Several years ago, I had occasion to attend one of Teen Mania’s Battlecry (AKA Aquire the Fire) teen events. It was a huge rally in Detroit with thousands of kids and youth workers filling up the stadium. After a few weeks’ reflection, I wrote a post on why I thought the founder of Teen Mania, was a “well-meaning wolf.” Wolf in the sense of a false teacher (Acts 20:29). His “gospel” wasn’t the one found in the NT—it focused on the cross as a moral example for us to imitate as we died to ourselves and live for God (likely following Charles Finney). The biblical gospel is that the cross was the means by which Jesus atoned for our sins, satisfying God’s wrath against us (Rom 3:21–26), dying as the culmination of God’s true servant (Isaiah 53). Moreover, Jesus’ righteousness credited to us gives us standing before God, not our faith-filled obedience (Romans 4—5). But I also said “well-meaning” because I’m not sure Luce had a nefarious intent in all of this. I don’t think he’s aware that he is preaching a false gospel. At the time, it was a controversial post and generated some lively comments, which you can still read.
Fast forward almost two decades later and the streaming show, Shiny Happy People has Luce and Teen Mania as their focus for season 2. Having watched all three episodes, there was much more happening behind the scenes of Teen Mania than I ever imagined. More than that, a few of the comments on the original post are all the more heartbreaking for me now that this new information has come to light. Watching what some of these teens went through turned my stomach and left me stunned. I could only be thankful it was all over. (Though it seems Luce is still traveling internationally, peddling his twisted version of the Christian faith.)
However, a major problem with Shiny Happy People is that doesn’t distinguish biblical Christianity from what was happening with Luce and Teen Mania. As far as I can tell, everyone who was featured as former Teen Mania participant did not remain in any kind of biblical Christian church nor do they speak well of Christianity in general. Although I will never defend any part of Luce’s message or ministry, it’s also clear that the reporter they frequently have comment in the series, Jeff Sharlet, is far from objective. In many ways, this feels like his show—regardless of the various individual stories, he keeps the message on point. He uses hyperbolic language, states speculations as fact, and seems to want to show Christianity in the worst possible light. From the get-go his central message is inferring Ron Luce is part of a group seeking to change the Constitution to impose some sort of Christianity Nationalism. Sharlet plays word games and leaps of logic to connect disparate groups with unique motives, weaving together a narrative that says Christians are trying to “force the kingdom of God” onto the nation. To warn viewers of this danger, he even associates these supposed religio-political machinations with previous arguments for Jim Crow. Given everything else, there is a pro-homosexuality message the pervades the final episode and implies Jesus would be against if you don’t feel the same. While I would love to try, there’s just too much to unwind and debunk here. Suffice it to say that anyone who spends a few minutes listening to the individual messages of these so-called “partners” will come away feeling like Sharlet is a wild-eyed conspiracy theorist.
In the end, I’m thankful that Luce was exposed for the fraud that he is, and I hope that the attention brought by this show will help Christian leaders around the world stop giving him a platform! I’m also praying that Luce encounters the true gospel and repents, finding real hope and change in the living Christ. But, at the end of the day, I fear that this show will do more harm than good. Given the clear political axe to grind by the producers of the show, it will undoubtedly make it harder for the average viewer to be open to the life-saving gospel of Christ.
To those who may have stumbled upon this blog by searching for the show or ministry, let me say that nothing in Shiny Happy People shows authentic, biblical Christianity. If you want to know what that looks like, pick up the Bible and jump to the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament. Read about Jesus and salvation offered through his life, death, and resurrection. Then move on to the book of Acts and read about the loving, godly believers who formed the early church. Then find a church near you who preaches the same message and lives with the same kind of devotion. Feel free to reach out through is blog if you have questions or want to talk. Despite what you’ve seen or experienced, God does love you. And so will his people.
MAGNIFY CHRIST 