the way international splinter groups

The kind of stuff people go to therapy for years to get over. 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). Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 0 replies; 812 views; Fredchopin . For the most part this conceptualizing of the world as being on Gods side or influenced but the Adversary makes me roll my eyes. Incidentally, only Geers group has published a book by Wierwille since his death. This conflict has increased as ex-Wayers have persuaded many of their friends to leave Martindales group. We were taught that the Adversary is always looking for ways to break down our spiritual fortitude and that can come in the form of media, indoctrination in schools and even our own families. The Way, International Profile However, it sucked to consider our loved as anything less than brilliant, observant, and aware. The most debate arose when the topic of financing CES was raised, which prompted fears that their donations would be misused by yet another organization. Have others committed suicide? Again - really helpful and it has expanded my perspective as well as empathy much more. Explain teachings carefully, and give them time alone to read the Bible in a newer version (such as the New International Version or New American Standard) which has clearer wording and lacks Wierwilles marginal notes and deletions marked in their old King James Versions. The Corp program was insane and I could write a huge thread just about that experience. 5 Christopher C. Geer, The Passing of a Patriarch (Attrincham, Cheshire, U.K.: European Christian Press, n.d.), 34. Since then, The Way has sought to purge (that is, totally shun) all who do not tithe or who question Martindale on any issue. These were known as splinter groups and were always talked about as deceptive as if they were scheming their followers. 4v$gi Myself and others are looking to cope and find closure or understanding from a recent loss/death due to suicide. Please keep in touch. Some still in The Way are ignorant of the controversy, while others refuse to listen to the charges, deny them, or rationalize how Wierwille could have done such things without guilt. While ex-Wayers want the groups to be much different than The Way, there are many similarities in teaching and goals. Press J to jump to the feed. 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. The Way International introduced sweeping changes at the annual Rock of Ages gathering last year. Another splinter group By Fredchopin, September 3, 2021. It's 2am and so I decided to reminisce in Google-land by doing a search on the The Way International; a group I was once affiliated with . Atheism. We believe and speculate it was attributed because of the known cult The Way International. Way-Showers. The most prominent of these groups are John Lynns Christian Educational Services (CES) and Chris Geers The Way of Great Britain. 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. %PDF-1.7 % Although the group emphasizes that it does not have members, it keeps very detailed records of its class graduates and donors, which are used as criteria to determine peoples status with the group and their access to some of its functions. Conveniently situated in the Minh Khai part of Phu Ly (Ha Nam), this property puts you close . Nonetheless, hundreds of Way refugees are resisting the new groups' pleas to "join up.". At the time Martindale saw the suspension of WOW as the response to an attack by evil devil spirits, but by the summer of 1995 he recast the suspension as a Way victory. x*"fhR*_l*I&mLRQnG.O@o(UU7Wn?\6t]~mak-tX}zn[z,.o,o.*?Y~,vYj8P]w1$'ZfL1sr&E7pc'R7_\veb_ Splinter group of the Worldwide Church of God (WCoG). An Open Letter to You Who Are Disillusioned with The Way Ministry, J. Juedes PFO Journal. When I was in the hospital, leadership came to see me only twice and forbid anyone else from seeing me. The immediate cause was metastatic melanoma of the liver, which means that the cancer spread from the eye to the liver. The Way published three books by Lynn, more than any author other than Wierwille. 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. However, we are still driven by their nefarious existence. There were people who were sexually assaulted while hitchhiking and injured due to accidents. He would beat me for nearly any infraction. Way followers say the first commandment is the most important: no false Idols before God. Christian can also help (ex-) Wayers through four basic steps of reorientation: 1) expose, 2) emotional reaction, 3) relearning, and 4) reconstruction. I would lovingly suggest that your time might be more effectively spent honoring your friend's memory by educating others about the harm that cults cause and working with a counselor to process the grief of losing your friend twice - first to a cult and then to suicide. Also former TWI here, my parents are still in it, and its causing incredible family pain, now between my older sister. There are people who spend 7 nights a week at fellowship or taking classes or teaching. In opposition, John Schoenheit produced a paper that confronted this error and biblically explained that adultery is a sin. One response still in print is Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth by H.A. 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. My impression is that BGSU Staff/Administration is unaware that she was a Way member. New classes were also needed because the existing video version, filmed by Wierwille in 1967, was obviously dated in its style, production, and dress. 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. While Believers with a history of Way International affiliation, esp. My mom thought God helped her get a good parking space once (Im not kidding). There are less and less full time ministers on the field and in many Regions only one full time couple in the entire Region. 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). Any time I needed to see a doctor (I've had chronic health issues) I had to do it in secret and lie about where I was going, and have the bills sent to fake addresses so no one would find out. Nonetheless, many ex-Wayers desire publications, traveling teachers, regional meetings, and a network of fellowships similar to those they had in The Way. Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. We were required to eat every dinner together or we would be reprimanded in front of the whole house (about 10 people). But apparently, he doesn't want people to know what he did in the 1970s and 1980s. 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). Fourth, help them through the reconstruction of their Christian lives by introducing them to sincere, Bible-believing Christians, small group fellowships, and churches. 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. Disciples serve only four months, and The Way plans to send out two waves a year. 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? Ex-Wayers also charge that The Way teaches falsely on the topics of believing, abundant sharing, tithing, interpretation of tongues, and athletes of the spirit (the belief that every warfare metaphor in the Epistles should be understood as an athletic metaphor instead). If you weren't in good standing, you didn't get tapes of the way singers or of "reverend" Martindale. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Available from: Capitol Saints/John A. Lynn, 5918 Chesterbrook Road, McLean, VA 22101. Like when life doesnt go like you expect, whether its a health problem or an issue at work. 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." Meanwhile, Way leaders apparently have tried biblically to defend adultery. Splintering of the group since 1985 has greatly reduced its active membership, from a peak of about . I grew up in the Way Ministry in the 80s and left in my last year of high school in 96. Ive started this process in some form and would like to invite you to take a peek at another thread. Wierwille exercised very little discernment in learning from others, readily accepting teachings from itinerant mystics, Christian Scientists, and spiritists. I was isolated from my family physically because they didn't live close, and during private conversations about leadership I was told that my family didn't love me and that they could understand why because I was so horrible, but at least I had them. Sann also circulates periodic newsletters and regularly publishes teaching tapes. For Feb 24, 2023 | Christian Articles, en Espanol. At one point I got sick with an infectious disease that typically kills you within 48 hours. Scientology front group. We ourselves have two articles in our website concerning that movement. 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. 11:2-4, 13-15) gives insight into the nature of this controversy, Wierwilles work, and his followers: For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. They are both prevalent in Ohio. 14 Letter by Steve Sann, Pacific West Fellowship, 2 March 1988. (St. Louis: Personal Freedom Outreach, 1987), 50 pp. 60, Bien Hoa Street, Minh Khai Ward, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province,, Minh Khai, Phu Ly (Ha Nam), Vietnam, 400000 - See map. 2 The Way Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 1994, 26. Martindales classes include material from PFAL as well as new topics. Since the Martindale faction controls these, it views visits by ex-Wayers as enemy infiltration. terrified of seeing/interacting with a marked and avoided person because I thought their adversarial ways would rub off on me. He never credited his sources, in effect lying to his readers by leading them to believe that he originated his teachings under Gods direct tutelage. The crowd of 11,000 applauded the changes, hoping that this would help remedy the severe decline and turbulence of the past 10 years. 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". Cliffes book Lessons in Successful Living addresses similar topics. It was heavy-duty indoctrination using known "brainwashing" techniques like sleep deprivation and intense manual labor mixed with a hippy commune mentality and a healthy dose of college hijinks thrown in. I'm pretty sure that "The Word" has quite a bit to say about murder. haga clic aqu para obtener ms informacin. 9 John Lynn, Overview of Events, two-cassette series, 1987. 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. Your last sentence though. dagger to the heart ..internal turmoil reconciling her faith with just being a person in the world. My story might be pretty different compared to those of you who grew up in the 80's/90's. The stories which former (and current) Way insiders hear include many more specific charges about shocking events. She didnt take the class. There hasn't been a good gathering place for survivors since the Greasespot Cafe and I think there is a need for one. The Ways decisions to terminate the WOWs and PFAL classes are partly due to the damaging influence of Way splinter groups. Mac OS X 10.7.5 Quartz PDFContext I dealt with it as a kid by pretending not to notice the issues in my family and in the cult. I wouldnt say my experience is at all recent since that was 2001, but I can absolutely say their tactics are manipulative. Like Wierwille, Bergs teachings became the ultimate authority, and when he committed adultery, he reinterpreted the Bible in order to defend his sinful practice. The Ways security force has become increasingly aggressive, quickly and thoroughly investigating anyone who appears at functions like the Rock of Ages conferences9 or is on their campus without a Way nametag. uuid:d7ca4186-7029-344b-a237-3b86f585aa59 I know this is a bit long, but I hope it gives you some insight into what it's like to be inside this group. A number of people died. One of the many difficult things about digesting this for us is that her personality and character did not reflect this at all. Some retain great respect for Wierwille, while a few joke about him. As a kid, I was always 1.) application/pdf For example we had fellowship in our home 3 days per week and if I were to miss one I might be interrogated about where I was, or told that I'm unequally yoked with "worldly" people, which is how they describe anyone outside the cult. Wierwille credits Stiles with showing him how to receive and manifest the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues when they met at a Tulsa rally in 1951.7 He took his teachings on evil spirits, definition of humans as body-soul-spirit (with his peculiar exegesis), laying on of hands, and his descriptions and methods of operating the manifestations (gifts of the Spirit) from B.G. 8 Whiteside, 197-200. Participants were sensitive (having been wounded by The Way), were open to friendships and ideas, and were reevaluating their beliefs. I mention these because these are classic isolating manipulation tactics. My home life was very turbulent because of TWI. If possible, use Way terminology and address Way thought patterns, or put them in touch with ex-Wayers who can. Im so sorry for your loss. 35 0 obj <> endobj 60 0 obj <>stream 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 . Gotta run! So I dont think youre going to find any one person in her fellowship circle to point a finger at, but I can imagine your friend, as a young, thinking, caring person was having a lot of internal turmoil reconciling her faith with just being a person in the world. I can't speak much on what the formal organization is doing now but the splinter groups just don't have the financial or organizational power as they did before they split off. Splintering and Subjugating.as night follows day, Remembering a woman of courage, who stood up to a monster. Mostly shame, guilt, separation from anyone but the group, brainwashing. Strangely, that means that TWI is responsible for my birth. Geers book also claims that Geer alone is spiritually able to reform The Way Ministry. Like the new classes and the Disciples, this is a sign that The Way is striving to further restrict access to its activities, purge anyone who questions current Way leadership, increase control, and consolidate. Because they had women on the Board of Directors and allowed women to lead fellowships, they could espouse their views as progressive. See John P. Juedes, Looking at Lamsa, Personal Freedom Outreach Newsletter (Jan.-Mar. 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. We are talking about a lot of people who fall for get-rich-quick schemes and fad diets. John P. Juedes is the pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Highland, California, and has written extensively on The Way International. . You were expected to advance through them, and you typically developed bonds with your cohort in the Foundational, Intermediate and Advanced classes. Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. I dont know if any of this is helpful to you. To be honest, it sounds nice on paper in many ways. Splinter Cults are WORSE..not better. First, the assumptions and structure of the new groups are like The Way International. Edited to add: Would anyone be interested in an ex-Way subreddit? 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. The most important change involves the new The Way of Abundance and Power classes by Way president, L. Craig Martindale. I was raised "in the word" as they say, meaning I was a born into the cult. Wierwilles death certificate lists ocular melanoma, or malignant tumor of the eye, as the underlying cause of death. In that same breathe, her sister/siblings believed she was waking up and coming to her own conclusion about her situation and the life she had created with the expectation that she would removing herself as they did during that similar age period of their lives. Someone previous mentioned and shared something that we really needed to hear and hit home profoundly, she expressed that (paraphrasing) she was struggling to reconcile with her faith and being a person in the world. The Way To Happiness International. Juedes is a Lutheran paster who has written extensively on the Way. SPIRIT AND TRUTH FELLOWSHIP / CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES / JOHN LYNN. Not only is it about reading the Bible and having a personal relationship with God, but there are various levels of classes that you take to be better scholars. This video covers some of the deaths and suicides of former members. Beep. At first I was told how loved and adored I was but quickly that facade died and it was clear I was not loved. I was forced to eat food I'm allergic to in order to prove God healed me. 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 I think it may be important for you to identify whether she was in TWI proper or a splinter group. 1987). And because we were Family Corp, children were added into the mix as well. Its not interested in interrogating deep questions of being and it doesnt hold up well to fact based challenges. See also pp.38 and 52. He is a former follower of The Way International, the same group from which I escaped in 1987. This is certainly helpful and appreciated. The Way International (TWI) has been on cult watchers' radar screens for decades. Not even post TWI as a survivor. If youve seen the documentaries about Scientology or even that Nxivm sex cult this is practically a template for revenue income for these religious organizations. 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. Lynn retains all the critical Way doctrines of concern to Christians, such as anti-Trinitarianism, ultradispensationalism, soul sleep, and the belief that speaking in tongues is infallible and essential proof that one is saved. The group's misogyny was deeply ingrained while also being subtle at times. Moving on: I know a lot of people who grew up in strict religious contexts, but the thing that I always found kind of culty about the Way was how we were always supposed to prioritize people in the ministry to the exclusion of others. She was loved by many because she was easy going, fit in with many and different groups - a legitimate interest in others, etc. Each fellowship was just one small twig connected to a branch, then a limb, then a trunk and so on. nase ahora para acceder a este contenido exclusivo para suscriptores de Journal, To the Cancel Culture: We Respectfully Decline When Believers are Told What We May or May Not Say, Polite Refusal is Called For, Christ or Lucretius: Nature and Natures God in the poems of Mary Oliver. This is very hard. I'm way-adjacent. The Advanced Class was first presented in the fall of 1995. For example, Lionel Recio and Steve Lefevers claim that one woman was gang-raped by several Way clergy and that the Corps residence training was sometimes like a bordello with promiscuity, adultery, orgies, and wife-swapping. Their arguments included: women who traveled with Jesus and Paul supplied them with sex because it satisfied their legitimate needs; men have needs for sex with a variety of women and God provides for this; all things are lawful when done in faith (Rom. 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. His complaint, however, implies that he realized there were significant errors in PFAL. It begins to be the only thing you can do and the only people you can see. That wing of my family joined nearly 30 years ago. The Way is considered a cult by many former members, by most mainstream churches, and by certain secular groups. The creed and The Way are very much one and the same; The Way is just the religion they follow. Many people follow Wierwille in part because they were impressed by his claim that he took over 3,000 books on theology to the city dump3 and resolved to study the Bible alone without mens teachings.4 Although Wierwille sometimes said he learned from others, he often explicitly claimed originality. 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. Geer repeatedly promotes himself as the only man left in The Way Ministry who is fully informed, spiritually adept, and capable of leading the Ministry and stemming its speedy decline. Although Wierwille has written against spiritism, he welcomed this spiritist with open arms. Started in the early 1950s by the late Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-1985), the original organization was called the Way Incorporated. 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. 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). Third, help them to relearn. 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. Prominent ex-Way leaders took with them networks of ex-followers of TWI. The Way also teaches its followers to receive an impersonal power (called holy spirit, power from on high, or Christ in you) by inhaling, and that speaking in tongues is the only proof that one is born again. The Way International introduced sweeping changes at the annual Rock of Ages gathering last year. Splintering of the group since 1985 has greatly reduced its active membership, from a peak of about 35,000 to less than 10,000.1. At that time I had recently come out as bisexual to my mom, which went as well as you'd expect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2dshceGGvY&ab_channel=TheEyewitnesses. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I'd recently read a secular book and they also blamed that. Tired from excessive bible study, didnt share and/or complain about any of her home life and doodled a lot which always made me ponder what she was thinking about?. My sister, mom and I put up with constant abuse from our dad, who was a fellowship coordinator after we moved to Arizona in about 2008. When I arrived back home my entire bedroom and all my belongings had been searched for anything ungodly. She was sobbing and apologized profusely that she hid this from them. Heads up on Another Splinter off the Way International Tree. Until then I was personally fighting acceptance because I wasnt able to understand and someone else had not articulated a realistic and plausible answer. It is apparent that almost all Wierwille taught he acquired from other men, not from original study 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.

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