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I know, if I had to choose one or the other to "follow", I'd choose MS over JAL. He has a lower track record of major boondoggles, and a LOT more humility. He also gets involved in people's lives and actually cares about them, and not just what they can do for him. A few minutes in a room with one and the other make it obvious they view people completely differently- you can feel the difference and see it for yourself.

I can't speak about Billy Graham with any real knowledge. About JAL, I know he never apologized for his "personal prophecy" debacle- he just quietly dropped it some time after it blew up in his face and messed up HIS OWN life. Not one apology for anyone else harmed by it. As for Momentus, he stopped talking about it publickly but continued to try to get more recruits for it quietly. He's also made some general insults to the posters here and never apologized for that. Finally, he claimed he was available provided people contacted him entirely on his terms- privately and using their legal names- but we had posters who did that and never got a response from him. If that was all, it would be enough to keep me from trying to build him a statue or anything. One last thing he did was this thing where he made comments to people, then had them posted here without him posting them, which allowed him to disavow responsibility while advertising his paid classes and things to the posters and readers here (other messageboards, also, for that matter.)

I guess I admire and respect JAL for still being out there 50+ years later, presenting his knowledge of the Bible to the best of his ability. Is the guy 100 percent accurate on every single jot and tittle he says and writes about the Bible? Probably not, but who is? I think Billy Graham's ministry lasted a little longer than what John's got now, and he probably encountered a few mistakes and inaccuracies along the road. But I tend to think that both Graham and JAL were/are a little more right than they were wrong when it came to the Bible, and then willing to humble themselves and repent to get back on the right track. I don't mean to sound too religious here but I think we're all approaching a day which a lot of folks had wished that they had done more to share God's Word and maybe help others obtain salvation -- or something -- versus just sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. In the famous last words of one of my favorite Rock stars, David Cassidy, former lead singer of the Partridge Family, "There's just too much wasted time." Well, that's my preaching rant for today, I'll shut-up at least till tomorrow.

Definition of “unbelief” was defined in PFAL. Apistia, apeithia and was defined contextually by the relationship of the individual and “the rightly divided Word of God”. Insert not “walking in power” to “the rightly divided Word”, and that’s about it, with the underlined beliefs of “Jesus Christ Is Not God”, the dead aren’t in Heaven but are dead, and a full “operation” of the “9 manifestations.” so...either you don’t know about those things or know enough, to believe...or you’ve heard and been taught but choose to not “believe”....making you an unbeliever. In the Ways earlier population growth of the 60s/early 70s VPW didn’t have his organizational culture fully baked, as it became in later years when so much of The Ways striving to be relevant revolved around him and his own heritage and legacy. Emporia and the Way Corps program put a stamp of integrity on one’s faith that really defined The Way, as time went on and IMO significantly contributed to its implosion. = Unbelievers are those who aren’t members of the Way, meaning they haven’t demonstrated their beliefs in a meaningful way through participation and support in programs, meeting attendance and financial support. That has remained true over the decades, While they change what the “accuracy of the Word” is or what the current “man of God for our day and time” says (read: what the Pope of the Way declares) they still require you to go along with it, 100 percent. Or else you’re an unbeliever. Dr Weirwille died of cancer, and his “true believers” blame the unbelief of his unbelieving followers for his death. So.......apparently by that story the guy who taught it was an unbeliever himself. In many ways unfortunately the Way can be really understood by its failures, using that logic.

"John Lynn brings half a century of Bible teaching experience..." Well, yeah, he's been teaching something purporting to be Bible teaching, and for half a century - but that doesn't make it true, accurate, honest or (actually) even Biblical. Take a verse or two out of context and build a doctrine on it... everybody should try it. Why not? There's enough fools out there.

Outside of pfal, vpw claimed that it was impossible to be an "unbeliever"- and demonstrated it by changing the definition of "unbeliever." Whereas in other places, an "unbeliever" was one who did not believe Christian (or, more to the point, twi) doctrine, he made a different claim then. He said that an "unbeliever" was supposedly someone who didn't "believe" , and that was impossible because they believed that they didn't believe, which meant that they believed. To any person trying to make sense of that, he was saying that it was impossible to be an "unbeliever" because to think is to believe SOMETHING- that water is wet, that things fall towards the Earth, and so on. To any Bible reader (or anyone trying to be reasonable about it), an "unbeliever" is someone who does not believe what the Bible says, or what Christian doctrine says, or something along those lines. Interestingly enough, that contradicted what he plagiarized in pfal (more evidence he often didn't understand what he ripped off.) There, he said there were 2 types of unbelief- with 2 different Greek words- apistia and apeithia (from a-pistis and a-pathos.) He said that "apistia" referred to someone who hadn't heard and therefore didn't believe, and "apeithia" referred to those who knew enough to believe, but chose not to (as in, they had apathy towards it-my words, not his.) As time went on, attitudes towards "unbelievers" got colder and nastier. It's ok to lie to unbelievers and so on, provided leadership told you to lie. "God will cover", and obeying leadership was of paramount importance. If twi considers you an unbeliever, don't expect the truth from them. What kind of "Christian" organization recommends lying to non-members?

So true.......it becomes progressively more nuanced in accordance with your commitment level. At first, you are born just "body and soul" When you receive holy spirit (via the new birth).....you become "body, soul and spirit" complete (#3 = complete) BUT......until you manifest this new creation within you (via speaking in tongues)....you are an "unbelieving believer" (see the nuance) When you manifest holy spirit by speaking in tongues.......you know that you are heaven bound and all hell can't stop you from going (twi-version) BUT......you want to do more than THAT, don't you? Therefore, you need to learn how to do "tongues w/ interpretation and prophecy" (intermediate class) Thus, you now are able to EXHORT and COMFORT others in the ekklesia (the called-out body of believers) in orderly fashion in a believer's mtg BUT......you want to do more than THAT, don't you? Therefore, you need to learn how to operate ALL NINE of the manifestations. Thus, you then need to sit thru twi's advanced class, memorize the 16 keys to walking by the spirit and all definitions of each manifestation. Now......you are FULLY TAUGHT (a mature believer)...........except you need to attend all meetings to be "faithful in the present truth." No matter how many decades you've been in twi.........the board of directors are always the LEADERS, and you are a lowly student. You cannot leave twi EVER.......or you become a cop-out, a greasespot-by-midnight, and if not dead, surely possessed. You are ONLY a "believing believer" as long as you jump thru all of their hoops, adhering to ALL OF THEIR MANDATES AND UPDATED CLASSES. Okay, that's enough............now I've got a frickin' headache. .

In the Power For Abundant Living class (aka PFAL), Wierwille teaches that when a person is born into the world they are a twofold being. They have body and soul. Body is simply your physical being, your skin, bones, pinky toes and so on. Way theology defines soul as being one's "breathlife". In accordance with that definition, soul begins with the first breath and ends with the last and, as such, is only temporary. The spiritual component is absent. (Soul is sometimes referred to as the spirit of man and not to be confused with the spirit of God.) A third component, known as spirit, enters the picture if and when a person becomes a born-again Christian. The spiritual component is thought to be eternal. At that point, they are considered to be a believer. Without spirit, they are considered to be an unbeliever. That's the simple definition. As you delve into Way theology, however, it becomes progressively more nuanced. Calling someone an unbeliever is sometimes meant to have dehumanizing implications. Wierwille goes to some length in the PFAL class to differentiate between someone who has not heard enough to choose the new birth and someone who has heard but still rejects it. Those who lack the spiritual component are thought to be empty vessels, sometimes referred to as "empties floating by". There is definitely a sense of elitism that accompanies self identification as a believer. It becomes progressively more nuanced and elite, the deeper one becomes involved and committed to the organization.