Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1986 Page 51
God (Romans 13), government policy would necessarily be ordained by God. [As] Norman
L. Geisler writes in his Ethics, ‗By blind obedience to government on the fallacious ground
that all of a government‘s decisions must be of God because its authority is of God, one can
contribute to an evil cause ...unless a citizen determines whether or not his country is
taking its rightful place under God, he may be giving his government the place of God.‘‖29
It‘s not that I believe that God can only bless you if you have good leaders, but just because
God can work through any situation does not mean that one should support such a situation
and allow it to continue. I believe that every person is responsible for his own actions, ―For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is
due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad‖ (2 Cor. 5:10).
The YWAM approach to submission clearly reflects what Ronald Enroth has said about
contemporary cults.
Submission, total obedience, subjection -these are the hallmarks of the cult
leader. In the cults, submission becomes a value and an end in itself, as Peter
Marin notes in his excellent essay on spiritual obedience: ―There are many
things to which man or woman might submit to his own work, to the needs
of others, or the love of others, to passion, to experience, to the rhythms of
nature -the list is endless ...But that general appetite is twisted and used
tyrannically when we are asked to submit ourselves unconditionally to other
persons -whether they wear the mask of the state or of the spirit. In both
instances, our primary relation is no longer to the world or to others it is to
the ‗master,‘ and the world or others suffer from that choice.‖30
I will concede that when we were given the lecture on submission, we were also told that
this was not absolute submission, and that it was possible to be a Godly rebel but this was
the exception. The problem for me was that by the time of Outreach, I was unable to judge
what constituted an exception or discern what was cause for speaking out. I had been
taught to distrust my mind and it was instilled in us that God had anointed these people
who would work through them God had chosen them. We were continuously told by our
Outreach leaders that we were bad, rebellious people. By that time I had learned to accept
another‘s evaluation of my spirituality. Even when I knew that I was not being rebellious, I
couldn‘t fight their constant judgment I believed them. Finally, in the fifth month, the staff
from YWAM came to visit us in Kauai and lectured us again about submitting to the leaders
that ―God has placed over you.‖ They felt ‗―impressed‖ that God was saying we were being
rebellious and should change our ways. If we were having problems, it was our fault (―You
get the leaders you deserve.‖) We again repented, confessed our sinful nature, and
continued to obey.
Breaking Away
None of my friends or family was aware of the trouble that I was having during Outreach.
They were shocked when I finally shared what had happened. I had said nothing to them
partly for the same reasons I had not complained to the staff at King‘s but there was
another reason. So much of the YWAM teaching was radically different from what I had
learned growing up that I was reticent to mention it to people at home. One student
reflected: ―For a while at King‘s I wondered if I had even been raised Christian, according to
them.‖ I remember telling my mother not only that the surroundings [at King‘s] were
different, but that even God seemed different to me. I knew that my family would not
understand what I had been taught about submission. If they had said that the leaders were
wrong, or told me that I should leave, I wouldn‘t have listened to them. In my mind, they
didn‘t know any better they were just too wrapped up in the secular world. As in the Moon
cult,
God (Romans 13), government policy would necessarily be ordained by God. [As] Norman
L. Geisler writes in his Ethics, ‗By blind obedience to government on the fallacious ground
that all of a government‘s decisions must be of God because its authority is of God, one can
contribute to an evil cause ...unless a citizen determines whether or not his country is
taking its rightful place under God, he may be giving his government the place of God.‘‖29
It‘s not that I believe that God can only bless you if you have good leaders, but just because
God can work through any situation does not mean that one should support such a situation
and allow it to continue. I believe that every person is responsible for his own actions, ―For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is
due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad‖ (2 Cor. 5:10).
The YWAM approach to submission clearly reflects what Ronald Enroth has said about
contemporary cults.
Submission, total obedience, subjection -these are the hallmarks of the cult
leader. In the cults, submission becomes a value and an end in itself, as Peter
Marin notes in his excellent essay on spiritual obedience: ―There are many
things to which man or woman might submit to his own work, to the needs
of others, or the love of others, to passion, to experience, to the rhythms of
nature -the list is endless ...But that general appetite is twisted and used
tyrannically when we are asked to submit ourselves unconditionally to other
persons -whether they wear the mask of the state or of the spirit. In both
instances, our primary relation is no longer to the world or to others it is to
the ‗master,‘ and the world or others suffer from that choice.‖30
I will concede that when we were given the lecture on submission, we were also told that
this was not absolute submission, and that it was possible to be a Godly rebel but this was
the exception. The problem for me was that by the time of Outreach, I was unable to judge
what constituted an exception or discern what was cause for speaking out. I had been
taught to distrust my mind and it was instilled in us that God had anointed these people
who would work through them God had chosen them. We were continuously told by our
Outreach leaders that we were bad, rebellious people. By that time I had learned to accept
another‘s evaluation of my spirituality. Even when I knew that I was not being rebellious, I
couldn‘t fight their constant judgment I believed them. Finally, in the fifth month, the staff
from YWAM came to visit us in Kauai and lectured us again about submitting to the leaders
that ―God has placed over you.‖ They felt ‗―impressed‖ that God was saying we were being
rebellious and should change our ways. If we were having problems, it was our fault (―You
get the leaders you deserve.‖) We again repented, confessed our sinful nature, and
continued to obey.
Breaking Away
None of my friends or family was aware of the trouble that I was having during Outreach.
They were shocked when I finally shared what had happened. I had said nothing to them
partly for the same reasons I had not complained to the staff at King‘s but there was
another reason. So much of the YWAM teaching was radically different from what I had
learned growing up that I was reticent to mention it to people at home. One student
reflected: ―For a while at King‘s I wondered if I had even been raised Christian, according to
them.‖ I remember telling my mother not only that the surroundings [at King‘s] were
different, but that even God seemed different to me. I knew that my family would not
understand what I had been taught about submission. If they had said that the leaders were
wrong, or told me that I should leave, I wouldn‘t have listened to them. In my mind, they
didn‘t know any better they were just too wrapped up in the secular world. As in the Moon
cult,
