waysider

"The other six"---assuming there are nine total. Let's do the math, shall we? Manifestation of Believing I vote for bogus----That's 11.1% of the nine. Discerning of spirits Ditto----That's 22.2% Speaking in tongues Ditto---That's 33.3% Tongues with interpretation Ditto---That's 44.4% Prophesy Ditto---That's 55.5% It ain't lookin' too good.

Isn't "hot" a slang term for "stolen"?

For St. Patty's Day HERE

We all know he wasn't really a "Dr.", right?

I let some guy cut in front of me on the freeway today. (I'm sorta easing into this "giving" stuff slowly.)

And don't forget, there were local examples of exodus, as well. One such example took place in Cleveland in the fall of 1972. Cleveland had grown to become a rather large, active area. There were two large branches with a couple hundred followers combined. That did not include children. We were, for the most part, young, single people. In fact, the only children I recall were Christian Cloud Abraham, Linda Z.'s son and Jim and Jackie G.'s 2 young kids. There may have been a handful of others. We ran lots and lots of PFAL classes, sometimes 2 at a time. But, when Bill McNnlty left, the whole thing came close to falling totally apart. Lots of people left. The 2 branch leaders who took over the reigns salvaged what was left and rebuilt it again, thus insuring their acceptance as "corps worthy" laborers. I am inclined to think this scenario was played out in other areas of the country, as well.

Since were tossing around reasons, how's about this one? I know quite a few people who rearranged their lives and traveled great distances to attend PLAF (The Wonder Class), 1977. You know why they did that? It was because they wanted to be a part of what was being hyped as a monumental moment in the history of mankind. Bait and switch, my friends. Instead of being part of some great historical event, they got duped into buying yet another in a long string of revenue generating classes. Revelation my butt. I've seen pet rocks that get more revelation than that old horn-dog ever did.

As if one isolated verse could have such a huge impact on worldwide sales.

Bon appetit

All we are saying is "give peas a chance".

Would you like a jelly baby? Sic 'em K-9!

Very well thought out post, Horse. Welcome to GSC. The first slice of cheesecake is complimentary.

This is a good question. Because you are from a non-TWI background, I am assuming you are interested in The Way's take on the matter. What Wierwille taught was that men of God, in OT times, had spirit placed ON them, conditionally, so that God, being spirit, could talk to them. (ie: Spirit talks to spirit.) When they ceased to fulfill the required conditions, or communication was no longer needed, God took the spirit OFF of them. Wierwille went on to use this idea to demonstrate the difference between people in the OT and post-Pentecost "believers". According to Wierwille, present day believers have spirit IN them. This "seed", he said, is delivered via "Christ in you" and becomes a permanent part of your spiritual being, much in the manner that your DNA is a permanent component of your physical being. Thus, because that spirit is always IN you, there is a permanent line of communication in place. I think your question is quite relevant in relation to the concept of inerrancy on many levels.

Death is a process, not an emotion.

If something requires "believing" to operate, it might be a good idea to, first, examine the validity of "believing".

That was one of VPW's little gimmicks, wasn't it?

It's not off-topic. The explanation given in The Way was that, since people in OT times supposedly could not understand spiritual matters (no spirit in them/God only speaks to spirit), God had to resort to explaining things from a "5 senses" point of view.

Yes.

What did we know? We were just a bunch of "kids" who took his word for it.

Thanks I'm sure a lot of folks will find this information helpful.

Yes, and he allowed people to think that he had some kind of spiritual insight that enabled him to discern which works were "on" and which were "off". He was a master at manipulating people and situations. He surrounded himself with people who had real talent so that onlookers would associate him with their creativity. Like a form of name dropping.

The Way was already stifling creativity and individuality in 1972, when I first sat through PFAL. I was essentially told, by local leadership, that I had to make a choice between pursuing my artistic endeavors and going forward with my "spiritual" growth. I made that choice. And, although I can't blame anyone besides myself for making it, I realize now that my decision was, at least partially, based on erroneous or misrepresented information supplied by The Way. The whole movement was mushrooming so fast, it took time for VPW & Co. to get control of the direction it was headed. And, I think, too, that VPW allowed a certain amount of it (independent creativity) to continue as an enticement. There was kind of an idea that you could "redirect" your creativity to more Godly ventures if you fully dedicated yourself to the movement. Thus, there were still renegade artists sprinkled throughout the "ministry" for a good while in the early years. I think VPW had a pretty firm grip on it all by 1975 or 1976.

According to Way theology, the extra books, as well as The Dead Sea Scrolls, etc., are "counterfeit". Not in the manner that a piece of currency is deliberately faked, but in the manner of not being directly inspired by God. They don't fit neatly into the "inerrant" format of the rest of the canon.

Scroll down the main forum page. http://www.greasespotcafe.com/ipb/forum/20-doctrinal/