The Psychology of Mark Maxwell

The Psychology of Mark Maxwell by The Lord Ben Chung (written somewhere in 2011) What I am attempting to do is to give a personal analysis of Mark Maxwell, and if I may through some light to Linda, Cathy and our survivors’ predicament. I. The Old LE (LE Maxwell, previous president of Prairie Bible Institute) It goes back to the Old LE. LE was brought up in the Midwestern part of the USA. I am not too sure of his familiar history, whether there is any hx. of psychological illness, and/or psychosis. The Old LE is a prototype of our modern Prairie (information garnished by reading the Atomic Dude, Linda, other survivors here), that he has a very strong and harsh character, and quite insular, and from the tales Miss Chapman provided, that he is supposedly an excellent Preacher (but after listening to him on the internet, esp. on the 5th commandment, his preaching is not so convincing or that demanding, it looks like our LE is also a product of his time and his teaching fades as I write this article), and has a very strong character. He does not bow to pressure easily. His formal education comes from a small insignificant rural bible college, the Midland Bible College, Kansas, which is the belt buckle of Christian fundamentalism. It is safer to classify him as a classical fundamentalist (as opposed to the Religious Right that is quite political), that is, he is moved by a hatred for modernity: theological or modern scientific findings that contradicted the Bible. This modern view has no place for all the miraculous and supernatural view of the Bible. He must have had a strong hatred and anger about folks who support this method. But he is an old time fundamentalist, that means he has very little interest in politics. Instead, he believes in the imminent, immediate second coming of Christ, and he has no desire to improve human societies. LE wants to evangelise as quickly as possible, and with all means and by all methods. His school is modeled after a boot camp and he requires all hands to submit to his calling. This is the creation of our modern Prairie, as an insular not accountable to the civil laws or modernity. Our Old LE has managed to build a school to conduct a Christian military campaign, and there is a chain of command, so the problem stops with him. No one dares to take the problem outside. I am certain he makes exception to those of his men who commit certain crime and for the sake of the campaign, he let them be. In this authoritarian atmosphere, no one else dares to go beyond the man. And no one trusts his own judgment except to rely on LE’s. This is the beginning of the massive abuses that would be taking place at Prairie. If it is not committed by LE, in this insular authoritarian atmosphere, his second in command or third in command or whoever in command may be guilty and get away with it, as long as they clear this with the man, LE. In this similar way, Mamou children were doomed. The C & MA operated in the same fashion today. They have a strong drive to proselytise anyone that comes their way....but I am jumping the wagon here. LE must have exhibited some form of psychological dysfunctional state that separates him from the rest of our Canadian society. He lives in a bubble that could burst any moment, and he is not interested whether men or women ever get together (ie. To hold a normal marital relation and family life), and I cannot imaging what type of spiritual abuse he did to his own children. I can only imagine. He has to put up an insular face and he is the complete servant of God and everyone must be a missionary, so there goes Paul, Ruth and even our Mark, all of them must live this lie if they had to be a Maxwell. I am not certain this is the right comment, but Ruth Maxwell, correct me if you may. Your family has shown some really psychological dysfunction. For the starter, there must be a black sheep (Mark?) who disagreed with this method, and “rebelled.” I am sure this rebellion caused tremendous embarrass for the school and LE, so they drive that one out and cover it up. Or if that one comes back, he/she is treated very poorly because of the breaking of ranks. Mark might fit into this mold, because he evidently eschews the bible school education. He is into business, I was told at one time he used to sell dental supplies in Calgary, and his training is business and finance. That would qualify him as a black sheep who rebels at the LE’s wish for all his family and grandchildren. One of the instability of LE is seen in the nervous breakdown of Paul Maxwell. I do believe this happened when I was there during 1984-1985, Paul had a breakdown and my underclassman Rick (?) was a witness of it. He would know best what exactly happened. Unless they shielded it from him? This is one of the rare event, I do suggest that we are dealing with a familial trait, perhaps a bipolar disorder, I would not be surprised that LE's trait is passed onto Paul and as a softer man and kinder and gentler man, he simply can not deal with the harshness of the school environment with its legalistic abuses both spiritual and physical and possibly sexual. If I can make this medical diagnosis, that LE is possibly suffering from depression (bipolar, manic-depression), he may also possesses some form of grandiosity. LE's own ego is certainly greater than everyone, for he wanted to evangelize the entire world in his own generation. So he attracts a dysfunctional blue collar people who seek simple black and white answers. These folks do have a very simplistic education and lack critical faulty, which make them an easy pray for LE and this myth of evangelism. Lacking financial resources, and family connections, disposed, and without a hope in this world, they find that fascinating future painted by our LE and his militaristic team. They eagerly embrace this future and looking only forward so that they can usher in the King and most important rapture event. This form of simpleton theological is due to the very bottom layer of society whose lives see very little social advancement and no hope in the world they live. These children become the next sacrifices in the LE’s school. As part of the militaristic discipline, they discipline their children with this blue collar way, chain them to bed, beat them and starve them. These are means by the peasant farmers who used to worked the land. For the fortunate middle class would have money, and with that, they send their kids to a better education, and better future, and they would be in better position than to get cooped up in the militaristic insular bible school of LE. II. Mark Maxwell (current president of Prairie Bible Institute) Coming from this background, Mark "escapes" and goes as far as he can. However, as he runs away from his harmful environment, his past catches up with him. I am not sure what education he has. On his own Towers Financial website, he has a bachelor degree from Trinity Western in business and a MBA from Baylor University in Texas. He is groomed in business and his primary interest is in business. Mark has a poor preparation of theology, not to mention modern sciences as in math, biology, chemistry or engineering, those require a bit of brain. But as a MK, he is a transculture kid, (basically Vivian R Palmer Harvey told me is that she is a third world kid in the first world culture, completely foreign and I can relate to that, for I too, am a TCK.) His poor preparation in the humanities shows up during his interviews recently and his radio address. He comes across as someone who is poorly prepared and redundant, insular and indifferent about the sufferings of our survivors. He actually jokes with his radio host Dan Callaway and both congratulate themselves and down play the numbers of allegations and he is a very poor public speaker. It shows that LE’s trait, other than the psychological genetic depression, has skipped this Mark. Unlike his grandfather, Mark commands little of his presence other than he is a Maxwell. But as the 27 page document suggests, he has a poor choice of words, often vulgar and I would not be surprised he in a real situation swears like the rest of our folks here, and his aim is less than spiritual. I have one phone call with him at the height of PBI/Drumheller controversy. I called and left a message with his wife. Mark did call me back, and one of the interesting thing about him is that he keeps on talking, insular to what I have to say and as if he does not listen well. He mentions that he will beef up the Bible Department, after the stunt that previous faculty pulled. It was not a good choice of word. The entire Bible Faculty petitioned to have the school changed in the Dr O’s vision (to dramatically reduce Bible College), and aftermath of that, was everyone was require to resign from their post immediately. It was very painful for Michael Pahl (who actually married Rock Down’s daughter). I would not call that a stunt, it was a genuine petition to save the contents of the bible college before Dr O changes into a regular community college. But Mark's own escape does not go far. As the previous Prairie president, Ohlhauser needs to have some validation on this before all the Prairie community. The Maxwell's blessing is much more important than god's and so he has Mark on the Board. Frankly I am sure Ohlhauser runs everything, Mark simply goes along. Here, one can say his style is not confrontational. In contrast, Ohlhauser fires people frequently and often. Anyone who disagrees with him is to be eliminated, and so the exodus begins. The best example is what he did to the PCAAT previous Dean or the entire Bible faculty at Prairie. But these events would have pushed Mark into this position today, as the fate would have it. Ohlhauser really messes up and finally loses the entire school support and the school evidently is dying. The last desperate move is to get rid of Prairie community and start over, but Mark has the courage to stop him. so this is where Mark comes in, he is the reluctant and most ill-prepared President of Prairie. Mark has a very poor preparation of theology, I am certain he cannot not read German, and so he is oblivious of what is happening to modern biblical studies. His poor education does not include Hebrew or Greek or classics, so he has not much philosophical preparation, which is vital to the direction of the school. He so far, merely reacts to whatever that has happened today. He gets rid of Ohlhauser and is forced into this position. I critically ask what qualification has he, other than he is the only male alive and breathing Maxwell? With a background of a very strong but psychologically unstable grandfather, borderline abusive in his language and action, the actual nervous breakdown of his own uncle, Paul, which suggests his has a trait of this psychological illness, and now when confronted, Mark is clueless. Linda, I hope you have your answers already. He is completely inept to deal this environment of abused. Perhaps he is a survivor of some sort, I will not be surprised. I know I made a lot of assumptions, but this is the best diagnosis I can come up, given my background and the critical training I received with my own medical/dental training. Hope it makes sense, I would welcome any critic on my own analysis. thanks all. * One small note about Mark after I read these 27 pages of Notes by Hank. It does shed light on the real Mark, who has very little moral fabric and cares very little about the people he works with. He is almost like the Dr O we just gotten rid off. I think Mark paid him off with these loans mentioned, some 50,000 and 220,000 as these were forgiven. Mark speaks as a modern man, lies, curses as usual that is current with his work in the financial world. Most of these folks I might add, have very little moral fabric. Despite what he shows in public, he does not have any ounce of care to those he gotten rid of. I think the school is doomed and the money will slowly transfer from the school into the pocket of Maxwell. Wayne Nelson is only a pawn and as such, not worthwhile and when Mark has no need of this jester, he will also get rid of him as well.