Teen Mania / Acquire the Fire
Teen Mania Ministries / Acquire the Fire / Battlecry
Teen Mania Ministries started in 1987 with Ron Luce. He went on a missions trip overseas, and his heart was broken for teens in America as he started to view the different cultures. As a result, he and his wife, Kathy, started Teen Mania Ministries within one year.
Teen Mania has 3 major arms of ministry: Acquire the Fire, Battlecry Stadium Events, and Global Expeditions. They also have two schools: The Honor Academy, and the Center for Creative Media. They also have summer camps that are deemed "extreme and fun."
The Honor Academy is a one year program for high school seniors (and college freshman, in special cases). After they graduate high school, they can go to Texas, where Teen Mania HQ are, and train to be an effective tool in God's kingdom. After they complete that, they go on tour with either Acquire the Fire or Battlecry, and use what they learned.
The Center for Creative Media is a lot like The Honor Academy, except it focuses on using media and technology as tools for God's kingdom. There are opportunities to "major" in all forms of media--audio, visual, and engineering (things outside of audio and visual). After you're year there, you also go on tour with either Acquire the Fire or Battlecry, using everything you learned.
Global Expeditions is an arm of ministry that focuses on missions. While there are some missions completed within the US, many of them are overseas. While the main focus of Teen Mania is inside the US, and helping our own country, they offer opportunities for affordable mission trips scheduled around students' schedules, so that they can participate.
You can find out more by visiting www.teenmania.com
Acquire the Fire
Acquire the Fire is an arm of TMM that inspires youth to rise up and say "NO!" to the secular culture being shoved down their throats. They also encourage teens to stand for what is right, true, and moral. It was started in 1991, and now takes yearly tours to over 35 cities across America. Below is a video from Teen Mania / ATF talking about the crisis in today's America.
Battlecry Stadium Events
In 2005, Ron Luce saw a need for a shorter version of ATF, but still as intense, and possibly more awesome and inspiring. As a result, Battlecry was formed. Battlecry is a two-day program and is like ATF. However, these events take place in huge sports arenas, resembling the traditional Billy Graham crusades. However, it's all directed towards youth, with contemporary Christian bands, fireworks, explosions on stage, dramas, awesome speakers, and completely awesome worship.
However, there has been a conflict that gained nation-wide attention. During one of Battlecry's tours, they stopped at San Francisco. A large group of students were inspired to rally on the front steps of San Francisco City Hall, and protest the culture being handed to them by higher-ups. As a result, an extreme left-wing group named "World Can't Wait" decided to protest against them! However, WCW used slurs against the Battlecry group, calling them fascists, Christian monsters, and gay-haters. This ignited a flurry of nationwide attention, and the best (and most interesting) clip from this happening is from Fox News Network's "The O'Reilly Factor." Check out this debate (aired on March 27, 2006) between Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania and Battlecry, and Sunsara Taylor, leader of WCW. Bill O'Reilly makes some really good points, too.
