Mind Over Mania: The Day After

Well, things have certainly been eventful since MSNBC aired their "Mind Over Mania" documentary last night. The program, which chronicled the stories of many current and former Honor Academy interns, definitely didn't paint Teen Mania Ministries in the best light.  In fact, the program raised such serious questions that it will probably dissuade many parents & teens from participating in Teen Mania activities.

Just before "Mind Over Mania" aired last night, Ron Luce sent an e-mail to Teen Mania's massive mailing list claiming that he and other senior leaders had been duped into participating in the documentary.  He declared the program "negative" and "inflammatory" before he had even seen it.  Not surprisingly, Teen Mania supporters are not happy about the information that was broadcast, and they are out in full force today.  If you want some idea of what that looks like, check out the comments here and here.

Ron Luce included a link to the trailer of the MSNBC program in his mass e-mail, and current Honor Academy interns were shown a recording of the show this morning.  This should not surprise anyone--MSNBC has a direct pipeline into 78 million homes, so this story was just too big for them to ignore.  I expect Teen Mania to offer an official rebuttal to the program sometime in the near future, although I do not know of any specific plans or what form that rebuttal might take.

To those who were dismayed by what they saw in "Mind Over Mania" and want to do something about it: I think this is a key moment in time for our community, and the airing of this documentary presents some unique opportunities.  For the first time, the plight of those hurt by Teen Mania has been covered by a well-respected, national news organization.  That is HUGE!

Here are some ways we can use the airing of "Mind Over Mania" to help get the word out that Teen Mania is a dangerous place for young people:

• Show the documentary to your friends and family!  While the program only just started to scratch the surface of the many problems at Teen Mania, the presentation was compelling and succinct.  Many times, I have found it difficult to really explain to people the nature or extent of the problems with Teen Mania.  I personally feel like I can use "Mind Over Mania" as a tool to help people understand why I was hurt and why I want to take action.
• Write about "Mind Over Mania" on the internet.  Looking at my blog traffic, I can tell that lots and lots of people are searching for information regarding this documentary.  A quick Google search will reveal that lots of people are buzzing about the show.  If you can, take some time to write about your personal reaction to the show.  Was your experience similar to those of the women who shared their stories on the show?  Do you think Teen Mania is a good place for teens?  Write about it and post it to your Facebook, Twitter, tumblr....whatever!  If you want to remain anonymous, it only takes a few seconds to sign up for a new account.  RIGHT NOW people are searching for information on Teen Mania, and we want to make sure that our voices are heard clearly among all the Teen Mania "party line" chatter.
• Use "Mind Over Mania" to help reach out to the local and regional media in your area.  The fact of the matter is, this IS a huge news story, and Teen Mania continues to hold live events all around the country almost every weekend.  Chances are, at least one media outlet in your area would be willing to run a story about a Texas-based cult coming into town to recruit teenagers.  So, if a live Teen Mania event is happening near you, call your local newspapers and television stations....ESPECIALLY the local NBC affiliate.  Tell them about your concerns regarding Teen Mania, and let them know that MSNBC has already run a major story about the organization.  Get a copy of "Mind Over Mania" into the hands of any reporter, editor, or producer that expresses even the slightest bit of interest.  You'll save them some research, and they'll know it is a "safe" story to run from a legal standpoint--two things that will make it much more likely for them to run with your story idea!

Those are some of my initial thoughts....I'm sure I'll have more over time.  If you need a copy of the documentary and are having trouble finding it online, please send me a private message at the e-mail address in the sidebar, and I will try to help you find it.  And to my fellow former "manics"--please continue to speak up about your experiences and get the truth out there!  That is what is going to make all the difference in the world.

You CAN Do Something!

So, you've been hurt by Teen Mania, or you just want to take a stand against the organization, but where do you start?  Is it wise to try to do something?  What are you comfortable with doing?  There are a whole lot of questions to consider, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed--like you won't be able to make any difference at all.  Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth!  There are all sorts of actions you can take to stand up to Teen Mania Ministries, big and small, including:

• You could write a letter to Teen Mania and tell them how they hurt you.
• You could start to speak up about your negative Teen Mania experiences whenever you hear someone talking about the organization.
• You could talk to your pastor, and the pastors of other churches, about your experience with Teen Mania and why you think it is a dangerous place for kids.
• You could write a "Letter to the Editor" of your local newspaper whenever Acquire the Fire comes to town.
• You could politely decline a request by a teenage missionary or intern to donate to Teen Mania, and tell them why you are doing so.
• You could Tweet or post on Facebook and explain to people how Teen Mania damages kids lives.
• You could organize a protest at an Acquire the Fire or BattleCry event, or just go give kids more information about what Teen Mania is really all about.
• You could even start a blog! (Sorry, I had to.)

There really are so many ways that you could choose to stand up to Teen Mania.  There are tons of other ideas that I have that aren't included on this list, and I bet you have some ideas that I haven't even thought of.  Just remember, every little bit counts. Every less dollar that goes to Teen Mania means one less dollar available to fund programs that hurt people. Every time someone stands up and starts to speak out, change happens.  Teen Mania is a giant machine, with lots of moving parts, just waiting to be dismantled.  You can definitely be a part of that if you want to be.

The Teen Mania Machine

You've probably heard me refer to "the Teen Mania machine" a couple of times now. But what does that really mean? In order to effectively counter any large company or organization, I think it is important to understand the 'machine conecpt,' so let's look at that a little closer.

Most machines, like a car for example, require many moving parts to work in harmony with each other, and without that harmony, the machine won't run. A car requires wheels, axles, brakes, a steering column, an engine, and many, many other parts to work together perfectly in order to get you from point A to point B. Like with most machines, not every part is absolutely essential, and you could remove some parts and still have the car work. You might be able to get around with just one brake, or with a flat tire, or maybe even a broken belt in the engine. But if too many parts start to fail, eventually the whole car will breakdown and you won't be able to drive it anymore.

Businesses and organizations like Teen Mania run in much the same way. A bunch of little things add up to making the whole organization run. Hundreds of thousands of people write checks to Teen Mania each year. Tens of thousands of people and church groups buy tickets to dozens of live events. Thousands of people volunteer at Acquire the Fire and Extreme Camps. Hundreds of high school graduates sign up for the Honor Academy each year. If a few people stop giving money to Teen Mania, or if a couple of their live events don't run so smoothly, or if they lose a few volunteers/interns, it's not the end of the world for them and the organization will keep running. But if these things start happening on a larger scale, the organization quickly reaches a crisis point and the "machine" starts to break down.

When trying to figure out how to confront a large organization like Teen Mania, the task can seem daunting and it is easy to believe that nothing you do will be able to make a difference in the long run. But it can help to look at it as trying to dismantle a large machine. You might not be able to stop a car with brute force, but if you start ripping stuff out from under the hood piece by piece, you can be pretty sure that eventually the car will stop.

Teen Mania has lots of gears & belts under their hood. It might be hard for one person to take down Teen Mania or bring serious reform to the organization. But you better believe that if enough people start actively trying to pull out parts or throw wrenches into the works, eventually the machine will stop.

To Confront or Not to Confront?

Switching gears from previous posts for a second, I wanted to take a moment to look at the question of whether or not it is worth trying to "do something about" or "confronting" Teen Mania.

The people who say "no" have a few good arguments. First, some people say that all sorts of good things are going on at Acquire the Fire conferences, and that teens really are finding God there. I would say that both of those things are true. But, there's also a few other considerations to keep in mind. First, if a teen does "find God" at an Acquire the Fire convention, but finds the messed-up, fundamentalist version of God that will end up taking them years to recover from, is that really a "good thing?" Second, if we believe that God is almighty and really does work in mysterious ways, does He really need Acquire the Fire to save that teenager? Isn't it more likely that he would find some other, less damaging way to bring that teen to Him?

The second argument for not trying to do anything is that outside opposition only strengthens Teen Mania. That they can use lofty rhetoric and militaristic language to demonize "outsiders" who are attacking and further reinforce commitment to the organization and its goals. I would agree that is also a correct statement, to an extent. But there is only so much outside pressure that a single organization can withstand. If enough people start to hear the truth about the organization, less people will give money and less parents will be inclined to send their teens on missions trips. If parents & teens hear the truth about Teen Mania and churches stop taking their youth groups to Acquire the Fire and BattleCry, Teen Mania has less recruits for their internship program which is the lifeblood of their ministry.

The worst thing any oppressed or abused person can do is to stay silent. It is only by speaking out, or doing something, that things can really start to change from the status-quo. In the words of famous holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, "We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." I think that is definitely true in cases of spiritual abuse, like what is happening in the world of Teen Mania ministries. If you think that what is going on is really wrong on some level and that people are being hurt by Teen Mania, then you should absolutely speak up and try to do something about it, in whatever form that happens to take for you individually. In the next post, we'll look at different levels of involvement that you might want to have in "standing up" to Teen Mania.