Bethany Joy Lenz, best known for her role as Haley James Scott on the hit TV show “One Tree Hill,” has revealed that she was part of a cult for 10 years. The actress opened up about her experience on the “Drama Queens” podcast, hosted by her former costars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton Morgan.
Lenz said that she was drawn to the cult because she was “searching for something.” She was 18 years old at the time, and she was looking for a sense of community and purpose. The cult, which she has never publicly identified, promised to provide both.
At first, she said that she was happy in the cult. She felt like she belonged, and she was surrounded by people who seemed to care about her. However, over time, she began to realize that something was wrong. The cult leaders were controlling and manipulative, and they began to isolate Lenz from her family and friends.
Lenz eventually realized that she had to leave the cult. She said that it was one of the hardest things she’s ever done, but she knew that she had to get out for her own safety.
Her experience in the cult has had a profound impact on her life. She said that she’s still recovering from the trauma, but she’s determined to share her story in order to help others who may be in similar situations.
Lenz is currently writing a book about her experience in the cult. She hopes that the book will help others who are struggling with cult involvement.
She didn’t provide further information during the podcast, she did share an Instagram post in May where she reflected on how theologian and preacher Tim Keller supported her during a difficult period.
“This man changed my life,” she wrote after his May 19 death. “The only reason I’m still a Christian today is because, 10 years ago, after many years of faith being used against me as a tool of manipulation, Tim Keller taught me how to re-build my faith using reason and logic. A belief system that fully engages my mind while still leaving room for wonder and mystery.”
She said because of Keller she is more “confident and secure” in her faith than she ever was and was able to “trust again and fall in love with a Jesus I never knew.”
“His is a trustworthy, humble, researched, rational and compassionate voice that God once used to bring me out of a pit of despair, walk me through intense healing and into the glorious freedom of the real Christ. I will forever be grateful for the day I walked into Redeemer Presbyterian church on the Upper East Side in 1999,” she said.
