Category Archives: spiritual abuse

The Error of YWAM Exposed

Mike Oppenheimer at www.letusreason.org has written a 4 part expose on YWAM outlining their continued error, spiritual abuse, and absolute support by Calvary Chapel Honolulu specifically, as well as Calvary Chapels nationally and internationally.

Quick Summary of YWAMs error

screen-shot-2019-06-02-at-10.45.51-amYWAM and its leadership embraces the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) false teachings that include the “7 Mountain Mandate” and is essentially a Dominionist teaching. Dominionism in a narrow sense, is incompatible with pre-millennial evangelical Christianity and leads to extreme right wing political beliefs which can be summarized as “Christian Nationalism”.

A broader usage of the term dominionism / dominionist leads to confusion and attempts to marginalize any discussion on theology.

This zone of confusion and marginalization is where YWAM thrives. Traditional Christianity does not teach we are to love this world or try to take over it’s governments, educational and entertainment industries.  This is just the beginning of YWAM’s problems.

Links are at the end of my article. Skip ahead for the links or continue to read along as you wish for more of a background on this topic.

Waxer, Danny, Bud and Bill.

Waxer, Danny, Bud and Bill. the Calvary Chapel Clique

Mike Oppenheimer is a very kind person and only mentions a certain “Hawaii Calvary Chapel pastor”, in his article so I have added a photo so you, my readers can figure out who is who.

I probably know at least half the men in the photo on a first name basis (I was never introduced to JD Farag and a few others) and I would like to think most of them are genuinely ignorant (of YWAMs errors); but I also know at least some of them are very willingly ignorant of YWAM’s errors. This leaves ONLY two possible options. #1. they don’t speak out because being a pastor is a good job and they don’t want to be unemployed. (this begs the question are they even believers or just good at their job) #2. they know about the error and tolerate, condone and spread it willingly in their pursuit of filthy lucre. Where a individual leaves “being afraid to lose his job” and enters true apostasy is between them and God. I don’t judge any of them eternally but their error here on this planet needs to be addressed. Period!

I beg these guys in the picture above. Many whom I have been friends with and prayed with and cried with and laughed and grew up with. Do you really believe the Bible is true? If its true, then ALL of it is true. Guys please look at THE EVIDENCE and stop being afraid of your clique or whatever you oathed. If they fire you or disown you, rip the dove off your pulpit and building (if you even have a building) and keep on preaching if you are truly a man of God. You will be a celebrity in HEAVEN, the only place it counts. Where is your FAITH? Look at the evidence! 

The Calvary Chapel Honolulu and YWAM connection

Danny Lehmann (YWAM Honolulu) and Bill Stonebraker are the same age thereabouts and both admit being in the same place and same time. That place being Southern California during the “Jesus Movement” in the early 1970’s. This is the same Jesus Movement that brought us a wide ranking of acid tripping pastors such as Lonnie Frisbee, Greg Laurie and Hawaii’s own Danny Lehmann.

lightning bolt

lightning bolt surfboards

Did Bill and Danny know each other from the Southern California surf scene? This is very possible as even today, surfing and surfers are a well knit clique. Danny certainly knew who Bill was. Bill Stonebraker was a famous surfer and surfboard shaper for Greg Noll and Lightnng Bolt Surfboards.

The first time I think either of them admit being acquainted was when Bill Stonebraker was preaching out of the Diamond Head theater in the 1980s and as the story goes, Danny gave Bill a prophecy that he would be the “shepherd of many sheep” or something along those lines. This is (thought to be) why Bill refuses to address Danny Lehmans error to this day.

Danny Lehmann, Greg Laurie and Bill Stonebraker are the tightest of friends and the only thing I can say with certainty about their early days is that if you ask any one of them about Lonnie Frisbee they will get very uncomfortable and try to walk away from you (or me) or just cut you off. I have done it. Try it. They get very mad. Ask them what they are hiding? How close were they to Lonnie?

Harvest-A-Greg-LaurieGreg Laurie for certain was very close. Greg was known to follow Lonnie around and even dressed like him. Maybe they were more than friends? Is it true that when Lonnie Frisbee was basically excommunicated from Calvary Chapel, Greg Laurie took over Lonnie’s “front line” evangelist position and even the congregation at All Saints Episcopal Church in Riverside? Try asking Bill or Greg any of these questions and watch the sparks fly.

Lonnie Frisbee, Kathryn Kuhlmann and Chuck Smith

Lonnie Frisbee, Kathryn Kuhlmann and Chuck Smith

Danny Lehmann used to mention Lonnie on occasion but not anymore. Mum has become the word. Lonnie is erased from Calvary Chapel history. If you don’t know why you really need to start doing your own research.

Not a single Calvary Chapel or Word for Today published book mentions Lonnie Frisbee at all even though he is the real reason the Jesus Movement happened. Well Lonnie Frisbee was used by Chuck Smith and known witch Kathryn Kuhlmann. The evidence is readily available and not hard to find, you just wont find it in a Calvary Chapel bookstore. 

The reason is simple. Any discussion of Lonnie Frisbee is a rabbit hole that takes you into a world of error and apostasy that on one hand while Calvary Chapels (Harvest, One Love, Fresh Love, etc) claim to resist, the evidence is today’s greater apostasy (the entire Christian Contemporary Music scene and the word faith-prosperity movement) actually BEGAN in the Calvary Chapel inspired Jesus Movement of the 1970’s but that is a WHOLE different story. 

Today we are exposing YWAMs error.

Mike Oppenheimer’s articles come out at the same time as a pair of unrelated videos were dropped on the internet.

ywam : what you don’t know (my ywam dts experience

Also here;

Pastors Condemn Decades of Abuse Amid Allegations Against YWAM

After watching both videos I believe the timing of Mike Oppenheimers article below is impeccable.  While the videos speak for themselves, Mike Oppenheimer gives the real meat and potatoes behind YWAM’s abuse and history of error.

So… Rather than spin our wheels in the endless doughnut of YWAM logic (or lack thereof)

Here are Mike Oppenheimers articles in their entirety.

The Unbiblical Openness of YWAM part 1 – YWAM’s experiments with the youth.

The Unbiblical Openness of YWAM part 2 – My personal experience, YWAM’s ecumenism and its founders view of Eschatology

The Unbiblical Openness of YWAM part 3 – The many influences of the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation)

The Unbiblical Openness of YWAM part 4 – YWAM’s connection to Lou Engle (NAR Wacko) and “The Send”.

Broken Trust Book by Remy Diederich

brokentrustI just finished reading the new book “Broken Trust, a practical guide to identify and recover from toxic faith, toxic church, and spiritual abuse”.

I met the author Remy Diederich recently on the “Spiritual abuse in YWAM” group on Facebook. That is a very active group with hundreds of members and daily updates. Although I was never in YWAM, at one time I wanted to be, I just never had the money to join their expensive and fraudulent DTS (THANK GOD) but they are very closely related to and recruit heavily among Hawaii”s Calvary Chapels.

I have spoken now with the author of this book, Remy Diederich a few times via chat and email. I am amazed at the wisdom he has regarding toxic and abusive churches but also realize this kind of knowledge comes at a great price.

I am about to read the book a second time and go a little slower this time. It is the best explanation I have found on how people in churches cloak abuse under the guise of spirituality.

I wish I had a copy of this 25 years ago, but its a new release, and people are just now beginning to understand what makes abusers tick.

To be fair, some people don’t know they are being abusive, they might still be able to change. Others are very good at it and don’t know any other way. Both need to be confronted.

Now finally, with Gods wisdom and many answered prayers, a few new and now very close friends, and finally Remy’s book, I know clearly now I am not the only one who has learned to identify these manipulators in church leadership.

Identifying their Scent

The abusers power lies entirely in their ability to isolate and diminish the abused persons concerns and filling their minds with doubt, condemnation, shame and guilt.

Most people never identify that they have been or are being taken advantage of by their trusted clergy. Others start to get a pretty good idea. Often times two people, sometimes very close to each other will witness the same behavior or abuse. Only one sees it for what it is, the other doesn’t. This could cause broken friendships, even divorces.

Remy makes a couple of good analogies in Chapter 27 on page 102-103. Survivors can eventually “smell” abusers a mile away, even when others can’t. We see the subtle tones and gestures in their behaviors and we start to catch what’s being said and what’s being left out of their sermons or conversations. People who have survived abusive relationships become super sensitive to abuse.

When questioned, the abusers will quickly accuse their examiner of being a “gossiper”, “over reacting” or “hyper sensitive”, a “sin sniffer” or a “pharisee” or even “slanderous”.

Confront or Leave

In an earlier chapter Remy describes how often times the abused is in a “no win” or a “double bind” situation. The best thing for most people to do is just leave, quickly. On page 45 of the book Remy uses the analogy of a burning house. Do we criticize the person who fled the burning house for using the wrong exit or not exiting quickly enough or for trying to put the fire out first? The answer is No. As long as they safely get out.

For most people the correct answer is just to leave. For a few stronger minded and stronger stomached individuals, confronting the leadership of your church may be the way to go but this often ends up back in a double bind, or as they say, spitting in the wind.

Anyway, go out, get Remy’s book. I wish I had something like it 25 years ago but God has been gracious to me. I have not left the faith,. I consider myself a stronger Christian now more than ever before. The last pastor who wrote me a nasty email accused me of many things but it was too late for him. I see through them now. They have no power over me anymore. Calvary Chapels may not technically be a “cult” but I have experienced much cult like and abusive behaviors among the top leaders of Calvary Chapels in Hawaii. YWAMs and Calvary Chapels both are showing up more and more on Cult awareness websites.

I won’t throw the baby out with the bath water and say they are “all” reprobate but I suspect at least a few are. I don’t know much about the other churches in Hawaii but was with a friend last night who has suffered obvious abuse from another large charismatic church in Hawaii. Guys please, if you see smoke, there is probably a fire. Just leave.

If any of you need help, Email me or leave a comment here, i will respond; or just get Remy’s book. Don’t let these people lay their trips on you. God is all you need. Anything else is legalism. leave these people to themselves. Get alone with God. He will show you everything you need. Remy does a fantastic job of laying this all out on pages 60-61.

The first thing to do is leave. Remove yourself from the abusive situation. #2 protect yourself if being physically or (if I may add) legally threatened.

#3 Take a break

This is important enough Ill bold it. When you leave an abusive relationship, resist the temptation to return. Well meaning believers will tell you “YOU MUST go to church” but they are wrong. This is like telling someone who just got out of an abusive marriage “THEY MUST get married again right away”. Think about how ridiculous that sounds! Take a break! God alone is all you need!

What else to do

Get perspective, this can be accomplished through a variety of means. For me it was new friends. Remy recommends journaling, prayer or even professional counseling. Next find a new community or like minded believers. Develop a new devotional life free of legalism and pharisee-ism. Finally establish new boundaries.

I didn’t do every thing in the precise order of Remy’s book and there are certain things i’ll never do. (I don’t really Journal except for this blog, and I don’t go to counseling except for the occasional trusted close friend) but pretty much got everything else done. There are one or two loose ends I need to tie up before I can truly move on with my life. I probably have a few more days of spit on my face, some spit still my own (from the wind) and others from getting yelled at at point blank range by the last and final abuser I have yet to break free from.

Link to buy Remy’s book here.