Feet of Clay—Confessions of the Cult Sisters

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CAUTION!   In this episode we talk very vulnerably, honestly and explicitly about sex and our personal experiences.   We feel this is not appropriate for younger kids.  Regarding teenagers...  for those who may have already been influenced by or are struggling with the teachings of "purity culture" and/or fundamentalist principles, our unvarnished real-life experiences may be useful and instructive.   Please use discretion.

In this Part 1 we discuss: 
1) The  "Promise"- remaining a virgin until marriage will give you the healthiest, happiest sex life possible (pssssst - nope!)
2) The "Predicament" - what the heck is a good Christian supposed to do with all those sexual feelings and the decision whether / when to marry, and
3) "Purity Culture" - the packaging and selling of this definitely-NOT-innocuous belief system to unsuspecting young people (and their parents)

NOTES & CORRECTIONS:  

• Sharon wondered about the publication date of the book "The Joy of Sex"...  turns out it was in 1972, so she was most likely 11 or 12 years old when she first perused those pages. 
• Tracey was right - those home movies in the '70s WERE "Super 8" mm... which means she is also right that Sharon IS F%@*ing OLD!

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

Want a little CONTEXT for all the CRAZY?!?!?  Tracey & Sharon summarize the Who, What, Where, and When... but NOT the Why.  (Yeah, right.)

Here's a quick reference list to some of the stuff:

***Last Days Ministries (LDM) - Non-profit religious organization founded by Keith Green in 1977; began in Southern California, relocated to East Texas in 1979.
***Intensive Christian Training School (ICT) - 10 week course and recruiting program on-site at LDM
***Youth With A Mission (YWAM) - Non-profit religious organization founded by Loren Cunningham in 1960
***Keith Green (1953 - 1982) - Best-selling Christian musician, preacher, author, founder of LDM; killed in private plane crash in 1982.
***Melody Green (1946 -   ) - Widow of Keith Green, author of book "No Compromise."  Married Andrew Seivright in 1999, later divorced.  Continues to run LDM as an online ministry / business.
***Wayne & Kathleen Dillard - Leadership couple who met and married (1980) at LDM; Wayne was an elder with Keith and Martin;  worked with Melody through 1991; Wayne died in 2010
***Martin & Sharon Bennett - Leadership couple who met and married (1981) at LDM; Martin was an elder with Keith and Wayne;  Martin & Sharon were kicked out of LDM in early 1987 by Melody and YWAM council; divorced in 2005.
***Lindsay & Tracey Reed - Couple who met and married (1986) at LDM; became Directors of ICT;  left LDM in 1987; divorced in 2006.

Link to 60 minute video "Keith Green Documentary: Your Love Broke Through"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nLRCIzNI5c&t=29s

Link to 10 minute video "LDM Information, Services & Product Promotionals"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CuPVBCpors

NOTE:  Sharon's use of the term "jewfro" was repeating how Keith had referred to his own hair. 

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

CORRECTION:  In this interview Sharon mistakenly says she was with LDM through 1985 - truth is she was there until early 1987.   

This is a REPEAT of Sharon's guest appearance with hosts Brian McDowell and Troy Waller on their podcast I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist,  Episode #076: "Keith Green Arranged My Teenage Marriage” (Keith Green Part  2)   
 https://www.iwasateenagefundamentalist.com/

They’ve  generously allowed us to share this interview here as a convenience to our listeners.  Enjoy!

Don’t miss Sharon's  brief discussion with Tracey, talking about her experience going back in time and looking at all this crazy shit.   Our episode #3 here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2078827/12715266

SHOW NOTES FROM IWATF #076:  "Following on from Episode 072 Was Keith Green a Cult Leader?, we interview Sharon Madere. She was 'led to the Lord' by Keith and experienced the 'baptism in the Holy Spirit' experience with Keith in the 1970s. She lived at the Last Days Ministries commune in California and later in Texas in the 1980s. In this episode, Sharon tells her stories and claims Keith Green arranged her teenage marriage to Martin Bennett, one of the three elders of LDM.  Correction: In this episode, Sharon says she remained with LDM until 1985. She wishes to correct this and state she stayed with LDM until early-1987. 
Transcript of the episode is here.   Podcast links: https://linktr.ee/iwatf
You can follow Sharon & Tracey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feetofclay.cultsisters/

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

In this short chat, Sharon talks to her long-time friend and cult-sister Tracey about the experience of telling her story publicly for the FIRST time on the podcast 'I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist' with Brian McDowell and Troy Waller (April 28, 2023).  Listen to Tracey & Sharon's brief intro, then CLICK BELOW to hear Sharon's FULL ORIGINAL INTERVIEW. 

 "I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist - Episode 76: Keith Green Arranged My Teenage Marriage"

https://pod.link/1558606464/episode/82bb238f918a2b45264396bcb66e2d16

Correction: In her interview, Sharon said she remained with LDM until 1985 ---- truth is she didn't leave until early 1987.  (Perhaps that was wishful thinking on her part?)

IWATF Episode #76:  "Following on from Episode 072 Was Keith Green a Cult Leader?, we interview Sharon Madere. She was 'led to the Lord' by Keith and experienced the 'baptism in the Holy Spirit' experience with Keith in the 1970s. She lived at the Last Days Ministries commune in California and later in Texas in the 1980s. In this episode, Sharon tells her stories and claims Keith Green arranged her teenage marriage to Martin Bennett, one of the three elders of LDM."  

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

Long time cult-sister and dear friend, Sharon, visits Tracey in her home in Knoxville, TN to talk about Sharon's FIRST time (finally) reading through the book, 'No Compromise, The Life Story of Keith Green' by Melody Green.

To hear Tracey's background story, check out episode #072 on 'I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist' podcast with Brian McDowell and Troy Waller.  CLICK THE LINK BELOW   https://pod.link/1558606464/episode/d78b95b0fc8d894b3f7eaf9364f7e964

(Sharon's background story soon to follow on episode #076 of IWATF)

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

This is a REPEAT of Tracey’s guest appearance with hosts Brian McDowell and Troy Waller on their podcast I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist,  Episode #072: “Was Keith Green a Cult Leader?” (Keith Green Part 1) 
 https://www.iwasateenagefundamentalist.com/

They’ve  generously allowed us to share this interview here as a convenience to our listeners.  Enjoy!

Don’t miss Tracey’s  brief discussion with Sharon, talking about the unexpected feelings she faced after doing this interview on IWATF.   Our episode #1 here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2078827/12713444

SHOW NOTES FROM IWATF #072:“Keith Green was one of CCM’s most revered and loved music superstars of the 1970s and 80s. Spoiler alert! Tracey Phalen thinks he was a cult leader! She was a member of Keith and Melody Green's Last Days Ministries in the 1980s. She joined as a teenage fundamentalist and left after five years of living and serving on the Texas ranch. In this episode, Tracey shares her story and helps Brian and Troy deconstruct Keith Green and Last Days Ministries.”
---

Transcript of the episode is here.

Podcast links: https://linktr.ee/iwatf

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

In this brief intro, Tracey talks to her long-time friend and cult-sister Sharon about the experience of telling her story publicly for the FIRST time on the podcast 'I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist' with Brian McDowell and Troy Waller (March 2, 2023).  Listen to Tracey & Sharon's short chat, then CLICK BELOW to hear Tracey's FULL ORIGINAL STORY.   

 "I Was a Teenage Fundamentalist - Episode 72: Was Keith Green a Cult Leader?"

https://pod.link/1558606464/episode/d78b95b0fc8d894b3f7eaf9364f7e964

IWATF Episode #72: "Keith Green was one of CCM’s most revered and loved music superstars of the 1970s and 80s. Spoiler alert! Tracey Phalen thinks he was a cult leader! She was a member of Keith and Melody Green's Last Days Ministries in the 1980s. She joined as a teenage fundamentalist and left after five years of living and serving on the Texas ranch. In this episode, Tracey shares her story and helps Brian and Troy deconstruct Keith Green and Last Days Ministries. "

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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

Send a text

"Feet of Clay - Confessions of the Cult Sisters" is a new podcast hosted by  Sharon Madere (Bennett)  and Tracey Phalen (Reed), who both worked alongside Keith and Melody Green at Last Days Ministries (LDM).  As one-time key leaders in the organization, they go on record about the spiritually traumatic and often damaging influences of the Greens and the multitude of materials (many of which are still available today) published through LDM, including 'The Last Days Newsletter'.  Sharon and Tracey each joined LDM as teenagers, where they met and married their respective spouses during those cult-commune years.  Both couples independently left LDM in 1987 and moved hundreds of miles apart.  They continued in their hard-held beliefs for over ten additional years, yet ultimately divorced in the early 2000s.  In this podcast Tracey and Sharon  come together to talk about their parallel journeys out of the cult mindset, the long process of unpacking indoctrination and spiritual trauma, and their separate but often co-mingled road to healing and  humor.   Come join them on the journey!

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