How did everything get so "Old Testament"?

[Steve Lortz]

After I took the foundational class in July of 1980, everything seemed so NEW TESTAMENT! Adherence to law was replaced by grace. I DID SEE signs, miracles and wonders!

A few short years later, during the late winter of '85-'86, in residence at Camp Gunnison, there didn't seem to be any trace of the New Testament left. Everything was OLD TESTAMENT! Fleshly results had become the expected... no... the REQUIRED standard. As far as signs miracles and wonders went, all the heavens were as brass.

There has been a lot of talk on various threads lately about blurring boundaries, how did Wierwille change our lives, the 16 keys to walking in the spirit as the pinnacle of TWI's instruction, etc., etc., etc. It occurs to me that the "bait and switch" from New Testament living to an Old-Testament-style servitude happened in the advanced class, and a lot of these topics seemed to come together in my mind.

In the foundational and intermediate classes we were supposed to learn about three of the nine manifestations mentioned in I Corinthians 12:8-10, speaking in tongues, interpretation and prophecy. Just about everything the Bible says about tongues and interpretation is in the New Testament, and fresh out of the foundational class, we all looked to Paul's letters rather than the Old Testament and the gospels as guides for how we should live. After all, those other things "were not addressed TO us."

The advanced class was supposed to be about word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith , miracles and healing. The main thing we were supposed to learn in the advanced class was how to use the 16 keys to walking in the spirit. There were no practicums in the advanced class. We were supposed to learn from lectures (bad ones) the content of which were passages from the Old Testament purportedly illustrating how various OT people applied the 16 keys. It was during the advanced class that peoples' attitudes shifted from "what would the followers of Jesus or Paul; do?" to "what would the followers of Elijah or Elisha do?" Wierwille and Martindale LOVED to play up how Elijah and Elisha were the "men of God of the world" in that their day and time, but that Wierwille and Marindale were NOW the "men of God of the world."

So the boundary blurring between newwness of life and Old-Testament-style servitude to men of God came in the advanced class... but that was just when the water started to heat up. It wasn't brought to a boil until Corps training.

And by the late winter of '85-'86, you could have stuck a fork in me, because I was done for. If it hadn't been for the mercy and grace of God getting me out of that situation, and into a place where I could open my eyes again, I would probably be just as much a crispy critter as anybody over in Ohio...

Love,

Steve

Edited July 1, 2015 by Steve Lortz

[Tzaia]

Starting (at the twig level of involvement) with the tithe...

[skyrider]

After I took the foundational class in July of 1980, everything seemed so NEW TESTAMENT! Adherence to law was replaced by grace. I DID SEE signs, miracles and wonders!

A few short years later, during the late winter of '85-'86, in residence at Camp Gunnison, there didn't seem to be any trace of the New Testament left. Everything was OLD TESTAMENT! Fleshly results had become the expected... no... the REQUIRED standard. As far as signs miracles and wonders went, all the heavens were as brass.

There has been a lot of talk on various threads lately about blurring boundaries, how did Wierwille change our lives, the 16 keys to walking in the spirit as the pinnacle of TWI's instruction, etc., etc., etc. It occurs to me that the "bait and switch" from New Testament living to an Old-Testament-style servitude happened in the advanced class, ...

<snip:

Yeah, well......the early 70s [before "twigs" were twigs] was SO NEW TESTAMENT.

And, before the corps grads were sent out....especially before 1975 or so.

But I get what you're saying, and agree. By the mid-80s, twi had been overrun by Old Testament adherence.

Could it be.....that it distances the "leaders" from actually WALKING THE WALK, DEMONSTRATING GOD'S POWER?

Hiding behind bureaucracy and its walls of rules and regulations, UNACCOUNTABILITY RULES.

So does hypocrisy.

By May of 1985, wierwille was in the grave. And, the administrators and managers of twi [lcm, geer, lynn, rivenbark, etc.] were stepping into the spotlight.....having very little, if any, credibility in the spiritual walk stuff. Of course, we later learned....that wierwille didn't either. But twi just became another corporation.....and the Old Testament teachings provide a buffer zone from those Apostle Paul accounts of hazarding his life for the gospel's sake, imprisoned, persecuted, etc.

Seems like the big-wigs liked the adulation of standing at the teaching podium and the comfort zone of a desk job.

In all probability, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th corps guys wanted to do what wierwille did.

You know, teach....pontificate....and spend time with the young corps women.