September 4 2000

ARTICLE TOOLS

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Brian Haney labored to give his life fulfillment in many ways. The 37-year-old entrepreneur had been through two marriages, built a $100 million corporation, and attained the coveted state of "clear" as a Scientologist, meaning he had achieved the high level of freedom, personal control, and independence Scientology promises its followers. But none of these triumphs allayed his spiritual emptiness and dissatisfaction.Clears are individual Scientologists who say they have rid themselves of painful subconscious experiences known as engrams. They supposedly are free from fear to operate with greater intentionality and consciousness."They tell you that you've made it, that you're in, and you just keep walking around thinking: Shouldn't I feel different?" Haney told Christianity Today.So in 1994, Haney and his wife left the Church of Scientology, though they faced great resistance. At one point, Haney said, they contacted local police with concerns about their safety. Haney's search for truth and purpose did not end there. In 1997 he began attending St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church with his wife and children.

"I must have listened to about 50 sermons of Spirit-filled, Word-based teaching before I realized that I needed to give my life to Christ," Haney said. "I was worried. I had joined a cult in the past, so I wanted to know how to discern the truth."

Haney purchased a study Bible and began to pore over it. "I was so excited the day I was driving in my car and I heard a preacher on the radio share a concept that I knew was not in the Bible. Not that I was glad he was preaching that, but it meant so much to me to be able to discern what was God's truth and what was human opinion."As Haney's faith grew, his disappointment ...