skyrider

Thanks WordWolf. Not only did wierwille plagiarize heavily.....he twisted the poem's content into a pretzel. Replacing "life's highest aim" with "life's highest game." Even during those indoctrination-days, it was puzzling to think of devoting myself to "life's highest game." Game??? Life's a game??? What Is The Way Corps? Not ancient walls and ivy-mantled towers Where dull denominational traditions Rule with heavy hand Believer’s deeply springing powers. Not spacious pleasure courts Or lofty temples of athletic fame Where devotees of sports mistake a pastime For life’s highest game. Not fashion or renown Or wealthy patronage and rich estate; No, none of these can crown The Way Corps with light And make it truly great. But equipped believers, ambassadors strong and wise Who teach because they love the teacher’s task And find their richest prize In eyes that open, and in minds that ask

The arc of cultural awareness and impact in twi was like a meteor streaking across the night sky......in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Few saw it and fewer acknowledge that it even existed at all. What changed? The heavy-handedness of twi hierarchy on believers' deeply-springing powers --- just like the corps poem infers what NOT to do.

Any inroads towards culture......have fizzled. There was a time when, even wierwille, set in motion an awareness for moving into culture. Remember the New Breman Cultural Center? Yeah, I know it was little more than an old church that twi bought and, later, revamped into a makeshift recording studio for way productions.....but, notice the label. Cultural Center. Not something stupid like Uncle Harry's Hangout. This "cultural" center was used for many things thru the years [see below quote]....along with rehearsals and a few in-house performances of High Country Caravan [a thirteen-part series of made-for-tv productions to promote twi and cultural interests]. Also, twi made an investment towards the Fine Arts and Historical Center in Sidney, Ohio. A gutsy endeavor....to showcase twi's historical significance and cultural impact. This mansion was utilized for meetings, outreach, weddings and tours. During major events, twi would organize bus tours to this Historical Center. Like so many things with twi, this too faded away. The mansion was sold and is known today as the Whitby Mansion. Whitby Mansion

BUT......here's what I've repeatedly said: In spite of wierwille's agendas and countless blunders, twi stood at the door of cultural inroads around 1980-81....but went retro recluse back to the commune. Sure, one could argue about twi's founding and agendas.....but IF the "believers" were allowed to venture out into avenues of culture WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED? The writers, musicians, medical personnel, military, psychiatry, construction, business, etc.......and backing and support from hq. Wierwille could have retired and basked in THEIR accomplishments, THEIR exploits. He could have touted his ministry as a springboard for all that followed in THEIR lives.....corps AND advanced class grads. He could have gone down as a true bridge-builder and mentor. THAT did not happen. Twi stopped and abruptly changed course. Verbal assaults and heavy-handed policies were instituted to stifle the growing culture independence. What?!? They wanted the corps to remain in lockstep as class instructors and NOTHING MORE???? How can THAT be right, or godly? To just be a numb-nuts peon and live under their rule. When twi reverted course [1981].....it was the beginning of the end. So, this "abundant life" gig [pfal] was all towards twi servitude and NOTHING MORE? Forget about Stepford Wives.....this thing became more like The Hills Have Eyes.

You beat me to it......that was going to be my next post. A Stepford Commune with programmed responses and servitude.

Do you mean like a petri dish for cell culture experiments? Where the mad scientist is testing results in his laboratory of horrors?

With all of its bloviating, TWI never impacted culture one iota.....never even stirred the waters. Wierwille was ALWAYS on the outside looking in. As a child, he was a lazy loner. As a student, he looked for every shortcut. In seminary, he went against policy and eloped. In his doctorate studies, he found a degree-mill. As a small-town pastor, he bucked church boards. He attended big-name seminars to gather ideas/material. Twi's books are not allowed in local libraries. Corps campuses had very little involvement with communities. Even New Knoxville....2 miles away....has little respect for them. Many twi children attend NK school, but little with parents. Wierwille's church in Van Wert had vp's name stricken from clergy registry. Amazing isn't it? All of their pomp and bluster about *power with an impact*.... *prevailing word*....etc. and the locals mock hq with drive-bys and obscenities. Twi doesn't even garner the respect of the Amish subculture where integrity and wholeness is lived in a peaceful way. The Way's Auditorium was BUILT with major emphasis on "Word in Culture"...... with orchestra pit, rehearsal rooms, studio, lighting, stage-performance, etc. and yet, BORING MONOTONE TEACHINGS SEEMS ALL THAT COMES FORTH. Hardly a ripple to stir the cultural waters.

Exactly. Within days of this "patriarch" paper, some of us in my department at hq were saying this. Wierwille was not a patriarch in the sense of a father over a tribe.....er, unless you bought into that "father in the word" blech. One definition makes note of "a founder".....but even THAT is not accurate. Wierwille patched and plagiarized to build his out-house and the stench was contained within.

I stood next to Chris Geer during the 7th Corps Group Wedding at Emporia. As storm clouds threatened to deliver an abrupt rain shower, we stood ready to make sure Wierwille and Martindale were quickly sheltered and that the Emporia campus piano was covered and protected. Having been around Geer on several occasions, I grasped the immense reverence he held to everything wierwille did.....and therefore, was not surprised by this "patriarch" paper and its lavishing praise of its founder/patriarch and the alleged men (trustees) who deserted him. Having been in-residence corps and on staff during this unique time slot, those seven years before vp's death, I was able to discern the mystique from the man himself. My personal experiences with wierwille, his visions, his projects and cover-ups convinced me that IF twi were to survive as a biblical research center, it would NEED TO MOVE BEYOND WIERWILLE. 1) At Gunnison, vpw's vision was to have a restaurant near the water tower overlooking the Gunnison River where believers from around the country could come, visit, eat and stay on grounds. With riding stables, white-water rafting, outdoor activities, campground teachings, nightowls, etc. the in-residence corps would serve guests, visitors and the elderly for a unique twi-experience. Never happened. 2) Plus, the retired and elderly believers could *personally invest and own* their own cabin and, upon death, relinquish the cabin back to twi ownership. No one did this. 3) Wierwille had two Family Corps guys with engineering backgrounds and gave them parameters on a *Sno-Way* project -- an all-terrain vehicle specifically equipped to be unstoppable in snow terrain. Never reached completion. 4) The riding stables, the Way Brand, rodeo school, rodeo clown era.......all fizzled. 5) Word in Culture Tent at ROA, the buying/selling of in-house [believer] merchandise, the Way Orchestra, etc. was systematically stifled, shutdown and shelved. The independence of corps fanning out into advanced educations, careers, writers, cartoonists, musicians & musical groups, etc. etc. EXPLODED and twi reined in this independence to stop the hemorrhaging. All of that *Word in Culture* teaching disappeared from twi materials. 6) Wierwille's twig-hopper was wrecked in Ontario and hauled back in secrecy to the OSC Building. In the warehouse, a secluded aisle was sectioned off and a temporary paint booth was erected. Flight Services personnel and a few other insiders were designated to fix the repairs and refurbish the motorcycle. Mum was the word. 7) VP Wierwille's eye removal and subsequent health issues were handled in delicate terminology to NOT off-set twi's stance on "the law of believing" and/or the mog's believing regarding healing. Why couldn't twi leadership come clean? Why the cover-up? Was cult ideology driving the message? 8) Country/Western Music and High Country Caravan were dominating twi's airwaves and publications in 1983-84. Seemingly, wierwille was inserting that this type of music and entertainment would carry the Way's message. Really? Was he serious? Was this boot-scooting music going to reach the youth, or anyone? THUS......imo, many of us who HAD SEEN the unfolding reality of twi-messaging were NOT GOING TO SWALLOW THE GEER PAPER. The dots did not connect. All dots to *living for God* did NOT connect back to wierwille or his "greatness." How many saw the same glimpses of disconnect that I did? Plenty. That's why, I believe, hundreds were slipping away to greener pastures. Ever notice.....its the dependent ones who remain. Dependent----financially, emotionally, socially. Those who have few goals in life. Those who have NO WHERE ELSE to go. Those who've been wounded, fractured, seduced, yet still can't seem to break free from their abusers. That's why.....I believe the Scriptures highlight 1)Walk in love, 2)Walk in light, 3)Walk circumspectly....for if you don't, a wolf is nearby stalking your every move.

:biglaugh:/>/> BUT......a perpetual student in twi has unlimited costs. 1) Registration fees 2) Books, magazine & tape subscriptions 3) Tithes and Abs --- $$$$$ to "The Teacher" 4) Loss of Opportunity 5) Loss of overtime pay / weekend work 6) Events, SNS trips, travel expense, etc. 7) Ice-packed roads & dangerous, sleepy travel 8) Can't miss it / Can't be late / Can't let devil stop you 9) The perpetual student is exponentially exploited When you allow TWI to define "spiritually-mature" you're playing in their ballpark. It's a catch-22. You only remain *spiritual* by staying on a mission: going to classes, meetings, events, fellowships. The minute you stop DOING these things.....they label you "tricked, copped-out, worldly" to manipulate you back in line. The Teacher will ALWAYS be the teacher. The follower will ALWAYS be the student. Catch-22 is Class-22, twi-style. .

For those still trying to grasp the fullness of Wierwille's twi......it was a Class-22. Signing the green card gave you entrance into twi's *circular logic* -- i.e. to become spiritual and/or spiritually-minded you MUST sit thru pfal. This class will teach you the keys to walk with the power of God, the keys to the more abundant life. So, you sit. Then, after finishing said class you come to find out that that's ONLY THE BEGINNING. There's another class, and another, and another...... You want to be spiritually mature, don't you? Well, then....fork over your money and sign on the line. Classes on the horizon include: Witnessing and Undershepherding, The Way Tree, Keys to Biblical Research, The Renewed Mind, Dealing with the Adversary, etc. Of course, you'll want to be preparing for that Intermediate Class in about three months, or so. You have stepped onto the Merry-Go-Round-Of-Manipulation. It's a Class-22, twi-style. To become spiritual, you've got to attend their classes. If you don't sign-up, then you are *less spiritual* than others slogging thru the system. Catch-22 Unlike many churches who are deeply invested in their communities with food drives, charitable giving, homeless shelters, families in need, missionary outreach, etc......twi was/is a world of words and classes. Even classes are revamped when mogs are ousted from their ranks. Oh, you sat thru the advanced class? But, but.....that was martindale's advanced class. There's a new one now. So, you need to arrange your calendar in May to sit thru the newly improved class. And, the registration fee is only $450. Some of those long-standing grads have sat thru three or four Advanced Classes to stay in good graces with twi bureaucracy. Do they have a choice? Of course. You can either stay on the merry-go-round and pay.....or try to stay on the merry-go-round withOUT paying and, at some point, get booted off.....OR jump off yourself. Some choice, right? Oh, you didn't think it was manipulation until you starting paying attention? Sorry pal. Twi was a Class-22. And still is.

lol... For those who might not understand the "spit in your direction" verbiage, it has martindale written all over it. He used it derogatorily on those, greasespotters, who left the twi-fold. Remember that....."The Promised Land of the Prevailing Word" crap-sandwich? Then.....crossing over the bridge to a land of separation.

No one in my family took pfal. My four siblings all went on to have good families and successes in life. All have owned their homes outright for, at least, 20 years. Grandchildren are in the mix and the blessings are flowing. God looks on the heart and all that twi-hype was marketing, nothing more. Quite frankly, I seriously doubt that God ever spit in twi's direction.

So true. In my pfal class, 12 people were signed up and sat thru session 1. By session 5, only 9 of us were left....and then, graduated. Within a few weeks, only 3 of us were attending twig from that pfal class.

And......why was that? More divisions, more classes. More divisions, more programs. More divisions, more lane markings. More levels. More ladder-climbing. More bureaucracy. More oversight. More leadership. More POWER. More CONTROL.

Why would twi designated a corps person and college division person as UNEQUALLY YOKED? Why the disparity? Why the parsing of different programs, different agendas? Did young vic, a theological student, marry someone "unequally yoked" when he eloped to Kentucky with a young nurse? Would any other church attempt to parse the differences of corps and college division when BOTH were sitting through biblical studies to better their lives? I mean, its not like some guy hooking up with a bar girl who confesses to be an unbeliever or such. Most pastors would sit down with the couple and lovingly go thru some scriptures and recognize their love for each other.....and bless such a growing union. C'mon.....wierwille's twi has been CONTROLLING from the get-go. Anyone who blames the fallout on Martindale is looking thru idolized-I-glasses. Everything about wierwille's past is juxtaposed with his mandates of others. He opposed church board authority every step of the way....even while on its payroll, searching for other avenues of opportunity. He secretly married when it was against policy. Yet, his corps program sets taboo regulations on dating/marrying someone in the college division? The guy was a controlling huckster.

I should have bolted when...... 1) After taking pfal, I attended a statewide meeting where it was trumpeted that Wierwille would be present. He entered from the back of the room, with two bodyguards one step behind, and taught a so-so teaching. The WOWs were all a-flutter, but quick frankly I was not impressed. Should have followed my gut instinct. 2) At my first roa in Lima, several individuals had had money and items stolen from their tents. This was my first experience of twi on a grand-scale......and, with this thievery, it was not even on par with church socials. 3) My first WOW year....and this WOW girl in the second family had major problems. She would scratch and claw at herself all through the night leaving her arms and legs in an ugly mess. It took months to get her off the WOW field and, hopefully, she got the psychological/physical help she desperately needed. 4) At Emporia, my first year in-residence......the College Division was a big deal at the time and, on occasion, were in attendance with the corps at certain meetings. Well, as life happens....I sit beside a College Division girl and really enjoyed being near her. Later, I walked her back to her dorm. We started spending more time together when that "self-structured" time was available......BUT SOON, it was told to me in certain terms that Corps should not be fraternizing with the College Division. See, the corps was to be the spiritual arm and the college students were more toward the business end. In other words, unequally yoked! Get it?! 5) The Caste System was EVERYWHERE in twi......and everyone was to stay in his lane. Pfal grads: A filled vessel and a start Int grads: Better...and improving Adv. grads: Okay, now you can walk WOWs: Yep, a year of service. Grow like crazy. College Division: Good stuff. Put spiritual truths in work place Corps: Committed to physically/mentally/spiritually serve Clergy: Another level of recognition Trustees: The Untouchables I should have bolted a number of times......but was talked out of it.

Not that I recall......but then, that's not really all that unusual. The guys who took the most verbal trashing from wierwille or martindale were the Region/Limb coordinators who dissented. Obviously, these leaders had to be publically ostracized by the mogs.....to set a precedent for others who might be tempted to follow suit. Musicians were, oftentimes, given a pass and could simply slip out the side door. Even the clergy musicians didn't have the clout that a Region/Limb guy had to initiate an exodus in his own state or region. That's why, I believe, that wierwille knew it was "wise" to shuffle these guys around every three years so that they didn't build a reputation and support in the area that would be hard to topple. YMMV

Yeah.....I think many of us'ems were good-hearted and spent a lot of time giving to others. We gave twi leadership every benefit of a doubt UNTIL the evil & corruption at the root could no longer be rationalized away. BOTH FEET OUT.....and loving the wide open spaces.

And......imo, it's WORSE than censorship. At least with out-and-out censorship one knows that he is being cut off from access. The boundary line is stated as such. What twi does.....is deception. In "representing" God, twi deliberately slants their teachings to herd the people to their different corrals. Remember.....The Renewed Mind is the key to power! See how its used in a past tense? Think on things that are good, and lovely, and acceptable, and infallible mogs, and ...... Twi has twisted the meaning of "renewing of your mind that you may PROVE what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God." What twi has done.....I call the mog-doctrine. You are NOT allowed to look at, examine, investigate, discern, or determine for yourself what is evil according to the Scriptures. If it's evil THEY will tell you (haha). The life and choices of the man wierwille will always be off-limits. Their religion's foundation is based on HIM. Yeah, martindale might be quietly discarded with yesterday's trash, but THAT'S the evil. They don't allow people to inspect the putrid fruit. To do so is to be "living in the past." When someone is always dictating new mandates and restricting those from learning the past its Orwellian, its controlling. Twi's perversion of Prov. 22:6.....Indoctrinate the children in the ways you'd have them go and throughout life they will not depart from the mog-doctrine and pfal-slogans. .

If wierwille's twi was so incredible....why were there SO MANY discrepancies? Even in pfal.....Dr. EE H!ggins keeps phoning wierwille [at least, that's what he said] night after night asking him what did God teach you today? She sits thru his class. Then she's gone. One Foot In ..... One Foot Out. Also in pfal.....Rosalind R!nker goes on a one-woman-missionary-trip to wierwille's soul. Even as a pastor, he still didn't believe his bible was Holy Writ. She stayed throughout the week and was gone. No Feet In ..... Both Feet Out. And..............Peter J. W@de was noted as wierwille's *right-hand man of research* in pfal. So, ummm......that didn't last all that long, now did it? One Foot In ..... and Gone. Or...............Wierwille's brother, Harry. Pretty much spends his whole life in the furniture business, making money. Then he is propped up as an example of "believing God" for abundance. Same deal........Dr. C@rolyn R@wlins delivered some 10,000 babies [?] in her lifetime, then at near retirement goes into the Family Corps. With money in bank, 401K pension, retirement security......she NOW is an example of "a believer." See how this works, twi-style? Athletes, big-name types, etc. got the same treatment of praise. Until they split. BUT.....if corps, especially "wierwille's corps," attempted to head out into the business world and DO THIS.....it was blasted from the Corps Night Podium. That's worldly! That's devilish! That's not how it works. Once you've put your hand to the plow, you've got to stay in there plowing every day. SHOW ME THE MONEY......of people doing it the other way around. Take classes and THEN, seeing the power AND abundance flow in. SHOW ME THE EXAMPLES...of taking it to the streets with the power of God. SHOW ME THE VALIANT MEN....who live for God come hell or high water. Men like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abendego who went to the fiery furnace and came out without so much as the smell of smoke. Come on, twi. Show me. One Foot In ..... One Foot Out ....Mostly OUT

Some continue to dream and romanticize the guy who could fly, the pixie dust fairy, the adventures and (sigh).....the villain walking the plank to his utter doom. A mystical world of believing....and every wish coming true. Why should there be an end to this dream-world? Wierwille, came dashing to the rescue of my woeful world of realism, told me that it was real and where dreams REALLY DO come true.

Yes, absolutely......the likes of Steve Hef_ner, Jim Do_op, Del & Nancy, Donnie F., Lonnell & Brenda J., Ross Tr@cy, etc. etc. passed in and out of twi's doors and twi was the beneficiary of their ministries and good works. But sadly, the incremental indoctrination of the "absent Christ" permeated the twi ranks and chain-of-command obedience ruled. Wierwille plagiarized from ministers, scholars and mentors and still failed to recognize or appreciate the converging dynamics of the Jesus Movement and this gap in time. The railroading sociopath was incapable of registering compassion, or empathy, or longsuffering, or patience, etc in the very real sense that scripture embodies "fruits of the spirit." Thus, good men and women have entered and exited twi since its inception....and will continue to do so. Yet, some become ensnared by vanity, perks, relationships, arrogance, etc...and see no reason to leave. No surprise, though......the wheat and tares [weeds] will grow together until harvest. The Lord of the Harvest will then separate the wheat from its chaff and tares. Having been raised on a wheat farm, I have the most vivid imagery of this!

Or......as discussed many times here at GSC, wierwille's ministry was the beneficiary of genuine ministries of other men that vpw plagiarized. The Word of God never returns void......and wherever it travels, it profits the doer regardless of its origin. Having spent 24 years in twi at nearly every level, and been corps and staff and clergy......in all that I experienced and witnessed, I would testify that wierwille was NOT guided by the Holy Spirit. His decisions were based on self-indulgence and self-promotion, not moved by a godly compassion for others. He favored his enablers and criticized the meek of heart. He lauded the bullies in his presence and loathed the good-hearted. Having read Mrs. W's book twice.....she documents the account where vic proclaims that HE DID NOT BELIEVE THE BIBLE when Rosalind Rin_ker, a missionary, confronts him. And, wierwille was a church pastor during this time. Time and time again, its obvious that wierwille learns by fits-n-starts, by trial-n-error what works and what doesn't work. He attends seminars, listens to Robert Fuller's radio broadcast, and seeks guest speakers time and again. Does Mrs. W. ever highlight vpw's prayer life? Or, express how the Holy Spirit is guiding him? Nope. I am firmly in the camp that believes wierwille was a "spiritual hitchhiker." Interesting, isn't it? He's the one who highlighted this terminology in pfal. Hmmmm. Perhaps, a brief acknowledgement of a confession? And, with the passing years, its apparent that wierwille downplays and/or dismisses his plagiarist-past. The forward to his RHST book is altered in a newer edition. The "snowstorm and audible voice revelation" account is retold with different facts. No witnesses around for the black heart/white heart story. All of these past "documentaries" seem to embody the same thing.....take him at his word; no one else was around. We heard these stories over and over in pfal, or books, or nightowls.......BUT WHAT DID I SEE? Just an older man who taught some scripture and gleaned this knowledge from lots of men before him. So? Plus, a chain-smoking, dramboie-coffee sipping authoritarian who had hundreds of corps sitting on the floor while he rambled on and on. Yeah, lots of us corps sat on the floor, cross-legged, like a bunch of third-graders. Sheeesh. Excuse me for being so blunt......but, it was pathetic. I could have learned in THREE MONTHS what wierwille's corps program took three years, without the indoctrination slobber-fest. Why some people give wierwille a pass, or the benefit of a doubt on all this, I'll never know. My Bible states very plainly that we are to beware of seducers and wolves in sheep's clothing.

Hmmm....I think I said something like that recently, too. :) But really.....he may have been incompetent, but vpw was not stupid. He calculated his marketing strategies; the meticulous details, the bravado presentation, the empty vessel vs full vessel, etc. AND....when pfal was packaged as one class (foundational, int, adv) it went nowhere. He then, broke it down into three classes and undershepherding/follow-up. See. If you entice them with carrots, and a stick, then there's movement. How many came out of the advanced class ministering healing like Leonard did? Or, was it just more knowledge and buzzspeak to ensnare the student? Besides, the caste system and green nametag was a prerequisite to other stuff. Right? By looking in the mirror, wierwille knew that others, too, might just up and split. Therefore.....imo, he calculated a way that would seduce the unsuspecting. When and where did wierwille EVER operate word of knowledge, word of wisdom and/or discerning of spirits......let alone faith, miracles or healing? Yeah, he claimed some corps were possessed, but did he EVER cast out any devil spirits? NO.