johnj

To make Wierwille's story of receiving holy spirit seem miraculous, he claimed that "...there was a blizzard in Tulsa. All the planes were grounded. So I couldn't get a plane. I tried the trains-- they were all snowed in. The buses-- same thing. The city was snowbound. I just couldn't get out." (The Way-- Living in Love, p. 198). However, Climatological Data for Oklahoma records that there was no snow whatsoever during the days he was there. Wierwille's wife Dorothea was in Tulsa that week and contradicts V.P. She never even implies that the planes, trains and buses were snowbound by a blizzard. Perhaps she couldn't bring herself to make a bald-faced lie as V.P. did. But she suggests a scenario enough like V.P.'s to perhaps satisfy his starry-eyed followers. She suggests that there was snow in Chicago (700 miles from Tulsa!) and "sleet forecast in Tulsa by Thursday." (Born Again to Serve, p. 79) However, the weather forecasts in the Tulsa Tribune newspaper contradict her, too! The high temperature for Dec. 12 (the day of the "blizzard") was 62 and the low 33-- absolutely preventing any snow. The forecast on the front page predicted a high in the 40s on the 13th and no precipitation at all. This means that there was never any snow on the ground or in the air when the Wierwilles were in Tulsa. While Mrs. Wierwille's memory (or a ghost-writer's imagination) is a little closer to the truth than V. P.'s, it is still greatly in error.

The reason ex-wayers are attracted to splinters is because they are like TWI, not different. The reason ex-way leaders try to recruit ex-wayers is because they know they will be comfortable in a slinter- because their splinters are like TWI, not different. Leaders of splinters get up in arms when I describe them as being like TWI on www.abouttheway.org I remember asking 2 leaders of splinters to name core doctrines on which they differ from TWI. One thought of only 1 doctrine (out of about 12-15). The other listed none... just accused me of slander for pointing out similarities between his splinter and TWI.

Many of Jesus' parables include fear of the Lord as an important part of the point of the story. The man who buries his talent has it taken away from him, the goats are put into eternal fire, the man at the banquet without clothes is thrown out, the 5 unprepared virgins are shut out, etc. All the stories include both reward for the faithful and punishment for the unfaithful (which the Bible calls Law and Gospel). Perhaps this is not so much fear of the Lord as it is fear of the consequences of consciously spurning the Lord's commands. I think God always wants us to respond to his love, but the fear is the backup, which is all too often needed, even with the "best" of us. Fear is like pain. Without pain we'd continue to use our injured hands/etc until we destroyed them. Perhaps you're read the material in Where is God When it Hurts about how the lack of pain is a key element in lepers literally destroying themselves by using injured parts. When doctors replaced missing pain with warning systems using lights and sounds, people ignored them. Pain and fear both play a part because our sinful natures always pull us away from God and holiness, and sin is too dumb to do the right thing without some persuasion.

the "one moving part" was always latent, because vpw was there. However, enforcement of it came with the "way tree," which imposed top-down authoritarian control. The rotten root then poisoned the whole tree.

vpw (and LCM, TWI) is a good example of how self-promotion never fits well with honesty and transparency.

Thanks, Kit, and others, for your kind words. Answering VP and TWI takes mostly just thinking things through carefully and checking statements for accuracy and source. But that seemed hard to do when people were caught up in what was going on at TWI... and worse yet for those who were sucked into TWI's hero ("man o' God") worship.

There is such an irony in ex-TWI leaders like Hendricks and Schneider. They obviously model themselvees after VP, repeat almost all of VP's doctrine, have absorbed TWI's mind set, and teach most of the same things in the same ways. Yet they avoid ever mentioning that VP is their one true Source, and avoid stating in public and print where they got all their teachings from- VP and TWI. But maybe they learned that from VP too- he never revealed his Sources either.

The main (but unstated) poitn of PFAL was to trash all churches and teachers except VP and TWI, and to inflate VPW above all else as the only guy since the first century who taught the Wored as it had not been known since the first century" (the "audible voice" considered the founding date of TWI). When you claim to be God-inspired, you can't admit to inaccuracy. Unfortunately, so many people were iwllin to buy into this deceptive claim. I think it's partly our inner desire to be the only ones who really know the hidden truth, which makes u feel superior.

No, there was no note or acknowledgment of the change. In fact, the context is even more revealing: "Which Greek word had to be used to have the true Word? The word is heteros because the two malefactors obviously are the same kind. This is the sharp accuracy of God's Word" (1st printing, p. 168; it has a 3 color cover- white, yellow, orange) "Which Greek word had to be used to have the true Word? The word is heteros because only two categories are involved, Jesus and malefactors. This is the sharp accuracy of God's Word" (2nd printing, p. 168) "Had to be used... the sharp accuracy." But VP never minded changing it whenever he felt like it!

VP also targeted evangelical Christians and seminary training, largely I think because they were a threat to him. People with theological training are esp a threat because they have the research/ language tools to identify the damage he was doing the Bible passages and be able to answer them. He used the pejorative label "Tradition" to attack anyone who differed with him. When in comes right down to it, VPW and TWI attacked everyone but themselves, because trying to tear others down was the method they used to try to build themselves up. The sad result was that when people left TWI (the 98%), they felt they had no where else to go for fellowship, because VP had done such a good job of destroying them in his followers' eyes.

Neither Wierwille nor Hendricks were writers. The "books" both of them produced were in most cases transcriptions of sermons. When people transcribe, they are typically loose with facts, don't document anything, aren't precise, and rarely have any real research as the basis. This is why VPW's books are so sloppy and inaccurate. The "advantage" of transcribing is that you can produce a large volume quickly, without any real writing effort, and appear to be an author when you aren't. One of the saddest examples of sloppy research through transcription was the "Common Errors in Understanding" chapter in Jesus Christ is not God. It was transcribed from tape 295. The chapter is obviously very shallow and sloppy when you read it. But when you hear the tape, you also see how VPW is shooting from the hip, stumbling along, without any research or thought as the basis. VPW and DH are both dead, but this doesn't solve the plagiarism problem. TWI and CRF are still selling the books in their plagiarized state, and so are accomplices to plagiarism- the theft of words and research. They're still making money and trying to cultivate some kind reputation as publishers via this crooked practice.

Speaking of plagiarism and copying other people's work... VP plagiarized and copied, and now splinters are copying VP to one degree or another. I was reading Hendicks' God's Healing Word... most of it is just like reading PFAL. You can put the books side by side and follow along in both of them, with basic content, Bible verses, examples, interpretations of verses, etc the same. It is not technically plagiarism, because sections aren't copied word for word. But it is definitely copying content. And NEVER do you see a note that says, "I learned this all by sitting through the PFAL class hundreds of times," or "see VP Wierwille, my father in the Word." No attribution, which is just like VPW too. Hendricks is easier reading,a condensed version of PFAL. He makes it easier to follow and has less detail. But it's also partly because he didn't have theological training like VPW had. VPW misused his training a lot, but he at least showed he had some. A copy of a copy, but you can still trace back where things came from. And it wasn't from researching the Word itself as they claim.

I met JE Stiles' son, from whom I got the photo of him. He didn't seem to think much of the method of inhaling to receive the spirit. While I'll never know how things went, it appears that articles like that one circulated secretly somewhat even in the ranks of TWI itself.

I was about to move to Colorado (around '79). A friend of a friend had a son there who had taken PFAL, was concerned that his son was in a cult and asked that I talk to him. So I found a 1st printing of a 1st edition of the PFAL book in a used bookstore and read it. I was amazed by the book's manipulation of Bible texts, its inaccurate and self-serving definitions of biblical words, and wild claims (like VP taking all his books to the dump). I wrote these down for my new friend, who left TWI (he wasn't actually very involved). Soon after this, I showed my notes to another friend who compared some of the quotes to his copy of PFAL... and lo and behild there were textual changes in the first ed of PFAL (from 1st to 2nd printing) in which VP changed the "mathematical accuracy" definition of allos and heteros. This meant that VP changed the definitions of words whenever he wanted to- with no real care for actual accuracy. All together, this meant that VPW was deceitful, manipulative, self-contradictory and twisted the Bible to his own ends. The kind of a guy that just begs for someone to expose him. The same friend was department editor of a journal for pastors, and he offered to edit and publish my notes. Which was tremendous, because my writing skills then were very bad. Thanks to Wes, I was in print in a national journal at age 25 and started to learn to write. It helped draw me into writing more about TWI (and other cults). Within a couple years, I took PFAL with Pawtucket as my class coordinator, with neither of us knowing at the time where we'd end up as compatriots in answering TWI. I took PFAL, visited New Knoxville, Emporia, Rome City, Gunnison, Word in Business, saw VP from a few feet away, got a threatening letter from Howard Allen, was threatened by off-duty Bless patrol at the BRC, photographed the Way Police car, etc but never was actually involved in TWI. The more I dug in researching TWI, the more error and deception I found. You don't have to make up any criticisms of VPW and TWI- they're just so full of junk. I had opportunity to publish in various newsletters and magazines, and eventually the internet helped more people find my articles. I'm really not obsessed with TWI. But I get letters now and then with questions or criticisms that stoke the fire and lead to more articles. Most of the 5 in this update were prompted by email.

One thing that comes to mind when I think about TWI is "static..." everything is always the same. People always dress the same, talk in the same lingo, pose the same in pictures, "teach" the same. SNS looks the same (they only show the part of the auditorium where there are people sitting). Same places (except no mention of the places they had to sell off). Still ignoring issues critical to people and the organization. Still no reference to the internet or email or any post-1985 technology. Way Magazine articles are always the same... same style, content, format. Same ads for the same "research" books and classes. You could take an issue from 1988, photoshop Rosslie's face over Loy's, and it wouldn't look out of place in 2011. (Or course, you'd have to erase the names of people who left TWI.) Who knows, maybe they do just reproduce old issues and change the dates. Static, both in sameness and in white noise.

New articles on www.abouttheway.org : What’s going on in The Way International in 2011 ? Not much. Not many Corps or Advanced Class grads, and not much research. The most recent research book by TWI listed on its website was published 29 years ago. But TWI still emphasizes central control and “giving of plurality,” which is “giving beyond the tithe to help further the work of the ministry.” TWI used to call this “abundant sharing.” When TWI splintered in the 1980s, ex-Way leaders started their own organizations. Wolfgang Schneider, who translated TWI materials into German and taught the Advanced class, began Bibel Center. We overview Wolfgang Schneider’s Bibelcenter here. Another splinter called Christian Research and Fellowship was started by John Hendricks. From his “law of believing” to his “warrior tongues” to his “Power for Abun “To Know God” class, CRF is a clone of Wierwille’s TWI. How do you spell “G_d?” Some people devoutly follow the practice of spelling “G_d” without vowels. We take a brief look at this practice from the standpoint of Scripture, language, history and logic. Large Group Awareness Trainings (LGAT) offer “transformational” experiences. But what follows the experience? Does the “transformation” keep? A recent article described the after-training life of a woman who experienced a training by Rose of the World, which is based on Lifespring training, as Breakthrough/ Momentus is. “Rollback” in one Large Group Awareness Training summarizes the aftermath some LGAT participants experienced.

I didn't mean to infer that VPW actually used the word "wimpy" to refer to Jesus Christ. However, the purpose of the book Jesus Christ is not God was to get Jesus down off his high horse and make him mostly like the rest of us. It says that Jesus was "god" only in the sense that some people are called gods, that he was lord (sir) not truly Lord as God is, that his name was above every human name, not above every name, that he is not really present as God is, etc. Compared to the orthodox Christian view of Christ, VP's Christ is indeed wimpy. Someone wrote this: ___________________ "The "rule", so to speak, was that pre-crucifiction was always JC and post-resurrection was always CJ." Where did this idea come from? I flipped open my concordance and noticed Romans 1:1 and 1:4 - one verse uses Jesus Christ and the other Christ Jesus- same paragraph, both post-resurrection. Eph 1:1-5 uses CJ twice and JC thrice. It sounds like a catchy idea that has no real Biblical basis.

It appears to me that there is a dramatic difference between VPW's view of Jesus and that of the book of Revelation. It's hard to square the wimpy man who's just "one of the flock" with the overwhelmingly powerful, majestic, dominating picture of Jesus Christ in Revelation. In Rev, Jesus is the blazing figure holding 7 stars in his hands, booming messages to the 7 churches... He is the victorious Lamb sharing the throne with the Father, receiving the praises of all creation and of those redeemed by His blood.... He is the Alpha and Omega- the first and last, the beginning and the end, origin and purpose of all things (separate verses call the Father the Alpha and Omega and the Son Alpha and Omega... how can you have two alphas and 2 omegas?). He is the Faithful and True with a sword from His mouth, destroying all enemies with none able to offer any resistance.... He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (there can be only one Lord of all Lords)... The greatest of all saints bow and throw their crowns before Him. Awe-inspiring, but not the message you get from TWI & VP.

vp says he graduated from Mission house College in Sheboygan, WI with a BA in 1938, an Evangelical & Reformed school. It's now called Lakeland College. If they have a hall of fame, he would be a "big fish" in a tiny, puddle-sized pond. I was in Sheboygan a couple weeks ago, I would have checked it out if I'd thought of it. During the time he said he played pro basketball, he also claimed to have been a full time student, at Mission House until 1938, Mission House Seminary until 1940, Princeton until 1941, when he started as pastor in Ohio. Why are we suspicious of any of VP's claims? Because it's already been proven that he lied so many times.

Paul certainly was not full of "guilt and self-loathing." That's more likely something the author of that article felt of himself and projected it onto Paul to make it seem more normal. Paul "proudly" (while saying it was due to Christ, not himself) calls himself and believers apostle, saint, chosen, children of promise, adopted, children of God, blameless, forgiven, etc. These are not the words of guilt and self-loathing, but of acceptance and honor. If he were homosexual, he would avoid the issue, just as VPW avoided teaching about the fact that sex outside marriage is forbidden. Instead, Paul has three very clear statements about the damaging and ungodly nature of homosexual behavior (Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10; although translations like the NIV mangle the translation of the Greek, which literally is "one who lays with a man"- "lay" being the euphemism for sex, like the American slang of "getting laid").

One summer I read 3 books on creation/ evolution. 1. By a Seventh Day Adventist professor, first described the standard "life and the universe came about strictly by accident" which you'd hear from any atheist. The second half of the book said, in essence, "humans came about by accident- that means you're special!" The guy seemed to have some disconnect in his head, because accident doesn't mean specialness- design and choice does. 2. By a well known Christian scientist, who said, in essence, that Christians should not say anything about intelligent design, because it might turn out someday that a scientist will find some evidence of chance in one of the ID arguments, and then the ID people would look silly. So he left readers with essentially the chance model as the source of everything. 3. The best case for design and creation I read, surprisingly, in atheist Richard Dawkins' book. He said that there are 6 major things that atheistic evolutionists have no evidence whatsoever for. They include the human consciousness, the living eukariotic cell, and the six fundamentals of the universe (like the precise value of gravitational force, atomic weight, etc, which had to be fully in place i the first microsecond of the big bang and could not have evolved over time). He ascribed these to "sheer luck" (his words). So he started the book saying all he accepted was evidence, then resorts to "sheer luck" on absolutely critical things which could never have happened, even by sheer luck. Instead of "God of the gaps" (which he criticizes), he has "sheer luck of the gaps." Call it what you will, but it's not science. So oddly enough, the best case for design/ creation came from the atheist. Christians shouldn't be more bashful about standing up for design than an atheist is!

www.abouttheway.org has several articles by ex-followers of TWI Those in the "Letters" section record people's experiences in TWI, from experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of leaders, to preparing for the Communist takeover of America.

There is a photo of VPW's death certificate, which cites ocular melanoma (cancer) as primary cause of death, on www.abouttheway.org The site also has a detailed article on the ramifications of VP having cancer, which he always taught is due to a devil spirit. VP apparently not only was unable to believe for his healing, but also caused his own disease by his negative believing- and was also possessed by a devil spirit. A false teacher and false believer.

If Don bought out another library to stock Emporia... then he didn't know what he was doing, or they gave him only about $1.57 to buy books with.

To me the most striking thing about the TWI library was how lousy the selection of books was. Having used good libraries in Christian colleges and seminaries, the ineptness of the Way library was glaring. They were missing nearly all of the very basic books and collections. For a ministry that emphasized "research" to be so utterly lacking of good research material is ridiculous. Of course, if the point of research to to reguritate what "The Teacher" said, no matter how shallow and inept, then all you really need on hand is a few collaterals, much of which was plagiarized.