The Way. It Was.

[John Lynn]

The Way. It was.By John A. LynnIn the interest of truth, both small “t” (the facts about The Way International) and capital “T” (the Word of God it taught), I am compelled to propose why I think The Way International was (past tense), from a certain perspective, one of the most significant movements in the history of the Christian Church. I do so for the benefit of any graduate of the “Power For Abundant Living” class who still wants to live for the Lord and who may have been unduly discouraged, either by his/her own experience in The Way or by the ensuing barrage of negatives from other ex-Way saints about what was wrong with The Way.Given that I was one of the top ministry leaders from 1967-1987, I speak with experiential knowledge. Furthermore, I have spent the past 21 years continuing to dig into the Word of God along with knowledgeable Christians, and, in the process, re-evaluating everything we were taught. I speak with great thankfulness for the truth I heard in The Way (hereinafter TWI), with no doubt that God led me to it, and then away from it. And though I left with some wounds, I also took with me the resources I had been given that enabled me to be healed from those wounds and help others do likewise.I speak so that you can know “the rest of the story,” as opposed to all the disparaging things that have been said about The Way through the years by the media (much of that false), other Christians (much of that false), and disgruntled former followers (much of that true, some of it false). My purpose is to set forth a much more redemptive view of The Way than what I have thus far read from others with “ex-Way vision.” In some ways, this is a sequel to my March, 1988 letter in which I blew the whistle about what was then going on in TWI. (http://www.swiftlynx.com/beyondTheWayInternational/)Yes, there was more doctrinal error than I ever realized while I was in TWI, and there was corresponding practical error that became more evil than most of us involved ever imagined. Yes, many precious people were terribly abused. Yes, there was dishonesty about Scripture, there was plagiarism, and there was rampant sexual sin, all of which contributed to many people choosing to turn away from God and His Word. And as I realized these things, I did speak out about them, both publicly and privately, from 1987 until about 2000, after which TWI had marginalized itself in Christendom.Perhaps worst of all, a golden opportunity to make known the Word of God, as it had not been known since the first century, was squandered. I will elaborate upon why that is true from a doctrinal standpoint, but when else in the history of the Christian Church has there ever been such a cadre of thousands of young, energetic, enthused, biblically knowledgeable, logistically equipped, organizationally backed, diverse, multi-lingual, mobile, available, and committed-to-“It-is-written” men and women with leadership qualities who were willing to go anywhere and spread the Word? Certainly not often in the past 2000 years. Thank God that many of these students of the Word became teachers themselves, and were thus able to recognize the errors that crept into TWI.The Way. It was. What was it? First and foremost, it was, from about 1955-1987, the only place I know of where anyone could hear the amount of truth of the Word of God that we heard. Why? In large part because God led Victor Paul Wierwille to the work of E.W. Bullinger, whose approach to Scripture was virtually unique. That is what allowed Wierwille, and thus TWI to an even greater degree, thanks to the quality men and women with research ability whom it attracted, to put the Word together like it had not been known since the first century Church.The sad thing was that I, and many others, became too proud of our knowledge, and failed to couple it with enough of a humble, heartfelt desire to obey God and become like Jesus Christ. We became too arrogant toward other Christians, thinking that our study of truth somehow made us more “approved before God” than they. To a degree, we became more like hearers of the Word than doers, and often deceived our selves. BUT, the antidote to that is not to throw out the baby with the bathwater, because without knowledge of truth there can be little practice of it.Why did God have a need for The Way International? Actually, He didn’t. But He did have a need for any group of people who would make known what, or close to what, the Apostle Paul taught once the whole of what we now read in the Church Epistles had been unfolded to him. Why was there such a need? Because true Christian doctrine had all but disappeared from the spectrum of Church history by the 4th century. It was then that the Roman Catholic Church began based upon a bunch of fables mixed with Christian verbiage, established a monolithic ecclesiastical hierarchy, and for more than a thousand years dominated the European religious landscape, killing countless dissenters and for the most part silencing the rest.When Martin Luther came along (1517 was when he nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenburg), thank God he did recognize justification by faith rather than by works, but what we today refer to as the “Reformation” of the Roman Catholic Church was very limited in scope. Much of the Roman Catholic doctrine was assimilated into Protestantism and is still being passed along as Christian groups continue to split off from one another. In a nutshell, that is why even the independent church in your neighborhood today most probably believes that there is a Trinity, dead people are alive, God is in control of everything that happens, the Four Gospels are written to Christians, water baptism is relevant, and maybe even that the Bible is not absolute truth.I don’t know where else we could have heard the “package” of biblical truth we heard in TWI. Admittedly, most of the major doctrinal components of that package were being taught by some Christians, with varying degrees of accuracy, but none that I know of put together as many into a package as TWI did. Let’s begin with what I mentioned about E.W. Bullinger’s contribution to TWI, which was HUGE, because his basic approach to Scripture is what facilitates one being able to discover its inherent keys and utilize them to derive the Author’s originally intended meaning.TWI taught us to approach the Word with the “It is written” conviction that it is what it says it is, and that it cannot contradict itself. That alone is enough to at least identify error about the Bible, and the keys to the Word’s interpretation we were taught enabled us to understand it, take its truth into our hearts, and apply it on a daily basis.Given that the identity of Jesus Christ is the world’s biggest deal, I would have to say that chief among the wonderful biblical truths we heard in TWI was that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (not God), the Man who mediates between God and men, and that the Trinity is a pagan fable. Some ex-Way saints now say this distinction is not that important, but I assert that God thinks differently, given what He says in His Word (e.g., 2 Cor. 4:3 and 4). Yes, TWI failed to teach us that we can have an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, but there were not too many other places where we could have heard that Jesus is not the “eternally begotten” Second Person of the Trinity.I’d have to say that the next most important biblical truth we heard in TWI was what we then called the “Mystery,” and, correspondingly, what parts of Scripture are written to Jews, to Gentiles, or to Christians regarding either the past, the present, or the future. For the record, we have since learned that “Sacred Secret” is a more accurate way of rendering the Greek, musterion.Ephesians is the apex of the Church Epistles (the primary curriculum for Christian living), and it clearly shows that the Body of Christ (the “one new man” of Chapter 2, verse 15) is the most unique group of people who have ever lived, chiefly because of the permanence of our salvation and our holy spirit equipping. 1 Corinthians 2:8 chimes in with the monumental (and generally overlooked) truth that had Satan known the Sacred Secret, he would not have crucified Jesus!In terms of biblical error that is practically debilitating to one’s quality of life, I see nothing more important than knowing what Scripture is written to whom, when, and in particular what is written to us as Christians today. The Church’s failure to understand this central truth has led to its trying to live in accordance with directives pertaining to other people at other times. It is only in the Church Epistles that a Christian finds his true identity “in Christ,” as well as his true Hope. Simply put, the Word of God will never fit together without contradiction if one does not understand the “administrations” therein, and in particular this current “administration of the Sacred Secret” (Eph. 3:9).Yes, there are quite a few Christians who have a “Dispensational” view of Scripture, but the vast majority of them fail to grasp that Jesus is not God and that he did not know the Sacred Secret. Most think that parts of the Four Gospels and the book of Revelation speak of the Christian Church, but that is not the case. The Gospels record the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about Christ’s first coming to the earth to Israel (his suffering), and Revelation records the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about his second coming to the earth to Israel (his glory).Another major truth we learned in TWI, which is unknown to most Christians, is that of the Giver and the gift, and, correspondingly, that speaking in tongues is available to all Christians because it is a manifestation of holy spirit, not a gift. We also learned the indispensable truth that speaking in tongues is the only absolute proof that one is saved. How many tens of thousands of people did those truths alone set free?TWI also taught us that death is, in fact, the end of life, and that our true Hope for new life in the coming age is to be raised from the dead and meet the Lord Jesus in the air prior to the Tribulation (the “time of Jacob’s trouble” – Jer.30:7). What percentage of Christians do you think know this? Although TWI failed to teach us that Paradise (the new earth), not heaven, will be our everlasting home, thank God we learned that resurrection is much more than an incorporeal “soul” once again getting a body.And TWI pointed us toward an understanding of the figures of speech in the Bible (thanks to Bullinger), of which little is known in theological circles. This included the figurative language in the Old Testament that helped us see that God is not responsible for evil or suffering, nor is He in control of everything that happens.Like I, you may know of some ministries that do teach some of these truths, but I submit that until 1987 there was nowhere other than TWI to find all of them taught as accurately as they were there. That is why The Way International stands out on the spectrum of Church history as an amazingly significant Christian movement.As far as I can see, TWI was also about the most disparate dichotomy of good and evil in the history of Christianity. Like the wheat and the tares growing up together, tremendous truth and egregious evil shared the ministry platform. Many people look back on their TWI experience with nothing but thankfulness, while others rue their free will choice to stay involved as long as they did because of the abuse they suffered. Some have been stymied by self-condemnation due to the abuses they themselves committed. No doubt there are also many who recognize that they heard the Word like they never had, who have allowed the Lord Jesus to heal any wounds they suffered in TWI, and who have since experienced spiritual growth far beyond what they ever imagined back in “the good old days.”I hope you are in that last category, and if you’re not, you can be. Even if people badly abused and disappointed you, you can turn to the Lord Jesus, he who is The Way to wholeness in all categories of heart and life. His love and truth will heal your heart and help you forgive and move forward with him toward the same goal you once had. You have a ministry in the Body of Christ, and he who is the Head longs to help you fulfill that calling. It was neither your heavenly Father nor your Lord who hurt you, nor does whatever happened to you change anything the Word says. God’s promises are still true, and they are yours for the believing.The Way, we were. If you once sat through PFAL, you heard the Word of God taught more accurately than the vast majority of Christians who have ever drawn breath. As a fellow PFAL grad, I identify with you, and have an affinity for you and a desire to encourage you to take advantage of the truth you once heard, if you are not already doing so. Along with me, you will one day stand before our precious Lord Jesus Christ, who will reward you according to how you have lived your life as a Christian. In essence, he will ask each of us something like this: “What did you do with what you knew?”[For a detailed list of biblical subjects I think TWI mishandled, see the following link: http://www.christianeducational.org/25diffTWI.htmIf you would like to discuss with me about what I have written, please contact me at [e-mail]]

[Michael Prahm]

John;

On the surface, to say that Dr. learned what he knew from Bullinger is suspect, based on the known differences of Dr. Bullinger's conclusion, that are easily found in print. I sat in a session called the Pillars of the Church with the Jess's, the Georges and others. The question of Dr. Bullinger's writings came up, and it was attested to that these were discovered after PFAL was already being taught. There were others in the 10th Corps who were there who can also verify this.

Certainly on the question of the trinity, the stark difference is seen . While Dr. Bullinger's work on the word study of Pneauma, a case can be made, there is a void of information in the verses concerning the subject, and Dr. Bullinger was never one to leave things uncommented, but then, if you don't know, you don't know. I believe there is older work on the subject of four crucified, but I don't remember where I saw it, and finally Dr. Bullinger had this time in another Administration(see his notes in Acts 28). Also he believed structure determines interpretation, work that was not his own, and he published against the author's wishes.

On the subject of doctrine your note does not stand up based on testimony of others, and the testimony of Dr. Bullinger's printed words.

On the practical side it reminds me of a three Stooges episode where there are in a boat, and you, as Curly are drilling holes in a sinking boat, and calling it a water- letter- outer. I know the difference between edification and destruction. I built bridges in my youth, and the first thing that is done is the old bridge has to come out: wrecking ball, dynamite, and bulldozers. If 5 sticks won't do the job maybe a case will. Then comes construction, building,edifying, but your letter reminds me of the bridge in Mpls., that collapsed. They were doing construction while the bridge was open. Originally, the bridge was designed for four lanes expanded to six with no additional girders piers, or abutments added. The traffic was moved to the outside lanes, the added section beyond the dimensions of the design. Once movement occurred, or sway, it took the added lanes even farther, that's when the bridge failed. or the practical use exceeded the doctrinal design for which it was intended. The prophets of the Old Testament are the abutment on one side, The new testament is the abutment on the other side, Jesus Christ is the pier in the center of the chasm, the beams, the deck and the railing are the practicals, whether denomination, congregation, individual, family, group, sect, or cult. (The pilings on any modern bridge are driven into the ground to the point that they will hold 2,000 lbs. per sq. inch and abutments and piers may have as many as 40-60 in each structure)

Too low they build who build beneath the stars. Edward Young; on a copper plaque made out of the roof of the Library of Congress

I might screw up tomorrow, probably today, I may even be in concert with other fools wrapped up in the folly of my mind. I am a Vietnam vet. That went well. I was a W.O.W. in In Iran. That went well. My father's bridge business went bankrupt. that went well. If I beat myself as that dude did in Billy Britt's note, reciting the entire Bible, would that go well? I do not live to myself, I do not die to myself, I think I am the Lord's. John you need to remove this handle off this bag, and quit carrying it. I have never heard of post partum judgment until now, or we could dig up Dr. Wierwille and put him on trial, like the Popes of old, or LET US THEREFORE FOLLOW AFTER THE THINGS WHICH MAKE FOR PEACE, AND THE THINGS WHEREWITH ONE MAY EDIFY ANOTHER.
God bless, you're the best!
Michael H. Prahm

[Wolfgang Schneider]

Hi there,

I have read your comment a few times ... but I admit I am not sure I understand what you are trying to ask or say.

You describe a rather sad (but almost typical?) situation found in Christianity ... I have yet to find a group that grants individuals and/or other groups the liberty to teach and believe which they claim for themselves. Seems like groups/churches have been throughout the centuries and still are rather quick to "excommunicate" others ...

Why have "churches" / "groups" and seek "unity" there? Christians seem to not have learned in 2 millenials that such "churches"/"group" mentality is at the root of the "unity" problem about which so many complain? Does the Bible teach that the unity within the church of God is found or seen when "group unity" is established? Does the Bible teach that the unity among members of the body of Christ is a "unity of the spirit"? Since when is "the unity of the spirit" withinin the body of Christ dependent on membership in churches/groups ?

How about applying Christ's advice in such a situation: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Mt 7:12) or the same truth put into other words: "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Mt 22,39-40)

[Wolfgang Schneider]

Hi Hope,
you mentioned: It's all perspective when it comes to things that aren't real.

There is also a lot in perspective when it comes to things that are real ... as well as when it comes to how people read the Bible.

Not every perspective provides necessarily a correct understanding of that which one reads or sees. On the other hand, looking at something from different perspectives may vastly enhance one's understanding of a matter and provide a vital key to learning truth and to distinguishing truth from error .

[Michael Schiano]

i read your comment, marilou. you said, "Forgiveness only takes in whatever time dimension from God we'll never know." maybe there's a comma missing or something because i can't understand what you mean. could you explain it to me?

[Kevin Nye]

Debra said;

"Apparently, since it's 1st showing until now, "the way it was" contention has pollutted our once flourishing, fun reunion site -- and distaste has become "the way it is. Yet again. So, where's "the profit" in all this?"

Ahh, but the good news Debra, is that all any of us have to do if we don't like what is going on in a particular blog (such as this one for you), is to simply not come to that blog anymore. Have you seen the goofy thread started by Joe Kriston? That's a fun and funny one. Personally, I like the things John Lynn shared in the opening post here in The Way, It Was, But I know for certain that we all who have moved in so many different directions are not going to see eye to eye on things. So, all I have said here for the most part is that "I liked "The Way, It Was", but haven't commented much more on it, because fighting over such things does indeed seem to be of no profit. But this is still a fun place! And I think you are wonderful! Thanks for your perspective Debra :-)

[Dan Haas]

I think sharing one's perspective can be a healthy thing, in addition to having reunion-fun. My view is that there are a lot of wonderful folks around here I can get to know better. We're certainly not all on the same page in many ways, but love greases the cogs. I respect John for putting his perspective out there... it's been amen-ed and challenged. As long as it's done in good will, it can serve a positive purpose.

[Debra Kline]

Apparently, since it's 1st showing until now, "the way it was" contention has pollutted our once flourishing, fun reunion site -- and distaste has become "the way it is. Yet again. So, where's "the profit" in all this?

[Davis Crowell]

I remember after I graduated from the Way Corps, I was sent to Chicago to run a branch on the north side of the city.

I lived on LaSalle and Division, a part of Chicago know as the "Gold Coast". A few blocks from us was the Moody Bible Institute, an institution which taught men and women things pertaining to God. As our manner was we witneesed quite a bit and met a number of students who attended "Moody" They believed in the Trinity, didn't SIT's, believed the dead are alive and blah, blah,blah. I invited them to my home for fellowship. You know the ones where one person did all the talking, no questions were asked and for the most part quite boring.

I would become so irritated with the 'lot of them" I thew them out of a fellowship one evening and asked them not to come back. I had done that on several ocassion's in my 14 years with TWI. How "shallow" is that!

I have friends that go to "fortune tellers", I have friends that subscribe to "Playboy", I have friends who are Jewish and the list goes on. I live my life openly, I do my best to walk according to what I have learned and what I continue to learn daily, hourly..Hell! by the second.

Perhaps I should have refrained from using the term "whatever floats your boat'. We know/think, ( or at least we know/think we do ), have all the answers and are so quick to point out the speck in other peoples lives/eyes when we've got this big old honkin' log in our own eyes.

I like yourself see so much in one day. I see things I would not do in my life, being done by so many daily. I have made it my "mantra" to not judge, to not get angry, to not condemn...and the list goes on. I hope this helps.

I attend a home fellowship on Tuesday evenings. It is well run with a topic discussed each evening. We don't all agree but we know deep in our hearts that we all, in the group wanna be our best.

[Davis Crowell]

Nope...you don't sound "off." Hey! To have a 7 year old granddaughter come up to you and express her thoughts as she did is....Well! It's alright in my book.

I don't have a Harry Potter book either but my kids have read them and go to "Harry Potter" movies. I have a tendency to read self help books...not to much fiction...but hey "whatever floats your boat."

You my friend embrace these problems that encounter you. We all gotum' Most people will encounter "life's problems" and get stuck. There are those who embrace these problems "headon" and rise above them...learn and "move on"...I learned this from one of the "self help" books I'm reading.

[John Richeson]

No problem George. In fact I look forward to meeting you some day.

Hey, if we keep this up John's blog will overtake Kriston's again as the most popular one of all the blogs.