Blast From The Past- The Adultery Paper

[Charity]

On 6/18/2025 at 9:13 PM, WordWolf said:

"John S. wrote, "In 1982 or 1983 Rev. Ralph Dubofsky and Rev. Vince Finegan came to me. Dr. Wierwille had asked them to do some work on the subject of adultery...This paper is the result of those years of study."

In his Additional Comments, he said, "My paper is quite accurately presented here in WayDale. I wrote in through the summer of 1986 and handed it in to the research department in September of 1986."

Do you or anyone else know more about why vp wanted such a study done?  Was he having doubts about his ideas about adultery being accurate?  Or was he counting on the study exonerating him?  Did the fact that he was having serious health issues at the time have anything to do with this request?"

"Also, why did it take JS around 3 years to study the topic and then begin to write it and hand it in after wierwille's death?  That was a long time to keep him waiting, even denying him the privilege of actually getting an answer.  Did he possibly share his results with vp privately before his death." 

Charity,

I read that and thought about the same things you did- at least, when I was pasting it at the start of the thread.  I'll go over what we know. 

We know that vpw was unrepentant and went to his grave, either unaware he was sinning, or willing to pretend, to the end, he wasn't sinning.  We had an eyewitness say that, in his final hours, vpw was trying to scour his memory, and find where he'd "gotten off the Word" and blocked his own healing.   Either vpw lied for that person- and knew he had sinned-  or vpw told the truth- and he really didn't see what he'd done as "off the Word" when he raped and plagiarized and all the rest.  Now, it's been said that, as people approach their final hours, if they see them coming, they look back over their lives, and may repent of wrongs.  vpw didn't repent his wrong- he repented his lack of deliverance, because, to him, other people were things that he could use for his benefit.  He wasn't "exploiting people", he was "using things."  That's how he saw others. 

We know RD wasn't consenting to the rapes, and at the first sign there was one, he started to make a fuss-  which is when the cadre gave him the bum rush off campus, making sure he spoke to nobody, kept an armed guard and attack dog in his presence, and so on.   I suspect VF wasn't consenting, but I have no evidence other than my conviction.   

So, vpw was fine with adultery.  RD and VF were NOT fine with adultery.   RD and VF approach JS and say "Dr W wants adultery studied from The Word." I believe RD and VF told JS this.   I do not believe vpw told RD and/or VF to look into this.   I think they took it upon themselves to request this, and tacked on vpw's name to make sure it was taken seriously. 

JS had given 2 accounts as to why this paper was written. One says that RD and VF said vpw requested it.  The other says that he studied this because he was propositioned, and realized he didn't have any verses come to mind to say not to commit adultery.    Taking as given he's telling the truth as he remembers it, I think there were 2 events, which he conflated. 

In the first event, JS has his incident, and does his own research as to what is and isn't acceptable to God re: adultery. 

In the second event, RD and VF approached him.   He finished the paper and had it ready to go in a few months. 

 

So, it's all speculation, but it's good speculation. I think vpw never requested the paper.  I think JS studied the subject and didn't write the paper. A few years later, he was approached and asked to write it- and he finished it in a few months, revisiting the previous study, and speaking to women at the time, which is how he got the appendices written.

 

Thank you for your post.  I find your speculation that RD and VF had been untruthful to JS about weirwille wanting them to study adultery more likely to be the case than weirwille actually having asked them to do so.  It does seem unlikely, though, that JS (believing weirwille wanted to know more about the topic) never communicated directly with him concerning his study at some point during those 3 years.  If he had, RD and VF’s dishonesty would most likely have been exposed.  Who knows, but the story still doesn't seem to make complete sense.  

The other thing is that you mentioned RD hearing about “rapes.”  The paper, however, was only about adultery apparently happening between consenting adults – not on rape or clergy sexual abuse.  The Additional Comments told of a woman having had sexual intercourse with wierwille and of “many women that were very candid about their sexual relations with leadership.”  The girls he had spoken to who he knew always got to ride on the motor coach, fly on Ambassador 1 and get "back room" duty instead of housekeeping or grounds, apparently never claimed their experiences were not consensual.  JS wrote that what he learned during those months of interviewing women was that “many of the people involved thought it was okay with God.”

Near the end, he does mention a female who had been hurt by the “sex stuff .”  From the context of the article, this minimizing term would only have been about adultery – not rape or abuse.  

By 2000, Schoenheit, who knew plenty about the problem with adultery within the leadership, still seemed to have known nothing about the rape and abuse by vp since he wrote, “The Way International and Dr. Wierwille did a lot for me, and I will always be thankful for that. Yes, they caused me some pain and heartache, but the foundation of the Word that was built in my life in The Way has an inestimable value.”  But then again, he was promoting in his Additional Comments the "really great stuff" he, Lynn and Graeser were doing with CES.

Also, he did say that people who were angry and hurt over things that happened years ago needed to...move on.  Again, would he have said this if he knew about the rapes and CSA?  

[Charity]

On 6/18/2025 at 10:37 AM, Charity said:

Do you or anyone else know more about why vp wanted such a study done?  Was he having doubts about his ideas about adultery being accurate?  Or was he counting on the study exonerating him?  Did the fact that he was having serious health issues at the time have anything to do with this request?

Does it matter anymore?

On 6/18/2025 at 7:15 PM, Charity said:

Are you questioning my right to ask the questions?  If it doesn't matter to you Rocky, then just say so.

 

On 6/19/2025 at 10:36 AM, Rocky said:

Are you questioning my right to add (or try to) perspective? This question is rhetorical. Does not need to be answered.

So your perspective was asking if my questions about the adultery paper mattered anymore which obviously implies that it did at one point.   

My questions were the result of the discussion WordWolf started when he began this thread about the adultery paper.  You didn't ask him at that time "if it mattered anymore?"

My perspective is that it is important that the truth, from beginning to end, around the doctrine and practice of what happened sexually within twi and the eventual exposure of it is fully made known by the leaders.  Both John Schoenheit and John Lynn wrote about the adultery and "fornication" but didn't always (if at all) include the facts about vp's rapes and drugging of some of his victims as well as the abortions and the hurt that the clergy sexual abuse by leaders towards those they were responsible to oversee had caused.   Why was that?

John Lynn has passed away, but John Schoenheit continues to be active in his biblical ministry.  Will he ever talk about what he knew or didn't know about the darker side of what was going on back then?  One way to find out.  I'll send his website an email asking about this and see if he replies back.

 

[Charity]

With the possible criticism that I am opening up a can of worms that may not matter anymore, here is a thread about John Lynn's letters where in one of them he mentions, in part, weirwille's leading women and others astray.  Once again, no mention is made of any rapes or clergy sexual abuse.  (Highlighting is mine)

I think it still matters today because the coverup of the "darker side" is still ongoing in twi and possibly with other ex-leaders of the ministry.  

John Lynn's Letters

Here's a quote:

"Third, sex. Now this is perhaps more sensational than the other points, but keep in mind that again the root of the problem is doctrinal error, not human weakness. More than one woman has personally told me that Dr. Wierwille taught her, verbally and by example, that sex outside of marriage is not only permissible, but profitable.

Ralph Dubofsky told me that in September 1986, after a woman had come to him, he confronted Craig Martindale about having sex with her. Craig admitted it, and told Ralph that Dr. Wierwille had told him that unless he "loosened up in this category of life, he would never be a great leader or lover of God’s people." I know this sounds unbelievable, but it is true.

Dr. Wierwille told people that without broadening their sexual activities beyond marriage, they’d never be able to handle the things of God." A friend of mine told me Dr. Wierwille told her he thought that "a woman gets eternal rewards for blessing a man of God like this." Craig told Ralph that there have been "thousands of times it has been done in the love of God and ministered God’s healing wholeness and deliverance to people." And I have a copy of a phone conversation on this past November 24 between Craig and a Corps grad in which he told her that there is not a straight answer from the Word on adultery, and that sex is in the category of need, like food on the table, and God supplies our needs. Where did he learn this? Not in the Baptist Church, I dare say.

This esoteric doctrine has permeated the leadership structure of The Way to the end that believers all over the country know about it. This is the real reason why John Schoenheit and the others were fired. Chris Geer and the Trustees are trying to cover up for Dr. Wierwille and themselves. Here’s a good question: If it is spiritually beneficial, why isn’t it being taught publicly?

If you want to, you can look up the definitions of "allegation," "accusation," "rumor," and then "fact." These statements are facts and what I have just told you about this issue is "the tip of the iceberg." I have another 3 hour tape titled "Overview of Events: 4/85-10/87" in which I do my best to chronicle the key events from the time Dr. Wierwille stopped to see Ralph in Boston en route to Scotland, up until this past fall. In it I go into more detail about the adultery issue. I believe it is important because this wrong doctrine strikes at the very heart of the Mystery, and it has ruined countless Way marriages and wreaked havoc on hundreds of other men and women."

At least this last sentence of Lynn's is more than what Schoenheit admits to in his paper.

[WordWolf]

4 hours ago, Charity said:

Thank you for your post.  I find your speculation that RD and VF had been untruthful to JS about weirwille wanting them to study adultery more likely to be the case than weirwille actually having asked them to do so.  It does seem unlikely, though, that JS (believing weirwille wanted to know more about the topic) never communicated directly with him concerning his study at some point during those 3 years.  If he had, RD and VF’s dishonesty would most likely have been exposed.  Who knows, but the story still doesn't seem to make complete sense.  

The other thing is that you mentioned RD hearing about “rapes.”  The paper, however, was only about adultery apparently happening between consenting adults – not on rape or clergy sexual abuse.  The Additional Comments told of a woman having had sexual intercourse with wierwille and of “many women that were very candid about their sexual relations with leadership.”  The girls he had spoken to who he knew always got to ride on the motor coach, fly on Ambassador 1 and get "back room" duty instead of housekeeping or grounds, apparently never claimed their experiences were not consensual.  JS wrote that what he learned during those months of interviewing women was that “many of the people involved thought it was okay with God.”

Near the end, he does mention a female who had been hurt by the “sex stuff .”  From the context of the article, this minimizing term would only have been about adultery – not rape or abuse.  

By 2000, Schoenheit, who knew plenty about the problem with adultery within the leadership, still seemed to have known nothing about the rape and abuse by vp since he wrote, “The Way International and Dr. Wierwille did a lot for me, and I will always be thankful for that. Yes, they caused me some pain and heartache, but the foundation of the Word that was built in my life in The Way has an inestimable value.”  But then again, he was promoting in his Additional Comments the "really great stuff" he, Lynn and Graeser were doing with CES.

Also, he did say that people who were angry and hurt over things that happened years ago needed to...move on.  Again, would he have said this if he knew about the rapes and CSA?  

 

 

You are correct that they didn't immediately connect all the dots. vpw had intentionally designed a tight, secretive cadre.  He knew it was a crime and knew any sane person would say it was wrong, so he surrounded himself with a blackout of news on the subject, and maintained a cover story saying the opposite.  So, by reputation on the field, people would think such a claim was ridiculous.  That having been said, he did sometimes let a passing comment go that gave something away.   Also, as you got closer to the cadre, you started to get exposed to sex stuff- like on-grounds people and pornography "so they could minister to people better after watching the pornography."   So, these guys knew about "consensual" sex, but not outright rapes or drugging where she was unconscious and he molested her.  I put "consensual" in quotes because, with a power imbalance, exactly how much "consent" is there is a matter for disagreement and discussion.   Miles away from anywhere else, thousands of miles from family, friends and home, and surrounded by people as indoctrinated as you, you're told this man has a direct link with God and are indoctrinated that he can do no wrong, nor would he want to.  Then he starts telling you lies, like God wants you to commit adultery or fornication, and rationalizes it.   In an absolute sense, she can say "No", but vpw set his little "consensual sex" game up rather cleverly.  And those women likely to say something were never invited, and those women likely to be better victims- those with histories of sexual assault- were invited, and they were still monitored in case they looked ready to spill the beans.   So, no,  JS and RD had heard about some "consensual" sex, but not about druggings and rapes.  What they did manage to hear was bad enough, and was not easy to hear due to the cadre doing their best to cover vpw's tracks. 

 

However,  I think you misunderstood me about the timeline of events with JS and the Adultery paper.  He gave 2 different accounts as to why he did the research, and 2 different time-frames as to how long it took.   

1) He did it for his own knowledge because he realized he didn't know any verses offhand to recite to counter thoughts of fornication

2) No, he researched it because RD and VF told him that vpw requested a paper on the subject. 

A) So, it took him 3 years to research the paper. 

B) No, it was done in a few months. 

 

I doubt JS was INTENTIONALLY lying to us. I think he CONFLATED two different events, and each thing he said happened, happened.   The order I see them happening and not contradicting each other nor common sense is 

1A, then 2B.

So, here's how I think the sequence of events went. 

1) JS had the incident he mentioned, where he said "no" and sent the woman on her way, and realized he didn't have any verses in his "retemories" to recite on this subject.  On his own time, and only as he felt like it, he spent the next 3 years on and off doing the research.  He finished it to his own satisfaction, and went on his way. 

2) Some time later, RD and VF approach him. "We were told the Grand Poobah wants you to research this. Let us know when you're done."  JS now has an actual paper to write, an actual request to do so, and a request from the Grand Poobah.  So, on his own time and in between everything else, he revisits old ground (it's old ground to him because he's researched it before), and in a few months during his down time, he's got a full paper on the subject. 

While he was writing it, he may easily have talked to a few people, sounding them out, asking what they were taught, and so on.  That would account for having all the relevant "Appendices" with the "arguments" that JS had to address to be thorough and address twi's issues.   He was honest, so he did so.  Even when he finished it, he still had no idea it was the tip of the iceberg-  or that vpw was the biggest offender-  after all, if vpw ordered it written, why would he do so if it would expose him?   So, JS didn't see it coming- although I think RD and VF did. 

So, that's how I reconcile JS's accounts. He wasn't lying, he was mistaken and conflated 2 different things.  Of course, I could easily be wrong and one of those was a lie.  You'll have to decide what you think was more likely. I really don't know the man.  I know it's more common for the average person to be honestly mistaken than to go around lying. (In that respect, vpw wasn't "an average person." As a liar, he was an EXCEPTIONAL liar.)

[WordWolf]

3 hours ago, Charity said:

With the possible criticism that I am opening up a can of worms that may not matter anymore, here is a thread about John Lynn's letters where in one of them he mentions, in part, weirwille's leading women and others astray.  Once again, no mention is made of any rapes or clergy sexual abuse.  (Highlighting is mine)

I think it still matters today because the coverup of the "darker side" is still ongoing in twi and possibly with other ex-leaders of the ministry.  

John Lynn's Letters

Here's a quote:

"Third, sex. Now this is perhaps more sensational than the other points, but keep in mind that again the root of the problem is doctrinal error, not human weakness. More than one woman has personally told me that Dr. Wierwille taught her, verbally and by example, that sex outside of marriage is not only permissible, but profitable.

Ralph Dubofsky told me that in September 1986, after a woman had come to him, he confronted Craig Martindale about having sex with her. Craig admitted it, and told Ralph that Dr. Wierwille had told him that unless he "loosened up in this category of life, he would never be a great leader or lover of God’s people." I know this sounds unbelievable, but it is true.

Dr. Wierwille told people that without broadening their sexual activities beyond marriage, they’d never be able to handle the things of God." A friend of mine told me Dr. Wierwille told her he thought that "a woman gets eternal rewards for blessing a man of God like this." Craig told Ralph that there have been "thousands of times it has been done in the love of God and ministered God’s healing wholeness and deliverance to people." And I have a copy of a phone conversation on this past November 24 between Craig and a Corps grad in which he told her that there is not a straight answer from the Word on adultery, and that sex is in the category of need, like food on the table, and God supplies our needs. Where did he learn this? Not in the Baptist Church, I dare say.

This esoteric doctrine has permeated the leadership structure of The Way to the end that believers all over the country know about it. This is the real reason why John Schoenheit and the others were fired. Chris Geer and the Trustees are trying to cover up for Dr. Wierwille and themselves. Here’s a good question: If it is spiritually beneficial, why isn’t it being taught publicly?

If you want to, you can look up the definitions of "allegation," "accusation," "rumor," and then "fact." These statements are facts and what I have just told you about this issue is "the tip of the iceberg." I have another 3 hour tape titled "Overview of Events: 4/85-10/87" in which I do my best to chronicle the key events from the time Dr. Wierwille stopped to see Ralph in Boston en route to Scotland, up until this past fall. In it I go into more detail about the adultery issue. I believe it is important because this wrong doctrine strikes at the very heart of the Mystery, and it has ruined countless Way marriages and wreaked havoc on hundreds of other men and women."

At least this last sentence of Lynn's is more than what Schoenheit admits to in his paper.

In 1985, JS wrote his Adultery paper.  In 1988, JAL wrote about how this ruined marriages and damaged people. A lot of things had come to light in 3 years. 

 

When JS wrote again in 2000 with ces/stfi,  the rest of us all knew about vpw raping and drugging women since so many of them had come forth.   The young, idealistic guy who JS had been 15 years before now had an organization to promote where he was a top dog, and a vested interest in not looking any closer any more, even if it was dishonest. Plenty of people who have been determined to maintain the fiction that vpw wasn't a plagiarizing rapist and have made it a point to avoid all of their accounts. It makes things easier when they pretend there were never women who came forward.  I'll call them like I see them- I have no organization to promote. It's not like you're buying a book I wrote at a table in the back of the theater or anything.