the way international splinter groups

We can love rock music. And because we were Family Corp, children were added into the mix as well. Participants were sensitive (having been wounded by The Way), were open to friendships and ideas, and were reevaluating their beliefs. He also was a spiritist and claimed, Many of the subjects I have given in my Bible class have been dictated to me by the loved ones long since passed on.6 It would appear that Wierwilles gnostic leanings, healing emphasis, camp/advance (retreat) formats, divine laws, stress on physical exercise, desire to be the best, and even the term The Way itself were derived from New Thought speakers Glenn Clark, Starr Daily, and Rufus Moseley. Ive started this process in some form and would like to invite you to take a peek at another thread. 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. Since then, The Way has sought to purge (that is, totally shun) all who do not tithe or who question Martindale on any issue. She was born into it and her home was a Twig if my verbiage is correct. I want to be clear that if you think something nefarious has happened here, go with your gut. One Scripture passage (2 Cor. People were eager to engage, but I dont think answers were ever very satisfying. With the more aggressive and cultic mindset of current Way leadership, followers can expect more years of turbulence and change. At that time I had recently come out as bisexual to my mom, which went as well as you'd expect. All of the various groups claim to hold the true legacy of Wierwille's teachings. Sann also circulates periodic newsletters and regularly publishes teaching tapes. 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. But apparently, he doesn't want people to know what he did in the 1970s and 1980s. 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. The Way Tree Is Splintering - Christian Research Institute 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. terrified of seeing/interacting with a marked and avoided person because I thought their adversarial ways would rub off on me. Geer and trustee Howard Allen apparently believed that the behavior of the trustees, not strokes and cancer, caused Wierwilles death. My home life was very turbulent because of TWI. International b275 tractor bonnet - gqqa.wikinger-turnier.de Thank you thank you for replying and contributing to the thread. Are other families struggling to watch their loved ones involved? 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. 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. Splinter Cults are WORSE..not better - Out of the Way: The Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. About The Way International has the most comprehensive collection of articles on The Way International found anywhere-- over 110. In spite of its name, however, The Way . I think others have covered the most common manipulation tactics the group used. 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. My mom thought God helped her get a good parking space once (Im not kidding). A number of people died. I was born in Sidney, Ohio in 2001 and lived at the Way Headquarters in New Knoxville. Cliffes book Lessons in Successful Living addresses similar topics. Christian can also help (ex-) Wayers through four basic steps of reorientation: 1) expose, 2) emotional reaction, 3) relearning, and 4) reconstruction. This is to say, you can be you with all your quirks and eccentricities because we are all unique people and can come to have unique relationships with God through his Word. The largest group seems to be Christian Educational Services, Inc. (CES), which incorporated this fall in Indianapolis. Long story long. Until then I was personally fighting acceptance because I wasnt able to understand and someone else had not articulated a realistic and plausible answer. Almost every one of Wierwilles teachings can be traced to other sources (see sidebar for descriptions of some of Wierwilles teachings). That was deep, honest and almost liberating because it brought some of us closer to understanding as well as closure. He added, We have flushed homosexuals and homo fantasizers and sympathizers out of our Way Corps and Staff.2 The Corps coordinator, a Rev. The Way International - Biblical Research, Teaching, and Fellowship This article only sketches the most prominent and publishable charges. Ironside, which addresses aspects of ultradispensationalism.15 It is often perplexing to Wayers, though, that teachers Wierwille respected such as Bullinger, Kenyon, and Stiles staunchly held primary orthodox beliefs which Wierwille rejected, including Trinitarianism. The Way used to mail cassette tapes of the Sunday service to those "in good standing". uuid:a0e7d6d5-45d0-8c4c-9602-8d6d3c43e9ff This practice was common back in the 70s-80s as well as taking people's medications away so they could "prove God." John Lynn described in detail how Way leaders practiced and tried to justify adultery in the audiotape, Overview of Events-1.. Wierwilles death certificate lists ocular melanoma, or malignant tumor of the eye, as the underlying cause of death. I figured out I was gay in college, and having grown up in a household that called people faggots, fudge-packers, rump-riders and played count the queers when we went to amusement parks, I knew this wasnt going to fly. 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. 6 Albert Cliffe, Let Go and Let God (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1951), 157. The appeal was in its casual nature, balanced with an accessible way to become disciplined in Biblical scholarship. They believed that God heals and if you believe enough he can heal anything. That is to say, other people are nice and fine, but its only the true Believers that are truly living Godly lives. (St. Louis: Personal Freedom Outreach, 1987), 50 pp. Meanwhile, Way leaders apparently have tried biblically to defend adultery. Sann, on the other hand, considers people like Lynn to have gone too far in rejecting valid teachings. Sann distributes a free tape, A Ministry in Crisis: An Editorial on The Way International, in which he asserts that The Way became hierarchical in the 1970s, causing a deterioration of the Ministry in many areas. . An Open Letter to You Who Are Disillusioned with The Way Ministry, J. Juedes PFO Journal. 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). Not something I wanted to read, but something I needed to read. First, the assumptions and structure of the new groups are like The Way International. 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. Box 18503, Anaheim, CA 92817. Still involved. The Way published three books by Lynn, more than any author other than Wierwille. How do they suffocate you as a person? Meli Vinpearl Phu Ly, Phu Ly (Ha Nam) | 2023 Updated Prices, Deals 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. He rightly exhorted them to reactivate critical thought rather than just change from being a Wierwille disciple to a Bullinger disciple. 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. Protecting Colombia's Most Vulnerable on the Road to "Total Peace 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. 10 These are actual experiences which Wayers, ex-Wayers, and others have shared with me. TWI's splinter groups, formed at TWI's implosion in the late 1980's, are bigger than . This present controversy is serving to alert pure believers that Wierwille and his successors are false apostles after all. 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). 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. uuid:d7ca4186-7029-344b-a237-3b86f585aa59 (New Knoxville, OH: American Christian Press, 1972), x. 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. 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. The Way International is a shell of what it was during the lifetime of Victor Paul Wierwille. Martindale seems determined to remake The Way and close ranks, which may result in an increasingly cultic mindset. Unlike the WOWs, the Disciples program is open only to Advanced Class graduates, and therefore probably consists mainly of members of the Way Corps. Splintering of the group since 1985 has greatly reduced its active membership, from a peak of about . The kind of stuff people go to therapy for years to get over. Disciples serve only four months, and The Way plans to send out two waves a year. The Way, International Profile That ego had gone to their heads; that the Adversary had gotten to them. And to answer your question, yes, people do commit suicide after being in the cult. Homey, reported that 163 sodomiteshad been purged, marked and avoided by January l995.3. Take The Diary of Anne Frank for example. She didnt take the class. application/pdf All of these classes are weeks long, have an enrollment fee, and have their own expensive materials (books, binders, etc.) But thats the thing: the adversary throws you curve balls, and its our job as athletes of the spirit to make smart moves. CES includes Wayers who were respected or well known, such as Lynn who had three books published by The Way, more than any author except Wierwille. What practices are different from the 80s? They justify ANY abuse by saying it was reproof and you needed it. 16 Wierwille noted that acquiring young people from the Jesus movement caused the Ways growth (Whiteside, 230-35). (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). They perpetuation of mental health that manifested in suicide with no accountability. 2.) Many former Way members are flocking to break-off organizations some of which are led by well-known and respected ex-leaders. Wierwille exercised very little discernment in learning from others, readily accepting teachings from itinerant mystics, Christian Scientists, and spiritists. 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. 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. 60, Bien Hoa Street, Minh Khai Ward, Phu Ly City, Ha Nam Province,, Minh Khai, Phu Ly (Ha Nam), Vietnam, 400000 - See map. Atheism. Have others committed suicide? 3 Highlights of The Way Corps Graduation (June 1995), cassette tape. The reason it was called that was because we imagined the whole ministry all over the world as one big tree. No one is going to beat you. Second, the doctrine of the splinter groups is nearly a carbon copy of Way . About The Way International. Here's a copy of. Heads up on Another Splinter off the Way International Tree. 4-5 maybe? 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. Growing up, I remember hearing stories about people who had drifted from the Way, and they were always spoken of as dangerous people. Spirit and Truth Fellowship International, Out of the Way: The Offshoots Latest Topics. Way-Showers. Also there are no mental health issues, only devil spirits influencing or possessing your mind. My eating habits were monitored and I would get made fun of by leadership for things i liked or how much I ate. Current Way affiliates are more than welcome to utilize . I thought of myself as a good person, but Id grown up to believe that you couldnt be both good and a homosexual. Show love and patience throughout this trying time of change. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I wouldnt say my experience is at all recent since that was 2001, but I can absolutely say their tactics are manipulative. About The Way International 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. How about a little more candor, Vince? For example, Geer describes Wierwille as one who was very hard to live with, often lashing out at those closest to him and hurting them.5 It includes a reproduction of handwritten notes in which the three trustees admit that the accusations against them are true. A few, but not tons. This article first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 44, number 2 (2021). 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. Making you afraid of other people and afraid of having attention withheld are other classic manipulation tactics. 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. If you weren't in good standing, you didn't get tapes of the way singers or of "reverend" Martindale. 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. Its current headquarters are in New Knoxville, Ohio; estimates of its membership range from 3,000 to 20,000. Reportedly, a few people have even considered suicide or entered mental institutions. You were expected to advance through them, and you typically developed bonds with your cohort in the Foundational, Intermediate and Advanced classes. I am glad I am not the only one who dealt with growing up in TWI. Although the Way brags that 5,027 people have attended these seminars, that figure actually indicates an average of only about 100 per state. While accusing the Christian church at large of being divisive, the new groups (like The Way International) practice division much more stringently than most Christian denominations or churches. Think of the creed is their unwritten Bible. 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). Your reply was a lot to unpack, digest, snd accept. Needless to say, growing up in a large communal living situation for 2 years of my childhood had unique benefits and DEFINITE drawbacks. In opposition, John Schoenheit produced a paper that confronted this error and biblically explained that adultery is a sin. This group was formerly known as American Fellowship Services. Additionally, ex-members have on file letters and transcripts in which Way president L. Craig Martindale defends sex outside marriage in many situations. I was lucky enough to leave in high school when I was about 16. 1 See The Way Tree Is Splintering, Christian Research Journal, Fall 1988. Michael Rood - Apologetics Index 14 Letter by Steve Sann, Pacific West Fellowship, 2 March 1988. For instance, trustee Donald Wierwille (Victor Pauls son) confessed, I apologize for not having followed my man of God.6. 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. 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. Subforums. 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. The class aside (because who cares), can you imagine being made to feel like youre a bad person because of things beyond your control? I think the biggest thing I would emphasize is that the biggest way faith organizations control you is by fear. 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 . I was raised "in the word" as they say, meaning I was a born into the cult. After I had a fight in elementary school, TWI advised him to beat me into submission. Most ex-Wayers are confused, not knowing where to turn, whom to trust, or what to believe. Household Prayer would be around 6am or earlier sometimes, which you couldn't miss or again you would be reprimanded. 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. If you have done your reading about cults, then you are probably familiar with Dr. Steve Hassan's BITE model. Started in the early 1950s by the late Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-1985), the original organization was called the Way Incorporated. The Corp program was insane and I could write a huge thread just about that experience. I was told by a leader that having an understanding of the Word as it is supposed to be understood helps you form opinions. (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. 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. I did not take your explanation about The Way members as rude. The past two years have been a very unsettling time for Wayers. My parents are still standing, as they say. And unjustified bullshit. "rev" gerry wrenn raises wierwille from the dead! The manipulation tactics come from many angles. Gross, right? Para ms informacin o para Join now to access this Journal subscriber only content. These were known as splinter groups and were always talked about as deceptive as if they were scheming their followers. Then there are all the other classes about specific topics. 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. 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. 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. 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. The group's misogyny was deeply ingrained while also being subtle at times. The false apostles disguises are being pulled from their faces, and the virgins who were led astray are returning to the one true Jesus, Spirit, and gospel, and the church of Jesus Christ. Again, thank you for taking the time to provide concise details. 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). %PDF-1.7 % Offshoots - Splinter Groups : How Many Are There? This is where I experienced most of the abuse. As a minister in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (now part of the United Church of Christ), Wierwille developed . Sometimes these classes had add-ons like Advanced Class Specials that were held in a hotel conference center in another city and had associated registration and travel fees. Wierwilles ideas on sense knowledge, confession, and healing (among others) he found in E.W. The Way is marketed as a biblical research, teaching, and fellowship ministry. Edited to add: Would anyone be interested in an ex-Way subreddit? This conflict has increased as ex-Wayers have persuaded many of their friends to leave Martindales group. This practice is intended to weed out any opponents. x*"fhR*_l*I&mLRQnG.O@o(UU7Wn?\6t]~mak-tX}zn[z,.o,o.*?Y~,vYj8P]w1$'ZfL1sr&E7pc'R7_\veb_ 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.