"Setting Captives Free Cross-Centered Mind" course is dangerous!


So the other day my dad comes home from work and mentions that there's a new course on Setting Captives Free's website. Here's a description from their website:

You have arrived at the Setting Captives Free Cross-Centered Mind course, the 30-Lesson interactive course that will teach you to enjoy a newfound relationship with the Lord and how to find freedom from anxiety, depression, fear, and all psychotropic drugs. It is possible, and you can learn how.

Sounds harmless right? And some people can definitely be helped by this course, as a lot of people in the world, I believe, don't need these drugs because they just need the Lord, but some people most certainly do! So I decided yesterday I would ask to have clarification about how far they take this idea. For example, would they tell someone who's been diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder that they should go off their medication...so I did. I went on their facebook page and I asked that question. I explained the fact that 12 years ago my dad attempted suicide and was diagnosed with Bi-Polar, and that I wanted to know if they would advise even someone like my father to go off his medication. Their answer was that they would advise him to go off of his medication. They essentially said that he was a prisoner to his medication. Their argument is that there's no test to prove that people have any mental illnesses, so they must not have them. Their idea is that it's all been made up by Psychiatrist and Prescription distributors as a way to make money. And they're right about one thing, there is no test that can prove someone has a mental illness...but did you also know they still can't find out how and why people develop Autism...and yet no one would tell a mother whose child has all the symptoms of Autism that her child just needs to draw closer to God, and he'll overcome this fake disorder! It just doesn't make sense!

The whole idea that they promote is that through a close relationship with God anyone can overcome depression, fear, and anxiety. And really, they're right. Through the Gospel, God can work in our lives to help us and enable us to better deal with our struggles. But who's to say that medication can't help people who have mental illnesses? When this idea that God is our only source of help and we don't need medication is taken to it's ultimate end, you should even go so far as to say that someone with cancer shouldn't see a doctor. They should just grow in their relationship with God and pray really hard and God will heal them...sure, He might choose to do so...but maybe his way of healing you is by using a doctor to do so! Why can't it be the same with people who have mental illnesses? For some people medication is the only way for them to focus to the point where they can really grow in their walk with God.

You know how I know this? My dad struggled with depression for years...he got one-on-one counseling, he memorized scripture, he tried so hard to figure out what he was doing wrong to cause him to continuously slip into depression, but nothing worked! It took my dad attempting suicide before they discovered what was wrong with him and put him on medication. I believe God did that! By God's grace my dad hasn't had a suicide attempt in 12 years! And I can honestly say that my dad is the most stable, and probably the closest he's ever been with the Lord, thanks to the medication he takes that helps him.

I used to support Setting Captives Free...as they helped me with a sin I was struggling with...but this new course is so dangerous. It could potentially lead to people with all kinds of mental illnesses to go of their meds...and could lead to them killing people, or killing themselves. Sure...it might not happen right away...some people with Bi-Polar can be on a "high" for 5 years...but with every rise, with someone who has Bi-Polar, there will be a fall. And when these people do, I hope and pray that Setting Captives Free realizes the folly of what they're doing. Because if they don't...they could cause the death of a lot of people.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I completly agree with you going off meds that especially have been taken by a patient for yrs it is VERRY DANGEROUS to stop ur meds always consult ur dr. That being said prayer is.a.powerfull tool we can use to help alot of situations but as u said maybe the answer to the prayer is the medication itself. God bless
Anonymous said…
Some do have physiological problems that could require maintenance dosage or surgery. Not saying God cannot miraculously heal any problem but I don't presume to know his will 100% either.
Kimmie said…
Thank you so much for your post. I had started another one of their studies a few days ago at the reccomendation of someone who is presently taking the study herself. I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but something didn't feel right to me whenever I went on the site to do my homework. It was a feeling that I needed to be cautious but I couldn't explain it. Today, I logged in to do my homework and the study you are referring to was advertised so I read the description and found it very alarming. As a person who knows the mental helath field well and also believes in the healing power of Jesus Christ I was shocked to read the introduction to the course. I began googling Setting Captives Free to see what I could learn about them and haven't found much credible information so far but did stumble on your report and am grateful. Thank you for affirming my need to be cautious. I am not willing to risk my own vulnerability further by finishing my study when I know that they take such a strong stand against medication.
Jason Hunsicker said…
Kimmie, thank you for your thoughts on this matter! I'm glad that there are other voices out there that can speak out against the dangers of completely rejecting the idea of mental illnesses. However, having said that, I've since come to realize that there aren't necessarily dangers in using their other courses, as they can be very helpful! Just some thoughts...if you still feel like you shouldn't continue your course, I understand...but If you genuinely need the help that they provide, I don't want to be the one to draw you away from that help!
Anonymous said…
I started taking that course, but I soon decided to quit doing it. I have psychosis and anxiety and depression and take Risperdal and Zoloft every day alone with Risperdal Consta injections in my shoulder every other week. I went off my medications in the past, and got to the point where I could not think right at all, and I got fired from job after job. Thanks for your message of Truth, and although I believe God sometimes heals people today, I also know that every person is always healed. God gave us these psychotropic medications to help us, and I will continue taking all of my medications for the rest of my life, as I am doing a lot better now than when I refused to take those medications.
Unknown said…
I am just sharing a post with you I sent to some site promoting SCI as a warning to to encourage people to stay away. I found it a very damaging experience with Mr Cleveland himself as my mentor on Cross Centered Mind. As you will see from my message it was a very unpleasant experience. I will be sharing it everywhere possible as we are to indeed warn believers, especially vulnerable ones of such damaging "ministry." Forgive my anger in in my post, but there is such a righteous anger in the bible. I hope I do not dishonour the Lord with my tone here:

While I agree there is a very false tendancy for certain types to accuse Christians of ANY variety of being cultic, and my complaint is not about SCF being a cult. I know what what cults are as I escaped cults. What I experienced at SCF was far worse than cult activity. Rather they are giving misleading teaching and the guy who runs the circus, Mr Cleveland is in my experience better at tearing down sincere although struggling true believers. I most certainly experienced a sheer lack of compassion while doing doing the supposed Cross Centered Mind. I do not ever recall Christ ever speaking to a disciple with the sheer venom that supposed pastoral carer spoke to me. There was no attempt at patience or understanding or any sort of compassion and it only took him a few lessons as my supposed "mentor" to to show his sheer destructive attempt to help someone off psychotropic medication, with attacks that were in the class of Satan himself (when a supposed believer tears down down the faith of a struggling child of Christ that shows he is plainly a wolf among the flock. Christ helps with compassion and mercy and grace and rebukes only for sin). Yet Mr Cleveland thought it apt to accuse someone very much saved who was simply struggling after 18 years of heavy medication that I was actually an unbeliever and he was exceptionally aggressive and caused my mental health to seriously deteriorate for 3 months. I would not trust him or his approach to help a lemon be juiced. Although that is what he did to my mind. And since then? I steered cleared after he couldn't cope with simply being asked, should you not have a little compassion for a struggling believer? He threw his dummy out the pram like a spoiled child. He should should in no way be pastoral carer or anything responsible for struggling souls in the church. That he can damage a believers mental health with such viper venom is absolutely disgusting. I am now med free, without needing his course or purchasing the extortionately priced suppliments he endorsed, and am a helped by a Biblical church with decent pastoral care. It is atrocious that he has so much pride he will attack when biblically rebuked and that he thinks he has has the right to convince vulnerable and struggling believers that God will stick to HIS 60 day timetable, and then attack a client for struggling after a few days. His approach is damaging, unbiblical and his attitude is abysmal. There is no love of Christ in him. Just pride and attacks that damage sincere believers simply because God is working to a different timetable to Mr Cleveland. Of course, there are those who will blindly defend him. But you were not there in my place when he destroyed my mental health for three months and hindered my spiritual condition by telling me I was unsaved. You were were wrong Mr Cleveland. You actually knew nothing about what was actually a serious mental health record beginning aged 4, you have no right treating anyone with such disdain, and Christ would be ashamed to have his his name linked to such a destructive force as you.
I will be blanket posting this for the benefit of people's souls and growth in in the Lord. I never met anything like him even in cultic churches which I thankfully escaped. May the Lord have mercy on you for tearing his sheep with your fangs.