Yesterdays post was attacked to its near death and in that same day's expose on the family armchair therapists and psychologists declared declared that I was in mental denial about the activies of Youth With A Mission.
Frankly, that's not true. I have been a Atheist for the past 5 years, and have observed as an Atheist, the activities of YWAM during that time.
The Seven Mountains campaigns. It's a little scary, and yes, in the form that the Church in Wasilla has used it it is completely wrong. But it was never intended for Church use. It's not even part of YWAM's training materials.
Having seen over 100 of YWAM's DTS or Discipleship Training Schools in progress, I can say most assuredly, it's not part of the core curriculum of YWAM.
But the whole misunderstanding of the idea comes from a misunderstanding of what YWAM is.
YWAM is a Non-Denominational Missionary Organization made up of independent missionaries and bases. Few of the missionaries are paid, in fact most live off donations from supporters, a act of faith if there ever was one (my family survived and continue to survive off donations).
The Core principles of YWAM are in many ways Evangelical, but not in the least bit Fundamentalist. The main idea behind YWAM is the motto, "To Know God and To Make Him Known."
YWAM works on conversion, not infiltration, and a lot of their missionary work includes things such as providing medical service and education to the most remote and needy areas in the world.
The Seven Mountains theory is not based around the infiltration of those seven mountains, but the conversion.
And let me note: conversion is never forced with YWAM. YWAM does not act like the Jehovah's Witnesses, they are very curteous. Nonetheless, missionary work is their goal.
Recently someone said this in response to a post I made.
all missionary work is evil and my native people are the prime examples of it evil purposes. No people ever were better off with the evil coming of the black robe missionaries, only death and distruction follows them around the world. Missionaries only thrive where death and desperation make a people vulnerable to their evil preaching. The most horrible part is when they reach the kids and teach them their granfathers ways are bad and their societies rituals are devil worship. If there really is a god missionaries will be buried in the deepest depths of hell for all the eveil deeds they have performed over the ages.
The Modern Missionary is not any of things, and least of all evil. They care about the people they try to reach, and they actually think they are making peoples lives better by doing what they are doing. I'm not saying they are making peoples lives better. But we are a far cry from the days of the Jesuits, who converted local natives by force. The Modern Missionary does not convert by force, and actually helps local people in the fields of education, health, and hygiene.
Overall I think there is a major misunderstanding