Let me begin by saying that it will not be possible for me to become a part of the community that you all have developed here. My anonymity is of utmost importance, firstly, as I have family in TLWF who have been there more than 40 years. It is too late and of no use to try and interfere with that now.

Secondly, I have moved on, many years since. There is no “healing” left to be had for me, spiritual or otherwise. I was forced to come to terms will all of this many years ago. I have done the detox and I AM done.

Finally, having read through all of this and having been a part of FactNet also, I realize that our goals are not the same. What you have seems to work for you, and I am glad of it. It will not work for me, and “that’s okay too.”

It appears that many of you still seek validation for our earliest beliefs.

Some are apologetics for JRS, his “vision” for the “Kingdom” and his “manifestations” of bringing “Christ into the Earth.” Marilyn is where it went astray and Gary’s involvement sealed the fate of a beautiful and mystical “fruit” gone bad. I don’t agree.

Others are looking to forgive mistakes made because “the heart was right,” and there’s no way to move on and become whole until that is accomplished. I don’t agree.

A few have mentioned, repeatedly, that all was well until that arrogant and uneducated Third Generation took control. I don’t agree.

The rest devolve into debate, with scriptural back up, over “Words” that “came down” over us all. The right, the wrong, the details and the methods are lost as each of you attempt to justify your points using exactly the same methods- trigger words and biblical “proofs” that were used in THE CULT we all came out of for various reasons. I don’t agree.

I am here for one purpose and one purpose only. When I have accomplished my goal, I will fade right back into the woodwork that I came out of, resume my life as it stands, and leave this whole nightmare in the dust of the past where it belongs.

This site, and our host, has a mission: “The Cult Education Institute (CEI) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization devoted to public education and research. CEI's mission is to study destructive cults, controversial groups and movements and to provide a broad range of information and services easily accessible to the public for assistance and educational purposes online through the Web.”

I intend to support that mission with my experiences, my knowledge and the pain of my youth, in the hope that no one else will ever be “sucked in” to this kind of CULT ever again. I intend to support the claims that The Living Word Fellowship, aka The Walk, meets the definition of Cult, and to “bear witness” alongside too many others who have been dismissed out of hand as belonging to aberrant “churches,” or were bitter or vindictive, or “Nephilim” or “Satanic” or for any other reasons than the truth. Heaven forbid we should go the way of Waukegan, right? Waukegan WAS right.

The claims of “the faithful” that things have changed, that reparations have been made, and that those responsible for abuses have been “set out” or have “blown out” are false. What has changed is a PR campaign and a tightening of “oversight” to improve the image of what was then and remains now, a cult of control; monetary, spiritual, physical and emotional.

I have heard you, First Generation. I have heard you, Second Generation. Lately, your lament here has been about children who were “divided” from their parents and how wrong it was for those children to refuse to honor “thy father and thy mother” when they were “set out.” Those poor parents! You debate the means of overcoming that, but you ignore the flip side. Where were those children educated and who brought them to it?

I was Third Generation and my parents abandoned me because it wasn’t “in the Lord” for them to continue. My story follows.

INVISIBLE


You concluded your last post with, ‘I believe the work of the cross in our lives is to love Him.”

The entire mindset of the ‘work of the cross’ is derived from a paradigm that is entirely Old Testament in origin. Yes, we see Paul adopting similar terminology, but then again, Paul never lived with Jesus. The idea that we plod along, bearing the burden of our dealings from GOD, knuckles dragging on the ground while adorned in sackcloth and ashes, is not the RELATIONSHIP with GOD that Jesus conveyed either with his life or teachings. One does not impose ‘punishment’ on someone in order to get them to LOVE them, thus making them into a ‘victimizer’.

The circumstances of each life are unique to that life, chosen by us on another level, not imposed upon us (Prodigal Parable). Jesus, while facing challenging moments, did not conduct himself as some beaten down dog, but was quite the party-animal when not engaged in trying to turn the world upside down for those who saw it the other way around. He walked his talk, and not once blamed GOD for the path he had chosen.

His REVELATION/RELATIONSHIP was ‘I and my FATHER are ONE’, not, ‘I wish dad would quit beating the hell out of me.’

JezTheBelle,
Welcome to this forum, even if we just have you for a short while.

EverythingWasGreatUntilTheThirdGenerationCameAlong--
originally, this was going to be my username...

JezTheBella. Thank you, thank you, thank you !!!

You are most welcome here. Your testimony is very valuable with respect to the mission of the RR forum. (I agree with you 100%, BTW. not that that should matter)

One question. What happened in Waukegan? Any info about that church was kept from us by the LW leadership.

JEZ-the-BEll: I was Third Generation and my parents abandoned me because it wasn’t “in the Lord” for them to continue. My story follows.

I am looking forward to reading that. And thanks ahead of time for all that you will contribute.

Not to cross out, belittle or besmirch ----- but to discuss further:

Being obligated to love and forgive “evil” seems like a suspension of intelligence. Wouldn’t Satan and the cults love to impose this upon the world?

It’s a little more palatable to believe the point of love and forgiveness is to get out of the way; i.e. “neutral position////not entrusted.” Then Father God and the angels of correction (Karma) are free to operate as needed.

FCSLC

As you said, “Being obligated to love and forgive ‘evil’ seems like a suspension of intelligence.”

The first part highlights an area of great confusion:

UNCONDITIONAL

The only condition
of LOVE

is that IT IS
UNCONDITIONAL

LOVE holds no ‘obligatory’ condition over us, or it would not be LOVE. Our ability to LOVE at all comes from being ‘first LOVED’, something freely GIVEN.

Confusion regarding LOVE comes from the fact that:

DEFINES

How the world
defines LOVE

is not LOVE
at all

There are not many ‘kinds’ of LOVE, only ONE, and it is not the world’s prerogative to redefine IT.

The concept of ‘evil’ and ‘enemies’ I touched upon in my previous post. This is foundational in any dualistic mindset of ‘us vs. them’ or ‘good guys/bad guys’ etc. It is the offspring of every ‘separation’ paradigm since the beginning of time, and responsible for every episode of insanity that has ever taken place in the world, the Paris tragedies being the most recent ‘in your face’ example.

Once again, it is important to point out that Jesus’ request to FORGIVE (all) on the basis of ‘they know not what they do’ redefined how we are to ‘process’ such events; from ‘evil/bad guys’ to ‘brethren’ temporarily insane, from separation to ONENESS (although not fully ‘realized’ by them in the moment).

This may present too great a ‘leap’ for many with regards to any ‘evil’ done to them in their TLW experience, but I am unaware of anyone who was actually hung on a cross in the fellowship. I assure you that ALL (‘I lost not one.’) will eventually ‘come to their senses’ and find their way HOME, sooner or later.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2015 06:30AM by kBOY.

Hello,
I have been reading this for the last few days. I have thought long and hard before I posted anything here.
My parents started going to South Gate about 1965 or 66 I was about three years old, my brother was a baby. We were in "the Walk" until 1978. My parents had both grown up in the Assemby of God church, so they already had a walk with the Lord their whole life. I think what attracted them was the fact that John Robert Stevens called them out and gave a word of restoration for them and that God could still use them. My Dad had been a pastor in the Assembly of God church and had divorced. My mother was his second marriage. He was no longer to be able to pastor or even be a deacon in the church. They went to the Four Square church for a while. I think they heard about Grace Chapple from Bill Maybe, even before Bill was a part of the Walk. Anyway they were ministered to by Brother Stevens and quickly became a part of the Walk.
My Dad was set in as an elder, then a Paster and then a Part of the Apostolic Company. He was one of the pastors at the Anaheim Church " Church of His Holy Presence" My parents went throughout the country helping establish new churches, Arizona,Utah,Colorado, New Hampshire, I'm not even sure where else. My Dad also raised a lot of money to fund Shiloh. We got a word from Brother Stevens for me and my brother to go to Shiloh, as many leader's children did in those days. I was 15 and my brother was 12 at the time. So we went. It was at Shiloh I found out what all the intercession was about. Destroy the Nephilum, "Martha Stevens"
I thought I must have misunderstood so I called my parents. They did confirm it but said it was not for her physical death, but the spirit behind her. Much later I found out differently and much more. For the most part I had a pollyanna experience in the walk. I was shielded from much of what was going on. I did not know anything behind the scenes, I did not know what my parents knew and what they were bothered about or disagreed with. I was treated well, I was loved, I had wonderful friendships! I had a blast at Shiloh! My brother had not, maybe it was his age or personality, I don't know. When I got the call from my parents while I was at Shiloh that we were leaving! I was devastated, fearful mad sad every emotion of pain ran through me. Because I was old enough to know what happens when you leave. You loose all your friends, no one can communicated with you. I begged and pleaded with my parents, I asked them to repent!" Please don't leave the Kingdom! " were my words. My Dad and Mom would not change their minds with all my pleading and crying. Brother Stevens called me at Shiloh from LA and said my parents were leaving and he loved me, but I would have to go on a plane with my brother and go home, and when I was of age I could come back if I so desired. Later I found out that he argued with my Dad and said " you gave me those kids! They're mine" my dad threatened to call the police and come with the sherif to get us. I guess John backed down after that and then called me to let me know I would have to go home.
I hated my parents for a while, but slowly began to see the truth little by little. I contacted a friend that had been at Shiloh and had left the walk a few months before my parents. We talked and consoled each other. I spent a week at his house with his parents before me and my family moved to Oklahoma. The one thing my parents did was make sure we visited lots of churches, to see many people loving and serving God and that we had not lost our salvation or we're going to miss God's Kingdom. I am grateful that my parents knew the Lord before the Walk, I know many who do not even believe in God now because the Walk was their only experience. I have a lot more on my heart, but I will stop for now.
Follow after Peace. That's a scripture my Dad would always say.

LaRhonda Cronquist

LaRhonda,
Very beautiful, thank you for your honesty and your courage in posting. I have great respect for you, your husband and your family, including your parents-in-law. I think of you all often.
Sincerely, LampShmamp