Reply #2: Oh, just wonderful. And more -- the youth group is a bit of a cult [View All]

[beachmom]

Freaky, freaky:

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/y05.html

In the early eighties, while dealing with the aftermath of my own experiences of abuse by a YWAM leader, someone suggested I interview Harold Busséll. Busséll confirmed that, while he does not mention them by name, the organization he referred to was YWAM.

At the time, I was interviewed by Brian Onken, who was a research associate with the Christian Research Institute (CRI). Onken assured me my own experiences were echoed by many others, and that similar reports had been received regarding YWAM bases around the world.

Problems with YWAM were not just limited to cultic behavior of some of its leaders, but included the teaching of aberrant theology. Alan Gomes, in his book "Lead Us Not Into Deception: A Biblical Examination of Moral Government Theology," wrote about YWAM's staunch support of the "Moral Government" theology (said to no longer be taught within the organization), and in the process also addressed some of the abuses some were subjected to. While doing research for his books, Gomes himself was subjected to a smear-campaign directed by the highest leaders within the organization.

These are serious issues not limited to just a few isolated cases.

I, the publisher of Apologetics Index, have personally experienced spiritual abuse within YWAM from Floyd McClung, who at the time was one of YWAM's top world leaders. He demanded unquestioning obedience, claiming that God would bless us for our obedience to leaders, including himself, even when we knew them to be wrong. That is an unbiblical teaching found in many abusive churches. (See "Enforcing authority").

While I have forgiven the spiritual abuse and accepted his reluctant apologies (he denied much of what he had said and done, even though there were a number of witnesses, including two other leaders) the abuse has had far-reaching consequences, the scars of which I still bear.