A militant Christian fundamentalist movement with a controversial legacy of legal troubles and accusations of abuse.
Religion: Christianity
Denomination: Evangelicalism
Founder: Jim and Lila Green
Founded: 1981
Location: United States (primarily New Mexico)
Size: Small
Other Names: Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps, Free Love Ministries, Life Force Team, Holy Tribal Nation, The Foundation
Website: aggressivechristianity.net
The Aggressive Christianity Training Corps, also known as the Aggressive Christianity Missionary Training Corps (ACMTC), Holy Tribal Nation, Free Love Ministries, or Life Force Team, is a new religious movement founded in 1981 by James and Deborah Green. Positioned as a militant Christian fundamentalist organization, the ACMTC has drawn significant attention and controversy over the years, particularly for its legal troubles and allegations of abuse.
James Green, born in 1945 in Kentucky, moved to California as a teenager, embracing a hippie lifestyle and the 1960s revolution. It was there he met Deborah, and together they began a journey that led them to establish the ACMTC. Their path included a claimed conversion to Christianity in 1971, after which they moved to Kentucky and became involved in local church activities. James eventually trained for a ministerial position. Their experiences in Central America and work with the Salvation Army in Miami in the late 1970s influenced their eventual founding of the ACMTC, initially under the name “Free Love Ministries” in Sacramento, California. The organization’s name is inspired by a sermon titled “Aggressive Christianity” by Salvation Army co-founder Catherine Booth.
The ACMTC’s beliefs are rooted in Christian fundamentalism, with a strong emphasis on the divine inspiration of the Bible, the Trinity, Jesus Christ’s divinity, and the practice of spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, healing, and miracles. However, the group’s practices and internal governance, characterized by a militaristic structure and communal living, have led to significant controversy and legal action. In 1988, Maura Schmierer and others filed a lawsuit against the ACMTC for abusive treatment, resulting in the group being ordered to pay $1.02 million in damages.
Legal troubles intensified with the convictions of James and Deborah Green. In September 2018, Deborah Green was sentenced to 72 years in prison for child rape, kidnapping, and child abuse. However, she was released in 2022 after a judge allowed her to withdraw her plea. James Green pleaded no contest to child abuse charges and was sentenced to ten years in prison in December 2018. As a result of their controversies, the ACMTC has been the subject of significant media attention, including appearances on the National Geographic Channel and Investigation Discovery Channel, detailing the experiences of former members and highlighting the group’s complex and contentious history.
image via NBC News
