WFAA Investigates Homestead Heritage

WFAA has recently purged some material from their website. The original links to the stories on Homestead Heritage here and here now give a 404 error. Fortunately, I have the videos available on YouTube. I'll consolidate the videos and the text articles taken from another website here.

On Intellectual Property Rights

Homestead's Intellectual Property Assignment

In 2007, Homestead Heritage distributed an Intellectual Property Assignment to its members. This ensures "the transfer of an owner’s property rights in copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, or other intangible creations." (Source) These assets would now become the sole property of Homestead Heritage. This applies to all members of the community, and not just those employed in some way by the community. 

An Association

Jared Wayman and Homestead Heritage in 

Kimbolton, New Zealand

(Source)

Homestead Heritage has a small community in Kimbolton, New Zealand headed by a man named Jared Wayman. Jared submits to the leadership of Asahel Adams who is the son of Homestead Heritage founder, Blair Adams. Jared was heard saying he "accepts everything that comes down from Homestead Heritage without question." 

The group consists of about five families who moved to Kimbolton after they weren't very well received in the South. They have been "working together to takeover and upgrade Hansen's Cafe & Store." (Source) 

Be aware that the same doctrines and practices at Homestead Heritage in Waco, TX will be practiced by this group in Kimbolton, New Zealand. 

Milieu Control

Controlling the Communication

Milieu control is one of the eight criteria for thought reform outlined by Robert J. Lifton. Milieu control "includes other techniques to restrict members' contact with the outside world and to be able to make critical, rational, judgments about information." (Source)  Cindy Kunsman states that "if any info is allowed to permeate the group, it has to come from a pre-approved source." (Source)

One of the ways that Homestead Heritage exerts milieu control is by restricting members' access to the internet. In 2010 they developed a pattern for "Cell Phones and Mobile Internet Use." 

Child Training

"Spank Until You Draw Blood"

WFAA did a good job bringing attention to the physical abuse of children in Homestead Heritage. The group actually had child training classes instructing parents on how to discipline their children. Following are some notes taken during these training classes:

Who Is Being Worshiped?

Most people will never attend a Sunday meeting at Homestead Heritage unless you join. The few times that visitors have attended Sunday meetings, messages were passed to the entire church to refrain from exuberant worship. The meetings with visitors were more scripted to impress the visitor.

The following audio clip is an example of a testimony given during a Sunday meeting sans visitors. It should become apparent why the church was told to behave differently when an "outsider" was among them. I'll transcribe below the section of the clip that I have concerns about. Who is being worshiped here?

Satanic Visitations

Frightening Others With Your Sleep Paralysis

I wonder how most church attenders would respond if, one Sunday, their pastor began to describe to them a purportedly demonic experience he'd had. What if he told them that he awoke in the middle of the night one night not able to move. Not only can he not move, but he's levitating above the bed. He is unable to speak. Over him stands an old woman. The pastor assures the congregation that the devil would like to prevent him from accomplishing some super special work that God has for him to complete.