Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: LampShmamp ()
Date: November 23, 2015 03:24AM

Apostle Dog--"I do know that God is ready to punish all disobedience whenever our obedience is complete." You know that, huh? Sounds like something you learned in a cult.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: cheriegate ()
Date: November 23, 2015 04:22AM

There seems to have been different "layers of elders" at the Valley location during the 1970s, meaning, his most important disclosures were to the fewer elders closest to him and that information was slowly and eventually disseminated through the outer layers of elders then eventually to the people in general?

There seems to be a disconnect between what the Apostle really believed/spoke and the people in general, even some of the elders.

Also, the large book collection JRS had, I'm assuming it was kept where he lived? During the 1970s, where was that ?

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: changedagain ()
Date: November 23, 2015 04:59AM

'Jubilee at the Compound'
I'm now thinking it was a good idea I didn't put that album out. There would be very few people able to chillax to it.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: Apostle Dog ()
Date: November 23, 2015 09:02AM

I have heard about lots of people that got to the point that they had to leave the Walk and were pretty much disowned by their own children that remained in the fellowship. I just wonder, how many of those people that experienced that, were guilty of disowning their own parents a generation earlier, parents that they thought were old order and not really worth associating with. Things do tend to come right back on you if you live long enough, you do reap what you sow.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: Apostle Dog ()
Date: November 23, 2015 09:40AM

LampShmamp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Apostle Dog--"I do know that God is ready to
> punish all disobedience whenever our obedience is
> complete." You know that, huh? Sounds like
> something you learned in a cult.

Actually Lamp, that quote comes from a totally different apostle than the one you are thinking of.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: paleface ()
Date: November 23, 2015 03:52PM

Cheriegate, part of JRS's large library was at his home in North Hollywood. It was called the "Kling house" and was located at the NE corner of Kling and Bellflower. It was right next to the Blix house.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: changedagain ()
Date: November 24, 2015 09:07AM

"He had a nasty reputation as a cruel dude
They said he was ruthless, they said he was rude
They had one thing in common, they were
good in administration."

I may have gotten these lyrics wrong. If so, please disregard (as always) this comment.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: Apostle Dog ()
Date: November 24, 2015 02:26PM

cheriegate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There seems to have been different "layers of
> elders" at the Valley location during the 1970s,
> meaning, his most important disclosures were to
> the fewer elders closest to him and that
> information was slowly and eventually disseminated
> through the outer layers of elders then eventually
> to the people in general?
>
> There seems to be a disconnect between what the
> Apostle really believed/spoke and the people in
> general, even some of the elders.
>
> Also, the large book collection JRS had, I'm
> assuming it was kept where he lived? During the
> 1970s, where was that ?

I think there WAS a big difference between what JRS taught and what the elders pushed on to people. Both good and bad. Meaning I think some of what JRS really believed, he kept away from the general population, that's what was behind the whole "restricted tapes" thing. But also, even the good stuff that he taught got corrupted pretty badly by the time it was put out there for the people. JRS installed elders that were not qualified, hell lots of them weren't even Christians. It is quite possible for people to be in roles of authority in a Christian church without being a committed Christian. Since that is true, it is certainly true that somebody could be in a church that worshiped the leader instead of Christ to be a non-Christian.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: pbxguy ()
Date: November 24, 2015 03:21PM

AD says, "JRS installed elders that were not qualified, hell lots of them weren't even Christians. It is quite possible for people to be in roles of authority in a Christian church without being a committed Christian. Since that is true, it is certainly true that somebody could be in a church that worshiped the leader instead of Christ to be a non-Christian."

Do you have any reliable provable source for this? Sounds like propaganda/rhetoric to me. There were lots of elders that were "set in" who would be considered incompetent by many, but there was never any established doctrinal guideline I knew of other than some murky "leading of the spirit". And how do you know whether or not those in authority were self-professed non-christian. Of all the years I spent in the Walk, I never once heard anyone make that statement until now.

Doesn't matter in the slightest, but I'm just curious where you got that.

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Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: kBOY ()
Date: November 24, 2015 09:10PM

TLW has always been tightly stratified, as an organization as a whole, and within each specific area. I was in the LA area from ‘76-’82, apart from a stint at Shiloh. I spent time in South Gate, did a couple of tours in the Valley, was involved with the Blix House and Comm West, and even poked my nose in on occasion at the LW Building.

JRS had his own entourage of loyal 1st generation, 2nd generation, and of course, Blix girls. Loyalty on every level is what kept you in the fold, or would open the door to being promoted, no matter what the area. Disloyalty was severely dealt with, from being kicked to the outskirts of the camp, to complete banishment. No one was immune.

Shortly after the JRS & Marilyn nuptials, a witch hunt proceeded to ‘burn at the stake’ one of JRS’ most loyal and protective confidants, because it was spun that he was impinging upon Marilyn’s access to JRS somehow. There were a series of debriefing meetings at the LW building to uncover any peripheral repercussions this might have caused in other departments. The poor fellow was probably doing what he thought was right, or had been told, but was unceremoniously expelled completely as a ‘nephilim’. The entire family left the fellowship for a time, but a daughter eventually returned and has since been promoted to a prominent position because she married well and makes significant contributions to TLW coffers. $$$ also gains you access.

During the latter days of JRS, youth (piss & vinegar) won out over age. More and more, the 1st generation loyalists slowly slipped into the shadows, with the 2nd generation taking the reins. At the beginning of the 80’s, JRS ushered in the 3rd generation, probably seeing the longevity of the movement dependent upon generational crossover. At the time of his passing, there was a fairly vibrant 2nd/3rd generational leadership dynamic at play.

With the fracturing of the fellowship following the passing of JRS, the hardline crackdown solidified the stratification of leadership on all levels. TLW had become what JRS feared most--an ‘organism’ had become an organization, and he was no longer around to ‘kick it down’.

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