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The splinter groups will continue to market the wierwille mystique and his legacy..........to bring notoriety to their doorstep and money to their coffers. Wierwille was a showman and a storyteller. He trafficked in deception and exploiting others thru the subtle power of spiritual abuse. He traveled up and down the highways searching for the new shtick that would arrest the public's curiosity and attention.......wherein, he could run full-throttle with his narcissism. From retreats to seminars to camps farthest out, wierwille was intently looking for a pyramid of his own making. The youth had the time, and zeal, to make things happen. And, when the youth leaders [Way West / Way East] surged forward with throngs of people, wierwille walked into those meetings and power-grabbed their movements for himself. The revisionist history that accompanied his "God-ordained greatness" was a slick ploy to build this mystique of "the man of God." Yet, in reality.......Wierwille's legacy is one of stealing, exploiting, and destroying others for his own opportunity. Splinter groups need to keep the wierwille-mystique in place........thus, they will not abandon him, nor will they come to GSC and step into the area of open discussions on the matter. Mystique only plays well in shades of grey.......not in open sunlight.

I remember this ROA. It was my 2nd. The first one i had gone out WOW. I had just turned 21. My parents were in res. Both they AND my WOW team leader jumped on me and the other young adults on my team accusing us of being involved in whatever had happened at the gazebo. We were all confused as to what the heck had gone down at the gazebo. And in my young brain, i was a little upset that I hadn't been considered cool enough by those kids to be invited. I think I had a brother who had been there. He told me it was a bunch of clergy kids who had planned that whole thing. A few main memories of that ROA: 1. My WOW family coordinator was DFAC at that rock. She was too soft hearted to stand up to what was required of her. I remember she would try to be authoritative with us, but her heart wasn't in it. I remember seeing her right after she was dropped (I had no idea what had happened) and she was wearing a hand written nametag instead of her WC one. I was always getting in trouble for forgetting my nametag, so I said (joking) "where's your nametag? SOMEONE WILL THINK YOU GOT DROPPED!" Then I found out she had just come from being stripped of her WC status. I wanted to melt into the ground. I still feel bad about that. 2. We had a girl on our WOW team who had been dropped for being a lesbian in the middle of the year. She was a foundational class grad. We were lucky as a team because we only lost her. Other teams had been decimated, having to move in with other teams because there were so few left. 3. On our way back to ROA from where we were on the field (way out in the SW usa) one of our vehicles broke down with a radiator hose that had split. We fixed it with an "All Roads Lead to The Rock" bumper sticker. We felt like we were super conquerors to come up with that solution and arrive in time for the rock. We took the offending hose with its bumper sticker bandaid to present it to the WOW coordinator, thinking it would be a great example of God working in us to find a way to overcome. Revelation or something. I believe the WOW coordinator was J0hn R◇p.o., but I could be mistaken. He and my WOW team coordinator were annoyed we had even considered they would care. We should have believed better and the car wouldn't have broken in the first place. 4. One of my brothers was slated to go out in the next wave of wows. But the program had been cancelled. Our parents were in residence. He couldn't go back with them. He had nothing and nowhere to go. He ended up in something like a way home in Ann Arbor. Whole life disrupted. 5. I was still in debt when I went WOW. But at the time I left I had been informed my student loans didn't count as debt. In the middle of the year that changed. I didn't have them paid off by the time the rock came around. I was sure martindale would know by revelation that i had debt. Or that they would run credit checks on all the wows. Or something. But no one knew. I should have known then that they had no connection to God at all. (Please excuse grammar and spelling... I typed this all on my phone. And it is a pain in the foot.)

Most modern scholars believe the first gospel written was Mark and that it was written in about 70 CE. Paul's death is placed at 64 CE. Obviously, he would have written the epistles before the date of his death.

Just my opinion: I think noting the chronology of when New Testament documents were written is important in that it helps to verify historical authenticity; but personally, I think the order of the canon makes for a very compelling and somewhat linear narrative; though the order of the canon may not indicate the actual sequence of when each document was written – it's possible one of the intentions of canonical order "committees" was to suggest the doctrinal importance of each writer’s spiritual journey - - in that it begins with Jesus Christ’s life, words and works in the Gospels.

I suppose I should have said the chronology of the writings. As WordWolf noted earlier in the thread, the epistles were written before the gospels.

In my first post I said this thread is all about the deceitful, manipulative, and underhanded methods that The Way International frequently employs…However, I believe there were some good people in it when I was involved – as there probably still are today – and so I wanted to mention the difference between a manipulator and a motivator (an honest person of influence). I found this article that addresses the difference and thought some folks might find it interesting – so from Psychology Today article are the following excerpts: “…You can think of it as the difference between influence and manipulation. I checked these words out in the dictionary and actually they are pretty close in definition. They both involve “producing an effect in another person without apparent exertion of force.” But manipulation is defined as “having control over others by having the ability to influence their behavior (emotions) and their actions so things can go in the manipulator’s favor” and “to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to one's own advantage.” In my experience, a manipulator tends to play on others’ fears, greed (a form of fear) or guilt. Those being manipulated feel pressured, trapped, or angry. In contrast, the word influence has an ancient root in the Middle English word for “emanation of the stars.” Definitions include “the emanation of moral or spiritual force.” People who are influential tend to be charismatic and admirable. We are inspired by them and aspire to be like them. We feel good around them. (Of course, not all influences are good, but have you noticed that we need to say “bad” influence to clarify a negative effect, but we never have to add “bad” to manipulation?) When I think of manipulation, I think of someone who cares only about his own needs, a person who puts his self-interest above that of others. For instance, toddlers, who are naturally self-centered and convinced of their own omnipotence, can be excellent manipulators. They’re savvy enough to have figured out Mom or Dad’s hot buttons and they’ll push those buttons relentlessly to get exactly what they want... …Compared to manipulation, influence has a more positive connotation that takes into consideration others’ needs and desires. As parents, we want to influence our kids to be healthy and safe. As friends, we want to influence our friends to happy and fulfilled. As business owners, we want to influence our clients to be successful and prosperous. We want what is best for those in our “sphere of influence.” ” == == == == == some differences I see is that a manipulator is dishonest and self-centered – only concerned with achieving what they want – merely using the needs and desires of others as a means to compel them toward that end. Whereas a motivator…someone influential, considers the needs and desires of others and works to help them define, focus and achieve what they really want. Along those lines I found an article in Christianity Today on motivation versus manipulation: “It has been said the difference between motivation and manipulation is the quenching of thirst. If so, the key for leaders is to look for thirsty people and identify their thirst. Effective motivators ask themselves, What kind of water do I have to satisfy that kind of thirst?” I tend to think a motivator is an honest person with a broad altruistic streak running down their back – maybe that’s how they recognize a desire…a thirst or an interest that is already present within someone – something they want to achieve – and the motivator wants to honestly help them get there. A manipulator camouflages their goals under the guise of appearing as things that you want... Why did I join the way corps? I wanted to grow spiritually, become a stronger believer, and find out what my special calling was… and how was that achieved? I’ll tell you how! By re-hashing PFAL, hitching to LEAD / rock climbing, the work program, stringing chairs, getting corps sponsorship together, corps night teachings of "the word" (ahem...and I quote "doctor wierwille said this...doctor wierwille said that.." ), bless patrol, going light-bearers, research papers focused on regurgitating PFAL… spiritual growth? naw, life is slowly choked out by the stifling stagnation of spiritual darkness (if what you think is "light" or illumination in your mind - and it's actually darkness - how great is that darkness! Because you think that is light !!! ) becoming a stronger believer - translation = being closed-minded and wierwille-centric; knowing PFAL like the back of my hand - which has the crib notes for all 12 sessions. find out what my special calling was - - heavy revelation here - ta-dah ! I can aspire to be a top notch flunky for The Way International. But when you look past the veneer of Christianity, past the mindless repetition of busywork (those cheap ba$tards) , and see that you've hung all your aspirations on wierwille and company blowing smoke up you’re a$$ - then you realize you’ve been had by manipulators – welcome to the world of cult indoctrination TWI-style...those supermassive a$$holes !