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yeah Rocky - I agree. I think of Twinky as looking at a bigger picture – “in the Christian world” as she put it; from meeting her at the Texas BBQ and going on things she shares in her posts, I really believe she is a woman with a mission AND with a compassionate heart for service; some of the stuff she shares about her street pastoring sounds like it could be in a new chapter in the book of Acts. I’m not qualified to speak about gift ministries or know much about them – but as far as I’m concerned she’s got something special up her sleeve – I believe she definitely has a calling...of course she brings a lot of good "things" here also - let's not forget that. folks like Skyrider and Don’t Worry often focus on all things way-world; they’ve got that warrior ethos – never leave anyone behind…they pack some serious heat - - as well as some serious therapy. They are the big guns that expose and obliterate the hypocrisy of “those lying, thieving weasels” (as Don’t Worry calls them); then there’s the healing side of their ministries (there – I said it… and I’ll say it again through an amp that goes up to 11 ) – then there’s the healing side of their compassionate ministries reaching out to those who were hurt by “those lying, thieving weasels”. I hope I haven’t embarrassed you all in some way – just thought I pass along some praise and encouragement. like Skyrider was saying the extent of the consequences is relative to one’s life and experiences…this stuff may not matter much in the Christian world at large - but it matters to me - since part of my life was in way-world. ...every once and awhile I get to feeling down about how I devoted 12 years of my life to a cult and however much mental baggage I’ve been dragging around since then. There’s the shame…embarrassment… the… stigma that some folks associate with cults…sometimes I don’t mind that…maybe that keeps me on my toes…maybe it’s something I’ve got in the habit of doing from technical work – where I double, triple and quadruple check some things cuz I know I’m not perfect – me or someone else is going to screw up or a part will fail – so be prepared. I often look at it as a challenge to do my best critical thinking if we happen to get in a doctrinal or philosophical discussion..i know I’m rambling here – but trust me I’ll bring it back to this thread in a minute or two. I’ve always tried to live my life like an open book – I have nothing to hide – I’ve really tried to live a good Christian life while in TWI and afterwards too! On occasion I have even shared with co-workers of my experiences in a cult as some tough lessons on the importance of a Christ-centered faith and giving heed to one’s authentic-self…the machinations of TWI went so counter to anything that had to do with your authentic-self… some of that crap from the mouths of those lying thieving weasels was really just blowing smoke up my a$$ - to make me think I was destined for greatness. I used to think I’d better go in the corps cuz God has some big plans for me…maybe I’ve got a gift ministry…I tried to picture myself as being the perfect PFAL believer spreading blessings and good fortune wherever I went…alright…about to reconnect to this topic in 3..2…1… If I would have stayed in TWI I believe I would have been groomed to follow – on a small scale – wierwille’s power grabbing style: I think I was a restless and unfulfilled leader - going through the motions of handling my TWI assignment – oh the drudgery...trying to act enthusiastic about moving “the word” – I’m wondering if that’s the equivalent of a woman faking orgasm.…and I was a searching opportunist – taking the same classes again and again, going to advances, special events, joining programs…looking for direction and opportunity to advance spiritually – whatever the hell that means…I was even like my Plagiarizing “mentor “ – making PFAL my own, writing songs about it; looking for other verses to prove some point wierwille had made…and listening to the ensnaring supplanter - I learned to choose TWI’s “household” over family, friends and whatever I was taught in the Roman Catholic Church…in ignorance I endorsed that usurping authoritarian…and revered the consummate cult leader – I volunteered to be isolated, immersed, indoctrinated so I could teach and recruit others. Reflecting on my life since I left TWI: I have such a sense of fulfilment from just trying to be a good husband, dad and competent technician. That may be underrated in some folks’ book but that’s my “ministry” and I’m damn proud of it! I also get a sense of fulfillment and some peace of mind from Grease Spot. To me it’s a far cry from getting the halfway-house-treatment by well-meaning Christians who try to take me on as their next project – that has happened several times over the years in different places where I’ve worked. I can figure out a lot of $hit myself, thank you very much – but there’s nothing like the cyber-camaraderie of folks who have survived a cult. Sorry for the long post, major detour and cuss words but I sure do feel better. Sweet dreams all – nighty night.

Twinky.......I totally agree with you on that aspect. In the wider Christian world, vpw was nonexistent. He plagiarized other men's work and cherry-picked scripture to twist and plant a hybrid crop of wierwille-doctrinesque theology. In terms of large-scale, wierwille wasn't even a pimple on a flea on an elephant. But..........as you so elaborated above, the damage this cult did to one's heart, soul and mindset was extensive. Ten years in a daze......confusion, hurt, broken, anguish.....is a swath of life that you should have not entered. THAT is why I believe in the mission of Greasespot Café: to tell the other side of the story. This site may not be a Christian-site......but there is sure a lot of compassion and healing going on. What is the worth of a soul? We know from scripture the answer to that. How many hundreds, thousands even, have come to GSC to glean what they needed to be delivered from burdens, wounds or a broken heart? As WordWolf notes often.........the fact that scores and scores of people have left GSC is great! They've moved on. They are the success stories. This site continues to sound and expound a warning shot to those who were sucked into the vortex of a cult, or might be. Our purpose is clear. Our results are profound. I like being a part of this G-team. God Bless you, Twinky.........I find your life's story compelling and marvel at your incredible ministry of service to others. You are a gem. Your deep compassion and fortitude to "hit the streets" to minister to others is remarkably inspiring. You are truly one of God's treasured servants.

(blushes again) Thank you, Skyrider. Yep. If it's "you" that got hurt, it is a big deal. "You," basically are all you've got. Yep again. I've posted this before: I was so desperate and destroyed that I was prepared to crawl across broken glass to get back to TWI after ten years in the wilderness. I got on the net to find their zip code. The first result for TWI was - GreaseSpot Cafe! I looked. I was appalled, horrified. And ultimately healed. My grovelly letter of apology for my imagined sins never got written. I thank God for Saint Pawtucket and this place.

It IS a matter of perspective. vpw fancied himself a big deal. However, even twi's total numbers, compared to society in general or Christianity in general, were insignificant. They were too small to rate even a historical footnote. However, if someone "only" ruins 3 lives, it's very important to you if you're one of the 3 lives they ruin. In 1982, I was hit and almost killed by a careless driver who was driving carelessly. That's not noteworthy among the statistics of pedestrians hit by vehicles, but it made a big impression on me at the time. When one looks back at vpw trying to grab power, I think it helps to look back to BEFORE his professional career. He was a child who shirked his chores and ran off for hours rather than work on the farm like his brothers. (According to TW:LiL.) He was a show-off and a bully who zoomed around on a motorcycle trying to get attention. (According to a big fan of his who actually went around and talked to people he knew in his childhood.) He considered careers in business and in show business before settling on ministry as a career. (According to vpw himself talking to the corps.) When he decided on it, he was met with disbelief that he was serious because he wasn't appropriate for it (according to TW:LiL). He chose to study "Homiletics" or preaching rather than any rigorous, academic ministry path- which is odd when contrasted with how scholarly he portrayed himself. And in the first year of his ministry career, he seriously considered quitting for the first time. All of that paints a rather specific picture- one of someone unsuited for such a career path but on it anyway.

Thank you for your kind words, T-Bone (blushes). I'm just out there doing my best. Whenever and wherever. Thinking about the damage caused, Rocky and Sky, I was a confident professional woman when I entered the Corps. The "head games" that they played were far worse and longer lasting than physical ill-treatment. After they booted me out, I was a wreck, thinking at one time that I was so useless that I probably wouldn't even be able to kill myself effectively. I spent ten years ("the lost years") in a daze not really knowing what was going on, and I was so hurt and damaged and spiky that it's a wonder nobody killed me before I could do that to myself. Seriously. I was a mental basket case; even now, I'm not sure I'd have the patience or compassion to love someone like me as I was then. So, I know the damage that was caused to some people, and specifically to me. I think I was being groomed, by LCM himself (Rosie saved me from that; I think she saw lawsuits coming if he persisted) and later, by his head honcho in the country where I was living. I rather fancy my non-compliance had a bearing on my being booted out. But not before they'd beaten me into total inadequacy, then left me for dead. I know what they did to my most wonderful Corps sister. I know what they did to other people, that I knew and loved. Yet because of that, I can love others in hopeless places. Thankful others cared enough. Thankful to have found a tremendous church with outstanding people who looked out for the desperate, the injured and the hurting ones. For me, I know what lingers and where the trigger points are. But still, Sky, in the wider Christian world - VPW was such a nonentity. Thank God!

Yeah, I suppose.........."huge dimensions and consequences" is all relative to one's life and experiences. I don't know.......I guess when I consider abuse, spiritual, sexual or otherwise, it seems like a huge deal to me. Considering a ballpark figure of some 50,000 people taking pfal, and maybe 9,000 going WOW and having their lives upended or worse, and thousands of corps being indoctrinated by a cult.......leaving in its wake, rape, abandonment, stress, anguish, divorce, suicide and/or assault.........those seem like "huge dimensions and consequences" to me. I wonder why 17,866 people have, at one point in time, signed on to be a member of GSC........and, most of all, want to post their thoughts and opinions. Sure, I get it..........wierwille was a small-time piker in a little Ohio hamlet, but the confluence of timing, technology and youth amplified his cult teachings and spiritual abuse in many parts of the world. He was definitely no "empty paper bag."

Different perspective. Definitely legitimate, not necessary contradictory to what Skyrider described.

I'm not going to watch the video yet. I am going down in person in a few days to see it in person. I'll post my review here then.

I really don't think I can fully agree with you on this. "Polarizing," definitely, among some that heard of him (most, don't care - if his memory ever crosses their minds). "Huge dimensions and consequences" in some people's lives (inc many who hang out here and on other TWI-focused sites), but many walked away without a backward glance. In the scale of things - he was just another small-town sex-obsessed liar. Who actually was of such insignificance that very few have heard of him (granted, more than most small-town sex-obsessed liars). In the Christian world, he's not even a nonentity. Pathetic, really. All his grandiosity - he was just an empty paper bag.

Thanks Skyrider and Don’t Worry - love your posts - anytime you guys get into analyzing wierwille / programs / beginnings - and also put things in historical context, it’s all quality stuff - as good any top notch non-fiction best seller! And it means a lot to me personally - since I was involved in it for a number of years...kinda helps to wrap my mind around what the hell happened.

Thanks, DWBH............ I always look forward to your posts. Yes, wierwille was a bumbling, stumbling, rumbling opportunist that was looking for something, anything that would give him a new shtick of relevance. When I posted about the "climb of power" and the summit of control over others..............that, in no way, credits wierwille. His narcissistic pathologies held sway over any measurable thought or character. The guy's narcissism, undiagnosed and unchecked...........left thousands abused, wounded and/or destroyed. A grifter and opportunist scheming to ease his way thru life........not an honest day's pay.

Another wonderful post Skyrider....encouraging both critical thought and self-reflection. Your willingness to reveal your deepest personal “lens” view of experiences you witnessed or endured, without worrying about covering for your own naïveté at the time, due primarily to the vibrant idealism of youth at the time many of us got involved, is most admirable imho. I appreciate your honest insight and your reflection of TWIt “history” as you experienced it then, and as you understand it now, some 40 years later. I am far less “kind” to dictor paul than you are. From my own interpersonal interactions with dp, I don’t think he had near the cleverness you give him credit for, Sky. He was a spoiled little brat, sexually abused baby of an Aryan family of 8. His intellect was a C- at best throughout his academic career, when he wasn’t failing. He mastered one thing. Plagiarism. Vic was a charlatan from the beginning. But, he was just a small-time crappie in a huge pond of Elmer Gantrys in the 1940s who were looking to make a comfortable living and stay outta WWII. Plus, Adolph Ernst...his daddy...was a Nazi supporter in the German-American Bund founded by Lindbergh and Fritz Kuhn in 1936. Young dictor grew up in that racist, fascist environment, and they even spoke German in their home, before they learned English! So, dp’s “call to ministry” was nothing more than a fortunate turn of events which got him through a cheap Evangelical and Reformed seminary, and ordained as a clergyman in that denomination with his own church, St. Jacob’s in Payne, OH, as Skyrider has recorded. That began a bumbling, stumbling, rumbling, bull-in-a-China-shop romp through the Bible Belt Fundamentalist Jesus culture of the post-war Midwest. Quite a conservative area of the USA at that time. His entire Chimes Hour Youth Caravan “founding” of TWIt was just the beginning of his hustle. He saw what worked with kids, had a nice, steamy affair with Rosalind Rinker, and had his first child, a son, Donald Ernst. Then he got a promotion to a bigger, more important, better tithing E&R church in Van Wert, St. Peter’s. Got him out of Payne before his shenanigans could be uncovered, settled him into a comfortable, economically stable community with a built-in guaranteed flock to fleece. He was simply playing the denominational pastor game and really just wanted to be as big as his heroes, Oral Roberts and Billy Graham. At the AC at HQ in the sumner of 1972, dp said: “I’m not an Evangelist like Billy Graham, or Oral Roberts! I’m a teacher! I tried to reach out to them in the 50s to work together for the Lord. You know, when they pack ‘em into their tents and stadiums, get ‘em born again and then what?? Send them to ME! I’ll teach them the greatness of the accuracy of Gawd’s rightly divided word!” He said that right after he finished playing a tape of Oral Roberts’ preaching his famous 4th Man Sermon. Dic was just a greedy young ne’re-do-well from a hick German farm town in the middle of nowhere Ohio, who got outta the hard work of taking over daddy’s farm, or starting a business of his own like his brothers, by choosing the easy, well-respected con of Midwest clergyman, knocking up his HS sweetheart, and grabbing and groping his way through one small group of suckers after another. When he was lucky enough to stumble across folks like Peter J. Wade, David Anderson, John Somerville, Ken Klug, Walter Cummins, Jim Doop, Steve Heefner, and Donnie Fugit, it was THEIR gifts, abilities and enthusiasm that made dic’s class a hit, not dic’s personal presence. Often, his personal presence just caused trouble for everyone! He was a jerk in the opinion of many. Until those same men had the Bible ministry they loved stolen from them and brought under the iron fist of Herr Victor the First. The progress of dic’s new possession really took off when he got rid of his competition. He started the corpse in 1969 with Ken Klug in it, John Lynn, Pat Browning, Johnny Townsend, and couple of others. The famous Zero corpse. Started again in 1970 with the first corpse of 9, including 1 guy at ECU. Again, not really planned or thought through beyond the free-spirited idealism of young hippies who really believed ole Dic was teaching the word like it hadn’t been known since the 1st Century and there were miracles, signs, and wonders everywhere! Dic wanted a core group as disciplined and tough as the Marine Corps after the Zero corpse pooped out to get married and take care of other personal priorities. That’s why he loved ECU so much. John and Tim Somerville started the “work” at ECU. John volunteered for Vietnam Nam to prove the revelation and power manifestations to himself, and was truly a hero and esteemed warrior among his fellow Marines. Dic said if John could do all that for the Marines, why can’t I get people to do that for God and His word??! Why can’t God have a Marine Corps?? Hence, the concept of the way corpse was born. Again, no cleverly calculated, sinister, MLM plot. Just the continued outworking of one man’s pathology now gathering steam through a serendipitous cult of personality that was building around a completely incompetent, dumbass, perverted drunk. Imho, Dic had a lot less to do with building his cult than the first 5 corpses and the WOW program. It was those groups that most adored dictor, enjoyed the thrill and joy of genuine Christian revival when they first took that class thing, were free enough to just pick up and go wherever the man-o-gawd told them too. It was not dictor or the stupid class that got me into TWIt. It was my closest and most beloved friends. It was the power of miracles, signs, and wonders and no authoritarian control. As the money began pouring in, Harry and Vic figured they better invest it. Best investment?? REAL ESTATE! Emporia, Rome City, Gunnison, Limb homes in OH, IN, MI, NC, KS, CA, NY, all bought by TWIt in the early 70s. The Colleges, campuses, camps, limb homes, etc., were all money-laundering schemes that Dic and Harry stumbled into, which were then “perfected” by Howard and Don, and all the new early corpse grads flooding HQ and all the new “Root Locales” with millions of laundered abundant sharing dollars. The only names on ALL the deeds to those properties were those of TWIt trustees.....Harry Wierwille, Ermal Owens, dictor paul, Howard, Don, and da Forehead. That was it until the Allen lawsuit was settled. Whose names are on the remaining deeds?? Ohio? Gunnison? That’s when the real systemization of dic’s evil began imo. Dic himself was too dumb to do anything but drink and molest women while reading anyone else’s Bible teachings a couple of times a week in some quaint little midwestern hamlet in Ohio. He was a slick con. He knew the game. He was always on the prowl. He was clever, not intelligent. He was deceitful, and ambitious, not honest or humble. He was mentally ill....untreated, uncontrolled mental illness dysfunctionally working itself out since his teens. He was a charmer and manipulator, not by will, but by nature. No redeeming social value, spiritually empty, and intellectually vapid. So, though dictor paul was lucky enough to attract some very talented people into his sex/personality cult, I don’t give him credit for diabolically planning, thinking through, or conceiving what he eventually destroyed. Sadly, he used a lot of wonderful, smart, talented, authentically loving, idealistic young people, who loved Jesus and just wanted to do the right thing to pay for and fulfill his own hubris and lusts. A pimp and a whore and a bully. What a ministry!

...It was. It DID happen A LOT. I'm thinking now that people being thrust into leadership roles they were not prepared for was more the norm than the exception. Even in "the old days" speak so fondly of. My interim Corps year was my second year as a WOW. This time I was the Corps Nazi a$$hole; albeit doggedly determined NOT to be. I was sent to New Albany Indiana, which was about as different from my homeland of Pittsburgh, PA as could be. The southern drawl was a different language to me altogether. I couldn't even uuuhhhndaa staaahhhhnnnn wuuuut folks wuz saaaaayyuun! :o--> My three WOW brothers were: Eric; who was SO physically abused by his father, who would backhand him about the head, so often and badly that he sloched to his right and would hardly move his mouth when he talked. Dave; a tall, blonde, blue eyed, rugged, carpenter type, whose life story was kinda like a country western song. Then there was Jesse; a handsome softspoken ex-military guy. Jesse was CONVINCED that I was a CIA plant in the WOW program assigned by the Army to watch him and assinate him in his sleep. When I would be talking with one of the other two Jesse would hear voices in his head that, regardless of what was actually being said, he'd hear stuff like... "Tonite's the night. I'm gonna off Jesse in his sleep." Seriously. He'd hear stuff like that then use his softspoken demeanor to gently confront me and try to get me to admit it. Of course I denied saying whatever, but he'd say that I was just using my CIA training to be really good at twisting stuff. Eric was almost 30 and had never worked a day in his life. No discernable people skills. I got him an interview to work @ KFC. Gave him a ride & he refused to walk through a door the manager was holding open. Eric wound up leaving the field, wouldn't get a job. We wound up calling Dave "Van Man." He moved out of our apartment and lived in his van in our parking lot (or wherever he decided to park on a particular day). He figured that was wise cause Jesse just might decide to off one of, or all of us as WE slept before I got to him. Jesse was real quiet. Wouldn't go witnessing or do most of the WOW stuff. He would just kinda sit back & watch me all the time. This is no sh##. No exaggeration. No artist's license to make it sound more interesting. After the first couple of months our "numbers" were not that great. More like "non-existent." We had been the first family in the region to put together a PFAL class but those people kinda faded away, except for April, who became Dave's girlfriend. After being called on the carpet at our Limb Meeting by our Region Coordinator; a slick, up and coming Corps Nazi, Robert (last name starts w/B, rhymes with "felt"). I went home and wrote Robert a long heartfelt "help me!" letter explaining how my "WOW Brothers" team; Eric was an abused child and couldn't speak to strangers, Jesse heard voices saying I was out to asassinate him in his sleep, and Dave, the only sane one, was living in his VAN!!! When I recieved Robert's reply letter (after three loooong weeks) I was excited thinking the Corps "calvary" was about to ride over the horizon and HELP! Robert told me that if I were a better leader, my people wouldn't have such problems and he was gonna recommend that I don't go back in residence because I "just was not ready" and therefore UNQUALIFIED to be a Corps grad because I could get these guys to BE WOW's! They were CLINICAL (at least Jesse & Eric). There was NO WAY I was qualified to help them. I learned to sleep w/one eye open that year, though. --> I think that was one of the biggest miscalculations VPW made in the ministry. He pushed and pushed that people should go WOW and Corps BEFORE college. He even went so far as to say the he felt going to college might be a "cop out" for some who were afraid to go out on the field. People were constantly put into positions they had absolutely NO training or experience for. I would have had to be Dr. Phil to deal w/MY wow family! After that "WOW!" year... hell yeah I was "afraid" to go out on the field!

the cruelty of the corps program hurt me very much as a result i think i was kinder to others