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Hi, I am a survivor of seventeen years with The Way (1970 - 1987). I agree with Galen's advice about keeping yourself available to your grown child. If you are interested in getting more help besides from posters here, there is a source I would like to recommend: The International Cultic Studies Association's website. There are many articles on that site that you might find helpful. Check it out. I have been published in their magazine, ICSA Today, and I've met the Executive Director who is a counselor and very caring person. It's a good place to pay attention to. I was in The Way for seventeen years and have a book coming out about my experiences, especially with The Way's biblical research, titled, My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International. Other books already published about The Way by former members include two by authors Karl Kahler and Kristen Skedgell. You can find them on Amazon. Those books may be helpful to you as background knowledge about The Way. But the main thing is to keep the channel of communication open with your son. No matter what happens. Love is powerful. If you want to, you can email me through the Contact page on my website: http://charleneedge.com I send you all best wishes for peace and love and for getting the help you need. Cheers, Charlene Edge

Welcome In my humble opinion; never cut ties with your children. It is good to be able to have open conversation with your child and reassure them that they are loved. If you chastise this, it may drive them away from you. Which would be a mistake. With how things are evolving in The Way, I suspect that your child will leave on their own in less than 10 years. You can only whitewash over corrupt leadership for so long until everyone is left openly admitting that it is all corrupt. At that stage, the fact that they can freely return to your open arms, will be a huge relief. Galen

Hello, I recently found this site and I am hoping that there are some people who can help me. I will attempt to keep this as anonymous as possible by saying that I have a young adult child (who I will refer to as Jessie) who is involved in The Way. Jessie met a friend whose parents are somewhere in the leadership and that's how it started. Jessie really liked learning more about the bible and took some classes. My husband and I are Christians and we thought that Jessie was attending a bible study group. Not until we did more research did we realize that the Way is a cult. Jessie has never been in trouble. Nor would Jessie have any of the vulnerabilities of joining a cult. Jessie really wants to just "give glory to God" and does not realize that this group is destructive and incorrect about important theology. Jessie has not shut us out; we have a very close family relationship. But we are concerned about Jessie getting more entrenched. Jessie wants to go on an outreach program (forgive me that I don't know all the appropriate terminology) where you live in a group somewhere and work a part time job and then do Way things the remaining time. Jessie has a college degree and a good job that Jessie would be leaving. Not a good move from our vantage point. We are looking for any advice you can give us on how we can get Jessie out. We have had a couple of long discussions with Jessie focusing mainly on the Trinity, speaking in tongues, and salvation. Jessie didn't attack us or condemn us for asking these questions. But I know that we are a long way from where we want to be. So if anyone can offer suggestions / help / advice, we would greatly appreciate it. Primary question: Was there anything that anyone could have done or said to get you to leave? Thank You!

I was involved with The Way for several years and I've been out for several years now. Looking back, I think that discussions regarding doctrinal differences between Way beliefs and mainstream beliefs did more to strengthen my resolve than dissuade me. But, everyone's experience is unique so there's no absolute method I know of. I, too, was in a program that involved living with other Way people who had a similar level of commitment. Our main focus was to live a Way-prescribed lifestyle, recruit new members and support our efforts by working at secular jobs. In essence, it was what most people would call a commune. It was a religious commune,not the hippie, drug centered kind that's been portrayed by Hollywood movies and such. One of the key methods that was used was isolation/insulation from outside influences, including family and non-Way friends. This was much easier to do back in the 1970's when I was involved. Other than time spent at our secular jobs, we had very limited contact with outside sources. We had no T.V.s, no phones, no newspapers. To be honest, there was not much free, personal time that could have been given to such things anyway. (Our sleep allowances were limited to about 5 hours a night.) The world has changed dramatically since then. People on the other side of the globe know instantly when you put mustard on your hot dog instead of ketchup. Well, maybe not that extreme but, the internet has certainly made it much, much harder to keep followers in darkness. As others have said, keep the lines of communication open, let them know you care, and be patient. Everyone leaves when they're ready to leave, sometimes even sooner if they toss you out on your ear in the middle of the night. I hope we can answer any questions you may have. We will certainly try. edit: spelling

Hi again, I thought these blurbs would interest readers at this site. They are from former Way followers who also wrote books about The Way. In Undertow, Charlene Edge manages to bring to life the inexorable, age-old struggle of light triumphing over darkness, of the search for truth in the misty range of a “false prophet’s” deception which she encountered firsthand as a research assistant in The Way International. While she was promised liberty, she found herself a “servant of corruption.” (2 Peter 2:19). Ms. Edge’s heartfelt and earnest journey will leave you in awe of what the human spirit can conquer when it launches out in the search for truth. Well-written, compelling and inspiring. — Kristen Skedgell, author of Losing the Way A tenderly written, intensely personal narrative about being swallowed alive by a cult. Charlene Edge’s encounters with the abusive Victor Paul Wierwille and her firsthand observation of how The Way’s Research Department twisted the Scriptures are enlightening and chilling. — Karl Kahler, author of The Cult That Snapped: A Journey Into The Way International