Ron Luce

Last updated

Ron Luce
Ronluce.jpg
Born (1961-07-11) July 11, 1961 (age 63)
Contra Costa County, California, USA
Occupation(s)Former Evangelist, author
Spouse(s)Katie (Kathryn Anne) Luce
(May 19, 1984 – present)
Children Hannah
(September 21, 1989 – present)
Charity
(October 17, 1990 – present)
Cameron
(January 18, 1992 – present)

Ronald Allan Luce, (born July 11, 1961) is the co-founder and president of Teen Mania Ministries which was located in Garden Valley, Texas. Together with his wife Katie, Ron founded Teen Mania in 1986 and led the organization until its bankruptcy in 2015. Luce is now CEO of a new ministry called Generation Next. [1]

Contents

Involvement

One of Ron's early involvements was with Willie George Ministries, where he was involved in the Fire By Nite Christian variety show that was distributed to subscribers, and syndicated on television. [ citation needed ]

Luce also hosted weekend Acquire the Fire youth rallies and ministry clinics in large venues nationwide, many attracting tens of thousands of teens and youth workers. He also hosted a weekly TV show, Acquire the Fire, telecast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and other Christian television stations.[ citation needed ] Training and ministry experience was provided for young adults wishing to enter into youth (and other) ministries, as interns in the Honor Academy. Luce expanded his operations in 2005 by starting the Battle Cry Campaign.

Teen Mania filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in December 2015, following financial difficulties, a lawsuit filed by Compassion International, and criticism from former interns and employees. [2] [3] Prior to filing bankruptcy, individuals who purchased tickets to canceled Teen Mania events were not refunded. [4] Teen Mania was among the country's fifth-most insolvent charity with a net worth of negative-$5.2 million. [5]

Criticism

Militant Statements

Ron Luce speaks of a battle that is waged against the "powers of darkness" and also implemented through the "Love of Jesus Christ" to the individual.[ citation needed ] Some of his statements: "This is war. And Jesus invites us to get into the action, telling us that the violent—the ‘forceful' ones—will lay hold of the kingdom." [6] At a Cleveland "Acquire the Fire" event, he said, "The devil hates us, and we gotta be ready to fight and not be these passive little lukewarm, namby-pamby, kum-ba-yah, thumb-sucking babies that call themselves Christians. Jesus? He got mad! ... I want an attacking church!" [7] Luce further exhorts his young followers to proclaim in unison: "I will keep my eyes on the battle, submitting to Your code, even when I don't understand." [8]

In a profile in Ministry Today magazine in 2014, Luce confirmed, "We're doing everything we can to raise up a young army who will change the world for Christ." [9]

Luce has also publicly condemned "purveyors of popular culture" as "the enemy," who according to Luce are "terrorists, virtue terrorists, that are destroying our kids... they're raping virgin teenage America on the sidewalk, and everybody's walking by and acting like everything's OK. And it's just not OK." [10]

Proposition 8

Ron Luce was one of the leaders of a youth rally, "The Fine Line," held in support of California Proposition 8 on October 1, 2008 at Rock Church in San Diego. [11] Proposition 8 was an initiative that would constitutionally prohibit same-sex marriage in California. Luce presented the "8 for 8" action plan at the conclusion of the event. [12]

MSNBC Documentary

In 2011, Ron Luce was interviewed for an MSNBC documentary entitled "Mind Over Mania." [13] The documentary showed footage of controversial Teen Mania events, doctrines, and practices, and also included interviews with past Honor Academy interns and Christian mental health professionals who criticized the ministry for using what they identified as cult mind control techniques according to Robert Jay Lifton's "Eight Criteria for Thought Reform". Luce declined a follow-up interview for the documentary, but later said that the footage was taken out of context and the MSNBC filmmakers had approached him under false pretenses. [14] However, MSNBC responded in a statement that Luce's accusations were false. [15] The documentary won an investigative reporting award from the CINE organization. [16]

Lawsuit

On September 9, 2015, the 4th Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs issued an arrest warrant for Ron Luce for failure to appear at a hearing regarding a breach of contract lawsuit against Teen Mania. [17] [18] [19] In the lawsuit, Compassion International sought a $174,124.73 judgment; Compassion's position was that they paid for stage time at Teen Mania events to make appeals for attendees to sponsor children in need; those events were canceled and the funds were not returned. [5]

History

Luce became involved in drug and alcohol abuse while living with his father. [20] Luce was taken in by a pastor,[ citation needed ] under whose roof he became a Christian. He then committed his life to evangelizing and training young people. He received his bachelor's degree in Psychology and Theology from Oral Roberts University and his Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tulsa. [21] In 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush appointed him to the White House Advisory Commission on Drug-Free Communities, on which he served until 2004. [22] Luce joined the board of trustees of Oral Roberts University in January 2008. [23]

Published works

Luce has written or co-written a number of books:

Other works by Luce include the "Over the Edge" devotional series, and the "Rise Up," "Dig In," "Band Together," "Move Out," and "Double Vision" curricula associated with the Battle Cry Campaign. [ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the US Department of Justice.

<i>Countdown with Keith Olbermann</i> American TV series or program

Countdown with Keith Olbermann is a weekday podcast that originated as an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program hosted by Keith Olbermann that aired on MSNBC from 2003 to 2011 and on Current TV from 2011 to 2012. The show presented five selected news stories of the day, with commentary by Olbermann and interviews of guests. At the start of Countdown, Olbermann told television columnist Lisa de Moraes:

Our charge for the immediate future is to stay out of the way of the news. ... News is the news. We will not be screwing around with it. ... As times improve and the war [in Iraq] ends we will begin to introduce more and more elements familiar to my style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Insana</span> American journalist

Ronald G. Insana is an American finance reporter, author and former hedge fund manager. He presents the Market Score Board Report with Ron Insana radio show, syndicated by Compass, and is a senior analyst and commentator at CNBC. Insana was the Managing Director of Insana Capital Partners from inception to dissolution. He was the anchor of CNBC's Street Signs, which aired on weekdays during stock market hours. Until December 5, 2003, he and Sue Herera co-anchored CNBC's then flagship nightly financial news program, Business Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teen Mania Ministries</span> Christian organization in Texas, US

Teen Mania International was an Evangelical Christian youth organization located in Dallas, Texas. Teen Mania focused primarily on four key programs, with a few additional smaller endeavors. It was one of the largest Christian youth organizations in the U.S.

The Arlington Group was a coalition uniting the leaders of prominent Christian conservative organizations in the United States. Founded in 2002 principally through the efforts of American Family Association President Donald Wildmon and Free Congress Foundation Chairman Paul Weyrich, the group sought to establish consensus goals and strategy among its members and translate its combined constituency into an overwhelming force within the Republican Party, particularly at its highest levels. Its membership and purpose overlapped to a high degree with the Council for National Policy; but the group is much more narrowly focused, choosing to emphasize such issues as same-sex marriage, abortion, and confirmation of like-minded federal judges.

Dale Fushek is the founder of Life Teen, the leader of the Praise and Worship Center in Chandler, Arizona, and the former Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. In 2005 he was charged with ten criminal misdemeanor counts related to alleged sexual contact with teenage boys and young adult males. By February 2010, the charges were adjusted to four counts contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of indecent exposure. On April 15, 2010, Fushek agreed to a plea bargain offered by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in which he pled guilty to one of the charges. The four other charges were dropped and he was fined $250, in addition to being sentenced to 364 days of probation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Roberts (evangelist)</span> American evangelist (born 1948)

Richard Lee Roberts is an American television evangelist and faith healer who serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. He previously served fifteen years as the president of Oral Roberts University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle Cry Campaign</span>

The Battle Cry Campaign was an organizing initiative of a now-defunct parachurch organization known as Teen Mania Ministries. This initiative, started in 2005 and headed by Teen Mania founder Ron Luce, had an evangelical Christian orientation; it primarily sought to influence American and Canadian social and political culture. Major backers included prominent evangelical leaders Joyce Meyer, Chuck Colson, Pat Robertson, Josh McDowell, and Jack Hayford.

A battle cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle.

<i>Jesus Camp</i> 2006 American documentary film

Jesus Camp is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a charismatic Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers being taught that they have "prophetic gifts" and can "take back America for Christ". According to the distributor, it "doesn't come with any prepackaged point of view" and attempts to be "an honest and impartial depiction of one faction of the evangelical Christian community".

Fire by Nite was a Christian variety show produced by Willie George Ministries in Tulsa, Oklahoma. FBN was hosted by Blaine Bartel for most of its production and marketed primarily to Christian youth. Episodes typically centered on a relevant theme intermixed with comedic skits, interviews with popular Christian musicians, musical performances, and light evangelism.

The River View Christian Academy (RCVA), formerly known as Julian Youth Academy, is a fully accredited, private Christian boarding school in Lee County, Texas. RCVA is a program of Teen Rescue, Inc. RCVA helped teen girls in need of regular supervision. RCVA provided an individualized education program, coaching, intervention, parent-training support groups, a high staff-to-student ratio, and aftercare support.

Michael Gungor also known as Vishnu Dass is an American singer-songwriter, producer, music editor, author, and podcast host. He led the musical collective Gungor, which received multiple Grammy nominations. The group's music has been compared to that of Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, and Arcade Fire. Aside from his work with the band, Gungor has written and produced music for several other artists, and is a co-founder of the art collective The Liturgists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passion Conferences</span> Religious organization

Passion Conferences is a Christian organization founded by Louie Giglio in 1997. The organization is known for its annual gatherings of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, more specifically college students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bethesda Game Studios</span> American video game developer

Bethesda Game Studios is an American video game developer and a studio of ZeniMax Media based in Rockville, Maryland. It is best known for its action role-playing franchises, including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield. Bethesda Game Studios was established in 2001 as the development unit of Bethesda Softworks, separating from publishing operations. Todd Howard serves as the studio's executive producer, leading it with managing director Ashley Cheng and studio director Angela Browder. As of November 2023, Bethesda Game Studios had 450 employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Lobert</span> American former prostitute and Christian missionary

Annie Lobert is an American former call girl and sex industry worker, who founded the international Christian ministry Hookers for Jesus. In 2010, she produced and starred in a three-part documentary on the organization, Hookers: Saved on the Strip, which was broadcast nationwide on cable television's Investigation Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International</span> Organization

You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International (YCRBYCHI) was a United States Christian youth ministry that held assemblies in public schools. YCRBYCHI's mission statement stated its goal was to "reshape America by re-directing the current and future generations both morally and spiritually through education, media, and the Judeo-Christian values found in our U.S. Constitution."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Leech</span> American filmmaker

Tony Leech is an American filmmaker who currently lives in Los Angeles. Tony attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While a student there, Leech and fellow ORU student Mark Steele, along with some friends, wrote and performed a sketch comedy show called Standing Room Only, or SRO. Leech acted, wrote, directed, and edited for the Fire By Nite Christian variety show that was based at Willie George Ministries in Tulsa. He also worked on projects with Teen Mania Ministries, then based in Tulsa and headed by ORU-alumnus Ron Luce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Crump</span> American lawyer (born 1969)

Benjamin Lloyd Crump is an American attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits. His practice has focused on cases such as those of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Keenan Anderson, Randy Cox, and Tyre Nichols, people affected by the Flint water crisis, the estate of Henrietta Lacks, and the plaintiffs behind the 2019 Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit alleging the company's talcum powder product led to ovarian cancer diagnoses. Crump is also founder of the firm Ben Crump Law of Tallahassee, Florida.

Hannah Luce is the daughter of Teen Mania Ministries cofounder and preacher Ron Luce. She is the founder of Mirror Tree, a non-profit devoted to re-integrating refugees from the horrors of rape, genocide, civil wars and other means of trauma by funding educational research to improve their lives. Hannah lives in Chicago, Illinois.

References

  1. "Ron Luce". TBN. January 26, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  2. Bill Sherman. "Financial woes force Teen Mania to shut down". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  3. Derrick, J. C. (December 18, 2015). "Ron Luce admits Teen Mania is finished". World . Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  4. Derrick, J. C. "Warrant issued for Teen Mania founder". world.wng.org. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Arrest Warrant Issued for Teen Mania Founder Ron Luce in Compassion International's Lawsuit". www.christianpost.com. October 5, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  6. Luce, Ron (2005). Battle Cry for a Generation: The Fight To Save America's Youth . Cook Communications Ministries. p.  57. ISBN   978-0-7814-4267-1.
  7. Sharlet, Jeff (April 2007). "Teenage Holy War". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  8. Taylor, Sunsara (June 11, 2006). "Battle Cry for Theocracy". truthdig.com. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  9. "Ministry Today May/June 2014".
  10. Amanpour, Christiane; Julie O'Neill; Taylor Gandossy (August 23, 2007). "Teen Christians campaign against pop culture". CNN. Retrieved August 27, 2007.
  11. Chan, Kenneth (October 2, 2008). "Thousands of California Christian Youth Empowered to Defend Marriage". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. Miles McPherson, Lou Engle, Sean McDowell, Yvette Schneider, Greg Koukl, Ron Luce (October 1, 2008). The Fine Line (Live television). San Diego, California: Christian Communication Network.
  13. "Mind Over Mania". November 6, 2011. NBC News. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013.{{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  14. Schapiro, Jeff (November 7, 2011). "Teen Mania Founder: MSNBC Documentary is Deceptive". The Christian Post. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  15. Schapiro, Jeff (November 9, 2011). "MSNBC Responds to Accusations over Teen Mania Documentary". The Christian Post. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  16. Mind Over Mania – CINE
  17. Derrick, J. C. (October 1, 2015). "Warrant issued for Teen Mania founder". World . Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  18. Lee, Morgan (October 1, 2015). "Compassion International Sues Teen Mania over Acquire the Fire". Christianity Today . Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  19. Kumar, Anugrah (October 5, 2015). "Arrest Warrant Issued for Teen Mania Founder Ron Luce in Compassion International's Lawsuit". Christian Post . Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  20. Teen Mania Ministries. "Teen Mania Corporate Website". Archived from the original on July 20, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  21. Teen Mania Ministries. "Extreme Camps: Ron Luce". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  22. DeMossNewsPond.com. "BattleCry: Ron Luce Biography". Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2007.
  23. Marciszewski, April (January 21, 2008). "Trustees aim for stability at ORU". Tulsa World. Retrieved January 21, 2008.