Ring Bearer and JustHim:

Thank for for your excellent posts and sharing your hearts. I am confident Father will take you deeper in relationship with Him as you continue to pursue Him with passion. When I read posts like this even though I do not agree with everyword the heart of the Father in the message and instruction is great encouragement to me.

RADIANT LIFE CHURCH being influenced in Finland!! The DNA is Spreading!

Celebrate Recovery International Connection

This blog was developed to stay connected with Celebrate Recoveries around the world. Our goal is to keep current news and announcements posted regarding upcoming trips, status on translations, etc. See something you like on the Blog? email us - let's connect!

Thursday, March 5, 2009
Conferences set for Norway and Finland

A small team from the US (Dave Dent) and UK (Tony and Val Turner) will be heading to Norway and Finland in early May, 2009. The journey will begin in Norway on May 1st with a Friday night meeting followed by an all day Saturday conference covering a wide-variety of topics and testimonies to help kickoff ministries in this nation. Karl Inge Thomassen and his team from Norway have been busy translating the materials and using them in their local CR group. Karl and his team have made several visits to the Celebrate Recovery Summit in CA and have attended other conference in the UK over the past years in preparation for leading the way for their country. The US/UK team will depart Norway on May 4th and head to Finland where they will repeat the same agenda in efforts to assist a local church and others to get Celebrate Recovery successfully off the ground. Mary Serna Ramos from the Celebrate Recovery group at Radiant Life Church in Sacramento, CA recently moved to Finland and is coordinating the conference. Our team is praying that these two countries will be encouraged and effectively trained to help their countries establish healthy and growing Celebrate Recovery ministries for years to come. We are so grateful to have individuals like Karl and Mary who are committed and dedicated to the ministry and for their efforts in coordinating these ground breaking events.
Posted by Dave Dent at 7:26 AM 0 comments Links to this post

Hello Deja Vu. I happen to know that Mary Serna's objective is to bring Celebrate Recovery to Finland at the invitation of a local pastor there. I had numerous conversations with her before she left and can attest to her character and intentions as being pure. She has no intention of spreading anything other than the gospel of Jesus Christ and His healing power through the ministry of Celebrate Recovery, a world-wide organization. The article states that she is from Radiant Life Church however, she was not sent by them nor is she receiving any financial support from them. It was necessary for her to state what Church she was affiliated with prior to moving there in order to get her Visa and residency papers. This is probably what the newspaper or webarticle is referring to. Thanks for looking to keep us informed and alert, just wanted to make that correction.

Sincerely,
justHim

The man is sick.

In reply to [forum.culteducation.com]

Quote
Deja Vu
RADIANT LIFE CHURCH being influenced in Finland!! The DNA is Spreading!

I would like to clarify a misnomer that has been falsely taught by Tony

How many times have you all heard Tony talk about depositing his DNA?
Oh we heard this term regarding depositing DNA in the Philippines back in 2005. One of my favorites is when Tony comes back from Marysville Washington or would make references to Katy Texas of transferring his DNA to these churches.

Here's a fact:
DNA transfers during a sexual act. DNA is deposited by a male. It does not spread or transfer unless there is a sexual act or your practicing in-vitro fertilization. However, you can leave your DNA at a crime scene.

Now, consider this, a virus or bacteria can spread just by contact and or it can be transferred as an airborne virus. We also know that some viruses or bacteria's can be transferred by breathing it on to somebody, coughing or the act of transferring bodily fluids.



TONY'S TEACHING IS A CANCER TO THE BODY OF CHRIST.

I have not posted anything since my first post a few months ago, but like a lot of you, I still read the current stuff. From what I’ve read, the pain is real, and it is deep, but please don't let that one man (TC), stop you from giving your love and attention to the One who is real and loves you more deeply that any hurt a human being can inflict on you. Tony gets a lot of attention from this site, whether it's positive or negative, his name is still out there and talked about every day. I have to wonder how much does that really hurt Tony? It’s no doubt helped families leave the cult, but does talking about him add fuel to his fire? He has a way of twisting everything, including the bible, as all of you have attested to, so does he just keep going on with out this affecting him personally? I know he is still in charge and will continue to keep hurting people if he is allowed to do so, so I pray that you no longer allow him that power over you. And please pray for the people he still has power over, including his family. As Christians, its okay to pray for those who have done us wrong, it's the hardest thing to do, but it works, and then maybe Tony's reign of emotional pain will stop.

Several of you had PM'd me, and guessed the friend I had referred to in my last post. The power of prayer is amazing, because my friend is healing and moving on in ways I didn't think would happen so quickly. That person is still not interested in church organized groups, but is praying and talking to God again, and even opens his home on occasion for others to share THEIR personal relationship about Jesus, or about anything they want to share.
And he's plans on doing Christian music again with his band (along with what they are doing now), per his request. I don't mean to go on and on about him, he'd prefer that I didn't. But, I'd just like to say that after hearing what his experiences were with the churches that hurt him, and the person in charge of those churches, my prayer is that all of you keep praying for each other, IT WORKS!.

My prayers are with you all, I hope you continue to be there for each other, and maybe consider a positive outlet as well.
I think two main questions have been answered:
Destructive Churches
Has anyone heard of Radiant Life Church? - YES
Is Radiant Life Church a cult? - YES

Posting started on this site about the reality that great change was going to come to Mr. Cunningham in March and many were unsure about what we were referring to. Here is a small part of it….

We knew that several staff members were going to leave in March and Mr. Cunningham was going to use classic cult like behavior in scheduling a mission trip to Africa to distract everyone from the real issues that are confronting RLC.

Mr. Cunningham has planed to say is that these final church leaders, and the families that continue to drop off each weak represent the last of the chaff that God is removing from the truly holy and committed that are left at RLC.

Mr. Cunningham will return from Africa and will “cast” vision now that he and RLC are no longer hindered by these unspiritual individuals that were holding him back from fulfilling G-d’s will.

The problem is that Mr. Cunningham is exerting classic cult-like behavior that is in fact case studied… according to the pattern the Mr. Cunningham so faithfully follows you should not be surprised to hear that he has been instructed by G-d and “told” that it is time to begin planting more churches now. “It is the beginning of a new season.”

Mr. Cunningham will likely claim something along the lines of “it is time to cast off the old, or separate from the institution” that RLC has changed from his original call due to the negative influence of all of those evil elders and staff members that are now gone. Mr. Cunningham my call for a prophetic act such as changing the name of RLC… yet understand this is clinical behavior and will not change his pattern, it is simply a mask, there will be no significant change in any positive direction.

Watch for these three

1. Great and powerful vision that can now be clearly seen thanks to the departure of those who are not as spiritual as the remaining. The remaining will be spoken of as truly committed and set apart individuals who actually, “get it” and can now begin to move forward with what G-d has wanted to do all along.

2. The name of RLC will either be changed or the groundwork for that move to take place will start… with the statement that now a new “movement” can spring forward… likely due to the fact that the weeds have been separated from the wheat and G-d is now unencumbered…

3. Mr. Cunningham’s emphasis on the bylaws and bad elders may arise with the claim that he can now start to plant new churches due to the weeding out of those individuals. This vision will likely have come to him while away on his trip. Again even if this is not done instantly the vision will be shared.
Reference: [www.culthelp.info]
[www.watchman.org]


While Mr. Cunningham will continue to discredit those that are a threat to his manipulation or control, as many of you have witnessed in personal setting with him, the fact will remain the same… Mr. Cunningham is predictable because he follows a familiar pattern. If you watch and listen you will see his pattern…

Rather than sit and argue about who is evil and who is righteous lets just look at unbiased, empirical evidence which is what has allowed us to explain so clearly what is happening at old RLC. It is simply that many of us have now spent years studying the behavior and actions of what cults and cult leaders have done throughout resent history.

Mr. Cunningham follows the examples of past cult leaders very well. For example this is the same road Jim Jones, and David Koresh walked… Crazy you say… out of line you think… extreme?

Questioning at all? Please read!! - [www.sasked.gov.sk.ca]

This textbook behavior of a cult leader is what allows us to know so clearly what the next step of degeneration is for Mr. Cunningham and the entity of RLC. What is likely is that Mr. Cunningham will become very angry as he reads this and will try to cast off the reality that he is clinically predictable. The reality is that Mr. Cunningham is not as far and away intellectually superior to all of us as his narcissism would delude him into believing. This is why he may be confronted with the truth that we are now completely familiar with his patterns of manipulation and coercion. Not because we are attuned to some evil power but instead because we are familiar with what cult leaders and cults do.

My friend and genius Bill Simon has made the statement, after a couple years of studying the behaviors of cults, that this particular cult ends with 200 people having sex on a compound in the name of Jesus. While it may sound sarcastic, sadly as clearly as Mr. Cunningham is following patterns this may be a reality.

If you read after cults then you will find that it becomes more and more difficult for people to justify leaving as things deteriorate because they have already forfeited so much moral high ground to become one of the “spiritually elite” who stayed when things got tough.

Today the remaining elders demonize those who are no longer there as uncommitted or out of line for questioning the authority of Mr. Cunningham. The problem is that these very elders were part of the decisions that went on. Please Google “Tex Watson” or the “body guards of Jim Jones”… We know it was said from an active elder at RLC that, “It is one thing when it is people who no longer attend that are accusing, but Brandon and Analyn are still here and this is happening.” We know that a former pastor said that he needed to be as close to Mr. Cunningham as Brandon because he had failed in taking advantage of the opportunity that G-d has given him to be like Brandon/Mr. Cunningham. We know Roland that you have heard first hand that Mr. Cunningham has lied about Bill Simon to those in SOMA and at a SOMA teaching and you chose to do nothing in bringing correction. Why?

Greg you recently told Dan Davis that Jessie and Matt had no right to do what they did in investigating Mr. Cunningham. Reflect for a moment on that Greg and ask yourself “was it inappropriate of someone in a position of power to investigate possible abuse by someone in a position of spiritual authority?” Hasn’t Mr. Cunningham taught that it would have been healthy for Jonathan to have been there and to have challenged David when he was acting inappropriately? You know the truth to this question Greg; you know that the discomfort you are feeling on your conscious is in fact the Holy Spirit reminding you that you once wanted to stand for truth. You held honor for fallen men who jumped on grenades!!!

All of you, as you read this, feel sick in your stomach, and know that there is some truth here. Listen to it now. Get out at this time as you see things deteriorating. If you don’t it will become even more difficult to overcome the cognitive dissonance you are creating the next time something inappropriate is happening.

This is not about stopping G-d’s will and the planting of churches…. You all know that this is not the case. The truth is Mr. Cunningham manipulated and exploited people. He acted improper in a myriad of ways and when some elders began to see that their worst fears were materializing… Mr. Cunningham was deep in sin and as a result they had blood on their hands… they were forced with a choice. They could pretend that all of the accusations form all of the unspiritual chaff had no merit, and they could have pretended that everything was fine. Yet they were faced with the dilemma that it was a reality, and Rhon Rhitzma, Ken Bollenger, Matt Wanner, and Jessie Mancias made a bold choice to make a trade for comfort and push for righteousness… and yet today are scorned!!

Mr. Cunningham openly told the elders prior to the business meeting that he wanted 100K and he would leave taking all those that were committed to him with him to plant a church elsewhere. At this point the men who fulfilled their role as elders decided that if they went that route they would be left with hurting people without much pastoral leadership and a very large mortgage to deal with monthly. So they chose to go quietly and allow G-d to continue to vindicate their stand against tyranny.

So Mr. Cunningham’s directly inability to submit to the eldership led to the present state of the organization. It is an incredible thing for a person to deny any responsibility. We all know what took place, as do the elders that have chosen to prostitute truth for whatever wage was offered. The issue is that Mr. Cunningham sinned, and rather than standing up, confessing and then trying to get some help he decided to take actions that created the present set of circumstances.

“Evil exists when good men refuse to act.” –Unknown. The elders that left did act and have therefore cleansed themselves of the guilt that you now bear for endorsing evil. So the question that we now must ask as we observe you elders and your peers in the coming months is… will you act as you have and actively perpetuate the evil of abuse or will you instead stand against the sin of omission as you watch unbridled spiritual abuse continue?

The most prevalent excuse for German nationals and soldiers not standing against what was wrong was “we never personally saw the abuse ourselves.” In other words it is acceptable for Mr. Cunningham to continue in denial of abuse so long as I have moved up in status. This argument may hold true as long as you are not participating in any ministry that may suck innocent people into a system that has caused a great deal of harm to a huge number of individuals.

The other argument that I have actually heard from people who are left is that even though RLC and Mr. Cunningham have made some mistakes along the way they are just one of many churches that have caused harm. It has actually been stated that Mr. Cunningham has only done some of the spiritual damage that has occurred in the city… as if one drunk driver killing a family is acceptable if it happens on a reoccurring basis.

Mark these words: RLC will not long be remembered by those that caused the damage as they are remembered by those that let it happen…

Martin Luther King Jr. Said “in the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Some will say we are radicals… yet we say…

“When you are right you cannot be too radical, when you are wrong you cannot be too conservative.”
- MLK


There is a great deal of humility and pain involved with looking in the mirror and admitting that you were taken by a clinical deviant. There is also pain that comes when you have to admit that you bought in to such a deep extent that you actually perpetuated the institution of spiritual abuse that is RLC. The blessing that you receive after taking the long and painful road out makes it all worth while. The cost associated with making the exchange from the tyranny of oppression to the freedom of relationship with G-d is well worth it.

The greatest regret for nearly everyone who has left is that they did not leave the first several times that they suspected that there was, “something wrong with the state of RLC.”

People who are so blinded as to pretend that everything is fine at RLC actually believe that it would be healthy for us to move on. I say that this is as ludicrous as saying that a believer should not have moral stands against sin like pornography, drug dependence, alcoholism, or any other sin that causes damage. I can be completely healthy and say that spiritual abuse is wrong. I can be completely healthy and tell everyone and anyone who will listen that unbridled and unaccountable spiritual abuse is evil. I can tell them that there is a group of people that presently meet at 7710 Stockton Blvd. that have confused persecution with answering for the sins of their totalitarian ruler.

One of the main teachings of Mr. Cunningham when things were going well was that he must be legitimate because of all the people who were following him. The problem now is no one with any heart or conviction is left to follow Mr. Cunningham so by his very logic he is now disqualified.

Mr. Cunningham used to teach that there were several marks of an Apostle:

1. Trans-local authority
2. Signs and Wonders
3. Casting out of Demons

The churches in the area of Elk Grove and Sacramento have publicly admitted to not being in submission to Mr. Cunningham or RLC as well as admitting to having to set up exit or reprogramming counseling to those that have left RLC and entered their congregations… please contact any local fellowship for clarification… (Side note: many pastors in the area publicly admit that they consider him and his organization to be dangerous and aberrant). Mr. Cunningham has never conducted or displayed any Sign or Wonder on U.S. soil that is in proportion with what Christianity generally calls the miraculous. Mr. Cunningham has shown no proof of having such ability. And last but not least Mr. Cunningham cannot cast out demons; in fact he will not even try!!!

A collaboration of facts from:
The ACC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2009 04:53AM by Ring barer.

"The man is sick" are not the words to use here, my mistake. Here is my position on this. The teaching is wrong, dead wrong, it went out of control and we were in the spin of the web. We got out and things are better for us. The one thing that concerns me is that we may be doing the wrong thing when we post bitter entries. Granted there are some posts that are very helpful. Unfortunately this is one avenue being used to reveal the truth because RLC does not listen. What can we do to please Christ in this? Is this pleasing to Him? I personally do not believe the RLC church leadership has the "where-with-all", or clarity of spiritual mind, to confront the issues, but I haven't asked them either. I propose that a group get together to pray and plan and confront the church publically. Not to attack but to open the door to resolve. Is this possible or has it gone too far?

I have not posted anything since my first post a few months ago, but like a lot of you, I still read the current threads.
And, I whole heartily agree - time to pray, and to act according to God's will. After reading all of these threads, and listening to my friend talk about his experiences, it is evident that the pain is real, and it is deep. But please don't let that one man (TC), stop you from giving your love and attention to Jesus, the One who is real and loves you more deeply that any hurt a human being can inflict on you. Tony still gets a lot of attention, whether it's positive or negative, his name is still out there and talked about every day. It has helped people leave that destructive environment, but does this really hurt Tony, or does it add fuel to his fire? He is still in charge and will continue to keep twisting things his way, (including the Bible) if he is allowed to do so, as most of you have attested to. I hope that all of you who have left, no longer allow him the power of bitterness over you, just give God the release of your hurts. And may I also suggest we pray for the people he still has power over, including his family. As Christians, it’s okay to pray for those who have done us wrong, it's the hardest thing to do, but it works, and then maybe Tony's reign of emotional pain and control will stop.
I believe in the power of prayer, because my friend is healing and moving on in ways I didn't think would happen so quickly. He's opened his heart again and is talking to God, and even opens his home on occasion for people to talk about THEIR relationship with Jesus, as well as doing Christian music again in the near future.
So, I pray you will continue to be there for each other, in positive and pro-active ways. I think two main questions have been answered:
Has anyone heard of Radiant Life Church? - YES
Is Radiant Life Church a cult? - YES