Eventually, all you have is them and all you know is that they love you and that's why they're abusing you, because they've convinced you you're terrible and you deserve the abuse because it's helping you get closer in your relationship with God. As a kid, I was always 1.) Each link takes you to a menu of articles on that topic, most by Dr. John P. Juedes, who has researched TWI for 30 years. Juedes is a Lutheran paster who has written extensively on the Way. The share and contributions of another Reddit member way help you with perspective and provide some form of comfort or solace as you and your family are ensuring the struggle currently. The group's misogyny was deeply ingrained while also being subtle at times. 14:21-23); stringent laws are done away with when one is born again (Col. 2:20-21); God punished David for killing Uriah, not for having sex with Bathsheba; and the Bibles word for adultery has a spiritual, not a physical meaning. The past two years have been a very unsettling time for Wayers. Like Wierwille, Berg drew young people from the Jesus movement to form his own group, the Children of God (now called the Family of Love), which uses sexual promiscuity to win new followers. Pretty sure "in good standing" meant you "tithed" over a certain amount each month. 2 John P. Juedes and Jay Valusek, Will the Real Author Please Stand Up? This includes Wierwilles plagiarism, approval of adultery, authoritarianism, errors of scholarship and Bible interpretation, and so forth. 9 John Lynn, Overview of Events, two-cassette series, 1987. Bill Green, who handles some public relations for The Ways New Knoxville, Ohio headquarters, declined to be interviewed about the classes and related developments. He taught that Jesus Christ was not resurrected bodily and will not return visibly, and that the Holy Spirit is an influence, not a personal being. While Believers with a history of Way International affiliation, esp. Based at . Allen wrote, I read it and all is true.So I will change to do my best for the man I helped kill.7 They apparently could not reconcile the death of the man of God with their teaching of the law of believing. Since they considered Wierwille the epitome of believing, he should easily have been able to will himself to health simply by believing he was well and free of cancer. OVERVIEW OF THE WAY'S SPLINTER GROUPS. Not even post TWI as a survivor. The teachings are framed such as we are athletes of the Spirit and we are always honing our research skills to better know God. I'm still dealing with a lot of the trauma. My mom was a single mother and had registered for an upcoming class. Participants were sensitive (having been wounded by The Way), were open to friendships and ideas, and were reevaluating their beliefs. Nonetheless, hundreds of Way refugees are resisting the new groups' pleas to "join up.". We were taught that debt was inherently evil and that it made you a slave to the lender. Despite a pattern of members losing their lives to the insanity of this group, proving negligence/culpability in Court regarding a suicide is very, very difficult. haga clic aqu para obtener ms informacin. Think of an abuser boyfriend who doesnt let you have friendships with other guys or other people, really, because it distracts your attention from him, the most important person in your life. Have others committed suicide? See John P. Juedes, Looking at Lamsa, Personal Freedom Outreach Newsletter (Jan.-Mar. Youre not going to have to perform penance. graduates of the PFAL Series (Power For Abundant Living) may find links to fellowship, study, friends, and loved ones, believers and seekers of all congregations or none at all may find wonderful links at this page. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). Just as 100 different Mormon groups all revere the Temple Lot in Independence, Missouri, because of founder Joseph Smiths attachment to it, the many Way splinter groups also revere Wierwilles New Knoxville, Ohio family farm and books. Im not educated or enlightened by any metric, but reading that after your personal experience as well as observation grounded and solidified what you were sharing. Wierwilles stance that the whole Bible was authored in Aramaic, that parts of Scripture have been lost, that many Bible passages in popular translations were deviously inserted by pagans, and his Nestorian-like view of Jesus Christ (which drives a wedge between the human Jesus and the divine Christ) all trace to mystic George Lamsa. Nevertheless, The Ways situation has improved. That ego had gone to their heads; that the Adversary had gotten to them. If you have done your reading about cults, then you are probably familiar with Dr. Steve Hassan's BITE model. This video covers some of the deaths and suicides of former members. 3 Highlights of The Way Corps Graduation (June 1995), cassette tape. Stiles, a leader in the early charismatic movement. It has shrunk in size and, as often is the case in cults when the original leader dies, splintered into various rival movements. I dont know if any of this is helpful to you. I had been a professional lead singer and performer since I was 16, and although I . Your last sentence though. dagger to the heart ..internal turmoil reconciling her faith with just being a person in the world. A good example of this is John Lynns 12-session class Keys to Victorious Living. The Class is nearly an exact duplicate of Wierwilles Power for Abundant Living class, teaching over two dozen of the same specific doctrines and using the same proof texts Wierwille used (though Lynn corrects some of Wierwilles most glaring misinterpretations). The other classes were filmed from February through April of 1995 and are currently being used. While ex-Wayers want the groups to be much different than The Way, there are many similarities in teaching and goals. 7:15). The Way, International, page 2 10 These are actual experiences which Wayers, ex-Wayers, and others have shared with me. Para ms informacin o para Join now to access this Journal subscriber only content. SPIRIT AND TRUTH FELLOWSHIP / CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES / JOHN LYNN. (New Knoxville, OH: American Christian Press, 1972), 209, 174, for Wierwilles claim that his book is the most original coverage of the subject, and p. 178 for his claim that God audibly promised to teach him directly and personally. This is just awful, horrible and egregious in every way possible. We both are still active in the remnants of one of the many splinter groups and have become the inheritors of a fellowship in limbo.
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Most ex-Wayers are confused, not knowing where to turn, whom to trust, or what to believe. as I got older I was terrified of doing something that would have me cast out because my whole life THESE were the people I knew and had history with, and it made me deeply sad to imagine suddenly being cut off from that. Way security personnel try to intimidate outsiders by dressing as police officers complete with utility belt, holster, CB-style microphone clipped to a shoulder, metal badge with the word patrolman prominently stamped on it, and white vehicles with a seal painted on the door and emergency lights on top. These people are capable of anything. There are less and less full time ministers on the field and in many Regions only one full time couple in the entire Region. The Way International, The Way, La Voie, El Camino, PFAL, The Way of Abundance and Power, The Way Magazine, The Way Corps are trademarks registered by The Way International in the United States and/or other countries. The reason I created that thread was initial to gain some more insight. Our dear and sweet beloved friend. Youve saved me an extensive amount of grieving. I was born in Sidney, Ohio in 2001 and lived at the Way Headquarters in New Knoxville. I think the biggest thing I would emphasize is that the biggest way faith organizations control you is by fear. Wierwilles ideas on sense knowledge, confession, and healing (among others) he found in E.W. Many former Way members are flocking to break-off organizations some of which are led by well-known and respected ex-leaders. An alarming statement from her the week prior to committing suicide and a recent appearance/presence on social media a few months prior is also what has really shaken everyone. They use Wierwilles teachings, jargon, and writings, and have drawn off many of The Ways followers by accusing International of authoritarianism, misuse of power, adultery, misuse of funds, spiritual corruption, departure from the Word of God, and denominationalism. We were required to eat every dinner together or we would be reprimanded in front of the whole house (about 10 people). For instance, trustee Donald Wierwille (Victor Pauls son) confessed, I apologize for not having followed my man of God.6. However, it sucked to consider our loved as anything less than brilliant, observant, and aware. The Way International fellowships are located throughout the United States, as well as over 30 countries. . The Way International, Christian evangelical group founded in 1942 as Vesper Chimes, a radio ministry broadcast from Lima, Ohio, by Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-85). What do they make members do? Many people did not believe in medical care. This means that we live in the world, but that doesnt have to impact our relationship with God. One of the many difficult things about digesting this for us is that her personality and character did not reflect this at all. A number of people died. There were people who were sexually assaulted while hitchhiking and injured due to accidents. I just wanted to paint a picture here of the laid back approach to Christian faith that makes the Way appealing to people. I did not take your explanation about The Way members as rude. I dont know if this is still true, but a weird criteria at the time was that you had to be debt free to participate. Wierwilles death certificate lists ocular melanoma, or malignant tumor of the eye, as the underlying cause of death. John Lynn claims that Wierwille and at least four other trustees had sex with literally hundreds of women, many of whom Lynn and other ex-leaders have counseled personally.9 They also claim the Trustees fired long-time researcher John Schonheit for writing a brief paper summarizing the Bibles teaching against adultery. I told them never to bring up The Way in my presence again. The main groups vying for control of rural settlements - including the National Liberal Army (ELN), two rival splinter or "dissident" groups composed of reconstituted FARC remnants, the Gulf Clan and smaller illicit bands - are now the focus of government efforts to pen deals aimed at halting the hostilities. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Wierwilles writings on the topics of interpreting the Bible, soul sleep, the distinction of impersonal holy spirit from the Holy Spirit, ultradispensationalism, gospel harmony, and the mystery are all drawn from Bullinger. A name used by Share International. This article first appeared in the in the Ask Hank column of the Christian Research Journal, Feb 20, 2023 | Christian Articles, en Espanol, Feb 13, 2023 | Christian Articles, en Espanol. See the CultFAQ page Types of Cults for information about cults of Christianity or see CARM's The Way International page for more about the group. This is a part of growing up for anyone, but I think its especially hard for people who grow empathy and conscience and recognize the way they grew up was manipulative and mean-spirited. At 29yrs old. They include the Foundational Class (Receive with Meekness), the Intermediate Class (Retain with Conviction), and the Advanced Class (Release with Boldness). There was a Corp program called LEAD where participants had to hitchhike from Indiana/Ohio to New Mexico in a short period of time with very little money (less than $20 if I remember correctly) to go mountain climbing. The kind of stuff people go to therapy for years to get over. . Your reply was a lot to unpack, digest, snd accept. This practice is intended to weed out any opponents. Thank you thank you for replying and contributing to the thread. When I was talking to my mom about climate change she just waved me off with Gods not going to let it get that bad! Oh. Leonards book and course syllabus called The Gifts of the Spirit are still in print. And to answer your question, yes, people do commit suicide after being in the cult. In the weeks leading up to it, she got sick and missed a few shifts at work and ran up a few hundred dollars of credit card debt to cover bills. In opposition, John Schoenheit produced a paper that confronted this error and biblically explained that adultery is a sin. The Way International is a nondenominational Christian ministry based in New Knoxville, Ohio.The followers congregate primarily in home fellowships located throughout the United States, two US territories and in over 30 countries. To me this is the core of the Way: the planting of the idea that its us against them. Over time that can be very isolating considering that there arent that many people in the ministry. Each year The Way had sent out hundreds of WOW (Word Over the World) Ambassadors as volunteer missionaries to cities around the world, which was its primary outreach for 25 years. A few, but not tons. The last fatal attack on a police officer in Northern Ireland was the April 2011 killing of Constable . And they were pretty insistent on saying that the Holocaust did happen but not nearly to the extent that Jewish people say it did, and that their agenda is to make us feel sorry for them and legitimize Judaism over Christianity. I want to be clear that if you think something nefarious has happened here, go with your gut. Mac OS X 10.7.5 Quartz PDFContext Also former TWI here, my parents are still in it, and its causing incredible family pain, now between my older sister. 14 Letter by Steve Sann, Pacific West Fellowship, 2 March 1988. Followers 0. Im going to say something rude here: my experience of adults in the Way is that they arent exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. 6 Albert Cliffe, Let Go and Let God (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1951), 157. Spirit and Truth Fellowship International. He would beat me for nearly any infraction. Jun 10, 2009. Soooo, I guess to answer your question about how she was allowed to do non-Christian activities, I think the thing to remember is that the Way picked up steam in the late 70s when a big wave of evangelicalism was sweeping through the US. Martindale openly and vulgarly expressed his contempt for the splinter groups during his Rock of Ages 95 sermons. Wierwille admits going to Alberta, Canada, twice in the early 1950s to hear Leonard teach on the manifestations and get a copy of his syllabus for his use.8 Leonard still teaches in Brownsville, Texas. The splinter groups made a lot of sense because fellowships (church) was held in people's homes anyway, so they continued to hold them and they all have their own little names like "Harbor Light Fellowship" or "Living Word Fellowship" however they still are Weirwill purists and teach his ideas. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The Way of Life or The Way of Death (self-published, 1987), 106. The Way is predominantly financed via its course fees and tithing. The largest group seems to be Christian Educational Services, Inc. (CES), which incorporated this fall in Indianapolis. 4 Lionel Recio and Steve Lefevers, The Way of Life or the Way of Death (self-published, 1987), 106. The Way published three books by Lynn, more than any author other than Wierwille. The Way president is accustomed to using crude speech and profanity, even in public settings. His complaint, however, implies that he realized there were significant errors in PFAL. We are talking about a lot of people who fall for get-rich-quick schemes and fad diets. Im terribly sorry to hear that feel free to message me privately if it helps. At one point I got sick with an infectious disease that typically kills you within 48 hours. After I had a fight in elementary school, TWI advised him to beat me into submission. If possible, use Way terminology and address Way thought patterns, or put them in touch with ex-Wayers who can. Experiences, questions, observations about offshoots who trace their roots to The Way International, Off-shoot of The Way (formerly Christian Educational Services), Accused sex predator Victor Barnard a victim's story. It helps me after hearing some of your stories. Not that a college degree is by any means the only metric of intelligence, but there arent a lot of college degrees in the faith. Anyways, one summer afternoon on a car ride to grandma's with a Way following family member: the tape deck had one of these Sunday service tapes start playing when they started the car. I was very moved by that story as a young person, and I remember talking to my mom and my fellowship coordinator about it. I am sorry for your loss. Cliffes book Lessons in Successful Living addresses similar topics. Last year, The Way Magazine lauded the organizations success at quickly beginning new PFAL classes through street witnessing; but now fewer classes are likely to be held since many recruits drop out of the twigs before attending a full year. The Way began to grow significantly only when Wierwille traveled to California and recruited followers from the Jesus movement.16 Like Eve and the Corinthians, these young believers (and many since the 1960s) were virgins with simple devotion to Christ, but were not grounded in Scripture and thus were easily led astray. (St. Louis: Personal Freedom Outreach, 1987), 50 pp. If you weren't in good standing, you didn't get tapes of the way singers or of "reverend" Martindale. The Way not only teaches that Jesus Christ is not God, but also has instruction on tithing, the law of believing (whatever one believes will happen to one, whether bad or good), and the accuracy of the Bible (as translated by Way leaders). Many ex-Wayers continue to read Bullinger, as they did while in The Way. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. When I arrived back home my entire bedroom and all my belongings had been searched for anything ungodly. Cules son las creencias bsicas del budismo? It begins to be the only thing you can do and the only people you can see. Homosexuals Purged, Wow Ambassadors Terminated, Martindale also hopes the new classes will hinder homosexuals from joining The Way, because he condemns homosexuality. The Way used to mail cassette tapes of the Sunday service to those "in good standing". For Feb 24, 2023 | Christian Articles, en Espanol. Gross, right? But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. Ive started this process in some form and would like to invite you to take a peek at another thread. The CES meeting in May 1988 sponsored two and one-half days of biblical teachings and allowed sales of books by those attending, including Lynn, Lionel Recio, and myself. Pacific West Fellowship,13 headed by Steve Sann (who also was once a Limb and Region Coordinator), seems to be the second most aggressive splinter group. 1987). - Nowadays, Finnegan runs another Way splinter group called Christian Biblical Counsel. This conflict has increased as ex-Wayers have persuaded many of their friends to leave Martindales group. Since many WOWs are in the second year of the Way Corps (leadership training) program, it is likely that many homosexuals were also in the Corps. The Way International was founded in 1942 by Victor Paul Wierwille as a radio program, then was renamed the Chimes Hour Youth Caravan in 1947. This is where I experienced most of the abuse. Accordingly, several groups have arisen to try to meet these needs. As Wayers recognize false teachings, they further see the inaccurate scholarship Wierwille used to defend his teachings.11 Therefore, they also criticize Wierwilles skill as a Bible researcher and teacher and call into question everything they learned from him. Followers are now tasting the matured fruit of The Way Tree fruit of promiscuity, adultery, plagiarism (a form of lying), authoritarianism, false teaching, unfaithfulness, and lack of self-control. I'm pretty sure that "The Word" has quite a bit to say about murder. Accusations have disturbed many people and strained or broken numerous friendships. After Dr. Weirwill died and leadership was given to Craig Martindale, TWI essentially split into those who followed Craig and stayed in TWI's proper organization, and those who moved into splinter groups. But thats the thing: the adversary throws you curve balls, and its our job as athletes of the spirit to make smart moves. Disgusting. But they are open to friendships and the Bible, and are reevaluating many teachings and practices. James K. Walker Almost every long-time member has had at least one question such as: Why did Dr. Wierwille never speak against adultery in his Christian Family and Sex class? Why does my Limb leader often spend the night with certain twig leaders of the opposite sex? Why did our womens meeting leave the impression that a woman should satisfy any physical desire of visiting Way leaders? Why do Way leaders give contradictory answers when I ask about the biblical stance on sex outside of marriage? Why did the twig leader make sexual advances toward me the first time I attended?10, Ex-Wayers are increasingly charging The Way with false teaching and scholarship. He also hopes to produce more printed materials, provide a network of fellowships, and serve as a traveling teacher. One Scripture passage (2 Cor. But apparently, he doesn't want people to know what he did in the 1970s and 1980s. Not something I wanted to read, but something I needed to read. Then there are all the other classes about specific topics. Several thousand followers have severed ties with The Way International as a result of the allegations and evidence they have seen, including the entire state (Limb) of South Carolina in April 1988 and about 80 percent of the Washington, D.C., Limb. Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. These were known as splinter groups and were always talked about as deceptive as if they were scheming their followers. Sale of assets, reduction of overhead, smaller Corps classes, large numbers of defections (which left more staff openings), staff purges, and the sale of the The Way College of Emporia, Kansas, campus helped make this possible. They now favor home fellowships which are self-governing, self-financing and self-propagating. This is a reaction against The Way, which governed home groups, received and dispensed their income, and directed all the propagating efforts (which focused on promoting Wierwilles videotaped Power for Abundant Living class). That is to say, other people are nice and fine, but its only the true Believers that are truly living Godly lives. Children who grew into adults in the Way are another matter because it is hard to go out into the world and maybe get your own place or go to college and have your worldview challenged by people you were taught were lazy, selfish, or had an agenda. 0 replies; 812 views; Fredchopin . But at this point my goal has transitioned to educating the young and vulnerable population of college students by presenting an unknown and challenging thought. Three editorials which answer misconceptions common among followers and ex-followers of The Way such as distrust of Christians outside The Way and the forming of Way splinter groups. I'd recently read a secular book and they also blamed that. Many remember current leaders as friends, but at the same time despise them for wrongs they believe they have done or allowed. Meanwhile, Way leaders apparently have tried biblically to defend adultery. Many have realized that they have also been falsely taught on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and have turned to evangelical beliefs instead. 2013-08-09T12:10:58-05:00 . Since the Martindale faction controls these, it views visits by ex-Wayers as enemy infiltration. He told Corps grads that the Ambassadors had accomplished their mission of getting Gods Word over the world. He called it WOW redefined, but he never explained how reaching only a fraction of a percent of residents of the United States (much less of the world) constitutes completing the mission. Beep. Although Lamsas blemished translation of the Bible appears in Christian bookstores, he held New Thought (Christian Science-like), not evangelical, beliefs.5 Wierwille drew his laws of believing, of tithing, prosperity, mental imaging (imagining good things to bring them to pass), and the more abundant life from Albert Cliffe. All because of "homosexual devil spirit possession" will not be welcome at their festival. John Lynn described in detail how Way leaders practiced and tried to justify adultery in the audiotape, Overview of Events-1.. As a minister in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (now part of the United Church of Christ), Wierwille developed . (Ex-)Wayers would also benefit from Robert A. Moreys Death and the Afterlife (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 1984), Stuart Olyotts The Three Are One (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co., 1979), and Cal Beisners God in Three Persons (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1985). We ourselves have two articles in our website concerning that movement. I grew up in the Way and drifted from it the year I went to college (though I went a few times reluctantly to a new fellowship in the town where my college was). Leonard. My eating habits were monitored and I would get made fun of by leadership for things i liked or how much I ate. "Michael John Rood is an ordained nondenominational Christian minister and Messianic rabbi," according to a brochure Rood produced to promote his seminars which . First, the assumptions and structure of the new groups are like The Way International. Way trustees fired Schoenheit for writing the paper and sternly warned Wayers not to read it, ask about its contents, or have contact with those who read it. The Way founders instruction on how to receive the Holy Spirit by inhaling and the belief that speaking in tongues cannot be counterfeited were derived from J.E. Third, help them to relearn. 16 Wierwille noted that acquiring young people from the Jesus movement caused the Ways growth (Whiteside, 230-35). One CES leader, with a touch of irony, attempted to distance CES from The Way by explaining that CES would do Christian study, not biblical research (A Way term). My family transitioned to a splinter group in the mid 90s, and later when I was a teenager I moved into a "Way Home" which is like a group home for the cult.