A hard lesson on the danger of unwise associations
Life Surge, a traveling conference series focused on faith-centered financial stewardship, is under fire following allegations of running a scam-like operation and pressuring Christians into extreme debt. Its alleged predatory practices were outlined by investigative reporter Kiera Butler in her recent appearance on the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast.
Butler detailed the history of Life Surge and spoke with both people who have been harmed and with concerned employees. At the center of Butler and Torre’s interest in this case is Life Surge’s association with ESPN personality and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who they deem “one of the most trusted voices in America.”
Pablo Torre’s platform was amplified after his recent investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers salary cap scandal led the NBA to issue the largest team punishment in its history this Summer. Torre’s award-winning work certainly brought extra eyes and ears to his channel for this Life Surge debacle.
As Butler points out, the main appeal of attending a Life Surge event is the celebrity speaker lineup. Tim Tebow announced a pause in his relationship with Life Surge as he seeks to learn more about the company’s practices, stating he was “caught off guard” by the podcast and saw the events as an opportunity to share the “love of Christ and the good news of the gospel”.
Previously, Tebow was a frequent headliner, speaking at 44 Life Surge events. Beyond Tebow, the long list of speakers on the Life Surge website still includes Willie Robertson, Chris Tomlin, Dennis Quaid, Nick Vujicic, and even comedian Jeff Foxworthy. Life.Church Pastor Craig Groeschel and Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla also stepped away from Life Surge this week.
What happens at Life Surge?
The ten-hour event is filled with worship sets, inspirational messages from big names, and a boxed lunch with tickets starting around $22. The purpose is clear: to create an opportunity for people, regardless of income level, to come and learn stewardship, investment practices, and wealth-building in a biblically minded environment. But the follow-up question is clear, too: how does Life Surge make money?
Butler, who attended a Life Surge event in Atlanta, described the moment when the conference paused the headline speakers to sell its three-day stock market and real estate impact classes. With volunteers around the room holding registration clipboards, conference attendees were asked to step out in faith, get up from their seats, and go sign up for the $97 class.
The impact classes introduce the final destination on the Life Surge pathway for those interested: investment courses and ongoing training packages.
According to Butler, the course offerings range from $10,000 to $50,000. This is where the serious accusations begin. According to online reviews, Butler’s own research and individuals she interviewed, it is common for Life Surge to counsel attendees to take on debt in order to pay for these courses.
Taking out a home equity loan, cashing out a retirement account, and credit card stacking with the help of a partner lender are all alleged options that Life Surge recommends to those who express interest in the courses but cannot afford them. Each person who takes on debt is banking on the course being financially transformative.
The Financially Vulnerable
Life Surge’s mission is marked by the four W’s of “Kingdom impact”: Worship, Wisdom, Work, and Wealth. Wrapping the hard sell of expensive finance education in a Christianese word blanket that attracts the financially vulnerable has great potential to steer people in a destructive direction.
Butler gave a specific example from a former employee who shared about Life Surge targeting single moms, even giving many of them the impact classes for free to get them into the space where they could sell them the multi-thousand-dollar courses. This practice appears to have ended in 2024.
The “Life Surge Complaints ” Facebook group is filled with experiences describing the tactics as a bait and switch, false advertising, and spiritual manipulation. Many speak of their immediate regret and inability to get refunds.
For its part, Life Surge cites its 4.8-star Google rating for credibility and posts several success stories on its website. In response to Torre and Butler, Life Surge released a lengthy response denying the allegations and stating that instructors are not trained to pressure people into making financial decisions they can’t afford. The response also states that less than three percent of event attendees end up enrolling in advanced training beyond the impact classes, and main stage speakers are not asked to promote classes.
How do we respond?
It is understandable why Tebow and others have stepped away from Life Surge. But to what extent were they aware of Life Surge’s practices? That answer remains unclear.
Tebow was, in many ways, the trusted frontman who got the target audience in the door. His presence served as an echoing endorsement of Life Surge and all that it had to offer, even if he did not speak specifically about the value of taking the impact classes.
A trusted voice sharing the stage with a questionable figure or cause is not an uncommon dilemma, especially in Christian conference culture. It should be noted that there is room for grace here.
Tebow’s messages were Christ-centered, and his prior reputation speaks for itself, though that does not absolve or justify the unwise association. If continued reporting further confirms the allegations, the trusted speakers need to seek forgiveness from those who started with Life Surge because of their association and came away in debt.
In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, the apostle Paul warns the Corinthian church not only against the immorality of the world but also against the immorality of other Christians, and even calls on believers to judge one another. Paul desired that the Corinthians be strengthened through accountability, but also that they be aware that not everyone in their church had others’ best interests in mind. He specifically cautions believers to avoid professing Christians who act out of greed or as swindlers.
If Life Surge is preying on Christians to enrich themselves under the guise of godly wealth-building, we must mark and avoid–and pray that the long list of Christian leaders on their speaker list would do the same.
The Bible does not condemn reasonable debt or lending money. It does, however, demand fair practice from the lender and repayment from the debtor (Matthew 18:21-35; Romans 13:7). Generosity and forgiveness in the realm of money are encouraged all throughout Scripture (Psalm 37:2; Matthew 5:42).
The lessons for believers are plentiful.
- Be financially wise and aware. Ignorance is compromising in a world that either wants to foster your greedy tendencies or take advantage of you.
- Be financially generous and kind toward others, especially to those who borrow from you.
- Be diligent and discerning in who you associate with, believers included. You are a mirror meant to reflect Christ. Your “guilt by association” says something about Jesus to the unbeliever. Always be on guard.
- Do not put unwarranted trust or hope in any mere man, even a Christian celebrity. They will always fall short of your expectations, just as we have all fallen short of God’s glory.
Ultimately, we ought not forget that we were once debtors to God, but Christ came and paid the debt we could never afford. The sacrificial nature of his atonement must motivate our generosity and forgiveness toward others.
