Hm, if I saw Stevens again I would expect an itemized confession of wrongdoing. Then perhaps I would shun him. Yes, that seems more fair.

The posts have been great and have given me more to ponder. So.....can we go back to poking fun at the nephilim for the last time. Following are my 5 tips on how to know if your hair dresser is a nephilim:

1. He wears a tee shirt that says, "I survived Noah's flood."

2. He has nephilim breath.

3. His pit bull is named Goliath.

4. He believes the holocaust never happened.

5. You get a really bad headache every time he shampoos your head.

(Somber)

Perhaps that is the best approach:

"I'm inclined to believe it was a mixture. Part of God and part of something else."

Years ago, back in the late 1980s or early to mid-1990s, there was an article in Leadership, a journal for evangelical ministers.

One man wrote how he arranged his life as a minister:

He made sure it was never his only job.

* He kept an updated resume in his file. That way, if he had to look for
a new position, he could do so immediately.

* He knew a trade other than ministry. He wrote, "Knowing I can always make
a living selling linoleum has saved me from a multitude of sins."

He knew he could earn a living in an occupation that was based on physical work--and physical results. He was not addicted to getting attention and
affirmation in the public domain.

corboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> * He knew a trade other than ministry. He wrote,
> "Knowing I can always make
> a living selling linoleum has saved me from a
> multitude of sins."
>
> He knew he could earn a living in an occupation
> that was based on physical work--and physical
> results. He was not addicted to getting attention
> and
> affirmation in the public domain.

corboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> Perhaps that is the best approach:
>
> "I'm inclined to believe it was a mixture. Part
> of God and part of something else." (Quoting Paleface)
_____________________________________________________________________

It's a good way to look at the matter of JRS's ability to tune into and read people and a good way to perhaps reconcile in one's mind any concerns one might have if the ability was a gift from God or not but the fact remains it was that ability or gift to read people that led to the congregation believing JRS was all knowing and if he was all knowing then JRS must be a man of God and JRS's teaching must be of God and then we get into that pickle of believing everything he said was of GOD.

Still the newbie and trying to catch up with the thoughts and attitudes of the group here. I'm getting that no one out and out denounces Stevens, although I am not following the logic that if what he started was a cult from the get-go, that he was simultaneously speaking the word of god with all sincerity. I am also curious as to how common it is for ex-cult members to hope to meet up with the former cult leader in heaven. Are the thoughts towards the current leadership, Papa Gary and Mother Marilyn, the same? They knowingly assumed leadership of a sham organization, yet speak the word of god?

I tend to place more emphasis on a person's character than what his/her talents or gifts happen to be. One of my earliest experiences in the walk, after dropping out from college...and living day to day trying to survive financially...was my employment with a congregant who owned/operated a paint business. We painted the exterior of a house John in the vicinity of Redlands. After completing it, and submitting the bill to Gary (who had arranged for the work to done), we were informed during a church service by Gary that we had decided to donate our time and material to John. We were thanked before the congregation.
I suppose since both John and Gary were men of God, they had the perception to know that it was in our hearts to forego paying our bills and eating, in favor of the serving the upward flow.

Keep talking.

I may switch over to: JRS, Gary & Marilyn are not going to be in my heaven!!!

Running into G&M in heaven would be like running into Charles Manson. I'd probably ask St. Peter to reassign me to the basement. : )

Woodrow Nichols in Chapter 13 of his e-book (goggle spiritual counterfeits project the walk, then click JRS The Walk-Reflections from the Wall) tries to give a plausible theory about if JRS had a genuine call of God on his life. Nichols concludes that JRS's life had a parallel to the life of Saul but "a better definition of the sum total of Steven's ministry has yet to be given."