THE DIVORCE OF ELIZABETH AND JOHN LYNN

This article will not address the divorce of the Lynns itself, which is a personal matter. (Elizabeth Lynn’s letter indirectly suggests that there may have been more to the divorce than the meddling of CES prophets, as least from her husband’s perspective.)  However, Elizabeth Lynn herself made it public, and people examined it because it prompted much of the CES crisis and gives many insights into the beliefs and practices of CES. It includes some of CES’s  unique terminology for its practices, which are defined in the glossary at the end of this article.

Elizabeth Lynn blames her divorce primarily on the meddling of Karen Anne Graeser, who used her “prophecies” from the Lord to drive a wedge between John and her.  Elizabeth says that the trouble began when she confronted Karen Anne for gossip at a CES board meeting in January 2003, only months after her marriage. She says that Karen Anne saw this as a threat and mounted a campaign of vicious attacks against her, which was a radical reversal because Karen Anne previously approved of their marriage by words and personal prophecy.

Parts of the letter sound like a down and dirty “catfight” between the two women, dressed up in pristine garments of “prophecy” and “ministry.” But it is clear that Elizabeth believes Karen Anne’s “prophecies” are ungodly, manipulative, in no way revelations from God, and intended to either subdue her or destroy her marriage. When she did not submit to Karen Anne the prophetess, Karen Anne manipulated John into divorcing her after being married only a year and a half.

Elizabeth apparently believes that prophecy was used as a wedge to force John Lynn to choose obedience to leadership over the marriage vows he made to his wife

Elizabeth Lynn’s letter details the mechanisms some CES prophets and leaders used to subdue and manipulate her (and John):

+ “accountability”-- this concept was used to censure Elizabeth for resisting the actions of some CES leaders. Leaders made “Accountability” phone calls to people leaders wanted to submit to them

+ letters were sent to CES fellowships which detailed the errors of Elizabeth Lynn in order to “protect the ministry”

+ leaders kept written prophecies from being seen by people who leaders think may disapprove– using secrecy as a tool of control

+ efforts to isolate her because she didn’t submit to them

+ she was not allowed to question visions and prophecies which were approved by the Prophetic Council

+ a letter detailing Elizabeth Lynn’s sins + they discredited people who did not submit to leadership

+ they threatened the jobs of some CES staff

+ many prophecies were collected and approved by Prophetic Council which censured her.

These manipulative and self-serving tools of control destroyed Elizabeth’s reputation in the eyes of hundreds of CES followers who looked to the CES prophets and president for leadership and examples of godly treatment of people. There are many parallels between this and The Way International’s practice of claiming that individuals had devil spirits and stamping them “mark and avoid.” They are also inconsistent with the STF Code of Conduct, number 3, “I will not be party to character assassination...” (STF web site).