphasizing that God hated us? Why couldn’t we talk about the joy and blessings of God? Couldn’t we be trusted with them?
I found a passage in Numbers 6:22-27, which lately resonates in my being like a loud echo and runs to places in my heart undiscovered:
“…The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Why couldn’t we have ended Bible study, feasts, fasts, and each and every Big Group with that? Couldn’t we be trusted with it? There was so much liturgical trashing and crashing at Trinity that I struggled to see God as a loving, caring, Father who only wants the best for me.
Anyway, there’s part of my struggle. It goes on but I truly believe this leg of the journey is about knowing God’s blessings. That’s part of the deal, right? From sin and death comes everlasting life—everlasting life like only God can provide. Can we be trusted with it? Yes.
Love,
Crystal[/i:63fb270257]
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I feel this is a point that many misunderstand. In my experience the only way freedom from my destructive habits has come, is in seeing the total hopelessness in myself to fix anything. With that comes the revelation that I truly need a Savior. People decieve themselves, and like to think otherwise though, and I see Ole as someone who does not help feed the illusions we often cling to. I suspect Ole believes that without such knowledge of one's own depravity, there is no hope of standing on the grace of God. I would agree with that.
We all truly need a Savior, and we are not disputing that. However, you are projecting the kind of self-deception that you are subject to onto us. The fact that I am at a place where I no longer feel the need to subject myself to Ole’s abuse does not mean that I am deceiving myself. Also, I do not think you are in a position to tell me that I misunderstand Ole and what he is teaching. I taught it myself for years. I understand what Ole is teaching as well as anyone, and I now see that it is out of balance and deviates from the correct understanding of the Gospel on several key points. Nevertheless, we are still believers, we still name the name of Christ, and we still depend on Him and the grace He wrought by His sacrificial death on the cross for our salvation. We acknowledge our sinful nature, and we turn back to God daily in humble repentance. Ole and his merry little band are not the only believers in the world, and it is an extreme form of cultism for them to think that they are.