Bethany Joy Lenz of 'One Tree Hill' says she spent 10 years in a cult: 'There's a lot to tell'
Hallmark actress Bethany Joy Lenz hasn't publicly identified the cult
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"One Tree Hill" star Bethany Joy Lenz revealed this week "there's a lot to tell" after she was in a cult for a decade.
"I was in a cult for 10 years. That would be a really valuable experience to write about," Lenz, who played Haley James on the early 2000s teen drama series, told her former co-stars Hilarie Burton Morgan and Sophia Bush and guest Michaela McManus on their "Drama Queens" podcast Monday. "And the recovery — 10 years of recovery after that. So, there’s a lot to tell."
But she said she felt pressure to "get it right" if she were to put pen to paper about her experience.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And also I don’t know how much I can say," she added of the unnamed cult, "because there are still people and legal things in place that make it more complicated for the timing of that."
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"One Tree Hill" actress Bethany Joy Lenz said she spent 10 years in a cult. She did not name the cult. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
She added that she writes "all the time," including songs, and has "some projects coming out."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While she didn’t go into any more detail on the podcast, Lenz shared an Instagram post in May, reflecting on how theologian and preacher Tim Keller helped her through a dark time.
Bethany Joy Lenz discussed whether she'd want to publish a book about her experience. (Emily Assiran/Getty Images for That’s 4 Entertainment)
"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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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."
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"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 shared.
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