Re: The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Date: January 01, 2016 05:46AM
A.D.
Whatever street cred TLW may have had within Christian circles began to decline significantly following JRS’ passing. When you remove the focal point and split the baby in two with schisms, there is not much left to hang your hat on. Since none of what was to come to pass ever came, all were left without any cohesive vision. Those who remained were a heavily invested faithful who had no backup plan.
The ensuing G&M era witnessed a meandering journey of multiple attempts at redefining a fellowship that had lost any definitive direction. We went from the McDougal diet, to Franklin Planners, in and out of Country music, Marilyn Farms, being all about Brazil, trips to Israel (and becoming more Jewish), striking up associations with feathers & gold dust, miracle healings, Bible software, Shiloh U., and cozying up to the Vatican. All this occurred while witnessing the reduction of churches, declining membership, a shrinking tithe base, and many subtle attempts at distancing ourselves from our ‘glory days’.
Simply becoming ‘normal’ seems to be the new norm--not an altogether bad alternative to the outrageous abnormalities of our past.