October 09, 2023

025 - SPECIAL EPISODE: Loren Cunningham, YWAM Founder (& Cult Leader?) Just Died ... Entanglements with Keith Green and Last Days Ministries

58 minutes

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Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), passed away on October 6, 2023. News of his passing was particularly difficult for MANY former members (YWAMers) because he escaped a long-overdue reckoning to account for the years of exploitation, manipulation, and spiritual and financial abuse he designed and presided over throughout the decades of Youth With A Mission’s history. Tracey and Sharon share their own experiences with this systemic model of abuse and manipulation due to the close ties between Keith Green and Loren Cunningham and between Last Days Ministries and Youth With a Mission back in the early 1980’s. Loren Cunningham exploited both youth and nations with a program that functioned much more like a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM) than a true ministry. We share the dark side of his ‘legacy’ that you won’t often hear because Loren Cunningham and other high-level YWAM leaders worked hard to remove and silence people and bury and hide important and heart-breaking stories of abuse and corruption.

References for this episode:

Tyler Morning Telegraph Newspaper article – History of Ministries in East Texas

https://tylerpaper.com/lifestyle/faith/christian-pioneers-make-east-texas-a-hub-for-worldwide-ministries/article_3bfb0beb-9f0a-578c-8236-8549236a5233.html

The Cross and the Switch Blade Movie Trailer starring Erik Estrada (who starred in the TV Show CHiPs in the 1970’s)
https://youtu.be/w4ANAyIQi8Y?si=YWzERVCizDfyYFdp

The Book used by YWAM to emphasize the principle – “Do not come against God’s anointed.”

The Tale of Three Kings– by Gene Edwards

Sharon mentions visiting the home of the Anastasis Ship in 1982: Loren Cunningham had a long-time vision of a ship ministry, which was finally realized in 1979. The first ship, named “Anastasis” (the Greek word for Resurrection), became the first in a fleet to be known as Mercy Ships–a ministry which would provide hope and healthcare to the needy in port cities around the world.

(Note: Mercy Ships is no longer an affiliate of YWAM – it became a stand-alone ministry in 2003)

Other Stories about experiences with YWAM abuse:
https://ministrywatch.com/spiritual-abuse-a-common-complaint-for-ywam-students/https://www.spiritualabuseresources.com/articles/my-experience-in-ywa

Tracey's Interview on IWATF: "Was Keith Green A Cult Leader?"
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2078827/12748626
Sharon's Interview on IWATF: "Keith Green Arranged My Teenage Marriage"
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2078827/12748728
A little slice of life at the cult-commune Last Days Ministries:

https://www.instagram.com/feetofclay.cultsisters
https://feetofclayconfessionsofthecultsisters.buzzsprout.com

We love acronyms -- and we aren't afraid to use them! Here are some common ones that we might forget to explain:
LDM - Last Days Ministries (organization)
ICT - Intensive Christian Training School (at LDM)
YWAM - Youth With A Mission (organization)
CCM - Contemporary Christian Music

...more

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By Tracey and Sharon

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