I Can’t Hear God Anymore (Resource Review)
There is perhaps no story more difficult to tell than our own, espeically 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 publlish 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 changin 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.
- Read I Can’t Hear God Anymore: Life in a Dallas Cult by Wendy J. Duncan
- Read The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin and Ravi Zacharias
- Visit Wendy Duncan’s website
- Visit the Trinity Foundation’s website
- Visit the Wittenburg Door website
- Read the “independent third party”
Posted in Resource Review
May 10th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Interesting. I’m a fan of Wittenburg Door and sympathetic to this group, but don’t know them anywhere near well enough to actually defend them. My suspicion would be that they’re not a cult at all, but perhaps simply weird (and I don’t think weird is necessarily bad) and that this is a case of a disgruntled community member. That happens frequently in Christian Communes such as this.
But I don’t know that, just a hunch. I’m interested but suspicious of the book…
May 10th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Dan, that’s exactly why I made sure to point out that not only does Duncan take the time and effort to define what constitutes a cult, but to demonstrate how those characteristics actually apply to the group in question. Assuming her allegations are correct, I have serious concerns about the group. I’d suggest reading the book for more information.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Well, I read the What We Believe statement of the group and that raised no flags. I read what the so-called impartial fella said and that raised some concerns, but mostly raised concerns about the book’s authors.
Which is not to say that the Trinity Foundation is without blame, I just question the cult label. If what she was saying was true, I’d be concerned, but I don’t know that at this point. It’d be a shame if another Christian group were up to bad-weirdness.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Thank you, Brent, for your balanced and sensitive perspective on our story. You obviously took the time to try to understand the story, and Wendy and I appreciate that.
I also acknowledge how difficult it is for someone like Dan Trabue to discern what is right or wrong in a situation like this, where you have competing truth claims and an “independent” third party trying to take a middle position. For perspective, however, I want to point out that the person in question, Jackie Alnor, has done consulting work for Trinity and has been paid by them, so she is anything but independent. I do believe she is operating from good intentions, but she is not at all objective and she has turned out to be little more than a water-carrier for Ole.
By the way, a truly independent third party, David Clark, will be doing a presentation on Wendy’s book at the upcoming International Cult Studies Association Annual Conference in Brussels, Belgium this summer. David Clark is someone with genuine credentials and respect in the apologetics and cult-watch communities, so his take on this should be quite interesting.
May 10th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Doug,
Thank you so much. You and your wife have been in my prayers. I’m so sorry that you’ve been through what you have, but I know that God is faithful. Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.
May 11th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Dan,
Please don’t judge any group or person for that matter by their What We Believe statement.Most abusive groups don’t come out and say “Hey we’re a cult!”. I was able to leave this group after reading Hassan’s Combatting Cult Mind Control.I heard Mr. Hassan being interviewed on radio, was intrigued and read the book. His premise is that what defines a cult is not only or always what they believe but their practices and behaviors.Take the time to look carefully at both sides before making up you mind.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:51 am
I remember reading and enjoying the Wittenburg Door publication, a decade and a half ago, in printed form, before this orginization took it over.It was something like Purgatorio or Ship of Fools (websites)in tone. I’ve recently scanned the group’s website, more recently, and was not immediately aware of anything overtly cultish, although I sensed a change, and I was less enthusiastic about it. I would be saddened to hear that these allegations are true: all the coerciveness and domination, the destruction of reason. I’ll watch and see. Perhaps, Pastor, you will post, I hope, more on this subject.
I’m glad that God acted decisively to prove His love for us, through Jesus Christ.
May 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
“Please don’t judge any group or person for that matter by their What We Believe statement.Most abusive groups don’t come out and say “Hey we’re a cult!”.”
I don’t. But neither do I merely accept one person’s word when the accused group has no visible history of the accusations.
I’m not necessarily defending Trinity - I don’t know enough about them to do that - nor am I discrediting the book’s authors - I don’t know enough about them to do that.
I just have heard way too many people accuse me and my compatriots of things I’ve never said nor that I believe to immediately accept the Duncan’s word for it. Way too often in the religious world - and I’ve noticed it particularly on the Religious Right, but it’s probably found all around - if you disagree with someone’s position, then they don’t believe in Jesus, or they’re a cult, or they are not a “real” church, or they hate America, etc, etc, etc.
I’ve seen it too often not to be wary.
May 11th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Ha! Dan, I hope you’re in a joking mood because I couldn’t help but think about how you take the Trinity Foundation’s website to mean exactly what it says while you struggle to do this with the Bible! I thought that was interesting.
May 11th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
I take the Truths of the Bible quite literally. No struggle there, thank you.
May 12th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Hello Everyone:
I don’t know the Duncan’s personally, and have not had the priviledge of meeting them as of yet. But I CAN TESTIFY of this:
I myself, was in a church, a so-called Bible-based Ministry. IT IS A CULT, (in my humble opinion). You can read a church’s “Statement of Faith” and what they believe, and it MAY sound on the up and up- so you think you’re going someplace that’s ok and teaches sound doctrine. Then you find out later, that the “church” is full of deceit,lies, and out and out perversity! I have learned that reading “Statements of Faith” are fine, but that does not necessarily mean that the ministry is in the will of God. Sometimes these places- these “synagogues of satan” are very deceptive. It took me YEARS to get free of the spiritual abuse I was entangled in! I thank GOD He got me out of that place! I would rather be in a church with 3 other people, and it be of God, than with 300 deceivers, with a Pastor that teaches wickedness, under the guise of “liberty and grace”- while all the time, bringing me into more and more bondage.
God bless you- Wendy and Doug- it takes courage to speak out against these control freaks! May the Lord continue to bless you in your work.
God bless-
Cheryl Parmenter
May 14th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Every day that Ole Anthony is drawing breath on this good green earth is another day that I know that evil is real and that the devil is alive and well.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:40 am
I am NOT a Wittenburg Door fan and am personally aware of some peculiarities of the Trinity Foundation from the early 1970’s. I can appreciate some of what TF has done…but at a distance. I do appreciate this book review. People need to know stuff like this. All is not Kosher in Dallas or Tulsa or where you live either.
May 16th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
On the Trinity Foundation page about feasts, it states: “Through 20 years of biblical study aided by insight from historians, the Jewish oral law in the Talmud, and the Jewish mystical tradition recorded in the Kaballah, we feel we have rediscovered, by the grace of God, the lost links between the Jewish feasts, the New Testament and the life of the Spirit.”
This statement is disturbing for many reasons (I was also disturbed by other statements about language and words) but the major concern I see in this excerpt is reference to the occult Kabbalah. The Kabbalah is not rooted either in scripture or sound biblical theology, but derives from medieval esoteric writings/teachings that depict a god found neither in Judaism nor in Christianity. The Kabbalah is gnostic and occult in nature and should never be used even in part as a basis for any Christian teaching. I have an article on the Kabbalah on my website and have lectured on it.
I also see here a reliance on “oral” traditions of the Talmud. This plus the reliance on the Kabbalah show a major deficiency in discernment and basis for theology of what is being taught at the Trinity Foundation.
I have read Wendy Duncan’s book and found it to be credible. Whatever the personal conflicts may be and whatever caused the writing of the book, we should not use those as a basis to disregard the content of the book or the serious issues it raises about this group.
May 16th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Marcia, thanks so much, especially for your closing thoughts. Your sentiments are exactly why I went ahead and posted an interaction with the book. Regardless of the personal conflicts that the Trinity Foundation claims to be waiting for a Matthew 18 resolution, Duncan raises enough credible concern with enough citation that I thought her content needed to be discussed.
October 14th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Ole Anthony (Trinity Foundation) Shades of a Cult!…
Nobody likes being disappointed. We don’t like hearing we’ve been misled by a false teacher. We don’t like hearing we tossed money to the service of something not of God while thinking God wanted us to do it. We appreciate the word…