Day 61 – I was on live TV…
The next few days of memories are difficult to write about. This period was one of the most stressful times I had been through up to this point in the ministry. The organization that I loved and had introduced me to God in a very deep and meaningful way, was under attack. This attack was not just words or jealousy, it was direct, vicious, and with a real intent of destruction. Let me explain why and then tell you how I ended up on TV.
We were a non-denominational, Christian organization whose stated focus was on the accuracy and integrity of the scriptures. As the organization grew in the late 60s, a lot of young people were attracted. We did not adhere to many doctrinal beliefs held by mainstream Christianity simply because the scriptures seemed to say something else.
Now having said that, let me be very clear that today I am not here to argue details on the scriptures or defend my beliefs, I’ve seen enough of that to last a lifetime, maybe two lifetimes. I am here today to love and encourage anyone who desires to have a relationship with God without dictating what that needs to look like.
Anyway, back to the story. On November 18, 1978, the news broadcasted the Jonestown, Guyana massacre. A large “cult” group had moved from California to Guyana, a remote country east of Venezuela in South America. Because it was mostly young Americans in this location, it hit the mainstream news. It was sickening and beyond imagination. This started a major “witch hunt” for any group that wasn’t mainline and established…and because of our fast growth in the 60s and 70s we were suspect and on the radar.
I personally started getting unsigned hate mail telling me I should cut my throat with a rusty knife. Both my office phone and my home phone were tapped (equipment wasn’t very good back then and I could hear clicking or noise of those listening in). A car was parked outside my house for several months just watching us. And I wasn’t alone, this was happening all over the country to others in the organization.
If I had been in charge of the organization, I’m not sure what I would have done, so it’s hard for me to criticize those that made decisions. But those in charge decided to close ranks and be more protective of the work, which of course made us look guilty and we were branded a “cult” along with so many other groups at the time. There was a brash attitude among many leaders in our group, who taunted mainstream religion, which certainly didn’t help our cause. I tried my best to protect those I was responsible for by not preaching fear and insolation, but it was difficult.
Being on the inside, all I saw in Minnesota and the other states I was responsible for was sweet, innocent people who just wanted to love God and be together. But when hatred is stirred, the innocent get branded with the guilty.
This is where my TV story comes in. I was contacted be the main local TV station in Minneapolis to be on a live 2 hour show about cults. After much prayer, I agreed, and the date was set.
I showed up at the TV station and we were sent to a room to watch a one-hour documentary about “cults” and then we would go into the studio, four guests on one side and four guests on the other side with a commentator in the middle.
On my side (I was lumped in with the cults) was me, someone from the Children of God, a Moonie, and a Jehovah’s Witness, I think. On the other side was a psychiatrist, (who happened to be Hindu), an ex-Child of God, an Episcopal minister, and an ex-Moonie.
The moderator came on and introduced everyone and for the next hour, he took calls from the viewing audience with questions for the group. I had read as many cult books as I could to prepare, including “Kingdom of the Cults” which everyone seemed to refer to as the authority on the subject.
Most questions, which were very volatile, were directed at the others. I answered a few very benign questions about the ministry mostly about the history of the organization. The moderator would look at his display, and announce that “On line 2 we have a question for the Children of God about recruiting” and then he would hit the button and the person would talk.
For some reason, our organization early that year had begun to teach hunter safety courses at one of our training facilities. It was part of an overall education of self-sufficiency and stewardship, but of course, it was made to look like we were arming and training people with guns.
I didn’t want to address that topic because I had nothing to do with the decision to set it up and there was no way I could win…anything I said would look like a cover up. But there it was on the screen. The moderator announced that he had a question for me about gun training on line 4. I was praying as hard as could for God to give me some answer, but when he hit “line 4” no one was there. He said, “Okay, we will come back to that” and moved on.
He did come back three times and every time he hit the button, no one was there. I have no idea what happened, but I just believed God covered my back.
At the end of the show, there was a reception where we were all in a room. I went up to the Hindu psychiatrist and say, “Your Hindu faith was considered a cult at one time, so what happened?”
He replied, “We grew and got big enough that no one bothered us anymore.”
So, I asked him, “Well, if we get big enough, will we not be classified as a cult anymore?” He smiled and said, “Yes”.
I was exhausted, but at least we came out of it okay. Eventually, things calmed down and we moved on, doing the best we could. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about another time I was on TV and how that turned out.
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