Catcup

Because my brother in law had a wife, and 4 children, mostly teenagers at home, PLUS his mother, he needed a house with a lot of bedrooms. Most rentals are at the most 3 BRs. It's rare to find them larger unless you go into renting huge, huge homes that would be suitable for someone with the bank account of a corporate executive. Since my brother in law could not afford to RENT a home big enough for his family, he needed to BUY one, which necessitated the mortgage, which according to TWI disqualified him for leadership. So, yes, TWI would prefer that he BORROW a home by renting one at a much higher premium. But my brother in law doesn't make enough money to do that. He did, however qualify for a mortgage that allowed him to buy an older home with lots of bedrooms, so that he could accommodate his entire family plus his mother without living in complete squalor. For this, he is disqualified according to TWI of leading a home fellowship. Funny, I read qualifications for leadership in Timothy a little differently. Sadly, my brother in law is bending over and taking it in the rear from TWI on this one. Why? Learned helplessness, equity investment, you name it. Too much invested in TWI, too scared to leave the "protection of the household," the pride of having been with TWI for several decades, etc. He may not be able to be a leader in the fellowship, but can still look down his nose at others who left the only minsitry that "has the Word."

A short chronology of events taken from Born Again to Serve by Dorothea Wierwille and The Way Living With Love by Elena Whiteside: June 1941: "VPW was ordained into the Christian ministry in the Evangelical and Reformed Church in New Knoxville, Ohio, his home church since birth." July 6, 1941: "VPW accepted the call to the Payne church and was installed there as a minister for St. Jacob’s Evangelical and Reformed Church." July 23, 1942: "VPW’s outreach beyond the congregation began with a column called 'Religion in the Weekly' in the local weekly newspaper, The Payne Reflector." Summer of 1942: "VPW brought Rosalind Rinker to their home to meet with her privately and began germinating the idea of producing a radio broadcast in which young people from our church and other community churches would entertain with Christian music and he would teach... In preparation for broadcasting, Rev. Wierwille wrote short sermons regularly, writing about things that he had learned from various situations of his life. Soon Higley Press published some of these articles." “In the fall of the year, after Rosalind left” was the “snow on the gas pumps” experience according to VPW as quoted by Elena Whiteside in The Way Living With Love: "Then Rosalind left. It was the fall of the year. Kids were back in school already. It must have been September. I was sitting in my office, an old dentist's office..." ect. October 3, 1942: VPW’s first radio broadcast, his ..."First radio program designed to teach principles of the abundant life through musical performances and scriptural messages." Says Wierwille, "This broadcast got me back to digging the Word… made me go to the Word for two or three new teachings a week. It got me into the Word, got me growing in it, and kept me fluid. All of the other religious programs used adults. But I though if we started with young people, it would grow into something and the adults might catch on.” Of all the above incidents, at least to VP Wierwille, the incident that was significant to him as to the starting of his personal ministry, is the date October 3, the date of the beginning of the Chimes Hour Youth Caravan program, not the snow on the gas pumps experience, nor was it the 1941 date of his ordination which he could have chosen to use if his motivation was to "exaggerate."

This is an absolutely wonderful dissection of claims TWI makes on it's website. But I do have to make this one point. Regarding how TWI celebrates its anniversary, if VPW wanted to exaggerate the length of time of his ministry to impress people, he could have claimed to have started it earlier, like when he began his first pastorate in 1941. But he didn't. He began pastoring people much earlier than that. However, he didn't count from that date, he counted from when he felt his personal ministry began, which was with the Chimes Hour Youth Caravan. And it was celebrated every year from that date. For example, in 1943, it was ONLY a one year anniversary. Not so impressive, eh? But the one year anniversary of Chimes Hour Youth Caravan was celebrated in 1943, and every year since then. There are sooooooooooo many areas that VPW DID exaggerate, that it is not necessary for us to do the same thing by trying to make it appear VPW was stretching the truth regarding when the anniversary actually began. IMO, there are far more LEGITIMATE areas of concern than this one. We only hurt our own credibility when we are the pot calling the kettle black.

There is nothing more satisfying than a nice BIG HOT C[_] Cuppa Coffee! -=^._.^=-C[_]

My brother in law bought a house and no longer is "worthy" of running a fellowship. Why did he buy a house? So he could find a place big enough for all his kids PLUS take in his ailing and aging mother, like the Word SAYS you're supposed to do or you are an "infidel". So he's stuck either way. He's an infidel if he doesn't take care of his mother, and he is unworthy of leadership if he DOES. How's THAT for TWI so lovingly putting a grad who's been "faithful" for decades between a rock and a hard place? And oh-- my mother-in-law has written me several times about wanting her son to take her to CFF so she can see Geek teach! Yeah,like THAT is gonna happen. Actually, it's pretty damned sad that her own Son won't take her to see his brother teach God's Word, which he professes to obey. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm............ And a 90-some-odd year old mother is kept from the joy and pride of seeing her son by some ugly cornfield cult who could care less about her. I've been trying not to say anything about this for some time, because she's not my mother. But compassion begs me to speak out against an ugly hateful organization that would deprive an old woman of fellowship with one of her sons.

Geeze My husband and I got our eyes smacked wide open when we went on staff in 1982 and saw how entrenched the corruption was. We left, went back to Chicago and prayed for a change back then. Even tried to enlighten a few choice people about the undercurrents at HQ and all that got us was ostracized-- back then they didn't M&A you, they allowed you to come to meetings-- even required it-- and snubbed you to your face. We stuck around to help Craig pick up the pieces after POP because he indicated to me his sincerity to want to change... and all it got us was a lot of hell and headache in the longrun, and we stuck around 15 years longer than we should have. If people STILL think TWI is gonna change......my GAWD! Equity Rescue at it's worst!

Bob, an excellent dissection of the deceit impregnated in TWI's attempt at explaining themselves to unsuspecting visitors to their website. I wish there were some way to post that warning ON their website AND at Wierwille Road and Highway 29. I have only one more thing to add: I have seen several posts throughout GreaseSpotCafe that indicate people are unsure about why TWI counts the year 1942 as it's beginning. Here is why: On October 3, 1942 was the very first radio broadcast of the Vesper Chimes Youth Caravan program, Dr. Wierwille's first efforts at reaching out beyond his congregation to the world. That is why TWI celebrates their anniversary on October 3 and dates the beginning to the year 1942. I think there is some confusion because the very first Power For Abundant Living Class was run in October, but that was in 1953. Dorothea Wierwille mentions it also in her book Born Again To Serve (p. 41) where she documents the details of the history of basically TWI I. Many of us wondered why she stopped so soon in describing the history of TWI and did not mention handing the ministry over to LCM. I think it was Dotsie's way of making her own personal statement. Read it any way you like. But that's the stow-ry.

I would argue that because of the foreign ingredient, the brownies are no longer brownies... They are $hitties...........

The fear TWI used to control people was especially obvious during this era where people had to travel in twos to do ANYTHING. Have they loosened up on that bit yet? And if so, how do they justify the change? And I can't imagine THINKING people not questioning the change. I guess so much for THINKING people left still in TWI. They're plain too SCARED to think.

Great point Dmiller! C'mon, Oldies, take a bite! Never mind the dog poop, just think of all those wonderful vitamins and minerals in the dairy products.... and of course, dmiller used all of the BEST POSSIBLE AVAILABLE ingredients........... It won't hurt you...............

Ex, They just won't get it. They are too unwilling to face the stark reality of the raw hurt and irreparable damage their hero did when he abused you. It hurts them too much to see your hurt. It shatters their idol. And that is the last thing they can tolerate. But others of us understand.

"But oldies, TWI hasn't been around nearly as long as the RC church. Just give TWI time to catch up!" The only thing that kept TWI from already catching up to the Roman Catholic Church and its atrocities is the separation of church and state in our own government. The reason the RC church could conduct inquisitions was the blending of head of church and state. What would have kept LCM from running his own inquisition? "Some of us would gladly execute you..." He made it very clear that if he had his way, anyone he decided to accuse of being homosexual would have been EXECUTED. And GLADLY at that. The only thing separating The Way International and the Roman Church when it conducted inquisitions is simply time and geographical location. The only thing that prevents it is our form of government. You think they've changed their minds on the issue since LCM is gone? Bad publicity and stings to their pocketbook are the only things keeping that cult in check. The murderous attitude is still lurking beneath the surface.

"Let the prophets all know, We rejoice at the word (Unintelligible to me) it's silver and gold." Which prophets? There are none left at TWI. They were defamed and dispatched years before. To me, this is an insult leveled at those who warned them of their idolatry, and were ignored, and persecuted. They worship a glittering image of what they believe to be a solid truth. It is merely a mirage in the desert of deceit.

I believe when the doctrine has been so poisoned by the behavior of a person this closely attached to it, you lose NOTHING by tossing out the MAN AND THE DOCTRINE. If the doctrine was correct, and truthful, then it can be corroborated by TRUE INDEPENDENT RESEARCH. Then the truth is recovered, without being tainted by the poisonous brew of hypocritical practices and harmful mental habit patterns. Get rid of the old terminology which causes the mind to simply go numbly humming along the same cultic mental ruts and destroys critical thinking. You will not learn to think for yourself again until those mental habit patterns are shattered. The truth will stand. Toss it out. Toss it all out. Then approach the Word with a fresh viewpoint. And do HONEST TO GOD TRUE RESEARCH. If it was real truth, guess what? YOU WILL FIND IT AGAIN, and this time without all the putrid rotting garbage that was wrapped around it.

"Wierwille's sex club and his other sins didn't stop God and his word from moving in twi-1." I beg your pardon. When that man, whom you so blindly worship and defend, made advances toward a young, innocent, unsuspecting woman in his motorcoach, then LIED TO ME when I asked what happend, YES, "God and his word" stopped moving in that young woman's life right then and there. She was irreparably damaged. And you can multiply that times however many women he did this to. How dare you make such ignorant assumptions.

Let's see here....... TWI got the domain names they felt Pat was infringing upon, and.........oh, yeah... Pat didn't have to pay their legal costs. That's it.

Jerry Jacks. His name was Jerry Jacks. He sold Way Books door to door and you can blame HIM for the door-to-door witnessing program. Biggest brown-noser in the Bookstore, and now in charge of the entire operation at HQ. His tapes on introducing door to door to The Way Corps / Way of Indiana are up on Ebay, BTW.

Yup, to quote another "people thief"-- "We left Egypt with all of the gold!" It's TWI's loss and they are crying in their soup over it. Remember Pharoah regretting letting the people of Israel go? He was bitter at the loss and the man who liberated them. He changed his mind, and tried to run them down. But we all know how that story ended, now don't we?

Socks! I remember the 4th Corps being told they had to bring their own trailer! Jxhn & Frxn Nxve were my branch coords at the time-- I remember them scrambling to find $$$ to buy a frikkin trailer when they could barely keep a roof over their heads with Jxhns painting business! Just shows to go ya what a group of people will do when captivated by such a magnetic personality. No place to put me? I'll live in the frikkin barn! Just let me sit at the feet o' the man o' gawd!

I have no idea why The Way International would gripe about "losing" people who were already out. Kinda like complaining about the folks who picked through things discarded at the curb. Why would it bother you that someone picked up the old sofa you left at the curb? Unless you forgot you stuffed the lining with a couple hundred thousand dollars.............

To reiterate what was posted by others before... Why is TWI complaining about losing people they themselves deemed were unworthy of their household? What loss was that to them? Unless they later realized the value of the people they kicked to the curb. They don't mourn the loss of the person, they mourn the loss of their value-- Bottom line......... They mourn the loss of your MONEY.

What, The Way International acting like they OWNED you? Why are you so surprised? OF COURSE THEY OWNED YOU. They owned you lock, stock, and barrel. They had at least 10% or more of your income and could count on soaking even more of it up at the bookstore, in classes, and in special events. They had your love, they had your devotion, they had your undying affection, and they had your fierce allegience. Until they lost it. Until someone opened your eyes to the fear you were bound by, until someone revealed the deceit that held you captive and sucked the life's blood from your very soul, and staunched the flow by releasing you from the clutches of that vile caball of wicked wolves. Those freed from their grasp are growing stronger, challenging TWI's lies, and exposing the BOD for the corrupt blood-sucking parasites that they are. Unfortunately for the BOD, they are the ones becoming anemic at the loss of their prey. And for The Way, a liberated mind is a fearsome thing to face.

Folks at TWI prefer not to think about Martindale at all now that he is gone. They have the people there believing that since they got rid of Craig, the problem is solved. What problem? There are no more problems? They all left with Craig. No one bothers to mention how to make ammends to the people he screwed, literally and figuratively. It's better to forget about them, ignore they even existed. Because if the BOD even ONCE acknowleged publicly that they were in error regarding the people they publicly defamed and privately devastated, and financially ruined, it would open up a superhighway for a class-action lawsuit. So we are all conveniently forgotten and treated as if we never existed at all.

I think we should leave the Wierwille children who have left TWI OUT of this. Leave them alone, let them live their lives without picking them to death. They have lived enough of their lives in a fishbowl they were born into, and did not ask for.

ROTFLPIMP!