This present controversy is serving to alert pure believers that Wierwille and his successors are false apostles after all. TWI now is less than a tenth of what it was in the early 1980s, but TWI was far less than a tenth of what its . Im so sorry for your loss. Almost every one of Wierwilles teachings can be traced to other sources (see sidebar for descriptions of some of Wierwilles teachings). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2dshceGGvY&ab_channel=TheEyewitnesses. Box 18503, Anaheim, CA 92817. One ex-member said the Corps residence training was sometimes like a bordello, with promiscuity, adultery, orgies, wife swapping, and even gang-rape.4. There were some other elite leadership groups in the faith (like Way Disciple that you mention) but the three I listed are the ones that most people in fellowships are expected to take. Although Guideposts helped popularize Cliffes writings and he claimed to be Anglican, Cliffe held New Thought beliefs, seeing God as impersonal principle. Disgusting. TL;DR: the Way seems chill and relaxed on the outside but its pretty intense on a personal level. Many have realized that they have also been falsely taught on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and have turned to evangelical beliefs instead. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). 2013-08-09T12:10:58-05:00 I was left on the bathroom floor for a week because "there's nothing we can do if you're not believing God to heal you." Until then I was personally fighting acceptance because I wasnt able to understand and someone else had not articulated a realistic and plausible answer. I'd recently read a secular book and they also blamed that. Here's a copy of. The Way International is a shell of what it was during the lifetime of Victor Paul Wierwille. The Rock had been held annually for 25 years, and had been used to teach, recruit participants for Way ministries, and send out Way Ambassadors. Wierwille as father, friend, and teacher, but both the Scriptures and the empirical evidence demand it. We could go into particulars like the Holocaust denying, the speaking in tongues, how women are supposed to be subservient to men, the homophobia but I just wanted to provide you with some context. 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. European Christian Press (which Geer controls) then published it a few years after Wierwilles death. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. What do they make members do? 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). They did not understand that Wierwille preached another Jesus (who was only a man) and another spirit (not the Holy Spirit personally indwelling them). The 27-storey building hotel is the tallest building in Phu Ly and has been carefully designed for contemporary travellers looking for sleek comforts, simplified luxury and bleisure. 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. My Mom got heavily involved in the ministry straight out the gates - going WOW (their outreach program) shortly after taking the PFAL class in the early 80s and then we went Family Corp right after that. I remember he looked at her with sympathy but didnt say anything. During WOW training at the 1994 Rock of Ages conference, however, Way leaders decided not to send WOWs, because nearly 10 percent of their Ambassadors were homosexual. When Wierwille wrote, he commonly used these mens writings and copied them, idea by idea and often word by word. The Way To Happiness International. I saw your post a few days ago when it was first posted and having been thinking about it ever since. The termination of the WOW Ambassador program led to the start of the Disciples of The Way Outreach program. Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. Ive started this process in some form and would like to invite you to take a peek at another thread. They believed that God heals and if you believe enough he can heal anything. Accusations have disturbed many people and strained or broken numerous friendships. Omg this info about splinter groups is shocking. The Way is marketed as a biblical research, teaching, and fellowship ministry. There is a great diversity of emotions and viewpoints among those who have left The Way International. And to answer your question, yes, people do commit suicide after being in the cult. This includes Wierwilles plagiarism, approval of adultery, authoritarianism, errors of scholarship and Bible interpretation, and so forth. I mention this because in the athletes analogy, theres always an adversary. The figure other Christians might call the Devil the Way often calls the Adversary (lol it looks weird to write it out). 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. Then there are all the other classes about specific topics. 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. One of the many difficult things about digesting this for us is that her personality and character did not reflect this at all. That exes from his life are all crazy.. Wierwille exercised very little discernment in learning from others, readily accepting teachings from itinerant mystics, Christian Scientists, and spiritists. When I arrived back home my entire bedroom and all my belongings had been searched for anything ungodly. Your experience brings so many new things into perspective and reflects the things we noted about her 10yrs when we were younger but never questioned because well how much can a teenager really articulate? Household Prayer would be around 6am or earlier sometimes, which you couldn't miss or again you would be reprimanded. With the more aggressive and cultic mindset of current Way leadership, followers can expect more years of turbulence and change. Unlike the WOWs, the Disciples program is open only to Advanced Class graduates, and therefore probably consists mainly of members of the Way Corps. 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. Wait, it's "The Word of God" and then some other follower will utter "The Word of God is the Will of God" like some sheep bleating "four legs good". 3 Victor Paul Wierwille, Power for Abundant Living (New Knoxville, OH: American Christian Press, 1971), 119-20.4 Victor Paul Wierwille, Receiving the Holy Spirit Today, 6th ed. These people were rarely spoken of again, and if they were it was in hushed tones. Followers 0. 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. I was raised "in the word" as they say, meaning I was a born into the cult. Your last sentence though. dagger to the heart ..internal turmoil reconciling her faith with just being a person in the world. 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. This is his first book, and the first book produced by this Biblical Research and Teaching ministry in over 10 years. However, we are still driven by their nefarious existence. TWI's splinter groups, formed at TWI's implosion in the late 1980's, are bigger than . . The most prominent of these groups are John Lynns Christian Educational Services (CES) and Chris Geers The Way of Great Britain. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber They have forsaken the right way and gone astray" (2 Peter 2:1-3, 15). 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. As a result, Martindale told everyone to eliminate this and other spirit-driven malignancies from Way circles. 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. 35 0 obj <> endobj 60 0 obj <>stream 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. CES includes many past Way celebrities and clergy such as John and Pat Lynn, Ralph Dubofsky, Robert Belt, Sue Pierce, Tom Reahard, and John Schonheit. Technically, the group has only three members the trustees who control all aspects of The Way International, Inc. %PDF-1.7 % 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. Disciples serve only four months, and The Way plans to send out two waves a year. Some people were asked to leave the ministry for some big transgression (maybe they were gay, maybe they bucked chain of command in some big way), and they were considered marked and avoided (I think stemming from the Cain and Abel story in Genesis). And I am glad you are with us. The most ridiculous instance was when he beat me for clinking my fork too loudly in my plate at the dinner table. The foundational class is 36 hours I believe and I can't tell you how many times I took it. The Passing of a Patriarch greatly damaged The Way because it summarizes the accusations Wierwille made against the three trustees who alone are technically members of The Way and who control all assets and policy. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 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. Sometimes area twigs would get together for a branch meeting, and less frequently a limb meeting. Not even post TWI as a survivor. They are both prevalent in Ohio. These people are capable of anything. The most important change involves the new The Way of Abundance and Power classes by Way president, L. Craig Martindale. When he first presented it verbally to gatherings of Way leadership (at which, John Lynn reports, he carried a large-caliber pistol for self-protection), it caused tremendous turbulence, and its content was kept out of general circulation. A Profile of The Way, International In the 90s as home internet was starting to become a thing, and ex-Way followers were posting their experiences on message boards, I remember fellowship leaders told us to limit our time online and to not Google search (or in those days Yahoo?) Oh, so when I say curveballs I mean it in the figurative sense. After all, it is their friends who have left and made accusations of severe error against The Way leadership. I went to a couple fellowship meetings shortly after they took the "foundational class" and wouldn't shut up about it. I was berated, told I did this to myself because I didn't have my head in the word enough and allowed devil spirits in. Homey reported that it liquidated $29 million of debt by mid 1995. As a result, many Wayers view Geer as being the true spiritual heir to Wierwille. John Schonheits paper on adultery was a thinly veiled accusation that Wierwille and other leaders falsely taught that adultery is a biblically acceptable practice. To be honest, it sounds nice on paper in many ways. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light; therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their deeds. 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. https://www.reddit.com/r/BGSU/comments/mlu753/the_way_international_twi/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf. TWI splinter group leader John Lynn wrote a letter in 2008 defending and praising "the old" Way International, proof that the old Way Arrogance lives on as well. That wing of my family joined nearly 30 years ago. We ourselves have two articles in our website concerning that movement. So obviously if you're feeling depressed or suicidal you CANNOT tell ANYONE or you will likely be told you're possessed and have to have it cast out of you, at which point you have to pretend to be healed or else it means you're a bad believer and it's your fault you harbor spirits. People were eager to engage, but I dont think answers were ever very satisfying. The past two years have been a very unsettling time for Wayers. CES now wants to be seen as an independent ministry, not just as a Way splinter group, even though its glaring similarity to The Way is obvious to outsiders. I think another thing to think about with the Way is that it is in many ways a pyramid scheme. Jun 10, 2009. If you weren't in good standing, you didn't get tapes of the way singers or of "reverend" Martindale. That made it harder for me to get a centered view on my life. 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. Few know that many able scholars have effectively refuted some of Bullingers ideas. He cultivated an image of being an original Bible researcher and his followers have seen him as such. Incidentally, only Geers group has published a book by Wierwille since his death. Christian can also help (ex-) Wayers through four basic steps of reorientation: 1) expose, 2) emotional reaction, 3) relearning, and 4) reconstruction. There were people who were sexually assaulted while hitchhiking and injured due to accidents. The Way International is a small, fundamentalist, Bible-based organization headquartered in New Knoxville, Ohio, on property that was once the family farm of the founder, Victor Paul Wierwille. In short, the Way (though it started much earlier) at its highest participation rates was essentially home fellowships with hippies talking about Jesus. In my research since leaving in 2013 I have found a number of people who reported that their loved ones died in the way dating back to the 70s. mediacodec bufferinfo size avocado mattress reviews; rpx regal premium experience 2d vs 2d hair 504 drug test; 500mg test before and after reddit appleton rummage sales 2022; opala schedule Still involved. Brainwashing is in part convincing you that the world is evil and filled with devil spirits that are everywhere and you must be vigilant, and part CONSTANT information about the bible. The group says that it will hold classes and smaller conferences instead, including a weeklong gathering of 2,000 at The Ways auditorium in New Knoxville, July 20-27. 0 replies; 812 views; Fredchopin . Except they pretty much worship the bible. And because we were Family Corp, children were added into the mix as well. James K. Walker Sann, on the other hand, considers people like Lynn to have gone too far in rejecting valid teachings. And we have to consider the times: inspired by peace movements and anti-war efforts. I was born in Sidney, Ohio in 2001 and lived at the Way Headquarters in New Knoxville. Sometime after reading that I came across Religion Trauma Syndrome (RTS) and learned about repressive cognitive dissonance. Off-shoot of The Way (formerly Christian Educational Services) 6.3k posts. Ancient Aliens and the Bible: What the Popular Television Series Says about Extraterrestrials in Scripture, Famous for Jesus: A Review of Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church by Katelyn Beaty (Brazos Press, 2022), Famosos por Jess: Resea de Celebridades por Jess: Cmo los personajes, las plataformas y los beneficios estn perjudicando a la Iglesia por Katelyn Beaty (Brazos Press, 2022). Martindale told his followers at the 1995 Rock of Ages conference that new classes were needed because The Ways opponents had attended PFAL classes and learned how to use this material against The Way. Point out that Wierwilles adultery and lying (plagiarism) mark him a false teacher, not just a teacher with failings (Matt. Spirit and Truth Fellowship International, Out of the Way: The Offshoots Latest Topics. How come she was allowed non-Christian activities such as going to dances/concerts, have a boyfriend or a job prior to college and Way Disciples Training? (The PFAL classes had been open to anyone who paid the $50 fee.) This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). Oral Robertss The Red Thread in his Lifestyle of Gods Word. 17 Rick Lessing, An Analysis and Critique of the Theology of The Way International: An Evangelical Christian Response to Victor Paul Wierwilles Concept of the Trinity (unpublished paper, 1986), makes a case that Wierwille misunderstood Trinitarianism as (alternately) Sabellianism and polytheism, and that when Trinitarianism is properly explained, it is clearly biblically valid and coherent. 9 In an April 30, 1996 press release The Way announced it would not hold a Rock of Ages festival in 1996. In 2000, the president of The Way, Craig Martindale, resigned following . At 29yrs old. Like when life doesnt go like you expect, whether its a health problem or an issue at work. I am sorry for your loss. The Way Worship Centre. The manipulation tactics come from many angles. As well as the original post questions. 11 Morton and Juedes, Integrity and Accuracy, reveals many of Wierwilles errors in scholarship and Bible interpretation. I was a Girl Scout as a kid and all through high school, and I devoted myself to community projects my whole life. Offshoots - Splinter Groups : How Many Are There? Word That is to say, other people are nice and fine, but its only the true Believers that are truly living Godly lives. The leader was arrested recently as he had convinced the fellowship members to give him their eldest daughters which he physically and sexually abused for 9+ years until one girl escaped. Wierwille was not the only former minister to draw away young disciples David Berg was one of several others. Groups like the Way Ministry where you are expected to have instant familiarity with and trust for other members (who are practically strangers) by virtue of you all being "like-minded" is an environment absolutely rife for abuse. I am also former TWI. All because of "homosexual devil spirit possession" will not be welcome at their festival. Nonetheless, hundreds of Way refugees are resisting the new groups' pleas to "join up.". Gotta run! The kind of stuff people go to therapy for years to get over. Meanwhile, he promotes his book, The Rise and Expansion of the Church, through weekend seminars. See also Elena Whiteside, The Way Living with Love, 2d ed. Her recent suicide however was as a member in leadership. Wierwilles death certificate lists ocular melanoma, or malignant tumor of the eye, as the underlying cause of death. Somehow I always imagined theyd be better than the original TWI. It has now become apparent to many of them that Wierwille was instead an eclectic plagiarist. She probably could have just gone and not told anyone because its not like anyone checked your bank account, but her guilt consumed her and a couple days before, she called our fellowship coordinator over and confessed to him that she had debt. My mom was a single mother and had registered for an upcoming class. 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. Accordingly, several groups have arisen to try to meet these needs. In addition, the account includes several insights into The Way. 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. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. My parents are still standing, as they say.

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