The Pulse (formerly downtown Holiday Inn)

[Pete]

It's owned by a bible-based leadership organization called Institute for Basic Life Principles.

You may recall that in the 80's it was a renovated Holiday Inn that then fell on hard times like the rest of downtown and OKC.

http://iblp.org/iblp/

[soonerguru]

Some kind of religious cult.

[mcca7596]

Some kind of religious cult.

That's what I heard, and I just wanted to confirm it wasn't a rumor. How disconcerting to have in the middle of downtown...

After looking at their website, they don't look too crazy, but their "about us" page is fairly vague and doesn't give much info on their beliefs. Even if they are not a "church" per se and just do leadership training based on their own principles and beliefs, I still find it odd if there are people living there (as a repurposed hotel)?

[metro]

Character First

http://www.characterfirst.com

Not a cult, many of this city's respected business leaders and companies use the Character First system. Don't let the Diety-phobes scare you.

http://www.characterfirst.com/programs/members/

[mcca7596]

Character First

http://www.characterfirst.com

Not a cult, many of this city's respected business leaders and companies use the Character First system. Don't let the Diety-phobes scare you.

http://www.characterfirst.com/programs/members/

Is that related to the IBLP that Pete referenced?

[OKCisOK4me]

For all the whiners on this site:

I think that building should be razed! Saw it from the Civic Center a couple of weekends ago and like Mike Gundy once said, "makes me want to puke!"

[Pete]

I'm not sure that Character First is still involved at that site.

Kimray (the manufacturing company that started Character First) sold to IBLP in 1999. IBLP lists that building as one of it's training centers:

http://iblp.org/iblp/contact/


In any event, the building is used for bible-based leadership programs of some type and is not open to the general public.

[Steve]

Actually I think Character First could make a lot of money for their mission by selling the old hotel for conversion into apartments.

[mcca7596]

Actually I think Character First could make a lot of money for their mission by selling the old hotel for conversion into apartments.

It almost seems inevitable at some point, with the surrounding development.

[metro]

I'm not sure that Character First is still involved at that site.

Kimray (the manufacturing company that started Character First) sold to IBLP in 1999. IBLP lists that building as one of it's training centers:

http://iblp.org/iblp/contact/


In any event, the building is used for bible-based leadership programs of some type and is not open to the general public.

I'm positive they are still using the site.

[Pete]

I deleted about a dozen posts that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic.

[kevinpate]

Some info on that property (old Holiday Inn) from 2006-07 period.
http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=5262

[shawnw]

Actually I think Character First could make a lot of money for their mission by selling the old hotel for conversion into apartments.

Steve,

Given what you know now, a year after that last post, do you still feel the same about this? More so? Less?

[Steve]

More than ever, Shawn, due to the momentum along nearby Film Row and what's set to happen with the 21C Museum Hotel. But will it happen? I don't know. Buyers are out there. But there must be a seller.

[DoctorTaco]

I fell into a google hole on this organization. IBLP is a weird group. Their Character First stuff seems innocuous, and their newsletter is bland but professional and has some good ideas in there. But then you see that the John Birch Society lists Character First as an affiliate organization. Then you read about the "Principles" that their leader espouses. Mix this all in with their really striking invisibility in the community and (for the most part) online, and the smell of an insular cult is all over this thing.

By which I am saying that business concerns will probably not play into the potential redevelopment of this thing.

[shawnw]

Thanks Steve. Interesting to know there are willing buyers for this site are out there...

[Dubya61]

I fell into a google hole on this organization. IBLP is a weird group. Their Character First stuff seems innocuous, and their newsletter is bland but professional and has some good ideas in there. But then you see that the John Birch Society lists Character First as an affiliate organization. Then you read about the "Principles" that their leader espouses. Mix this all in with their really striking invisibility in the community and (for the most part) online, and the smell of an insular cult is all over this thing.

By which I am saying that business concerns will probably not play into the potential redevelopment of this thing.

Google Hole for me, too. Like you, my spidey sense went off down the cult path.

[Pete]

Just walking by there is weird... Lots of cars in the lot and in the porte-cochere but you can't see in and you definitely get the "visitors not welcome" vibe.

It reminds me of some of the Scientology centers out here.

[hoya]

I saw a former client there. He was living there and doing groundswork to help pay for expenses. At first it seemed okay, but when I talked to him he said they were going to send him off to some law school in Michigan, and he was only going to have to pay however much money, and they were working to get him some loans and things like that. Thing is, you can be an attorney in Michigan without going to an ABA accredited law school, as long as it's in Michigan. Nobody else will recognize it, so you can never practice anywhere else. So you're basically going to Joe's Law School and paying a ton of money for the privelege.

Sounds like a huge scam to me.

[trousers]

I may have missed the obvious but why doesnt this group pay property taxes?

[Pete]

I may have missed the obvious but why doesnt this group pay property taxes?

They are a registered non-profit.

[Jeepnokc]

When I was at my place tonight, I noticed they had a huge crane in the walled in back area of the building. Any clue what they are doing back there behind the wall?

[zookeeper]

When I was at my place tonight, I noticed they had a huge crane in the walled in back area of the building. Any clue what they are doing back there behind the wall?

With this group? No. Telling.

[borchard]

When I was in college back in the 80's at OU alot of my friends from the Baptist Student Union would go to the "Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts" meeting every year at The Myriad. It was part of this same organization.
I never went, but I know a few friends, after they had gone, threw away all of their "secular" music. I used to laugh because you got this big red book when you went. It reminded me of Chairman Mao :-)
But like I said, these were good, normal, Baptist kids that would go. And it was encouraged by the leaders of the Bapt. Student Union.
The only other thing I ever knew about it was that a pretty modern Christian singer, names Steve Taylor, wrote a song about the whole thing called, "I Manipulate"
Take your notebooks, turn with me
To the chapter on authority
Do you top the chain of command
Rule your family with an iron hand?

I dispense little pills of power
From my hideaway ivory tower
From the cover of Heaven's gate, I manipulate
copyright <a href="http://phonelyrics.com">http://phonelyrics.com</a>

[edcrunk]

I went to a seminar in the late 80s. Definitely not a cult. Very Southern Baptisty.