Wendy Duncan's response

As it turns out, the anonymous person who made the comment on my Ole Anthony post was actually Wendy Duncan, author of "I Can't Hear God Anymore", a book which suggests that Anthony's Trinity Foundation is a cult. I would like to post her response:

There are a number of abusive practices at Trinity that define it as a cult, including an excessively authoritarian style of leadership, the shunning of former members, and heretical neo-gnostic doctrines. In writing my book, I interviewed over a score of former members, and every one of them that spent a significant amount of time at Trinity Foundation now believe it is a cult. However, most of them are too emotionally and spiritually damaged to want to speak out about it, and most of them are still afraid of possible retaliation if they do.

Although I was a believer with a graduate degree from a conservative theological seminary, I had several disappointing experiences in churches that left me vulnerable to the “community” that Ole Anthony offered. Before going to my first Bible study, I contacted several cult awareness groups and asked if Trinity Foundation was a cult. All of them said that they considered the group offbeat and eclectic, but not cultic. That was fifteen years ago and now most of those cult awareness groups would have something different to say about Ole Anthony and his Trinity Foundation. The only reason I posted on your blog was to alert you and your readers to the fact that Ole Anthony may not be who he seems. People need to be aware that by listening to his “Bible studies” or attending his group, they are playing with fire. (Thought reform, brainwashing, etc.)

You can review a group or church’s doctrinal statements or statement of beliefs and they may seem orthodox. The problem is that anyone can copy a doctrinal statement. What defines a cult is more their practices and behavior than what they proclaim to believe.

Thanks for letting me go into more detail.

Peace,
Wendy J. Duncan

PS: The reason I posted anonymously on the previous post was because I didn’t want to take the time to register. I’m really not one of those scary anonymous posters. :)


In response:

I don't really have much of a rebuttal to your claims in regards to the Trinity Foundation. I will say that you have inspired me to do some research. As I said in my post, I'm not really defending anyone or any organization at this point. I will try to keep an open mind, but so far nothing I've heard from their camp has raised any "red flags"...at least not concerning anything that I don't already believe.

I thank you for your comment and, even more, for your concern.

Peace

(Ms. Duncan's website is Dallas Cult)