skyrider

Intimidation is a well-used tool in this process. "Spiritual Intimidation"....."I've got the answers" suppresses questioning, murmurs, and uprisings. In pfal, wierwille took the victor role in his conquests over other "religious leaders and bible scholars" who knew very little about the keys to "the Word's interpretation." See how it works.......hahaha Chris Geer took the stage after wierwille's death....and DID THE SAME. Only Geer had the answers. Remember all those Region/Limb guys flying over to Gartmore to "hear the deeper truths that wierwille, on his deathbed, had imparted to Geer, and Geer alone." A classic power-grab. There are alpha males everywhere..........BEWARE.

Cult leaders, dictators, regimes, narcissists, and plenty of ilk KNOW the techniques of power-grabbing. During times of hardship, stress, confusion and crisis, when one's defenses are down.......the manipulation occurs. The Masterful Art of the Power-Grab 1) How many people took pfal during times of hurt, grief, confusion or despair? 2) How many went WOW ambassador as a result of ROA hype or peer pressure? 3) How many ways did wierwille incite caste/class competition in The Way Ministry? 4) How did Corps versus Non-Corps status divide twi into the "haves" and the "have-nots?" 5) How did wierwille use "the Word" terminology as the ultimate inner-sanctum prize? 6) How did wierwille manipulate us to accept "his private interpretation" of the scriptures? 7) How did bullies rise to Region Coordinators....while good people didn't get leadership roles? 8) How did wierwille hide and suppress abuses of plagairism for decades and was not dragged to court? 9) How did wierwille build an inner circle of "yes-men" and live in a hidden world of lust? 10) How did wierwille fleece the people via abundant sharing to amass scores of toys, planes, harleys, millions? THESE ARE RHETORICAL QUESTIONS.....most all, of which, have been answered here at GS. But I tend to think that the least common denominator of how wierwille "built his worldwide ministry" and pulled off this POWER-GRAB.....was the deceptive use of "the Word." Simply put, most all pfal students wanted to learn Scriptures and God's will for their lives. After pfal, standing for God was synonymous with "standing with the way ministry." Pfal was a shell game. Pfal was never about empowering the individual.....it was winning allegiance to wierwille, to twi. More classes, more recruits.....more recruits, more money......more money, more power. It took money from my pocket....to twi's pocket.

Did Ch@v0usti grow out of that arrogant/condescending streak? Back in 1978 in New York, I had witnessed to two college girls and invited them to a Branch Saturday Night Coffeehouse. You know, when "coffeehouse" was slang for come, sit and listen to music,.......and a public explanation of pfal. Anyways, I had spent several hours talking to these girls (really knock-out looking girls too I might add :) ) The night was going along fine until Ch@voustie took the stage. He was cocky, elitist and acted like a buffoon. Within five minutes, the two girls adamantly excused themselves and hit the exit door. I never heard from them again. All was not lost though. Thanks to Ch@voustie's actions, they avoided The Way Cult.

me too.......me too.......me too.......me too...... :) The insanity is repeating itself.....over and over again. And, Rupp dragging up a childhood memory on "chocolicious" to teach in a bible class??? WOW, how lame.

Why the India itinerary? I see two distinct reasons why wierwille went to India. 1) In 1944, wierwille attended an E. Stanley Jones Ashram in North Carolina. The powerful influence that Jones commanded at his conferences and all his writings made a distinct impact on the young wierwille........Click here 2) In 1953, after wierwille took BG Leonard's class twice, Bishop Pillai's visit to Van Wert also had a profound impact on wierwille. At age 36, wierwille was prime for reaching beyond the pail of his church. In the summer of 1953 vpw's brother harry was in Tennessee and one evening attended a nearby Baptist church in Chattanooga. That evening, the guest speaker was Bishop KC Pillai. Invitations were extended for Pillai to speak at the Van Wert Church where vpw was pastorate. For six weeks, pillai taught wierwille eastern customs [Light Through an Eastern Window. Bishop Pillai left the United States for India in December 1954 and set the groundwork for the wierwilles to visit India. In making these arrangements, Dr. I.S. Williams from Bombay was to be their host.....whose influence and local church gave wierwille access to preach in India. The wierwille's began preparations to travel abroad.....to England [Oct-1955], to India [Nov 1955--Feb 1956], to Egypt [Feb 24-27 1956] and a short tour of israel/syria and many european countries [Mar/Apr 1956]. Vpw's salary from the van wert church (minus what he paid for a replacement minister for eight months), monetary gifts from family and church friends, the wierwilles determined that $2000 would be taken care of by the church and $8000 by the radio program. Still not enough.....the wierwilles sold their car and household furniture. So......this eight-month tour abroad gave vpw [and mrs.] an extended "road trip" after 11 years as pastor in van wert, ohio. Upon their return to the USA, on Apr 21, 1956.....a flurry of family arrangements, meetings, church business, dad wierwille bequeathed the farm to his three sons, classes, etc. took place. The publishing of The Dilemma of Foreign Missions in India initiated a pressured undercurrent from the church. In August 1957, wierwille resigned from St. Peter's Church in Van Wert and work towards The Way ministry as of December 1957 had begun.

It seems fair to say that Dr. I.S. Williams was a prominent Christian man as president of the All-India Federation of National Churches........BUT the "christian element" was/is a small sliver in a country populated by vast religions, of which Hindu and Muslin reign. At the Jains Convention, a three-day HINDU event.....Dr. I.S. Williams had entree and an invitation. After he spoke, Williams was the translator when wierwille preached to the people. How big of splash did wierwille make? Or, was this when many took time for a bathroom break? LOTS of political and religious men were pillars of the Indian society....as christianity fought the headwinds in India. Even Dr. I.S. Williams was far down the hierarchy of the religious establishment. Thus, wierwille's "15-minutes in the spotlight was merely like a drop in the Indian Ocen of Influence." <_<

LOOK AT THIS.... Abundant Life Movement [in India].....in 1954? 1955? This "abundant life movement" must refer to E. Stanley Jones' work/movement in India......this was BEFORE wierwille ever arrived in India. Click here

The discrepancies of the India itinerary that I see: 1) In pfal, vpw claims with great bravado how "the doors of India opened wide for his ministry".....yet, all evidence points to Bishop KC Pillai contacting Dr. I.S. Williams to help wierwille, as wierwille hosted bishop pillai. All meetings to all officials and the Jains convention were opened by the prominent figure, Dr. I.S. Williams. Wierwille's claims of "greatness in India" don't fly.......nor did wierwille ever return. 2) "The Dilemma of Foreign Missions" pamphlet that wierwille wrote after returning to USA.....this research, reporting and documenting was ALREADY IN PROCESS TWO YEARS EARLIER by India commissions and governing boards. 3) Mrs. Wierwille's book is in error. So far from what I've uncovered, it looks like the man who hosted the wierwille's was Dr. I.S. Williams.....NOT "Dr. J.S. Williams. Maybe, Mrs. Wierwille and Karen couldn't read her notes and it was an honest mistake and type. Or, was it a cover-up of facts? 4) With all of vpw's boasting......NOW it opens suspicion of him exaggerating OTHER FACTS. Did the Jabalpur "healing" really happen as described? Did vpw get "the keys to the city" as he claimed? Why such a "private" gesture and not a public meeting for all to see? The India Itinerary covered some 20 cities in about 3 1/2 months..... p. 131 Born Again to Serve "On November 21, 22, and 23 in the city of Ujjain, Dr. Wierwille addressed a three-day annual convention of the Terapanthi Jains, knownas the Anuverat Movement. Dr. Wierwille was the first Christian ever to be invited to address this body. The Jains are a sect of Hindus and their leader was Acharaya Shri Tulsi, who spent much time in private telling us about the whole movement and asking questions of us. Dr. Wierwille remarked, 'I can say that the Acharaya is doing much for the building up of the moral and ethical structure of the Indian peoples.'" No....I don't doubt that wierwille addressed this convention....BUT all evidence show that Dr. I.S. Williams was the prominent Christian man in this Hindu meeting and translated for wierwille. From what I see, wierwille got to preach for 15-20 minutes.....and that was it. The Jain convention lasted for 3 days......kinda like wierwille getting to speak at the "ROA Family Tables" as a sideshow to a much larger event. BIG DEAL..........hahahahahaha For me, all those grandeur visions of wierwille as "the man of god of the world".........are gone. The pride of man...........and mighty is its fall. BINGO. And THAT, my friends......is how wierwille "build his ministry" for all the world to see.

At the bottom of this link [posted above and now here]....Click here ...is a "Back to Contents Page" link....Vindicated by Time Lots of stuff here if someone really wants to delve into it. But.....it looks like "The Dilemma of Foreign Missions" research was well underway in 1954 and finalized in April of 1956 before wierwille wrote his little pamphet in Nov/Dec of 1956. Once again....it looks like wierwille tried to pass of "his work of the foreign missions" WHEN IT CLEARLY WAS ALREADY IN THE FINAL PHASE IN INDIA. And this....

CORRECTION: Vpw and Mrs. Wierwille's were in Jabalpur, India from January 17-23, 1956...not 1955. Mrs. Wierwille's book is a hodge-podge of events, dates, people and is ambiguous in areas. But under closer scrutiny....the India itinerary was from November 6, 1955 to February 11, 1956 visiting some 20 cities throughout India. NOW....after reading Dr. I.S. Williams' testimony of June 4 and 5, 1955 ....the plot thickens. p. 172.....Mrs. Wierwille's book Born Again to Serve "Dr. Wierwille had designated Dr. Williams as the general overseer of The Way of India, with its headquarters in Bombay, as had been voted at the convention held on February 9 and 10 [1956]. Branches for each state of India were to be established as soon as possible, all under and by the independent national Christians without a foreign system of control. Mr. James John was to be secretary for The Way of India." What the heck??? Obviously, Dr. I.S. Williams NEVER signed on as "the general overseer of The Way of India." Calling..........Sherlock Holmes. Calling..........Wordwolf :)

Nope.......not a peep. In piecing this together....(assuming Mrs. Wierwille's itinerary account is correct and Dr. I.S. William's statements are correct)....VPW and Mrs. were in Jabalpur, India on January 23, 1955. About four months later, June 4 and 5, 1955 Dr. I.S. Williams recounts a rally of the National Churches and resolution passed disapproving of the continuance of the denationalising foreign church administrative system in Free India and considers it baneful to the national interest of the people in India in general and the Christians in particular. Dr. I.S. Williams is testifying of the actions he took in the interests of India and the growing concern of foreign missions. No wonder vpw never returned to India for a follow-up itinerary. Interesting stuff............

Steve....as I read thru Dr. William's testimony on the above website, I thought the same thing!

Okay. Wierwille........"the father of lies" But look at the company he keeps.... Jhn 8:44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

ABSOLUTELY......it shatters the wierwille myth. Dr. I.S. Williams was THE ONE who presided over the Jabalpur conference and, with respect to foreign preachers and missionaries, allowed wierwille to preach for 15 minutes. And, it seems rather odd and/or suspect that Mrs. Wierwille's book is in error as "Dr. J.S. Williams." Is it merely a typo?......or cover-up of the real facts? And further.....whether the healing incident and/or "keys to the city" incident happened as were related in pfal is even more highly suspect. Is it not? <_<

Regarding Dr. Williams..... Mrs. Wierwille's book, Born Again to Serve p. 125... "By the time the host for our India tour, Dr. J.S. Williams, had come to our cabin to greet us, we had already left the ship to go through customs. So we met him in customs." Note: Other credentials of Dr. Williams are noted in my earlier post from Mrs.' book. **When I googled "All-India Federation of National Churches" from Mrs. Wierwille's book noting that Dr. J.S. Williams was the president, I found this link. My link **Note: Dr. I. S. Williams........NOT "Dr. J. S. Williams" Then.....scroll down to No. 7 Is this the man? Look at this info? Look at his rejection of foreign "denominational groups." Look at what I bold-faced.

Don't forget to have that Beautiful Ohio song blaring bright and early in the morning.

Wierwille spotlighted his "greatness" in the pfal class by making big fat claims....details that Mrs. Wierwille documents in her book in vivid contrast to vpw's bravado. When one steps back and examines weirwille's statements, it just doesn't add up. For instance: 1) E. Stanley Jones did extensive outreach in India....was wierwille claiming the same? 2) How did Wierwille make inroads to preach in India? 3) If Wierwille was so "great" for India....why only one itinerary? 4) Never to return to India after "given the key incident" seems highly suspect? If one is interested, here are a link to check. The man who opened all the doors for Wierwille and Mrs. to the Jain convention was Dr. Williams....the head of the Federation of National Churches. Dr. Williams was a prominent man in India. Narcisstic Self-Promotion

Wierwille spent the 1978-79 and 1979-80 corps nights exclusively on the Book of Romans with the sole purpose of documenting his "literal translations according to usage" for University of Life. Pages and pages of notes were taken as some of us corps wrote furiously every corps night. Yet, with the dizzying schedule, I never went back to read my notes.....EVER. About 15 years ago, I threw all those notes in the trash. What a waste of time........all those corps nights.

Another one of vic's ploys............SPLAT.

Yes.....I think that TWI's decline was inevitable. Though there was a pivot point, around 1979 or 1980, when twi could have re-structured and reinvented itself, but wierwille and co. didn't see it nor did he want to. Around 1979, there was that huge push for "Word in Culture." Twi was brimming with talented people.....musicians, orchestra, arts & crafts, writers, cartoonists, stone masonry, builders, medical personnel, psychiatrists, professional ceo's, athletes, etc. Word in Business Conferences were hitting their stride and, for a few years, participation was such that twi had one WIB in the east, one in the west each year. At the Rock of Ages, twi set up an Arts and Crafts Tent for believers from around the country to sell their wares and feature their business talents. There was so much musical talent around 1981/1982 that twi had a competition to select the best group. New Horizons was the first all black group in twi. In the eight or ten Regions, twi was swelling with excitement, talent, growth, new ideas, etc. Imo....the whole thing was busting at the seams. Twi was on the verge of exponential growth. Ambassador One flights were bringing field people to hq.....and taking staff people to the field for an extended weekend. Way Productions had its own motorcoach for traveling around and blessing the folks at events. Five campuses of corps training.....HQ, Rome City, Emporia, Camp Gunnison, and LEAD in Tinnie, NM. And, for a time....there was talk of Regional "rock of ages" events. Wierwille ran the thing to the point of everyone gasping for air. The corps program was an indoctrination to shut your mouth and succomb to groupthink. Wierwille/Martindale seemed to spiritualize everything and ONLY CORPS could "carry the water" for the mog's wishes. All music talent had to be corps. The staff department coordinators needed corps training. The good-hearted staff of the early 70's made their silent exits one-by-one as the years passed. IMO....the window of opportunity passed without wierwille or martindale seeing it. The fields were ripe to harvest, and yet, the "reapers" were asleep in the shade. Talent, love, and excitement was everywhere......and yet, the spotlight had to be ON THEM and every word that proceeded forth from their pieholes. What would have happened... ...if twi had de-centralized around 1980? ...if business & professional talent had been spotlighted? ...if parenting and family issues had been emphasized? ...if the yearly pilgrimage to Ohio had stopped? ...if regional programs allowed for flexibility and time constraints? ...if Christ as the Head would have been the focal point?

Twi owned one 18 wheeler....and an 8th corps guy drove it. He wrecked it around 1983 (?). I was in the Transportation Department office and saw the picture on the mangled mess. Howard Allen was extremely p.o.'ed about it.

One man..... ...who lived the life of a king ...the treasures of royalty ...harems of women untold ...feasts and riches in abundance ...the fleeting measure of a man's life ...and holding the wisdom of the ages. Fear God Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.

Yep.....that time of year. The Big Rock (of Ages) Candy Mountain........... Where there's smiles all day, Tent city at The Way, Love-rumbling in the hay, Smoking pot is okay, at The Big Rock Candy Mountain.

New posters at GS continue to give us an updated look at twi......IT'S WORSE THAN I IMAGINED. Everything seems mandated to preserve twi's image and carnival barkers. Like selling cotton candy at the county fair or circus.....no real substance. Cotton candy (U.S.) or candyfloss (UK, New Zealand and South Africa) or fairy floss (Australia) is a form of spun sugar. Since it is mostly air, servings are large. Cotton candy is often served at fairgrounds or circuses. Food coloring is used to change the natural white color. What's the "spun sugar" in this year's theme? What is the color of the 'present truth' coming from the directors? What will attract the people this year? How many greeters need to be near the entrances?...how many vendors need to sell cotton candy?....who gets to hold the microphone tonight at the main attraction? And.....these twi people actually speak disparagingly of church leaders? Martindale has been gone for TEN YEARS.....and what's changed? Rosie sits in the 'big chair' and micro-manages at higher levels. New staff policies......46 hr work weeks with state wage regulations. Discarded lcm's class with a similar WAP class....minus the 'lesbian original sin' research. Staff with physical or health challenges are pressured to resign....nice household, eh? Need new staff to fill housekeeping, grounds jobs......why the reluctance? Seven graduate from the vaunted corps program.......how low will it go? Etc. and etc. and etc. While twi continues selling cotton candy.......the lives of good-hearted people are subjected to barking charlatans. Those who faithfully give to twi's carnival are being fleeced of their har-earned money. Attending meetings, classes, events, functions....the innies are manipulated and exploited in the name of God. My apologies to local fairgrounds and carnivals who offer food and attractions in a free market society....without the subtleties of cult pressure.

Let me explain.... I am here, because I got milk. Milk from my momma as a baby. Without mamma's milk, I wouldn't be here. My existence, I owe to my momma and......got milk. :)