Charles Buell Anderson, born ca. 1926, is the controversial founder and head of the organization currently known as Endeavor Academy, which also operates under the name "New Christian Church of Full Endeavor." The headquarters for his organization is located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA. Endeavor Academy is a spiritual residential community/school that incorporates many aspects of the spiritual teachings known as A Course In Miracles (or ACIM). Anderson has a policy of seldom granting personal interviews. One of the results of this interview policy being that some facts and dates regarding his earlier life are less readily availible. Still, many facts about his early life can be assembled from a few published documents.

Anderson's experience at ground-zero of Nagasaki, and early adult life

According to Anderson’s Forgiveness Week Invitation ¹, at the age of seventeen he joined the Marines, and in 1945 with the Marines 6th Regiment, Anderson was one of the first to land at Nagasaki after the atomic bombing of that city. Faced with the vast and overwhelming level of devastation he witnessed at Nagasaki, Anderson has described experiencing a certain uncommon spiritual experience.

Anderson described this uncommon spiritual experience, which occurred to him as he was standing at the ground-zero point of Nagasake, as follows: "At that one time I was filled with complete rage, a wrenching, seething, frustrating, insatiable need for revenge. But against what or whom? It had no point of location, no focus of causation - in effect, no one to blame, no one to hold responsible. It became a passion of intense revulsion for myself, for this world and for any and all members of the human species - a contained certainty from deep within me that all of us, everyone on this earth, all were totally guilty together. And then at 'that one moment in time', the light of an inner peace enveloped me. It became 'a space in time' where a new resolution appeared, and with it, the message, 'Look at this as a new beginning.'"

At some point after leaving the Marines, Anderson became a Real Estate salesman. Also, according to Anderson’s self description, during this period he was an alcoholic, which he still describes himself as².

Two more 'uncommon spiritual experiences'

An experience of forgiveness

In Anderson’s Forgiveness Week Invitation he also

At some point, apparently ca. 1972, Anderson began to regularly attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. He was quite successful within the AA organization, and played a major role in the founding of new AA fellowship/ meeting groups in the Chicago area. In 1976 the A Course in Miracles book was first published. This book would later come to play a central role in Anderson’s life.

An experience of being 'gutted'

In 1979 Anderson has also described having a third such 'uncommon spiritual experience', which appears not to have been as peaceful as his first two. In this third experience, he describes his body as having been "gutted", and "inserted by brothers from out of time." It is apparently at some point shortly after this third experience that he began to see himself as an important spiritual leader, and to seek followers or students.

Beginnings of a student organization

The next known account of Anderson’s life comes from early 1991 in which he is described as having found four students, and to have recently discovered the book, A Course In Miracles. Amongst Anderson’s first students were former fellow AA members that Anderson had sponsored while in that organization. According to writer Kaley Picone, it was Anderson’s discovery of the book, A Course In Miracles, that resulted in his first gaining of dozens, then hundreds of new students. Also in 1991 Anderson first began to acquire property in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., and to begin the process of formalizing the study-organization of his students. He initially referred to his study-organization as God’s Country Place (GCP).

In 1992, reportedly with the aid of former student, Hector Poppe, Anderson was able to acquire a large summer resort motel complex near Wisconsin Dells. At about this time, Anderson changed the name of his organization to operate under the names: Endeavor Academy, and The New Christian Church of Full Endeavor.

Early teachings

At about this time, Anderson’s students were informed that they should begin preparations to find local accommodations for approximately 10,000 students who were expected

During these early formative years of Anderson’s organization, Anderson’s students were also first taught by Anderson of the existence of a certain list, which contained the names of certain students that would be flashed out of the world, along with Anderson, being transported into Heaven. Anderson had exclusive access to this list, and on this list could be found only the names of a select group of his students (not all), who would have the benefit of this flashing. They were also taught that others would someday attempt to destroy both Anderson and his organization, under circumstances that would in some ways be similar to the crucifixion of the historical Jesus in ancient Roman times.³ The apparent messianic doctrine as taught by Anderson appears to be a modern day instance of Adventist Messianism.

Comparison of teachings to ACIM teachings

Since the time of Anderson's earlier teachings, even though some minor terminology and secondary details appear to have made some slight shifts, still the underlying fundamental premesis of these teachings appears to have remained essentially unchanged. Should one wish to determine whether or not Anderson’s taechings accurately represent the teachings of A Course In Miracles, a comparison of these two teachings becomes necessary. In summary, Anderson appears to teach that he has a special mission to assist a select group of people to achieve spiritual awakening, and ultimately to escape the confines of the material world along with himself in a certain event which is referred to as “flashing out” ⁴ which appears to be somewhat similar to the Christian Biblical description of the “Rapture”.

ACIM teaches that:

1. "(ACIM) is not intended to become the basis for another cult. Its only purpose is to provide a way in which some people will be able to find their own Internal Teacher." (Preface, viii)
2. "(Miracle mindedness saves time) by the underlying recognition of perfect equality of giver and receiver on which the miracle rests." (Text 1, II 6:7 - 8.)
3. "The perfect equality of all God's Sons cannot be recognized through the dominion of one mind over another. God's Sons are equal in will, all being the Will of their Father." (Text 8 IV 6:4 - 8)
4. "I (the student) rule my mind, which I alone must rule... I thus direct my mind, which I alone can rule. And thus I set it free to do the Will of God." (Workbook 236)

A substantial majority of students of ACIM find great difficulty in reconciling these two teachings.⁵

Founding of international centers

Beginning in the mid 90's Anderson did indeed send out many of his students throughout the world, who did in fact successfully establish teaching centers in at least four different countries, namely in Europe, South America, and Australia. In Byron Bay Australia, a residential community was also established, which was later closed ca. 2001. (See Endeavor Academy.)

Reports of former students

Many of Anderson’s former students have expressed serious concerns about some of Anderson’s behavior as The Master Teacher, and also about some of the behavior of some of Anderson’s students. Allegations have been made that Anderson’s teaching methods have sometimes become physically violent, and at times have even bordered on the sexual abuse of his female students. Further allegations have been made that some of his students have engaged in similar types of abuse of not only adults, but of children as well. Many former higher level students are openly critical of Anderson. Other claims of various forms of undue coercion are also made by some former students.

Not all former students report having negative experiences while studying under Anderson. Other former students have expressed general satisfaction and even gratitude for their involvement with Anderson. On Anderson’s official website many claims of spontaneous healing are made, however none of these claims has yet been scientifically documented or verified.

Hailed for removing ACIM copyrights

In 1995 Anderson and his students became involved in a certain copyright litigation, disputing the validity of the copyrights to the book ACIM with the publisher of that work. This was a highly contentious litigation in which other students and student organizations of ACIM became involved, generally tending to align themselves with Anderson and against the publisher of that work. This litigation dragged on for eight years until in 2003 Anderson and his organization, backed by other students of ACIM, succeeded in overturning the copyrights to an earlier version of ACIM, which contains approximately 98% of the text contained in the popular 2nd edition, and which also does not include the passage numbering system as found in the 2nd edition.

Within the greater community of ACIM students, the success of this litigation was generally viewed as a positive and beneficial achievement. This was due to the fact that the overturning of these copyrights enabled them to gain access and study a wealth of heretofore unavailable early manuscripts and pre-published rough drafts of the text. (Still the majority of those who have expressed such appreciation, also remain grateful to the publisher of the popular 2nd edition of ACIM as headed by Dr. Kenneth Wapnick for the publisher's continuing work of the publication and dissemination of these materials.)

See also

• A Course In Miracles
• Endeavor Academy

Footnotes

• ibid.