Dig Deeper: A CULT is born: The Way International

Sunday, January 12, 2014

A CULT is born: The Way International

The Way International

.....shall men arise, speaking perverse things,
to draw away disciples after them.
Acts 20:30

A CULT is born......

1950's

Victor Paul Wierwille, a fired pastor of the Evangelical & Reformed Church (This denomination would join with most Congregational churches to form the United Church of Christ) began a radio show in Lima, Ohio. It quickly caught on & spread. On AM 700 WLW out of Cincinnati, it had up to 70,000 listeners at its peak.

1951

As a self-proclaimed "pioneer in the holy spirit field", he claims the Holy Spirit poured upon him on 12/13/51. He claimed he was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, stuck in a snow blizzard. Problem is-weather records for that day show NO snow in Tulsa & only a half an inch earlier in the week. OOPs....

...Back in 1942

He claims God spoke to him back in 1942 & literally told him what to do as far as the movement he would eventually found as a supposed bible research organization. (He always claimed that The Way International wasn't a church).

The Scam/Scheme...

He organized his followers into groups of 4 called a "family" and sent them out for spreading his word and getting more converts. (Sounds like a pyramid marketing scheme). His main focus was selling tapes of the program he produced known as Power for Abundant Living.

BRAINWASHING

His movement grew to over 100,000 at its peak. They were probably the best known group in the 70's & early 80's for brainwashing. They were known for forcing members to listen for hours to certain tapes. They were also a top target for the "de-programmers" of that time, who would rescue (kidnap) people in these cults and try to get some sense into their heads at the request of their parents.

Affairs

Mr. Wierwille was known for his affairs with many of the ladies. At one time, a young woman in his movement committed suicide. Before she did, she claimed she had been having an affair for a month with pastor Wierwille and felt so guilty.

Also, his hand-picked successor, Craig Martindale, was eventually fired as head of the church because of his abuse of women, including rape & gang rape.

Search & Rescue Team?

Wierwille also had a personal bodyguard as well as a small team, which included 3 ex-navy seals, for search & rescue ops......used for tracking down rescued/kidnapped members by "de-programmers" and brought back to the fold.

According to one man in the unit, he claimed they busted out a "few teeth' and "broke a few bones" but never killed anyone on their search & rescue missions.....WHAT??????? What kind of "Christian" organization is this? Almost sounds like something Lyndon LaRouche & his people would have done.....or the Church of Scientology....

The Way International could be characterized as the Church of Scientology except they quote Bible verses once in a while.....

DOCTRINES

@ Adultery - one gentlemen was fired for writing an article for their magazine claiming that adultery was "sin". The leadership claimed they had no time for debating about adultery being "sin".

@ They believe in Once-Saved-Always-Saved (that explains the part about adultery not mattering).

@ They deny the Godhead/Trinity.

@ Wierwille taught that Christ was NOT divine. Rather, he claimed Christ didn't even exist until His birth on earth......

@ He believed in speaking in tongues (the gibberish charismatic kind).

@ They believe Christ was crucified on a Wednesday.

@ They believe there were 5 crosses at Calvary. And, like the Jehovah Witnesses, they believe He was crucified on a stake instead of a cross.

@ God has NO special day of the week.

@ Opposed to water baptism.

@ Claims only 7 of the epistles of Paul are the only part of the Bible that matter.

@ The Way were known for being potty-mouths, at least back in the day.

End of Wierwille

Mr. WIERWILLE'S probation closed when he was only 68. He had eye cancer & had an eye removed. His last month of life he was found to have liver cancer also. Near the end he was visited by some women from his movement. They claimed that he was unable to speak due to a recent stroke and cried out of his one remaining eye. .....

* The Way's current teachings on devil spirits is based, listed more than 31 varieties of devil spirits, including: Spirit of Anti-Christ, Bondage, Error, Fear (in any realm of life), Jealousy, Emulation (ambition), Envy, Infirmity, Iniquity, Leviathan (alcoholics), Oppression, Depression, Hallucination (often from drugs), Cancer, Murder, Epilepsy, Lesbianism, Sensuality, Obsession, Sadism, Lying, Deception, Python, Masochism and many more.....

What We BELIEVE

* And now abideth faith, hope, LOVE, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:13

* Genesis 1-11 is actual HISTORY

* The 10 Commandments WAS - IS - & WILL BE the LAW of GOD

* REVELATION is written in symbols for actual end time events

* The SANCTUARY lays out the Plan of Salvation (Justification / Outer Court + Sanctification / Inner Court = preparation for your Judgment / Most Holy Place)

* The solemnity of the 7th day SABBATH (Saturday) was NEVER transferred to the 1st day of the week (Sunday) by God

* The modern charismatic movement is a counterfeit Latter Rain

* The Mark-of-the-beast will involve some sort of counterfeit Sabbath

* "Soul Sleep" for the State of the Dead (dead until the resurrection)

* The Godhead (Trinity) are 3 separate beings who work together in unity

* The GODHEAD's Existence is ETERNAL (in other words-The arrow of time stretching for Infinity in both directions)

* The GREEN RELIGION (modern environmental movement) is a cleverly cloaked spiritualism for the "sophisticated" modern world

* The Little Horn of Daniel & the Beast of Revelation (a.k.a. the anti-christ to some) is one & the same institution - the same institution the Reformers declared it to be during the Reformation

* Marriage is between ONE man & ONE woman

* The Emerging Church movement -- & spiritual formation are modern day GNOSTICISM & have NO place within Christendom

* Women Ordination is an ASSAULT on the foundation of the Godhead (as God is the head of Christ in an ecclesiastical setting - so too was the man placed as the head of the woman in an ecclesiastical setting -- outside this setting they are equal as Christ is with the Father)

* Baptism is by Immersion at an age of consent

* Justification + Sanctification = TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH....(Justification) Neither do I condemn thee: (Sanctification) go, and sin no more. John 8:11

* God is NOT homophobic -- rather He is sexual immorality phobic (HE places adultery, fornication, rape, bestiality, cross dressing AND homosexuality ALL in the same category)

* "HELL" is NOT an eternally burning place -- rather it is the Lake of Fire where the wicked will be destroyed together once & for all when this Great Controversy between God & His opponent comes to an end....God does NOT torment people for eternity

* The "Great Controversy" theme is the prism to make sense of this universal conflict between God & His opponent, of which we play a part on this space fabric of time as a "spectacle" (as Paul calls it) before all watching

* Biblical "speaking in tongues" was a GIFT of known foreign languages for Evangelization (not the gibberish "tongues" uttered in churches today)

* Historicism is the way to interpret eschatology from the view of the prophetic porch (NOT preterism, futurism or idealisim)

* The 3 Angel's Message (of Rev.14) is the central Mission of the SDA Church & the Sanctuary Doctrine (& it's sub-doctrine of the Investigative Judgment) is the Cornerstone Doctrine of the Denomination

* The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a SYMBOLIC Remembrance

* The 2nd Advent of Christ will be a literal, visible, physical return where EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM & that is when the dead will rise & the living be caught up-- Not at some sort of a "secret rapture" before His return...

* On the Nature of Christ - He was born with our sinful fallen nature / propensities--yet did NOT sin - hence His ability to be the spotless Lamb of God - the Lamb without blemish to cover ours

* 7th Day Adventism did not rise up at the end of the time-frame of Daniel 8:14 to be just another denomination to hang upon the wall of Christendom...

* The Dispensations around the Cross are 1) Before the Cross the Plan of Redemption laid out in the earthly Sanctuary in Types & Symbols patterned after the Heavenly Sanctuary {from the Altar of Sacrifice to the Mercy Seat} 2) After the Cross shifts to the REALITY of the Heavenly Sanctuary {from the Cross to the Judgment Seat}. ---- We REJECT the Dispensationalism that says "before the cross we were saved by the Law & after the Cross by Grace" ---- (the reason is because on BOTH SIDES OF THE CROSS we were never saved by the Law and always saved by Grace)

* We REJECT the DISGUSTING "Prosperity Gospel" as many see TV (so-called) Evangelists preach today

* Justification & Sanctification Simplified - God draws the BOUNDARIES with His LAW. When we step outside of them it's called SIN. (He offers JUSTIFICATION to remedy it). But afterwards He expects us to step back within those Boundaries (called SANCTIFICATION ).

* EndTime "BABYLON" - Confederacy of the Counterfeit Trinity of the "Dragon", "Beast" & "False Prophet" of Rev.16:13. (Also a term of Reference for the Fallen Condition of Christendom)

*The OLD TESTAMENT is simply the NEW TESTAMENT in Types & Symbols- therefore both are valid for Study & Doctrine.

* "A Minister's words are only of Value as long as his word's are an Echo of the Word's of God." {Dwayne Lemon}

* We REJECT the Church being involved with the ECUMENICAL movement....where do you see in Scripture God's people ever being told to be Ecumenical with neighboring religions?.. Nowhere....

*We believe in "Replacement Theology", that "Israel" in prophetic terms and spiritually is God's people...NOT Literal, Modern Day Israel in the Middle East.

* Tithing is Biblical: MONEY (1/10 to God) TIME (1/7 to God- the 7th day of the week, called the SABBATH)

* Soteriology: We believe in total FREE WILL as a component. - Therefore we Reject Sacramentalism, Predestination, Once-Saved-Always-Saved, Universalism & Pluralism.

* The HEALTH MESSAGE-Live it as best you can. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest....be in health... 3 John 1:2

* And always remember - "If you feel yourself to be the greatest sinner, Christ is just what you need, the greatest Savior. Lift up your head and look away from yourself, away from your sin, to the uplifted Savior; away from the poisonous, venomous bite of the serpent to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world." Ellen White {JUSTIFICATION}

* "God has given us His commandments, not only to be believed in, but to be obeyed." Ellen White {SANCTIFICATION}

* SUMMARY: "Every chapter and every verse of the Bible is a communication from God to men." Ellen White

* WARNING: "...by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell. It becomes assimilated to that which it is accustomed to love and reverence." Ellen White

Are Ashes Upon Your Lips?

The love of God still yearns over the one who has chosen to separate from Him, and He sets in operation influences to bring him back to the Father's house.
--Have you, reader, chosen your own way?
--Have you wandered far from God?
--Have you sought to feast upon the fruits of transgression, only to find them turn to ashes upon your lips?
Now that voice which has long been speaking to your heart but to which you would not listen comes to you distinct and clear, Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. Micah 2:10. Return to your Father's house. He invites you, saying, Return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee. Isa. 44:22.
E.G.W.