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So did I. :)

How very ELITIST of you. What exactly are your academic credentials? Fundamentalism 1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity (esp among certain Protestant sects) the belief that every word of the Bible is divinely inspired and therefore true 2. (Islam) Islam a movement favouring strict observance of the teachings of the Koran and Islamic law 3. strict adherence to the fundamental principles of any set of beliefs What is fundamentalism? Fundamentalism is the approach to religion that sees believers embrace an early form of their religion, to consider it beyond criticism and worthy enough to be enforced upon oneself (or others) without having to accommodate modern evidence or logical arguments against it. (continued) Mike, you sir, beside the fact that you are a dogmatist, are a fundamentalist. Except that YOUR fundamentalism is PFLAP flavored.

I watched 50 minutes of the video. I wouldn't have recognized anybody. I'd seen the Moynihands and Michael Fort before, just too long ago. At about 9:10 on the left side of the screen a woman was walking behind everybody in another room. Then she sat down and you could see her feet bobbing up and down periodically. At 44 minutes she was visible again and not long after that she walked away. Was that Melody? It was interesting for me to see them and hear them talk, but I concur with several of the comments that followed. Back in 1994, when they did those 3 purges (debt, homo, and unproductive evil), twi changed from an open door, whosoever will may come, shucks, there ain't no strangers at the way...ministry to an elitist group. Before that, you could just be a joe believer without aspiring to be way corps and they treated you OK. Not anymore. I did a timeline and I'd like to add to it. 1975 - twi releases JCING, becoming an instant "cult" - 8K at ROA 1986 - After 11 years of persecution, Passing of Patriarch revealed, having great impact - 20 plus K at ROA 1989 - After 3 years of "fog" many exit twi...LCM responds w/loyalty letter, having some impact - 4Kat ROA 1994 = After 5 years of loyalty letter impact, LCM et al become puffed up with false confidence - 11K at ROA. So, the people in that R&R video were all totally on board with the elitism LCM and later, RFR were the faces for. And now 25 years later they want us to believe their hearts are pure??? Not buying that! They still think they're eliter than thou. They just want to get paid for it better.

The snowstorm never happened. That's a fact. Despite what you might think, Mike, Ohio has weather records that are quite comprehensive, dating all the way back to the late 1800's. We've been through this all before and looked at specific dates for Ohio weather records.

Sorry Mike, but I think you are obfuscating the simplicity of the Bible; I believe if God communicated his Word - then what more is needed then to simply believe it? I think one can infer from many passages that God does indeed help seekers to get a better understanding of his Word... That is the whole idea behind the following passages: 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own...John 7:16, 17 NIV Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. II Timothy 2:7 NIV The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding...Proverbs 9:10 NIV The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. ...Psalm 119:130 KJV 13 For we write you nothing other than what you read and understand [there is no double meaning in what we say]. And I hope you will [accurately] understand [divine things] until the end; 14 just as you have [already] partially understood us, [and one day will recognize] that you can be proud of us just as we are of you, in the day of our Lord Jesus...II Corinthians 1: 13, 14 Amplified Mike, don’t over complicate it! The Word is right there in plain sight ! No one needs a secret decoder ring !

That apparently was Alexander Pope. In An Essay on Criticism, Part II, in 1711, apparently, Pope explains that, while anyone can make a mistake, we should aspire to do as God does, that is, show mercy and forgive sinners: Note that Pope's original wording uses the word 'humane' rather than, as it is now usually spelled, 'human'. This wasn't a spelling mistake, nor have we misunderstood the poet's meaning, just that 'humane' was the accepted spelling of 'human' in the early 18th century.

I was never "love bombed". Just loved. First by God. Then by some of his people. btw You don't have to be in twi for someone to try to take advantage of you.

Some great points there, Grace ! …and you’ve touched on something that resonates big time with me about being human…ya know it doesn’t happen as often as it probably should…but sometimes when drafting a post for Grease Spot or mulling over something someone said on Grease Spot - every once and a great while I will actually get my head out of my a$$... translation: when I realize we are all human beings…all bozos on the same bus…meaning no one is exempt from this weird and bizarre experience called the human condition…that’s when my theology and philosophical musings take a back seat (or I guess goes to the back of the bus ) and I just enjoy connecting with other human beings…times like that I probably shock some folks when I get all apologetic…sorry about that - - oops there I go again …(T-Bone, say “good night, Grace”) Good night, Grace

T-Bone, great post! I think you are right in that "we should recognize the humaness of scripture." I think for me, Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of humanity; we can endure huge amounts of pain, and suffering, because of what he endured for us. In every situation in the Bible, we see that Jesus was triumphant over everyone, and everything, including death. However, the Bible was written thousands of years ago in cultures very different from our's. I think the Bible was written to show us, that God's son Jesus Christ could endure various human travils, and emerge triumphant. I know that I don't always act, or think like Jesus, but I know that I can endure the hardships of life, because Jesus has already triumphed over everything, and God sent him to teach me personally. Because I am human, I don't always see life, the way that God does. Boy, do I make mistakes!! However, I think the Bible teaches me to "keep trucking," and in God's time, I will reap the benefits of living life like Jesus Christ.

Not saying they (Doop and Hefner) didn't have a significant impact on TWI's growth... I'm simply not persuaded it's as much as some here seem to want to portray it as being. Probably because I don't think it was (in the mind of many back then, if not the majority) any particular individual's ministry. At least, not at first. Granted, somewhere along the way it transitioned from "the ministry of reconciliation" into "the Way ministry"... evolving as VPW's ministry (TWI), or into Wade's, or Hefner's, or Lynn's, or Finnegan's, or _________ (fill in the blank)'s ministry. Seems to me that 'bout the time anyone "takes the reins" of a particular group or movement (however it's labeled), the head of the body is no longer the head (at least, not in practice.) What tells your little pinky finger to bend in such and such a manner? The hand? Or the arm? Or the mouth? Nope. It's the head, and only the head. Without Christ at the helm, how "spiritual" are the actions of anyone... or any ministry... going to be?