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. 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. At 29yrs old. 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?) 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. There hasn't been a good gathering place for survivors since the Greasespot Cafe and I think there is a need for one. Each fellowship was just one small twig connected to a branch, then a limb, then a trunk and so on. It begins to be the only thing you can do and the only people you can see. Nonetheless, many ex-Wayers desire publications, traveling teachers, regional meetings, and a network of fellowships similar to those they had in The Way. Disgusting. My splinter group was one of them. The most ridiculous instance was when he beat me for clinking my fork too loudly in my plate at the dinner table. The logic has more dangerous consequences when people literally think God will cure their Cancer, Lupus, diabetes. At the time, Schoenheit was on The Ways research team. Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is the university she attended as a non-traditional student and place of employment. He also hopes to produce more printed materials, provide a network of fellowships, and serve as a traveling teacher. Maybe it will help to read what I experienced. 8 Ibid., 67, 68. The kind of stuff people go to therapy for years to get over. 6 Albert Cliffe, Let Go and Let God (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1951), 157. Since the Martindale faction controls these, it views visits by ex-Wayers as enemy infiltration. They run off anyone who is not currently active in a Way-controlled twig and who doesnt have a Way escort. Carol's Story: About The Way Part One The Life and Times of Bruce After I had a fight in elementary school, TWI advised him to beat me into submission. Like when life doesnt go like you expect, whether its a health problem or an issue at work. Technically, the group has only three members the trustees who control all aspects of The Way International, Inc. Word 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). Our dear and sweet beloved friend. Lynnes new teachings include the assertions that interpretation of tongues must always be praise to God (never a message to believers), and that believing does not work for saint and sinner alike, but is receiving Gods promises. Oh! At that time I had recently come out as bisexual to my mom, which went as well as you'd expect. 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). Way followers say the first commandment is the most important: no false Idols before God. 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. Can you imagine? 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. A number of people died. Defectors also accused Way leadership of practicing and approving adultery as a godly practice. While PFAL was used to introduce prospects to The Way, Martindales new classes are open only to people who have attended a twig (home fellowship) for a year and have been taught how to receive holy spirit and speak in tongues by the twig coordinator. John Schonheits paper on adultery was a thinly veiled accusation that Wierwille and other leaders falsely taught that adultery is a biblically acceptable practice. 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. See John P. Juedes, Looking at Lamsa, Personal Freedom Outreach Newsletter (Jan.-Mar. It's another thing entirely when the leader of a "Biblical Research and Fellowship Ministry" delivers a fire and brimstone sermon threatening to chain gays to the back bumper of an RV and go for a little drive. 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. Update on The Way International and Its Offspring - MarketFaith Ministries Youre not going to have to perform penance. The group itself says it is a Christian ministry. I was told by a leader that having an understanding of the Word as it is supposed to be understood helps you form opinions. My impression is that BGSU Staff/Administration is unaware that she was a Way member. Strangely, that means that TWI is responsible for my birth. Most ex-Wayers are confused, not knowing where to turn, whom to trust, or what to believe. . But apparently, he doesn't want people to know what he did in the 1970s and 1980s. I did not take your explanation about The Way members as rude. Your last sentence though. dagger to the heart ..internal turmoil reconciling her faith with just being a person in the world. 2013-08-01T19:56:36Z uuid:d7ca4186-7029-344b-a237-3b86f585aa59 J. Juedes, PFO Journal, 1990. The creed and The Way are very much one and the same; The Way is just the religion they follow. 8 Whiteside, 197-200. The termination of the WOW Ambassador program led to the start of the Disciples of The Way Outreach program. 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). 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 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. Accordingly, several groups have arisen to try to meet these needs. 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. I cannot stress enough how much the control and fear is internal. They include the Foundational Class (Receive with Meekness), the Intermediate Class (Retain with Conviction), and the Advanced Class (Release with Boldness). 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). 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. Cules son las creencias bsicas del budismo? To address your questions about suicides directly - yes there have been suicides in the past as well as other deaths. For the most part this conceptualizing of the world as being on Gods side or influenced but the Adversary makes me roll my eyes. 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. In fact, Martindale considers homosexuality to be devil-spirit possession.. 60, Bien Hoa Street, Minh Khai Ward, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province,, Minh Khai, Phu Ly (Ha Nam), Vietnam, 400000 - See map. While ex-Wayers want the groups to be much different than The Way, there are many similarities in teaching and goals. About The Way International has the most comprehensive collection of articles on The Way International found anywhere-- over 110. %PDF-1.7 % I am sorry for your loss. What do they make members do? Michael Rood - Apologetics Index 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. 35 0 obj <> endobj 60 0 obj <>stream 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. Homosexuals Purged, Wow Ambassadors Terminated, Martindale also hopes the new classes will hinder homosexuals from joining The Way, because he condemns homosexuality. The Way International fits the criteria outlined to a T. One thing I didn't see mentioned much in the thread is how incredibly patriarchal and misogynistic the Ministry was, and I am sure that has not changed. Martindale seems determined to remake The Way and close ranks, which may result in an increasingly cultic mindset. In short, the Way (though it started much earlier) at its highest participation rates was essentially home fellowships with hippies talking about Jesus. Every splinter group or offshoot of the Worldwide Church of God claims Mac OS X 10.7.5 Quartz PDFContext And to answer your question, yes, people do commit suicide after being in the cult. 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. 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. My parents met in the Way in the late 80s through the WOW program. Wierwilles ideas on sense knowledge, confession, and healing (among others) he found in E.W. He rightly exhorted them to reactivate critical thought rather than just change from being a Wierwille disciple to a Bullinger disciple. Think of the creed is their unwritten Bible. A name used by Share International. Ultimate question, do you think The Way or anyone that endorses the way is worth pursuing as - culpable? RECOVERY FROM THE WAY INTERNATIONAL - empirenet.com As well as the original post questions. The group's misogyny was deeply ingrained while also being subtle at times. The Way published three books by Lynn, more than any author other than Wierwille. Wierwille exercised very little discernment in learning from others, readily accepting teachings from itinerant mystics, Christian Scientists, and spiritists. I did look your friend up on facebook and we have friends in common from the cult (I should probably just start a new FB to rid myself of them), which would lead me to believe it's a splinter group since the two don't typically mix. Dont get me wrong, we should all have some financial literacy, but the extent to which Believers internalized their shortcomings was heart-breaking. I told them never to bring up The Way in my presence again. He would beat me for nearly any infraction. However, it sucked to consider our loved as anything less than brilliant, observant, and aware. Im not saying that people in the Way avoid doctors entirely, but theres definitely a sense of what counts and doesnt or that people are putting waaay too much trust in men and not in God. Heads up on Another Splinter off the Way International Tree. In the meantime, I want to share about her thread with you. An Open Letter to You Who Are Disillusioned with The Way Ministry, J. Juedes PFO Journal. OVERVIEW OF THE WAY'S SPLINTER GROUPS. Until then I was personally fighting acceptance because I wasnt able to understand and someone else had not articulated a realistic and plausible answer. Most still feel hurt from being betrayed by The Way, are suspicious of any new organizations, and hesitate to connect themselves with any Christian church. Accusations have disturbed many people and strained or broken numerous friendships. If you weren't in good standing, you didn't get tapes of the way singers or of "reverend" Martindale. Ive started this process in some form and would like to invite you to take a peek at another thread. Many people did not believe in medical care. Subforums. 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. 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. Splintering of the group since 1985 has greatly reduced its active membership, from a peak of about . The Way sent out 138 Disciples to 15 cities during the Rock of Ages 1995 conference, far below a peak of 3,100 WOW Ambassadors it claimed to have sent in 1982. 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. Then there are all the other classes about specific topics. TWI's splinter groups, formed at TWI's implosion in the late 1980's, are bigger than . It is not known if Martindales strong stand against homosexuality is in some way related to widespread reports of rampant adultery and promiscuous sex in The Way, including the highest levels of leadership. I think others have covered the most common manipulation tactics the group used. And I am glad you are with us. Im terribly sorry to hear that feel free to message me privately if it helps. that you have to purchase to participate. If you have done your reading about cults, then you are probably familiar with Dr. Steve Hassan's BITE model. Please keep in touch. Another splinter group By Fredchopin, September 3, 2021. 10 These are actual experiences which Wayers, ex-Wayers, and others have shared with me. What practices are different from the 80s? This video covers some of the deaths and suicides of former members. No. A few, but not tons. . She was loved by many, the brightest light and simply someone you could not avoid noticing. uuid:a0e7d6d5-45d0-8c4c-9602-8d6d3c43e9ff This is a big hurdle, because V.P. The car parking and the Wi-Fi are always free, so you can stay in touch and come and go as you please. 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. Thank you thank you for replying and contributing to the thread. The Way president is accustomed to using crude speech and profanity, even in public settings. Spirit and Truth Fellowship International, Out of the Way: The Offshoots Latest Topics. (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). 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. terrified of seeing/interacting with a marked and avoided person because I thought their adversarial ways would rub off on me. 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. What is The Way, anyway? The Mandalorian's religion and - gamesradar This thread is like a walk down memory lane - Sunday Service tapes, the Rock of Ages, Athletes of the Spirit, all the lingo others have quoted, and Martindale's violent tirades against homosexuality in the mid 90s bring me right back. Atheism. All because of "homosexual devil spirit possession" will not be welcome at their festival. And because we were Family Corp, children were added into the mix as well. I get the impression her experience was exactly as youve shared. About The Way International 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. When I arrived back home my entire bedroom and all my belongings had been searched for anything ungodly. 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. For instance, trustee Donald Wierwille (Victor Pauls son) confessed, I apologize for not having followed my man of God.6. I just wanted to paint a picture here of the laid back approach to Christian faith that makes the Way appealing to people. Heads up on Another Splinter off the Way International Tree This is where I experienced most of the abuse. 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. Almost every one of Wierwilles teachings can be traced to other sources (see sidebar for descriptions of some of Wierwilles teachings). Answer. They have been active and effective at exposing problems in The Way through personal influence and meetings of Wayers around the nation. (The PFAL classes had been open to anyone who paid the $50 fee.) 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. It is fundamentalist due to many non-negotiable beliefs, most notably the inerrancy of the Scriptures, and it is a cult, a high-control group, due to its social . haga clic aqu para obtener ms informacin. The Ways decisions to terminate the WOWs and PFAL classes are partly due to the damaging influence of Way splinter groups. I thought of myself as a good person, but Id grown up to believe that you couldnt be both good and a homosexual. I dealt with it as a kid by pretending not to notice the issues in my family and in the cult. 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. Nevertheless, The Ways situation has improved. 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. Geers book also claims that Geer alone is spiritually able to reform The Way Ministry. You were expected to advance through them, and you typically developed bonds with your cohort in the Foundational, Intermediate and Advanced classes. Meli Vinpearl Phu Ly. I was a Girl Scout as a kid and all through high school, and I devoted myself to community projects my whole life. This means that we live in the world, but that doesnt have to impact our relationship with God. One response still in print is Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth by H.A. Omg this info about splinter groups is shocking. The Way Worship Centre. As a minister in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (now part of the United Church of Christ), Wierwille developed . I'm way-adjacent. I want to be clear that if you think something nefarious has happened here, go with your gut. That was deep, honest and almost liberating because it brought some of us closer to understanding as well as closure. Needless to say, growing up in a large communal living situation for 2 years of my childhood had unique benefits and DEFINITE drawbacks. The Way International Hahahaha. Jun 10, 2009. Meli Vinpearl Phu Ly, Phu Ly (Ha Nam) | 2023 Updated Prices, Deals And you mentioned twig earlier. Personally I was depressed and suicidal most of the 5 years I lived there and for years after until I was able to seek help. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). We are talking about a lot of people who fall for get-rich-quick schemes and fad diets. 15 H. A. Ironside, Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1938) addresses the relation of the gospel to the church, the Bride and body of Christ, baptism, and related topics. Lots of people in the world are critical of the ways churches spend money on a building that sits empty six days a week: home fellowships remove that and focus on whats important to them. This led to Martindales promise that all new Way Corps grads would obtain paid positions, which hadnt been done for over 20 years. 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. 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?. For Feb 24, 2023 | Christian Articles, en Espanol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2dshceGGvY&ab_channel=TheEyewitnesses. However, BGSU is a Way Campus where members are sent for their education as well as recruiting practice; all things already mentioned. Are other families struggling to watch their loved ones involved? Based at . - Nowadays, Finnegan runs another Way splinter group called Christian Biblical Counsel. Para ms informacin o para Join now to access this Journal subscriber only content. 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. 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.
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