Way Corps Principles

[Twinky]

Just a thought – in light of plagiarism of other TWI materials – but where do the Way Corps principles originate? Did VPW pinch these off someone – or some other organization? He was fond of calling the first semester of WC training “boot camp” (except that boot camp continued throughout WC training). Please someone (Galen?) tell me he didn’t steal some version of these principles from the Marines!

For those of you who don’t know, or don’t remember – here they are…well, as they were at one time.

From the Chalet sign:

1. Acquire an in-depth spiritual perception and awareness.
2. Receive training in the whole Word so as to be able to teach others.
3. Physical training making your physical body, the vehicle [vee-hicle] of communication of the Word, as vital as possible.
4. Practice believing to bring material abundance to you and the ministry.
5. Go forth as leaders and workers in areas o concern, interest and need.

They did change slightly from time to time. LCM added a word, changed a word… maybe VPW did, too. For instance, LCM added “of the Word” at the end of CP1…which makes it a rather different principle.

Don’t really want this do become a discussion about the principles themselves – that would be a different thread – it just struck me that VPW probably didn’t think these up any more than he thunk up PFAL or other class materials.

(Apologies to any of you who I grossed out by repeating what you might prefer to have forgotten!)

[WordWolf]

I know very little, but I can add what vpw claimed (which often was a lie.).

When addressing the Corps (as recorded and reproduced in "The Heart of the Way Corps",

he claimed he came up with them in about 5 minutes when he sat down to write them.

He also said that ORIGINALLY, the first one had "OF THE WORD" as the end of the sentence,

and complained it didn't make sense to him to claim "spiritual perception and awareness"

of anything else. When I heard that the first time, I disagreed on general principle.

When/where I was attending fellowships, the idea that EVERYTHING should be understood

and spiritual perception applied all the time. (And sometimes the answer was that

it was all mundane and NOT supernatural. We were oddballs where I went- which is

why numbers kept going up even when they added Corps people who jammed sticks

into the wheel spokes of what we were doing.)

Anyway, vpw claimed he came up with them, along, sitting down, in 5 minutes.

vpw also claimed "of the Word" was the end of CP1.

Then again, he's been proven to be a chronic liar. So, I can attest to the claims,

but not as to whether they're in any way true.

[WordWolf]

=====================

Honestly, though, how "deep" are these "principles"?

[*]

"Acquire an in-depth spiritual perception and awareness."

"Receive training in the whole Word so as to be able to teach others."

DUH.

People are in a program for those who want to be leaders and teach the Bible.

"Physical training making your physical body, the vehicle [vee-hicle] of communication of the Word, as vital as possible."

Staying in shape is a good thing. vpw knew nothing about it. Rather than leading the group on their

runs, he was drinking and smoking-and forbidding them to smoke, at least in SOME of the corps.

lcm documented that. vpw didn't even play a little basketball with them.

Considering his supposed history as a ball player and inventor of the hook shot,

you think he'd at least play a LITTLE.

"Practice believing to bring material abundance to you and the ministry."

vpw ALWAYS watched how much money people were worth to him, which is why

twi NEVER did anything that wasn't designed to turn a profit,

and lagged whenever he had the chance to "invest in infrastructure."

twi's furnishings were always the cheapest that could be found, and

refurbished whenever possible.

"Go forth as leaders and workers in areas of concern, interest and need."

Supposedly, it was a leadership training program, so this one is self-evident.

I'd like to remind everyone that vpw lacked ANY background in ANY training program

or in ANY discipline. His personal history is one of cutting corners and avoiding

discipline and order.

These don't take much thought.

I would expect he plagiarized in part from something, based on his history of

doing so. He would plagiarize something, make some cosmetic changes, and then

pass it around. The poems he supposedly wrote a few times underwent that process.

The only snag is that he lacked exposure to any similar program as an attendee

or staffer. However, his personal history includes acting as a proofreader

("editor") of other Christians, which showed him how much he could gain by

reading the works of others, and, probably, how weak his own work was by

comparison.

So, in conclusion, I really don't know.

[waysider]

I don't know their origin. I do know, however, that they were also the FellowLaborer's princples and are now the principles of V₂P₂'s posse. HERE

[chockfull]

When addressing the Corps (as recorded and reproduced in "The Heart of the Way Corps",

he claimed he came up with them in about 5 minutes when he sat down to write them.

He had a similar story of writing the holy spirit book - recorded in elena whiteside's TWLIL. Took a week or so - checked into a hotel, and wrote the entire book in that time. With VP it's not necessarily a lie - you just don't know the whole truth, like during the week he was "writing" the majority of it was copying JE Stiles book.

So my money is on us not having found the source yet.

[Twinky]

So then, so far no further forward apart from a pervading idea that they were borrowed from somewhere else. But where? :spy:/>

[penworks]

So then, so far no further forward apart from a pervading idea that they were borrowed from somewhere else. But where? :spy:/>/>

I'm not sure where the principles came from but I know they did not exist until AFTER those of in the 2nd Corps entered the program. I remember this so clearly because one of the other girls told me she didn't know we were signing up to "go forth as leaders and workers" after the program. She had come in the Corps just to get the training and knowledge. AND I know VPW told another girl that it was just a two year commitment, not a LIFETIME deal.

I can tell you I heard from a reliable source back in 1971 that the application we filled out to enter the Corps program was based on the one for the Peace Corps. Maybe VPW modified their goals somehow and reworded them to come up with the ones for us. Who knows...

[excathedra]

thanks pennyworks :) my original goal was to join the peace corps before i got "witnessed to"

--

(Apologies to any of you who I grossed out by repeating what you might prefer to have forgotten!)

thank you soooooooo much for that my twinky friend

[Twinky]

I just had a quick look at the Peace Corps website and they have three mission statements, none of which resembles the WC principles. Not to say they haven't changed their mission statement or whatever. The text of their early newsletters, without being at all the same, has a not unfamiliar feel about it...

Peace Corps started in 1960; when was the first WC intake?

You might have something there, Penworks.

Excie, you'd have been a lot better off...

But who knows what other "adventures" and persuasive overseers you might have had?

[excathedra]

'tis true

is there any church or organization that doesn't exploit people ?

looking forward to the promise of a better time

[penworks]

I just had a quick look at the Peace Corps website and they have three mission statements, none of which resembles the WC principles. Not to say they haven't changed their mission statement or whatever. The text of their early newsletters, without being at all the same, has a not unfamiliar feel about it...

Peace Corps started in 1960; when was the first WC intake?

You might have something there, Penworks.

Excie, you'd have been a lot better off...

But who knows what other "adventures" and persuasive overseers you might have had?

The first corps group (the Zero Corps which was sent home before their first year ended) came to HQ in 1969.

The official First Corps came to HQ in fall of 1970. I don't know whether they fiiled out an application form or not.

The Second Corps (the group I was with) began the fall of 1971. I had to fill out that form which was said to be based on the P.C. form.

Edited February 24, 2013 by penworks

[skyrider]

So then, so far no further forward apart from a pervading idea that they were borrowed from somewhere else. But where? :spy:/>/>

For years, these five corps *principles* were known, and listed in the corps brochure, as objectives.

I highly suspect that wierwille plagairized and tweeked them from someone or seminar that he attended.

Perhaps, Glenn Clark and Camps Farthest Out......or similar.

It should be painfully obvious, by now........these *corps principles* were NOT originated by wierwille.

He copied and tweeked radio broadcasts, sermons, pamphlets, poems, songs, programs, classes and books.

Wierwille was a huckster.

[waysider]

If I had to venture a guess, it would be that he plucked them from somewhere amongst the writings of Eli Stanley Jones. The Way Corps, after all, was really a bastardization of Jones' Christian Ashram concept.

(Jones is also credited with coining the phrase, "Fear is sand in the machinery of life.".)

[skyrider]

Yeah......perhaps, E. Stanley Jones.

To me, it matters not when hundreds upon hundreds of christian leaders borrow, or utilize, or adopt,

or adapt programs, seminars, classes and sermons from another previous source.

What wierwille did was to plunder the works of others and promulgate his podium to a whole new level........ie mog-worship.

According to twi-doctrine......wierwille was THE 'man of God' for the whole world. The scam dripped of idolatry.

Even today, amongst a mountain of refuting evidence.......twi continues onward with this pathetic deception.

[waysider]

....and SOWERS is carrying the torch. Put it in a new jar, slap a cool label on it and pretend no one will notice it's the same old, same old.