QuoteNathanABy the way Doug, have you confronted anyone at TFI directly about this stuff? Do they refuse to talk to you, or are you avoiding it? I know that Ole has for instance confronted Benny Hinn about the issues? Have you given him that same kind of courtesy? Since leaving TFI, I have sent numerous emails to either John Rutledge or Gary Buckner, the two chief elders and Ole's lieutena
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Jon, I am a counselor, and I believe very much in the importance of living authentically. Ultimately, if we live in a way that is not true to our inner selves we begin to lose respect for ourselves, and it costs us both peace and self-esteem. I admire your decision to attempt to align how you are living your life more closely with what you believe.
Forum: Destructive Churches

I would not have stayed with Ole/Trinity for as long as I did if there had not been some positive experiences. However, there is nobody I can think of who has been more expert than Ole at garnering positive attention from the media. I do not think we need to worry about being balanced, as Ole has a stockpile of goodwill he has built up from years of adoring coverage by the press. Indeed, I loo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There was one response that John Rutledge—one of the elders and Vice-President of the foundation—posted on the D Magazine blog back in May, just after my wife’s book came out. Here is the link to it if you want to read it: About a month after that appeared, I responded to it on that same blog. Here is my response: They may have decided after that little exchange that they did not want to
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thank you, Rick, for that last post. It gives me an opportunity to clarify what I think some of the problems are with Ole/Trinity. It also helps me to understand why Wendy’s book and Glenna’s article have not had as big an impact as I thought they would—especially with members of the media. First of all, let me explain why I think it is such a big deal that Ole engaged in “spinning yarns and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

After my wife broke the story in her book (I Can't Hear God Anymore: Life in a Dallas Cult) about the way Ole had fabricated much of his background, the reporter for the Observer, Glenna Whitley, took the trouble to actually check into Ole's claims and she found that my wife was absolutely correct in what she said in her book. Glenna was able to take it a step further and uncovered som
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A reporter up in Pittsburgh just quoted Ole in an article about a preacher. I wrote to her via e-mail to make her aware of the book my wife wrote and the subsequent article in the Dallas Observer. She wrote back to me and said that she was aware of both the book and the article, but that Ole still had the best archives and the most information on various ministries, so she still used him to get t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The Letters to the Editor from the Observer article just came out. Here is one from an old high school friend of mine: The Gospel of Ole Lose yourself: I'm glad someone finally had the courage to publish a book about the real Ole Anthony. Thank you, Wendy Duncan. And thanks to the Dallas Observer for having the journalistic savvy to follow up on it ("The Cult of Ole," by Gl
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

For the record, I think the whole question of whether or not ABC's investigation of Tilton and the other two televangelists was on the up-and-up is a side issue. Even if that investigation was done legitimately--and after all this time, who knows?--that is not the focus of Wendy's book. These questions were raised by Glenna Whitley, the reporter who did the Observer piece, who read so
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I did not have a very long conversation with Ole. I asked him why you were saying he was abusive and that Trinity is a cult. All he said is that he didn't know why. That is the essence of the problem. Ole is incapable of taking responsibility for his own mistakes. He has no insight into himself or how he impacts other people. He said he didn't remember your wife except that she
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteNathanAIt seems wierd to me that you say they won't even talk about it at Trinity. I have been questioning them about these things, and they seem open about it. I phoned Ole and questioned him briefly about the abuse accusations and why people were making those accusations. He did not say "no comment" as you say. Maybe that's just because I'm an outsider though. We
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

And so, we come full circle. At the very beginning of this discussion thread I started off by saying that I was blown away by the following snippet of the interview of Rick Ross in The Door Ross: Certainly people that become involved in tight-knit groups find themselves in the midst of a community where they have a sense of belonging, a sense of acceptance. In destructive cults, the friendshi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I am not sure what personal problems you think my wife has, but I know her better than anybody and I think she has her act pretty well together. Ole, on the other hand, has issues. I also know Ole pretty well, since I was once his roommate. As to him living on $55 a week, you might find this sidebar to the featured article in the Observer interesting:
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thank you. You can order it through our website at www.dallascult.com The ordering goes through PayPal, and it is perfectly secure.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Thank you for that feedback, dwest. I guess I did come off like I was flogging the book pretty hard. However, in my own defense let me say that we had to start our own publishing company in order to publish this book and sink our own money into it. We are still a long way from selling enough books to break even, much less get rich. That does not matter, because our real interest is just in ge
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Had to jump in here on this one, Zeuszor. I happen to know who Cultaware is, and I have to say that he is, indeed, grateful to God, instead of regretful. In fact, he is one of the best Christians I know (light years ahead of anyone who is still at Trinity Foundation), and he has been an instrumental part of the healing process for Wendy and me since our departure from that spiritually unhealthy
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My wife and I just had dinner last night with Zeuszor. He has decided to leave Trinity Foundation. I guess NathanA will have to assume the mantle of main defender of Trinity Foundation on this message board.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I need something to cause me to believe the book is really an objective look at Ole Anthony and Trinity Foundation and not just a piece of propaganda. The book is truthful about Trinity. However, we do not claim it is an exhaustive examination of all things Trinity—rather, it is simply our story. Wendy tells the truth of our experience, what happened to us. The claims you make about Ole h
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Brian, I do not understand your request for Wendy to post on this forum--you talked on the phone with her just a couple of days ago. Wendy has said what she needs to say by writing the book. And, since you have read the book, you have already heard from a number of former members--Wendy interviewed several of them and quotes them quite liberally throughout the book. I suppose most of them ha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Doug, I understand you want me to read the book. I would like to. On the other hand, I want to know that it is worth buying. I have to have some reason to believe that it is a truthful account regarding Trinity. I need to believe to some degree that you are not just making money for the sake of your wife's bad experience. We have published this book at our own expense, and, at this point,
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteNathanA I have not read Wendy J. Duncan's book....Quote And that is the point. You are not in a position to judge the validity of our critique of Trinity Foundation until you at least take the time to see what that critique is. I look forward to continuing this discussion with you after you have read the book.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Isn't this also "a closed system of logic" that one cannot think one's way out of? It looks pretty plain to me. I'm not sure I follow your reasoning here, Zeuszor. Are you saying that, because Jesus spoke authoritatively, anyone else who does so must also be right? Or was there (as I believe) something unique about Jesus and his message?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuotezeuszorOh, I have a bit. What it comes down to is, did He REALLY mean what He said, or was He always speaking figuratively? Luke 14 is some stiff medicine and one must have "ears to hear" in order to recieve it. Does one REALLY trust God, or does one not? I'm not gonna preach or argue with anybody here, and probably won't post any more, or at least for awhile longer.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

My wife was the pen for dozens of former members of the Trinity Foundation. Although I Can’t Hear God Anymore was her story of her experience at TF, she included numerous quotes from other former members and incorporated their experiences in the book. I don’t think you can dismiss the book by saying it was just her experience. You might want to go back and read in chapter three about her initi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Irie-I?
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Bit of a "straw man" argument there, Zueszor. The main action of the book is focused on the events that caused us to leave the foundation, and that all happened in 2000. You're working this hot seat angle pretty hard, but that is only one chapter in the book. I guess you don't want to address all the other questions the book raises. I do not doubt your experience is what
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

The by-laws are not structured to guarantee Ole absolute power. Ole's power derives from his charisma and his ability to intimidate his followers. If a strong enough person were to come in, it would theoretically be possible for him or her to challenge Ole. However, you have to understand that Ole has surrounded himself with people who have been loyal to him for over 20 years, and people
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

First of all, I have to agree that our website is designed to sell the book. That is the primary way we have of getting our story out. As far as hot seats go, Trinity may have stopped doing the annual, formally scheduled hot seats, but the implied threat of a hot seat is always there for any members who become "too rebellious." Also, Trinity's whole excessively authoritarian and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Anthony certainly has done a good job of presenting himself the in the way that he wants to be seen. He has an elected board, but in my opinion, it is a rubber-stamp board that consists mostly of his own disciples. My differences with Anthony are much more about abusive practices than about religious beliefs. For years Trinity did "hot seats" as a systematic way to break down the e
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

There are a number of abusive practices at Trinity that define it as a cult, including an excessively authoritarian style of leadership, the shunning of former members, and heretical neo-gnostic doctrines. I've spoken with over a score of former members, and every one of them that spent a significant amount of time at Trinity says it is a cult. However, most of them are too emotionally and
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"