Grace Community Church

This post can be found at http://www.colossiansthreesixteen.com/archives/1271

There is perhaps no story more difficult to tell than our own, especially when we’ve come through difficult times. Recognizing upfront that her story is subjective, Wendy Duncan has set out to tell of her time in the Trinity Foundation, a non-profit organization located in Dallas, TX, which she claims, is actually a cult. According to the Trinity Foundation website:

"Trinity Foundation began in November 1972 as a public, nonprofit organization serving  the public interest through religious communications. The foundation produced its own concerts and radio and television programs for the first few years of its existence. However, we quickly became disillusioned with religious broadcasting, having determined that the only way to truly communicate the love of God was by deeds, not words. Accordingly, we have been providing food, shelter, and a sense of community to the poor and distressed since 1976."

The Foundation owns a neighborhood in Dallas where most of the members live together, apparently trying to emulate the Acts 2:42-47 communal lifestyle of the early believers. Members share property and chores, leave their doors unlocked, share childcare and burdens. They welcome the poor and publish what they call the only religious satire magazine, The Wittenburg Door. The magazine’s stated purpose is to deflate “religious pomposity wherever it has been found.” The life of the community revolves around the festivals, an intriguing selection of highly allegorized Old Testament festivals. Though they do not seem to call themselves a church, they do revolve around a central leader and a very specific teaching.
Many will know the Trinity Foundation and its charismatic leader Ole Anthony (pronounced Ole-eee) from their “undercover investigations” of some leading televangelists. Their detective work (apparently digging through dumpsters, etc.) led to national attention being focused on Robert Tilton and others. This is all the more shocking amidst the claims that the Foundation itself is actually harming its members.

It should be noted that in preparing for this piece I contacted the Trinity Foundation via e-mail to ask two questions: 1) if they had a response to Duncan’s book and, 2) if they would be willing to answer specific doctrinal questions raised by Duncan. In response to the first question, I was told that they were refusing to respond publicly because they were holding out for Matthew 18:15-20 principles, but I was referred to what they referred to as “an independent third party who knows both Trinity Foundation and the Duncan’s well” (read that response here). In response to the second question, I was told that a Bible Study teacher would contact me which has yet to happen.

It’s not hard to see why such a warm and supportive community would be attractive, especially to the hurting and those who’ve felt rejected elsewhere. Wendy found herself in just such a situation when she came in contact with the unusual lifestyle presented to her by the Foundation. Duncan painstakingly, and most likely, painfully details how she came to be involved with the group and how things went sour.

In cases like this, one of the immediate questions a reader must ask is whether or not the term “cult” has been rightly defined and applied. Duncan, who holds an MA from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is careful not only to define the term to carefully demonstrate how and why it ought to apply to the Trinity Foundation. She has provided numerous quotes from varying sources and taken the time and effort to demonstrate how they specifically apply to this group and its leader. Though the group will undoubtedly deny such allegations, Duncan has done well in showing that there is indeed cause for concern.

The controversy centers on the group’s leader Ole Anthony. Anthony not only lacks formal biblical training but castigates those who have pursued such training. Anthony claims a higher knowledge and teaches members that their reason and mind is actually an enemy which cannot be trusted must be overcome. By instilling members with a gradual loss of self-identity, castigating those with other interpretations, implying that one cannot rightly think for themselves and that they have found a leader who does in fact understand the Bible, Anthony has created an environment ripe for destruction. Duncan describes things this way:

In many ways, Ole had discovered the perfect mind control doctrine. Ole continually exhorted his followers to “go to war with your minds” and in doing so, he corroded their self-trust. Ultimately, this had the effect of changing Ole’s disciples’ perception of reality, and they became increasingly dependent on their leader who claimed that he could see in the spirit.

Duncan notes that “Ole would often ridicule anyone with a religious background or anyone who had theological training.” She notes that he would say things like “I don’t care about your silly schools of thought derived by man. I’m about the real truth.” Later, she says that “Ole often said that at the point he became a believer, he had been given all knowledge and understanding and that he never learned anything that he did not know on that spectacular day.”

It’s interesting that for all the liberty that such knowledge ought to bring, Anthony’s group as described by Duncan actually lives in an odd antinomian legalism. Anthony promotes cursing and intoxication by alcohol, both prohibited by Scripture while constructing a rigid list of festival attendance and participation which becomes necessary for “believers.” Members were subjected to odd fire walking ceremonies and what was known as the “hot seat,” where Anthony and other members would bring up all of your sins, past and present and air them publicly to make you feel their weight. The idea was that you couldn’t experience grace without understanding the weight of judgment. The effect was breaking people’s wills.
Duncan notes that Ole also teaches that “God abhors the human race,” often explicitly saying “God hates you” and taught that if one left his group, then of course, they were not a true believer. This, coupled with the unspoken rule never to speak critically of leaders (who claimed special insight) led to an uneasy devotion to the rulers of the group, even when they appeared to contradict Scripture. For example, Duncan notes that:

I was told that not praying was a good thing. Prayer was simply an attempt to manipulate God in an effort to get something from Him. Prayer was just talking to God about your problems or concerns or whatever, and thus taking thought for self. Prayer in Ole’s theology, was about the individual trying to get something from God - using God as a cosmic Santa Clause. Besides that, praying was presumptuous. Ole’s rationale was this: “Why would the God of the universe give a flip about you?”

I received no response from the group about clarifying some of the doctrinal assertions made by Duncan, but the teachings she cites certainly border on heresy. Regardless of whether or not the group’s beliefs qualify as heresy, their manner of treating people has certainly proved destructive. Duncan has cited personal experience as well as citing other past members. While there are certainly members who will not share Duncan’s perspective, the presence of such concerns certainly deserves a public forum, which the Foundation refuses to entertain. Personal conflicts are one thing. Contradicting Scripture is another.

Duncan writes in a clear, easy to read, informed and informative style. She cites many sources and tries whenever possible to include quotes from Ole himself along with various academic sources, both in reference to cults and Scripture. Duncan is to be commended for her courage to share such a painful story. While the Trinity Foundation’s silence on the personal charges is understandable, their silence on the doctrinal assertions is not and their silence on these issues is particularly troubling. Hopefully, Duncan’s efforts will spare others from the trauma she experienced.

Monday, April 02, 2007              Book Review                      by Debbie Kaufman

I have just finished reading the book I Can't Hear God Anymore: Life In A Dallas Cult written by Wendy J. Duncan, who has graciously asked me to review the book on my blog. This is Wendy's seven-year account as a member of the Trinity Foundation of Dallas, headed by Ole Anthony, who gained wide media attention by exposing Robert Tilton. As one reads Wendy's story however, it seems that Ole is no different than Tilton. Ole's group is what is classified as a cult.

Wendy comes from a Southern Baptist background, went to seminary at SWBTS, yet because of rejection from her church due to an earlier divorce, Wendy felt displaced. She, began looking for a way to serve God without being rejected for her past. Wendy gave some numbers that were surprising. For example three of the four elders in Ole's foundation came from a Southern Baptist background. There were other former Southern Baptist church members who were members of Ole's foundation. This is one reason, despite Wendy's seeing in scripture that Ole's teachings were wrong, she continued with the group. She felt comfortable there. Since former Southern Baptists were a part of this group, the doctrine couldn't be that wrong. They also knew of her earlier divorce and a later second divorce from an abusive marriage, but were very accepting of her. This began a down hill decent into the cult world.

This book is well written, with enough information to keep one well informed without getting bogged down with too much detail. Each chapter tells a different aspect of the Trinity Foundation and the increasing hold Ole had among the members. One learns the subtle ways that a cult uses to lure people in. In fact I was amazed to see how many Southern Baptists got caught up in this movement alone.

I was impressed to read in the Prologue, that accuracy was important to the author. So much so that she made sure to check her story with others who were there to insure that her own prejudices ,which could be distortions, were not written into the book. The result is a factual yet sensitive perspective of how cults twist scripture and theology to control their members. The book also gives detail into her leaving Ole and her road back to God, but not without lingering psychological effects. Wendy writes with great conviction and a desire to educate both layman and professionals on not only the danger of cults, but to give hope to those who have been in a cult. In her own words from an email to me Wendy writes:

"I Can't Hear God Anymore: Life in a Dallas Cult was written for all the former members of this group and groups like it who have lost their way. I pray they will find hope and inspiration from my story, and learn that, even after being involved in an abusive religious cult, there is a way back to psychological health, freedom, happiness, and, ultimately, even a way back to God."

I believe she accomplished this in a very well written book.

 March 27, 2007                             Book Review                                   Mark Shea

 Your heart goes out to people like Wendy Duncan

It's the old story of the charismatic leader who gathers a following because of his Unconventional Defiance of Authority. He's got some good things to say. He's not a monster. He's often quite brilliant (and just as often quite half-educated and beholding to nobody). But he cannot brook dissent and when his theories start to make him act a little inhuman, there's nobody in his circle who dares to tell him he's wrong. Nemesis follows hubris and the Leader goes on to destroy himself and those around him.

Not a little of my gratitude to the Catholic Church is that it acts as a powerful check on this sort of phenomenon. It's not utterly impossible, of course. Little sects do still arise here and there with rather too much devotion to the Founder's personal tics. But an *awful* lot of anguish is saved lay Catholics by their reliance on the sensus fidelium (the little voice that says, "There's something not right here") combined with the Catechism (which says, "You're right. This guy's a quack.") and even, mirabile dictu, canon law (which says, "You know, you don't have to put up with this crap. You've got rights.") As the Scandal has shown, the Catholic system is not proof from abuse. But all the same, it's pretty hard for somebody like an Ole Anthony to get away with this sort of stuff in the Catholic communion. That's no small reason why guys like him tend to found their own sects. One common complaint among some fundies is that the Pope is a dictator. But the reality is he's bound by centuries of tradition and precedent and has, in fact, very little direct power over the the Church and virtually no direct influence in the lives of individual Catholics. In sects like this, people like Ole Anthony have direct, dictatorial, emotional and spiritual control over people in ways that are practically unimaginable to cradle Catholics and which are ultimately untethered from anything apart from the Founder's (increasingly unstable because unquestionable) whims.

Duncan's website is here. Her book, tragically, is called "I Can't Hear God Anymore". I hope the title does not become her identity and that she is able to move past her trauma into healing. It's easy to get stuck in rage at this sort of abuse. As far as I know, the only way past it is to bite the bullet and obey Jesus' command to forgive. I hope she finds her way to peace and one day soon visit her local Catholic parish to sit before the tabernacle and just be loved by our Lord.

http://markshea.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html