teen challenge

Cherokee lady wrote:

<quoted text> Yes Rebeca you are right about the speaking in tongues. My son did not "receive the gift of speaking in tongues". His counselor told him AND ME that "anyone can have the gift, but your son is REBELLIOUS and refuses the gift!"... They would circle around him at their private church meetings (not the "water-downed" ones on Sunday for public to attend) and he said they would rub oil on his head and scream and call out demons to try to get him to speak in tongues.(like the Jesus Camp you referred to.) They began to ostracize him when he did not speak, and even put him in in "behavior modification" where he was not allowed to speak to others. Also, the time (weeks) he was in behavior mod was added to the time he had to serve to "complete the program". You are also right about the recruitment pressure. They told him that they were building the "true army of god" and god would show them which ones to weed out.And they tell everyone that god called them to do another 1 year training called TCMI for Teen Challenge after they do their 1 year 4 months (more time usually due to behavior modification time-outs). AND they don't believe in other secular rehabs, so if you indicate that you would like to be referred to another program, they believe that it's better to be in prison (to be broken for "Jesus") than lovingly work with referring you to another program. All they have to do is LIE to probation and say you were "non-compliant" and fail you. It IS SCARY how they mis-use their power. I believe it's because it's not regulated. And they make so much money from being paid from the work the residents do (my son was working at least 3 different jobs) plus because they are "religious" the donations are non-taxable income...Anyway, it was one of the most horrible experiences I have gone through, dealing with this organization in California. I've read other similar accounts in different states. It may vary, due to it not being regulated.(as some have written positive experiences from other TC's...) I'm surprised that they haven't been sued for millions yet. One of my son's room mates was bi-polar, and they took his meds away because "Jesus heals". I believe that's medical mal-practice material. But I'm not an attorney. I do know that the young man's father was very upset about his meds being taken away tho'.

rev wrote:

I'm a pastor who has had a couple of my members go to Teen Challenge. I will not judge what happened/s there because I don't know personally. I do know though that they have not done well after coming through the program and getting out. They have relapsed and nothing that was done there has stayed with them. They could quote hundreds of Bible verses but couldn't connect them with real life or behavior in any realistic way - it's all just rote memorization. I'm not impressed.

lori wrote:

I would just like to say that anyone who goes into Teen Challenge is informed that it is a CHRISTIAN LIFE SCHOOL and if you dont believe in God and you dont believe in the Full Gospel Faith them why enter the doors? Sometimes it is used as a get of Jail Free Card, the attitude from the beginning is to work the system and then you end up worse than your were because you now have something or someone else new to blame why your havent changed..... You have to want help first and you have to be sick and tired of being sick and tired and then accept help rather than being judgemental and thinking you know everything. Maybe this is the reason that substance abuse started in lives to began with.....
My husband has been sober now for 12 years and Teen Challenge was the tool that was used to help him into a new life. But you see He believed in God and had no problem with a Full Gospel Faith and he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Did he appreciate everything that was said or done? No! Were things done always the right way? No! But just like any other program not everything is going to be perfect. Was he abused? SOmetimes in his eye's he was (Then) because you see usualy as an addict you dont want to be told what to do. You dont want to be told you are wrong. You dont like anyone who rubs you the wrong way. Thats what was learned to survive as an addict and when you are being changed it hurts...... So maybe some call is abuse but before we call that we've been abused how about looking in the mirror and facing how we as the addict have abused others in our lives under the influence. Our parents, our Spouses, our Children and even people we dont know.
If you dont want a Christian Program then DONT enter into Teen CHallenge. Stay in jail or find another program. But please dont knock a program that God has ordained to help those that want help. Jesus is the answer but if you choose not to accept then go on your way and leave those that believe alone..... I really wonder how people have so much time to devote to such ugly, worthless bitterness hoping to see who will join the bandwagon. To each his own but as for Me and my house we will serve the Lord....

Michael Kincheloe wrote:

<<I would just like to say that anyone who goes into Teen Challenge is informed that it is a CHRISTIAN LIFE SCHOOL>>
Unless state or federal funds are involved. Then - suddenly - they're an "alcohol and drug rehab." The day I received my completion certificate in July 2003, Bush's drug czar John Walters was the guest speaker (he was on a 25-city tour checking out "faith-based" rehabs). Every TC rep that spoke used the term "rehab." The seven of us who sat in the front row to get our certificates (we were pictured on the front page of the following day's Riverside Press-Enterprise) didn't care what term they used, we were just glad to be getting the hell out of there.
Whenever money is involved, Teen Challenge will magically metamorphosize into whatever they need to be to get said money. There's a name for people like that.

Michael Kincheloe wrote:

At what price were these people helped? Just because a relatively small number have maintained their sobriety after completeting TC does not justify their abusive means. If you beat a dog enough times you'll stop it from barking, but is this really the proper way to do it? Of course not. Teen Challenge tries to beat you down spiritually, then build you up THEIR way, a task for which they're woefully inadequate.
Alcoholics Anonymous doesn't even keep records of "recoveries," because numbers don't matter. But at TC, that 86% B.S. figure is shouted from the rooftops. Why? To bring in more money.
I'm not trying to talk a child out of going anywhere; the vast majority of TC locations are for adults.
What am I trying to accomplish? To let people know that TC is not some wonderful place where everybody is full of the spirit, which is what they pretend to be. Read Rene's post on my Testimonies page. You have to lie and say all of this nonsense in front of the general public or be punished. Anyone who would use Jesus Christ like a pit bull on a leash to threaten others not only needs to be put out of business, but deserves the ass-kicking of the century.
I'm not the only one who didn't like the two TC locations I was at. After finding out that I had been a Journalism major in college, at least 50 other students asked me to write about our ordeal there for the very reason I have stated above. I was originally going to submit a feature article to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, but I can reach more people this way, and I can also hit TC a lot harder than I could in a family newspaper. This is only the beginning; my site has only been active since late August 2006. There's a lot more to come.