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THANKS........you're the man, Rocky! You know.......when all those memories about my parents surface........it cuts me like a knife! And.................when I have all those memories fighting for my bride......it brings the tears. And.................when my little boys got hurt...... IT ROYALLY PI$$ED and Pi$$ES me off. BUT.................I have NO PROBLEM..............talking about THEM, the CULT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Lallys came into OKC and tried kicking over every stone to find something/anything on us........NOTHING. Of course, they called the corps in Tulsa, too.........and the corps rolled into OKC for 2-3 hr mtg........ The Lallys, then, held private mtgs with every corps/ac grad in OKC & Tulsa......trying to find dirt on us. This was eye-to-eye "what can YOU tell us" private-type mtgs. They wanted SOMETHING/ANYTHING.......to feed the narrative for martindale's slander on us. That's why..........when lcm did corps mtg......it was "so vague"..........he had NO DIRT. We were blasted for "turning our backs on God AND the corps commitment." THAT.....was the vague slander!! Gawd.......after I'd put in 24 years in twi and my wife had put in 28 years in twi !!!!!!!!! The best slander lally/lcm railed on (we later heard)..........we were putting our KIDS above God. The INSANITY of that statement. And........corps people swallowed that bile. And........corps, some who've since called us AND visited us (years later) in Indiana.....are STILL in Twi !!!!!!!!!!!! And........martindale, at corps mtg (we later heard)......we were "worldly" and being turned over to Satan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ANYONE OUT THERE.........lurking..........TWI IS A FvCKING CULT !!!

SO YEAH........BOTH.......lallys AND martindale slithered away UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS. BOTH.......Tom & Craig........vicious, bastards......if you weren't in lockstep loyalty !!!

So......why did I search out Trancenet......then, Waydale.......and stayed the course in GSC..? What started the driving passion of John Walsh to do what he did? It's extremely personal when it involves your kid(s). No, our kid wasn't abducted or killed, but...... The guttural pain.....of seeing our boys cope with cult-backstabbers The nights of crying......what's wrong? why can't we play with them? Now........I was going thru the extrication process......for all of us, wife & kids.......and, helping this adv class girl. Another girl phoned........who was signed up for foundational way-class. I had personally witnessed to her and signed her up. Now what? I was m/a and she called to ask me what to do. She was conflicted (obviously).... A week later, she came to talk with me face-to-face (she parked her car around the corner, down the street) She, too, was growing paranoid of what to think. She wanted info of class.....but saw wreckage floating around. More phone calls.............I got another 15-20 phone calls from others. They too were at crossroads.......and bailed. As things rippled out and out.......down to next generation.......I probably helped 120-150 others exit the cult. Even now, during Christmas.....we always have a dinner meal with a family that we helped to extricate. .......The rippling effect of helping others out of this cult......going into a third generation.

IMO...............that's why when some drive-by posters come here to GSC and pop off They have NO IDEA.....the secret, driving, under-belly scum of that cult-organization. NONE. They extrapolate their opinions and view points from the cult-magazine echo chamber. There is a HUGE difference between: Extraction........getting out relatively easy and walking away from a cult. Extrication.......the grasping, sucking tentacles of the octopus in deep waters. THAT'S WHY......GSC is so damn important !!!!! All of you posters are so special. Your depth of thinking, exposure, and support.......HELPING so many, many people. I sometimes think that GSC and your/our efforts....has helped at least 10 thousand or more. Hell........even those who never were in......have expressed thanks. YOU POSTERS.................ROCK and kick-a$$. ........THANKS.

The Saga continues................................ Now.....we were looking at "a clean slate".......WHAT NOW? First 2-3 weeks........emphasis on our two little boys (lots of hugs, encouragement, trying to explain......) Thankfully......the new school year was beginning.....and lots of positive things in that area I started the arduous process of rebuilding a "resume"......I was 43 yrs old An advanced class grad in OKC phoned......she wanted OUT of twi ..........we had two secret meetings to discuss issues with her. The paranoia in her heart....and shock of us being m/a. ..........she was living with another ac grad......who was a glassy-eyed follower ...............three more weeks went by. This adv class grad made decision to leave. She was SO scared. ...............we offered to have her move in with us while she, too, processed the cult-aftermath ......................and she did NOT want any confrontation from new limb guy OR her roommate ......................so, we stealthily moved her belongings while her roommate was at work Got that?........this ac grad was SO SCARED and PARANOID she wanted us to help her thru this without any twi-confrontation. Gawd......the whole thing seemed like an undercover-spy movie. Hey, twi............see what kind of filth, ilk and paranoia that you are driving people to??? This ac grad had left extra money and note on kitchen counter to help pay future bills....not wanting to burden her roommate Of course, this roommate came home from work.....to find this. She called the new limb guy immediately........and he said stuff like....."See, you gotta be real cautious....they (we) are possessed." OMG.........The lengths to which the twi-cult DRIVES people to see DEVIL SPIRITS in everything. .

AND.....because I had "connections".......I was the one who posted on GSC that ..Martindale slithered into Toledo in the dead of night. .

<takes a seat and pulls out a menu> Hello All- There's quite a bit to unpack from 30 years. Bare with my rambling thoughts as they all get down. A third-generation "legacy", I only knew TWI as truth absolute. A child of the 80's, I remember growing up and having The Way being the only way. I took each class in the entire class series the exact week I was eligible, and repeated every chance I could. I only knew LCM as the fount-head of all things godly, and worshipped with (at) him through the birth of the new class. I soldiered on through his fall and stood behind my identity as a chosen part of the faithful remnant throughout the early 2000's. I pursued a degree and lead fellowships, certain I held forth what I knew to be the epicenter of the spiritual world. Once I got close to graduation, the promise of getting a job became VERY real. In a market the began to shrivel, I went from interview to interview, each time putting in hours of deliberate, thoughtful prayer and reflection, certain that the God I knew dwelt in my fellowships and that I was told would never let any wrong befall would come through in the clutch. Each time, nothing. Each time, disappointment. Each time, words came from those more seasoned as "Renew Your Mind", "It's not the spiritually best for YOU!", "God's got something bigger for YOU!". This was the first time I needed to prove God had my back. Long story short, I cobbled together enough to get by, but nothing close to the Eph 3:20 I was told time and time again. I got married, to an amazing and supportive spouse, who left her church to join up. She realized if she wanted tot be with me, she had to drink the Koolaid, and drink she did. She practically did a keg stand with that Hawaiian punch. Together, we weathered many situations that were far from the rosy scenes painted on STS tapes (or CDs or VHSs). Real life was hard as hell, and the God of the lectern and the magazine was not as quick to come through. There was always an explanation, mind you, but should not have to be this hard. "Maybe we're not studying enough. Maybe and hour daily is just a start.". "Are we giving enough? We're at 20%, but could we do more to prove our commitment to God and not our paycheck". We ABSed our meager earnings, lived in apartments, drove our terrible, leaky, beaten cars, and gladly taught others on how much God loved us and would provide. Any positive event in life was championed as proof of TWI's system. It began to seem like a lens that made all the bad not their fault and any positive thing their cause. Perspective. Fast forward to a fourth generation being born. Numerous requests from insiders to go on Staff and change from within. By this time, my life had changed. The grind of finally getting (and keeping) a real job meant hard work. I began to feel like everything in the ministry was a motion. Same old collaterals. The articles in the magazine were SOOOO predictable, as were the overly scripted services. Title, personal anecdote, verses, three main points, conclusion, blanket "Let's continue to..." statement... repeat. I felt as if I wasn't learning anything. To challenge myself and scratch my own spiritual and intellectual itch, I started my own studies and digging. ANy time I would bring these up, I was chastised for going solo and delving into what was already researched. I should re-search what is already available. By this time, I could hear an introduction and immediately know which verses would come up. One STS, I wrote on my wife's notes five verses. Sure as dang, each one was ticked in the course of that scripted speech teaching. I stopped taking notes. I stopped putting time into my teachings at fellowships. I started coasting. I could see others going through the same motions. I used to talk about all of the interesting connections and parallels the moment a great teaching was done. Now I saw how quickly others began talking about their week, their boring lives, their.... anything but the bible. Truth was, it was the collaterals being taught again and again and again. LCM was disavowed, never to be mentioned. All that was safe was the collaterals. So that's were everything went, and still are. Last flash is to the moment I realized how crumby the long-term TWI plan is for those out in the field. Find a menial job, work hard and don't rock the boat. Try to witness but we only need seats for the class- if it's just a connection, move it along. SELL SELL!!!! Find an apartment, move every few years, drive a 5 year+ model car (and keep that cardboard so you don't mess up the driveway). Long-term planning? You don't need that. God's got you. I woke up one day to realize my parents have no retirement and no equity of ANY kind. I didn't want that. I began looking at houses and tried every way to get one without getting a loan. Couldn't do it, so I tried to ask permission. Another post needs to explain this hot mess, but needless to say it was not on the menu. I forged ahead to the disapproval of many. Kid number two arrives- I stop going to STS. Our last trip, I don't even open my bible. I hear and scrutinize the entire presentation better than I had every encapsulated with my notes. (Oh the notes, but I digress...). On our way home, my wife says "What an electrifying teaching!". I let the air clear for about 5 seconds and say "Was it?". Her face was as white as the audience at any given STS. We then discuss very openly our current role in the ministry and where we saw our spiritual lives. Needless to say, it was the beginning of the end. We limped along for a few more years, mainly because of the sweet people that genuinely did care about others and the large family/friend connections. This is certainly a fact that cannot be overlooked, but we were killed with kindness and not won by spiritual truth. We eventually decide to skip fellowship for any convenient reason, attend other church services on Sunday mornings, and try on many religions/denominations. It came to a road that lead to us moving and telling our new coordinators we were out. I felt it necessary to go out on my terms, not middle-fingers a-blazing, but with a truthful talk. We left about two years ago. There were some rough times, including much anger that has not fully gone away. I still struggle with what could have been or should have been, a fact that I can't completely let go of, but am getting closer. I burned my syllabi and collaterals, but still have their haunting memory (and .pdfs! that's a fun post as well!) in my mind. Religion is no longer something I value, and, current spiritual beliefs aside, I was able to emerge with clear and cogent truths I hold to, truthfulness and integrity being paramount. I have spiritually sherpa'd a few others out of TWI, and gotten immense satisfaction for helping them think and process, not just bad-mouthing their religion. It's rewarding to truly help people, not blanket their needs in retemories or promises of a brighter day that never comes. It's rewarding to see them break the chain of mediocrity and a quiet life of apartments and ABSing to pay for staff cars (another post). I loved helping them and reassuring them the devil will not take them should they decide to take off the name tag. My bourbon is getting low, as is my battery. Time to refill both. I have lots to say, and not sure how much/when to do it. I have many damning things, but not sure how it could help me or others. I don;t want to go back to the post-exit anger and rage that consumed my evenings (too late for that today! Oh well...), but I think a healthy processing and sharing for those who discover this site (like I did) will help clearer thoughts and heads prevail. I know TWI is not the epicenter of the spiritual world. I know TWI is pyramid of those working the ladder upward. I know TWI is a shell built on a few books and lock-step loyalty. I know that 30 years is far too much CollateralDamage.

Thanks again...........Greasespotters !!!! See you in a month, or two..................... ~~~~~ Edited: Under further consideration????? To me, .........Ghost Ryders In The Sky........or Not. (if someone with nifty computer skills can insert a full image of this.....I'd appreciate it) Ghost Ryders In The Sky .

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing your story here, Skyrider. So many of us can relate to the pain you went through, the turmoil, the confusion and loss. But you are brave. You are a survivor. You are dear to us.

I don't believe anyone left twi because they followed me out. I was out about 2 years before the '98 Advanced Class. I was one of those stalwart Advanced Class grads whom everyone else depended on. I was involved in this set up or that bookstore. Or coordinate refreshments for this event etc. And also please teach this Sunday and the Sunday after next. It's nice that upper leadership believed in me, but it became too much. I had a full time teaching position in a high school, and a large house that needed continuous upkeep and maintenance. Many of you may now be thinking "Why did you do it all? Why didn't you tell them to stop adding on???" Remember on the other thread when Skyrider said his heart was following other music? That was exactly what I felt. I had wind of some wrongdoing in places, but I just kept my head down because I couldn't believe them and tended to my own business. Then, one day, I was caught with three things left to do on my list and no groceries in the house and I didn't know what to do.

Hmmm. Just indulge me here in a wee bit of fantasy: Wouldn't it be interesting (and oh so sweet!) if LCM could ever be persuaded to attend a "party" somewhere, and all the invitees are people he used, abused, sexually assaulted, maligned, betrayed, slandered and smeared to others, M&A'd, etc.! They could each step up and tell their story. The problem is he hasn't a shred of humility to make the listening worthwhile. I do hope there is a day of reckoning coming for Twinkletoes in Tights..

A hit from 80s Hall and Oates

Mate! Collateraldamage thanks heaps for your sharing your story I can only relate to alot of what you said A bit late to the party mate but here have a coffee on me

Another favourite of mine from the group War

To quote Meryl Streep (quoting Carrie Fisher) as she finished her Golden Globe acceptance speech this evening, "Take your broken heart and make it into art." Because, of course, art moves hearts.

No... YOU are the man, Skyrider!

And.......while I'm still ....ed right now thinking about it..... Sunday Noon: Bullet-point sequence Six cars pulled up on street......Moving truck backed into limb drive-way I pushed button for garage to open Tom L. sternly and briskly walked thru garage.....I met him at access door. He abruptly said, "Don't you come out....I'm coming in." My wife stood a fair distance away.........the boys were in at side bedroom window. The more our boys realized what was happening.......they started sobbing deeply. Four of the adv class parents' kids.......were their constant playmates (swimming, birthday parties, etc.) ----------------- Six or seven adv class grads wouldn't make any eye-contact.......got to work loading big items Tom went thru inventory list checking things off.......and was very concerned about limb files Twi "allowed" us to buy a kitchen hutch and washer/drier Oh......T0m Mull!ns.......Arkansas Limb Coordinator arrived.....and was now in garage ...........later that day, Lallys and Mull!ns had ANOTHER mtg with corps. ....................Corps couple from Tulsa became NEW limb coordinators. Limb would be run from there. ...........I guess it took 3 power-hitters in my state to try and destroy us. lol ------------------ Bookstore items all needed to be inventoried, storage cabinets, a sofa, folding chairs, etc. My wife has to get the boys away from the windows.......the building trauma was too much Lally interrogated me further.........who all had I called since Friday night.......damage control Probably...........One hour and thirty minutes later...........truck was loaded, they pulled away -------------------- This deep-sense of betrayal.......was like a lump in my gut. 20 minutes later.......we locked the house and went to hamburger/ice cream store to distance ourselves from it all. We had caller id.......but all the next week, phone calls came in registering "anonymous" After the third day.....I picked up the phone to see. Person on other end wouldn't answer.......6-7 seconds, "click." Was twi checking on me? Toying with me? Pestering me? Would they come late at night and pound on the door? Again.......during my deprogramming, twi sent 4 guys into my hometown knocking on doors. What would they do regarding me? This was martindale's home state and it all embarrassed him to deal with it. I slept in the living room........at least 4-5 nights. Flashbacks.....brutal, gut-wrenching abandonment of former life. After another few days..........the silence was deafening. No phone calls. Our whole network of people were cut from our life. In another sense....................all the swirling of activity had stopped.......and THAT felt good. My mind started to process it all. I was going introvert........... Less than 3 years later.........Tom & Barbara Lally secretly loaded their truck and drove away late at night. **When Austin people went to check on them that next day........the apartment was empty, a deceptive ploy. .

Here ya go! btw, h/t to Lanikaigal.

AND........just because I'm pi$$ed thinking about all this......... Quote....from the other thread.. "It was near 10pm.......and the region couple offered, with ministry petty cash expense, to pay for our night in a motel. I turned it down. They implored us....it was only "the right thing to do." I said no thanks. We headed out the door and drove away. I looked at my wife, she looked at me.....it was like, "Did THAT just happen? Did we just quit and walk away from decades of corps? No. More. Corps. Assignments?" I totally believe that the lallys were trying to lull us into a trap.......(if we'd stayed in Austin motel) I think as that confrontation ended......[trap---offer motel].......and then, lallys would high-tail into OKC ahead of us Once in OKC.....they'd start damage control.....i.e. meeting corps/ac grads [before we got back to OKC] ...........................lallys did get into OKC around 11am Sat..........and set up city-wide mtg to blacklist us ................................one ac grad (at mtg) later told us that not ONE person said anything negative about us ........................................NOTHING.....as lallys kept drilling down & down, trying to find "some dirt" Gawd..........I could write SO MUCH MORE.......but who wants to hear all this blow-by-blow crap? ....................Then, Martindale smeared and slashed our reputations on the next Corps Mtg --- via phone lines. ....................AFTER............EVERYTHING we'd done for his family.......mainly ---- Rod, Jo, & Kerry .

YEAH!.......less than 3 years later after our....... 2 hr+ white-hot confrontation (Aug 1998)...... AFTER......MARTINDALE WENT DOWN IN FLAMES....(Aug 2000) THEN........LA1LYS...........BAILED TWI .......(9 months later --- Jun 2001) They lied and deceived......the next limb/region replacement guy...... They lied and deceived......the whole branch area in Austin........... They gave a fake address.........where they were "going to move"... Believers in area were going to help load/unload moving truck Tom/Barb called mid-day and told believers .....didn't need their help They were......twi's Austin Branch Coordinators They'd stepped down from region/limb....to get job in "secular world" ...........they were deceptively and stealthily.....EXTRICATING (from cult) ....................they took 9 months to think/process/pack......we had 28 hrs. ............................28 hrs. to physically extricate the limb/personal entanglement THEN.........POOF.........they drove away in the middle of the night. ..........leaving no forwarding address.........NOTHING. ..........wanting NO PART of a confrontation COWARDS. SCUM. Again, this was..........around June 2001. ........where is that nice pic of the little girl with............the one-finger salute?

I wouldn't worry about the title of the thread. It's a song title. Nothing more. Fictional literature (including songs) is about communicating concepts in ways people can relate to. I reject twi making everything about an (the) adversary. And as far as I remember, you aren't the first or only person to cite specific concerns about the Lallys.

Thanks Rocky........ After three weeks of postings, memories and deprogramming flashbacks.......I've got to GO INTROVERT..... And......maybe, too many metaphors..... Probably need to change the title too..... Love the expanse of song & johnny cash......but it confuses.......who are the ghost riders? Those still riding on..... The cowboy sees this vision, contemplates, at crossroads in life.........is warned by spirits of damned cowboys riding by. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perhaps...........STOP the GHOST RIDING with subtitle.....CULTS ARE DANGEROUS Ghost Riding Ghost riding, frequently used in the context of "ghost riding the whip" (a "whip" being a vehicle) or simply ghostin', is when a person exits their moving vehicle, and dances beside and around it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maybe, kill this thread............and start over. Guess at the end of my long "extrication post" with lallys, my metaphorical analogy was off kilter. Too many sleepless nights.......again........and struggling to put all this stuff in writing. I'm wiped, totally spent. Maybe, .....that's why book writing is done, largely in isolation/seclusion......deep thought & reviews. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If anyone cares at all........add suggestions to title of book, or not........... Sh!t.....it's not like the thing will ever be published, or anything. lol I can't thank you greasespotters enough.........

Yes 1994 it would have been. Only AC ever run in NZ. Big show made of it and people came from Australia and a couple came from USA representing HQ: Bru-ce ?? and his wife, can't remember their names. Everyone went up north for a week, to a nice location on the beach (of which there are many in NZ). Big push getting people ready for it. HG, you told me privately who's still around and most of those people took that AC class and so have had very little to do directly with HQ except perhaps (decades ago) having gone to RoA, which was hardly representative of what long-term living/being involved with TWI was like.

Just in one of those moods, ya know? " Sliding mystifiedOn the wine of the tideStared pale-eyedAs his veil fell aside.Sad paper courtesanThey found him just a man."

Thanks Skyrider! Well done. Many, many great points and facts. Hopefully, your "introversion" won't keep you away for too long. It would a bit hard for some of us not to see you around here regularly as you have been since WayDale. Love to you and your's, and...............peace upon you all!

Part IX FreshAir77 We, as a family, walked away from the cult.......and breathed fresh air. Nothing else mattered. Every time I look at my wife and our two sons.....it was totally worth it. I walked thru a cult-hell to find my bride.......and married an angel. And, I dedicate this last chapter to my Dad and Mom.....they walked thru hell with me and for me. Thanks Dad. Thanks Mom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you Greasespotters !! I have no more words. You all are truly amazing and I dedicate the title of this "book" to you. I'm going introvert for awhile......to ponder the depths of the oceans, the reaches of the universe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ghost Ryders In The Sky ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .

Dang ! Thanks for that Don't Worry (and the Doc Watson clip too)....awesome - wish I could play like that - they both seem like naturals - love the chords, slapping and popping by both and the weird noodling (or whatever it was) the guy does with his plucking hand (right hand) mid-neck.....Larry Graham (bass player with Sly and the Family Stone) is credited with first doing popping and slapping the bass to supply the rhythm ....anyway here's Larry Graham doing a Maroon 5 tune - not sure - but it appears sometimes Larry plucks the strings with thumb and forefinger as one would snap a rubber-band:

Take as much time as you need (obviously) ... I can only imagine how difficult it is to reconstruct from very difficult memories your pathway OUT. You were in for so many years. [I was in from '77 to '92. But really, after 1986 I'd only go to fellowships sporadically ... around the time folks were splintering off following either Geer or Lynn or Finnigan back in NY where I lived. Technically, I split for good around '92, but in reality, it was about the time of that '89 loyalty letter from LCM that I felt that ole rebel in me rising up (how dare he ask the corps to become loyal to HIM ... what the heck ever happened to Jesus?!) That's when I made the decision to walk away from twi ... but not fellowships. Somehow, I could separate the two, as there were a bunch of "rebels" in NYC around that time too, and we were all appalled by the dancing Okie's audacity displayed in that loyalty letter.] Just for a little levity here . . . and to illustrate just what we all GOT AWAY FROM -- and to remind ourselves of what we will never, ever, EVAH have to sit through again -- I thought I'd post this clip from Talk Soup! (I'm sure most here have seen it -- but when I do, I never cease to become so full of thanks for having gotten OUT!) Shoot me now! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-bojwApWyY

Some thoughts regarding Schoenheit's REV: In the 1600s, Descartes proposed an idea as the very basis the scientific method, to begin by finding a fundamental truth (which was assumed), to proceed by the use of logic to come up with hypotheses, further possible truths, and then to find ways to test the possible truths against objective reality. Only when these tests succeeded would the new truth become established. In the early 1800s, German theologians were able to institute a department of theology at the new University of Berlin only by promising that their theology would be "scientific." This led to the "higher criticism" approach to interpreting the Bible. Because the science of the 19th century was deterministic, the fundamental assumption of the liberal protestant theology that followed was that every reference to the "supernatural" in the Bible was fiction. No hypothesis of the new theology was testable against objective reality (the text of the Bible) because the text was a priori NOT TRUE. The fundamental assumption of the conservative reaction to liberalism was that EVERY reference to the "supernatural" in the Bible is literally, historically true. This is called "inerrancy", and is the fundamental "truth" of "fundamentalism", which changed its name to "evangelical Protestantism" in the 1920s. Both liberal and evangelical protestant theologies are based on Descartes' idea that truth can be found by logical manipulation of a fundamental truth (assumption), but theology, as opposed to science, does not accept appeal to objective reality as a criterion for determining which ideas are true and which are not. They both rely on logic alone. Both approaches lead to what is known as "systematic" theologies. A systematic theology is one where the logical system of interpretation takes precedence over the text. Systematic theology says "The few difficult verses must be interpreted in light of the many clear verses." As some of us may well remember, this was one of Wierwille's favorite aphorisms. In contrast to systematic theology stands "constructive" theology, where the text takes precedence over the system. Constructive theology says "The fact that a few verses seem difficult means that your understanding of the "many clear verses" is not complete. Constructive theology tests the value of a proposed interpretation against the objective reality of the text! Schoenheit's REV is not just bad theology, it is TERRIBLE theology. It would and should FAIL in any formal academic setting, or even as a presentation at a Society of Biblical Literature meeting. The SBL is a club for Bible scholars, and it's annual conference is very much like GenCon is to gamers. Wierwille's logical system was based on two fundamental assumptions: 1) plenary verbal inspiration (inerrancy of the original texts, to which we do not have access) and 2) the dispensationalist assumption that on the day of Pentecost the Church was a wholly new thing, completely separate and discontinuous from Israel. Instead of approaching the text itself to see whether or not the things Wierwille had taught were true, Schoenheit doubled down on Wierwille's erroneous "administration of the mystery", transforming it into GOD'S SACRED SECRET! How often have I heard the CES boys say or write "logic dictates that..."? The REV is NOT a new translation. Schoenheit found a version of the Bible that was in the public domain so that he wouldn't have to do the actual work of translation. All Schoenheit did was to add a whole bunch of scholarly sounding but irrelevant notes, and to change the "few difficult verses" to line up with his particular system. Schoenheit did not translate, he CORRUPTED the text he plagiarized. That is dishonest scholarship as dishonest as it comes. I don't think it was malicious, but as every professional scholar knows, plagiarism doesn't have to be malicious in order to be dishonest. If you enjoy reading the REV, that's a wonderful thing, though not on the same level of scholarship as the Scofield Reference Bible. Scofield did not change the wording of the text to line up with his system. At the School of Theology we use the NRSV for the sake of uniformity, but all the versions have their own strengths and weaknesses. Love, Steve

Since I left staff in 2015, maybe I can help with some of these questions. 1) This is about accurate. There are a few visitors from other cities/states, but most of the time it's just the staff folks in attendance. The big crowds are for special occasions like Pentecost, the Anniversary, Resurrection Sunday, etc. 2) Former VP Tom Mullins was able to get a retirement policy put into place that states that you can't work on staff full time after 68 years of age. You can still work part time (and then volunteer as much as you'd like). As for who is replacing these folks, from what I've seen it's the newly graduated Corps. Whether they have any experience or not, they're just thrown into the spot. 4) Concerning rocking the base, it doesn't happen. I've seen people canned just for mentioning that they thought things weren't handled the proper way. RFR is on a massive power trip. If you don't agree with her you're gone. 5) They do try to get young people involved, but they don't listen to any ideas to grow. It's like they are trying to get the younger generations to become mindless automatons to carry on with the ministry exactly as it has been going. They squash any attempts at change. 7) This really strikes a cord with me, because they have the money to purchase cars or equipment that they "need", but they sure as hell don't want to pay anybody over time. They have sign up sheets for "Volunteer work" in other departments in order to make sure the work gets done. I don't know where the money is going, but I have an idea that it stays among the higher ranking "members".