skyrider

As many of you regular GS-posters know, this topic of "good-hearted, quality corps grads exiting twi since 1978" has been a staple of my postings. For years, it was a few dozen couples here, a few dozen couples there......and who really noticed when the throngs of thousands convened at the rock of ages? Yet, for some of us who worked alongside many of these wholesome corps grads, I found them to be the salt of the earth....brothers and sisters in Christ. My wife and I have many fond memories of these fun, energetic, spontaneity, committed-to-the-Lord individuals. But.....little by little, dribble by dribble, they were putting more distance between corporate-twi and their lives, families, education, careers, etc. Why? Obviously, they too were seeing red flags and/or saw the need that to best serve God one needed to have a solid, family/finances/future for a foundation. Who stayed in twi? Who stayed to rise to the region levels? The yes-men. The ego-driven. The Pharisees. The bullies. Yes, those who were made in the image of wierwille. This background of information validates how twi became a paradox of principles under one roof. The Pharisee crowd were pulling levers and pushing buttons to manipulate.....and God-inspired disciples were out ministering to the people, endeavoring to walk by the spirit. Corporate twi became vexed in its echo chamber of elitism. Plenty of good advanced class grads and corps weren't spending any time in this echo chamber. But hey......the days are long past finding out this information. Even here at GreaseSpot, nearly all of the corps grads and hq staffers have moved on that used to visit this place. Perhaps, I should move on, too. Some who came to twi after 1985 might never have known how amazing some of these people were who passed thru twi's doors..... For the gifts and calling of God are without repentence. [Rom. 11:29]

Lots of quality men and women STOPPED running twi's gauntlet. When I think about the benefits of higher education and the vast avenues that open before an individual.....I think of a 5th corps grad and friend, Dr. L0nnell J0hnson. A Man of Integrity

Yep.....the corps program was based on a series of lies. Wierwille had NO ability to train/send forth leaders to serve others. Wierwille had NO intention of establishing open dialogue. Wierwille had NO credibility in researching biblical truths. Wierwille had NO integrity in establishing proper boundaries. In my mind, his name will forever be coupled with Jim Jones and David Koresh.

Thankfully, I'll never know what life would have been like by staying on twi's dirt road. I don't have that Butterfly Effect....[2004 movie] to compare alternate realities, or how things would have turned out. All I know is that exiting twi has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN MY WORLD. :)

Silly me......I had been spending too much time reading about Jesus and his disciples. 1) I was expecting the corps program to have open dialogue. 2) I was expecting quiet time in the morning; time with God. 3) I was expecting thought-provoking answers to deep questions. 4) I was expecting to see the power of God in action. 5) I was expecting to see instantaneous healings. 6) I was expecting to see "water turned into wine." 7) I was expecting to learn how vpw walked by revelation. 8) I was expecting to see Ephesians come alive. Silly me......I was in the wrong administration. Somehow, I'd been transported into the "Man's Wrath and Judgment" period.

Thankfully, our two boys never had to run the gauntlet of classes and twi-indoctrination where there is NO LIGHT at the end of such striving. Where would our lives be today if we'd kept prevailing (cough, cough) in twi's cornfield? As we were exiting, my Region coordinator smugly told me that Martindale was going to assign me to the Presidents' Cabinet at HQ. Wowsers. I am SO GLAD that we never got pulled back into that snare again. The micromanagement, the monitoring, no life to call your own......and what about our boys? Looking back, I shudder to imagine how things would have turned out. Would twi have allowed my oldest son the time and space to study and excel in high school? in college? in medical school? More than likely, there would have been corps grads along the way to browbeat and belittle his "secular" studies. What about the guilt that builds inside from such manipulation? Heck, I've read articles that the suicide rate amongst medical students is very high.....let alone a student who graduates #1 and gets the chancellor award in a class of 300+ medical students. Thank God my son was far removed from twi by then. On one hand, twi boasts of "believing" to live the more abundant life......YET, they demean THE YEARS OF DEDICATION AND ACTION that it takes to get from point A to point B. Are the directors and corps grads THAT clueless? Are they so regimented in lockstep loyalty that they cannot see their demented logic? Sure, Dr. Carol-yn R@wlins was committed to twi.....BUT she had made her journey and reputation years before hearing pfal. Are all those innie kids going to follow in the path of brian moneyhands or j2p2? The gauntlet of classes and indoctrination......I remember. I was in college when I started thru this gauntlet. Month after month, the leadership was lining up ANOTHER class for us pfal grads to take. They were poking and prodding us onward. Don't look back. And, twig after twig, they'd end it with a plug for going wow ambassador. Go and grow with God. Subtle, slick indoctrination. And, even though I decided to give 'a year to God' as a wow, I had every intention of finishing college. But the seduction of twi's indoctrination had a way of subverting my soul. Why give heed to secular learning when God has/had a much higher calling for your life? Go Corps. Looking back, I see whole swaths of corps grads whose lives have been upended, divorced and destroyed. Dozens and dozens of my fellow corps have run the gauntlet and succumbed to defeat. Heck, look at martindale, the corps mascot. Where is HE today? Divorced. Devoured. Dethroned. WARNING: Run the gauntlet at your own risk. .

They had enshrined PFAL.....and wierwille's [plagiarized] books. Nothing else mattered. In their minds, they were "standing on the word." And, having done all......they isolated themselves in cloistered glory.

Maybe this thread will help to dispel the wierwille mystique.... The Legacy of Wierwille

Yeah....its like mystique BECOMES reality in their world. And, this mystique holds preeminence FROM A DISTANCE. In twi, the wierwille-mystique vanquishes all critical thought processes. As the adulation grow, it borders on idolatry. "The man" becomes the great power of God.

It never fails.....those who boast the most about twi NEVER were corps, some never even signed on the line for the wow program. Here at Greasespot Café.....we've seen this for nearly 15 years. When I was a limb coordinator 20 years ago....there were two groups of "wierwille-followers" in our state (1995) who stopped all contact and involvement after vpw's death in 1985. They quit going to the rock of ages....yet, the green bumper stickers were on their cars. And, they methodically went thru old teaching tapes on Sunday. It was like they were stuck in a time warp....not able to advance. One could easily liken them to Branch "Wierwillians"...as first cousins to the Branch Davidians or something. The Prophet had spoken. YET.....those of us who were AROUND wierwille, and IN the corps program, and WORKED ON HQ STAFF, have a very different take on the man who would be self-proclaimed mog. Heck, I've talked to people who'd NEVER met vpw and STILL thought he walked on water.

Having grown up on a farm, and near a small town....my life was filled with sports, hunting, fishing, motorcycles, water skiing, county fairs, 4-H competition, tractors, and wheat harvest. During my sophomore year in high school, missionaries moved into the area and were active in Central American outreach. It was at this point that I was introduced to Romans 10:9,10 and confessing/believing that Jesus was savior, mediator, and lord. Born again. At college a few years later, WOW Ambassadors were excited about this class. I took it.... and so began my journey into the twi/vpw indoctrination. At times, my mind registered warning signs of this "detour".....but the allure of youthfulness, zealousness and passion was too tempting. So, class after class......and into the corps I went. If I were to write a book, I'd say that this "twi experience" would consummate chapters 8-15 of my 30-chapter book. You see....twi was a significant portion of my life, and this experience altered my life, but it doesn't define me. My bedrock core comes from my family, my faith, and my upbringing. Did I learn "commitment" from twi? No. Did I learn "faith" from twi? No. Did I learn "the Word" from twi? No. In contemplating this twi-experience, I now see why I was perplexed when I read How to Enjoy the Bible by Bullinger during my WOW year. In crediting Bullinger's work, I held deep suspicions that wierwille had plagiarized the work. Time and time again, I asked myself why was all this adulation of wierwille being splashed on The Way magazine if we're to give glory to God, not man? Guess I was the "doubting Thomas" in the midst......because I smelled the manipulation and deception early on. The reason that I didn't bolt was because there were so many genuine, good-hearted people that I sincerely thought that we could right the ship. Alas, it didn't happen. Did twi change me, good or bad? To me.....that's such a moot point. My journey in life, I believe, is so much bigger than that twi-exposure. Even while "in"....life was happening all around me. Marriage, children, school events, awards, competition, ball games,births and deaths, joys and sorrows .....yeah, life. The biggest take-aways from twi, for me......was the insidious deception and intent. The wolf was in sheep's clothing and hailed as "the man of God." Now, I see why the Scriptures give us a healthy dose of WARNINGS: deceivers, seducers, lords over God's heritage, ye hypocrites [Matt. 15], leaven of the Pharisees, be doers of the Word and not hearers only, etc. With twi in the distant rear-view mirror, I would say that the last 15 years have been quite good. Thank God we exited twi before our boys were exposed to the gauntlet of classes and indoctrination. Fast forward, and our oldest son graduated #1 in his medical school class and has received several other honors since. Second son's business has been growing in leaps and bounds. Life, in full measure, has been restored. God is good always. I shudder to think what life would be like if I were still slogging along in cornfield heaven. Chapters 21-30 of "my book" put a spring in my step to see what God has in store. The last 5 chapters, since exiting twi in 1998, have been quite remarkable. .

Yeah, well......the early 70s [before "twigs" were twigs] was SO NEW TESTAMENT. And, before the corps grads were sent out....especially before 1975 or so. But I get what you're saying, and agree. By the mid-80s, twi had been overrun by Old Testament adherence. Could it be.....that it distances the "leaders" from actually WALKING THE WALK, DEMONSTRATING GOD'S POWER? Hiding behind bureaucracy and its walls of rules and regulations, UNACCOUNTABILITY RULES. So does hypocrisy. By May of 1985, wierwille was in the grave. And, the administrators and managers of twi [lcm, geer, lynn, rivenbark, etc.] were stepping into the spotlight.....having very little, if any, credibility in the spiritual walk stuff. Of course, we later learned....that wierwille didn't either. But twi just became another corporation.....and the Old Testament teachings provide a buffer zone from those Apostle Paul accounts of hazarding his life for the gospel's sake, imprisoned, persecuted, etc. Seems like the big-wigs liked the adulation of standing at the teaching podium and the comfort zone of a desk job. In all probability, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th corps guys wanted to do what wierwille did. You know, teach....pontificate....and spend time with the young corps women.

Ironic, ain't it? You walked away from twi/vpw in 1977....and want to credit them? And, really.....why the past tense [changed] fixation on twi/vpw? Actually, my life has been changING for a long, long time. The past 15 years have been quite good, thank you very much.

Gee, with THAT "logic" I could say.... I am thankful for my abusive Dad, because it taught me what I real Father should and could be like. Or, I am thankful for wrecking my motorcycle, because it taught me that aches and pains really do hurt. Or, I'm so glad that I got my a$$ kicked in that bar fight, because it taught me survival methods. Or, I'm so glad that my Dad named me Sue.

Bold-faced [by me].......for emphasis. See, that's the thing with wierwille and twi.....he ALWAYS injected himself into the mix. Victor Vanity Wierwille was his name. Why were "the 16 keys" the take-away doctrine of the "advanced" class? In other words, the PINNACLE of the advanced class was wierwille's formulaic keys to "walking by the spirit?" Did the guy ALWAYS have to be in the spotlight? Did the guy ALWAYS have to sideline Jesus Christ? And, you're right Steve......those 16 keys were the pinnacle of spiritual teaching in twi. Not once, in corps training or clergy meetings, did I ever see wierwille, martindale, or geer expound or demonstrate otherwise. The 16 candles.....er, keys were our "coming of age spiritually speaking." NOT EVER......did I see wierwille operate any of those other six manifestations. You know, those revelation or power/action manifestations. And, all of twi's bluster to call people "possessed"......NOT ONCE did any mog, mogette, or mog-wannabe cast out a devil spirit.

Remember how wierwille explained how Missionary Board Members select the location of their missionary outreach? They get out the map of a select country and study where there is a spot to inject their missionary efforts. Wierwille went to great lengths to mock this "spiritual guidance from the Lord." YET....wierwille did the same. He took "spiritual guidance" from the marine corps to train devotees. All that chain of command, follow orders crap was cultish conformity....not listening to the spirit of God within. Heck, if the right people were overseeing and teaching "disciples for Christ".... I think that the Rome City, Indiana campus was a good fit. But unlike twi, there should have been a set limit to those accepted into the program. Rather than cram it to the hilt.....use healthy oversight and logic to accommodations. Emporia campus.....nope. Gunnison......another nope. Vpee's ego. Tinnie, NM.....climb rocks to be godly.

All of his teachings, classes, sharings, nightowls...... and the guy couldn't walk the walk. He could boast.... He could bloviate... He could scold.... He could mock..... He could NOT walk in newness of life. If truth be told, the guy struggled with carnal baggage. He couldn't even get past Romans 6.... let alone, to walk in love, walk in light, walk circumspectly in Ephesians.

Why is it...... Wierwille used his FIVE SENSES to gain insight into explaining Christian behavior or his inspiration for the corps program? In pfal, wierwille states "...that HE LOOKED AROUND and non-Christians were living more abundantly than the Christian believer (ie better homes, vehicles, stuff)." Same deal with the corps program.....wierwille LOOKS TO MILITARY TRAINING to set the tupos, high example, of how believers should be disciplined and react to orders given. Time and time again, we gain insight into wierwille's "revelation" and/or spiritual ineptness. The guy was a con man looking for a way to market his programs and classes.....AND wanted it sweetened with a heavy dose of lifetime adulation. Wierwille could have been a first cousin to Simon the sorcerer. :anim-smile:/>/>/>/> .

From its onset, the corps training (cough, cough) could not have been more wrong.....if its mission was to serve God and for the corps to live uprightly before others. More than likely.....Wierwille's Agenda was to start at the end and work backwards. ....Clearly, wierwille wanted a complicit corps that would be subservient. ....Clearly, vpee devised a program to indoctrinate in increments. ....Clearly, vpee learned from his mistakes from the zero corps to not rush the process. So, its like he "envisioned" the end result (disciplined subservience) and worked backwards. Oh, and it would work to his advantage to equate it with the 'School of Tyrannus' type of learning. So, make sure that discipline is key. Add some sales--dale carnegie instruction. Stress the importance of prayer lists. And, mock room set-ups for different meetings. And clone the automatons to walk in lockstep. In essence.....totally disregard that pfal mumbo-jumbo of "Christ in you" and walking by the spirit. Slay individuality on the altar of twi.....and, thereby, snuff out any genuine gift ministries in their midst. Immerse the corps in the doctrine of "the man of god" as the ultimate authority.....which further alienates the corps indoctrinee from spirit within. Wierwille sealed his failed legacy on the backs of corps slaving away for twi. The program failed miserably, because it was bass-ackwards to the tenets of Christianity and wholesome living. Today, the pathetic corps training hardly has enough "volunteers" to fill a shoe box. But maybe, in wierwille's twisted logic, "it fits like a shoe in a box." For those who say that wierwille was "the man of God" and walked by revelation......I give you Exhibit A, The Corps Program. Nothing gives more concise evidence of wierwille's failure than his inresidence program. Even the corps on hq staff register this complicity and wrongdoing. Exhibit B --- Rosalie, Donna and Linder. .

With stealth and subtle increments, wierwille built his notoriety by blurring the boundaries. He taught the essence of *private interpretation*......but then, smeared and smudged this truth in practice. ----In teaching after teaching, wierwille eluded to "truths" that he just knew were in the Scriptures. ----In corps teachings, he elaborated on "literal truths according to usage" in brazen hypocrisy. "Every woman in the kingdom belongs to the king [pfal]"......was a bald-faced lie. ----If that was true, why did God send Nathan to confront David? [iI Sam 12:1] ----And further, then why did David admit his sin against the Lord? [iI Sam 12:13] ----And, this sin had consequences [iI Sam 12:15] Wierwille taught the class Christian Family and Sex......probably about 95% was on sex. ----Why was wierwille anti-Christian? ----Why was wierwille anti-family? ----Why was wierwille so pro-sex? And, yes....we know that wierwille plagiarized wholesale on multiple levels. Knowing he crossed this line, he publically acknowledges a few men who were instrumental in his life. In the "Founders' Room" in the auditorium, pictures of these men hang on the walls..... ......yet, its still called the Founders' Room. hahahaha In his books....where are the footnotes and lengthy bibliographies to credit the sources? At the corps campuses, wierwille would teach for hours on preparedness and strict discipline.... ....while he sipped on his Drambuie-coffee (which was refilled several times in late night after-meetings). Throughout my involvement with twi, lines were always being blurred......and crossed. In hindsight, one could easily surmise that wierwille, in all his cunning craftiness, was erasing the lines between Christian and conformist....to usurp the youth into pseudo-service of the baser sort.

Very well said. :eusa_clap: After years of ignoring red flags in twi, I realized that the source of deception was wierwille. He was the one who orchestrated this manipulation, deception and exploitation on the followers .......and TAUGHT the corps to do likewise. The masquerading of "The Way" was calculated and conniving from one who was deceiving himself and others. The OTHER SIDE of wierwille and twi is now, for all to see, an open forum. GS draws back the curtain to show you oz-man.

I remember sitting in the BRC for those "pillar meetings" [Ermal and Dorothy, Harry and Naomi, George and Bernita, Mal and Jan, etc.].....and when these folks talked about the 1960s, quite often they made reference to those who *went back to their churches.* See.....before twi had any clout to throw around, the early grads of wierwille's classes just quit coming around. No big deal. No labels. No exodus. I remember in the mid-70s when we referred to twi as "a revolving door." Lots of folks came thru....and OUT....within the week. We witnessed. A few came and gave a look around and LEFT. It has ALWAYS been this way. Those rural German farmers and neighbors in Ohio were not easily fooled. No wonder mr. wierwille spoke of them with disdain.

Rosalie is not going to croak.....her believing is bigger than death. And besides, if it ever DID happen....her inner circle will deny it. Like that movie Psycho - Click Here - Rosalie will "live on" and her shrill voice will hold dominion over the dependent shlubs at Bates Motel.

For sure. It would be a mini-exodus from the corn clones. Besides.....the long-timers are starting to live on social security. What a reality check to all that "abundant" spiel. But hey....if a man wants to stay stuuupid, let him stay stuuupid [pfal].

Yes.....very difficult for the staffers on slave wages. Like P@ul All3n wrote......Click Here -- Try Exiting HQ