Comments on: Who’s It All About?

By: Nancy Williams

Nancy Williams — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:42:47 +0000

Good post. I have one quibble: those mega-churches ARE all about the principal, the minister who does the show like Casey. It’s entertainment and a family meeting place; the “church” part is just another name for show biz with the minister as the star.

By: Autumn

Autumn — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:55:13 +0000

Very interesting outlook. But I find it quite cold. As you know with your research I work at Crush and am very much a part of it’s “organization”. Although I do appreciate your view I wish that you had taken more time to look deeper into the reality of the situation. Jason never hesitates to applaud his staff for their hard work and hospitality. This humility is reflected in the dedication and loyalty of his staff. I hope you decide to come and try us again and perhaps then we could change your mind about our placement on Seattles “restaurant scene”.
-Autumn Maddox

By: Chris Williams

Chris Williams — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 16:13:08 +0000

Thank you for your input. I found my entrée quite cold as well… I even discussed it with Jason. He promised to castigate someone for it. Nice.

The point was not whether Jason is a nice guy, is a good boss, or even if he praises his staff appropriately. The point is that he has quite explicitly decided to make the enterprise about him, not about the whole group. By choosing that URL, he is telling you not “come join a team of people working to build a world-class restaurant”, but “come to work for me”. Those are very different messages, and Jason has very carefully chosen the latter.

And from a business perspective, finding Crush is hampered by this choice. Worse yet, several good URLs were available including: crushrestaurantseattle.com and even crushseattle.com (although the latter has been grabbed by a URL squatter now). This all just reinforces the “it’s all about Jason” not “all about Crush”.

Thanks again for commenting. I wish you and Crush all the best.

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:31:47 +0000

I am sitting here watching the movie version of Sinclair Lewis’s Elmer Gantry, googling more info on the book and the 1927 phenomenon in general. The movie brought to mind Casey Treat, so I googled on, and I found your blog.

In my work, I spend quite a lot of time observing the spiritual autocracies of these religious entrepreneurs. Isn’t it ironic that they vociferously damn ego and self centeredness, and then exalt themselves to the high heavens while wrapped in the Bible? They often remind me of the wizard from the Wizard of Oz, standing behind the curtain (pulpit), pulling levers and shouting at the shivering masses. Thank you for being a little Toto, pulling the curtain back and exposing these ordinary men (and women) for what they are, ordinary little men posing as wizards.

But, the masses seem to need make-believe wizards, and the universe doubtlessly incorporates these amusing displays of egoistic dramas into the larger soul making process. If Pastor Treat disappears from the scene, most of them will find another Oz.

By: escaped!

escaped! — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:26:05 +0000

i worked for ego maniacal jason wilson and his bobble headed trophy wife for a long time. during that time, he was verbally and physically abusive to myself and other employees, both behind the scenes and in front of customers. he has chastised other chefs in the city for “poaching employees”, when we were merely tired of being shorted on paychecks and tips, asked to work 7-day weeks and worn-out from abuse AND completely invisible as part of the Jason Wilson machine.

By: Chris Williams

Chris Williams — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:12:05 +0000

Well, thank you “escaped!” for your comment. Interesting to see that things are not that different from what they seem…

By: J

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:04:09 +0000

Nope, it’s caseytreat.com. You’ll notice two things about that URL: 1) it’s a .com (commercial), not a .org (non-profit), and 2) it’s all about Casey.

He has made sure that EVERYONE can find the website by using .com AND .org. Try it.
Also, it is clear to me that the website is not all about HIM, there is alot of information on what services the church offers, upcomming events and pod casts on his teaching.
Dont bash … get your info first.

By: Chris Williams

Chris Williams — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:12:24 +0000

I’m sorry, it IS all about him. It is CASEYTREAT.[whatever]. It’s not ChristianFaithCenter.org., it’s not ChristianFaithIntl.org., it’s CASEYTREAT.[whatever].

And if you google “casey treat” the .com comes up first. If you look at the bottom of the TV show, it says “.com”. And if you type in “caseytreat.org” it takes you to “caseytreat.com” (look in the page title).

Then on the web site, there are a thousand pictures of Casey, the “gallery” is “Casey and Wendy in Europe”, “Casey on Mt. Rainier”, etc.

This is not an organization that is intended to outlive Casey. It is his cult. I’m sorry you don’t see that.