Reepicheep Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
Quote
NancyB
> YIKES! the impact of this just hit me - hit me
> hard on how diabolically deceptive jrs was to
> sneak in occult garbage to suspecting Christians
> in Iowa where I grew up in the '50's. OMG!
>
> thanks to posting this eye opener - my gut did
> know this- but I need to see the facts in back and
> white to move forward - not move on. I, along with
> all the other survivors needs to get the "ax to
> root" of the problem that infiltrated so far back
> that it is sickening.
>
>
> NancyB, you had the advantage of seeing The Walk
> from the viewpoint of WJ Stevens, who seemed to
> honestly love the people and was a genuine
> Christian. His son, JRS, on the other hand, was
> thrown out of pastoring in at least two
> denominations before starting his own church in
> South Gate, CA. We were always told that the
> reason was "persecution", but we may never know
> the truth. Was it his weird teachings, womanizing,
> or both? Was it trying to draw all congregants to
> himself, or failure to follow the teachings of the
> denomination? Maybe all of the above.
John was nothing like his father. WJ as i knew him was loving and kind. Anytime there was tragic news to deliver in town and they weren't members of a church WJ went with the police or sheriff to deliver the bad news.
WJ opened the doors to anyone even the poorest in town whom other churches did not want.
WJ had compassion. He did not put up with his flock being hurt. One of the sisters of a peer had gotten married and had 3 kids. The husband beat the crap out of her. WJ helped to hide her and the kids and encouraged divorce - he made a very clear statement that our believes do not promote divorce - in the event a wife and children are harmed he would not tolerate the abuse - He said it as father would say with love - this is not what JRS did in a few years to come.
WJ called my mom when he heard one of my foster sisters talking inappropriately on the church phone. He really called parents when he knew kids were crossing the line.
WJ was on the more slow and gentle side. When John came to town things got really jazzed up with energy from his charisma. The messages that WJ delivered were not chopped liver so to speak - they Biblical based. But when John came it was like the circus had come to town - new and excited shows to see.
I grieve that "we" as a church in Washington allowed the son so much rope. I would guess that our parents had so much respect for the old man Stevens that it was hard to think of John the son as anything else but good and honest Shepard.
John kicked over the traces of Christian churches. The parishes had every right to say they did not want the pastor to stray from the doctrine of the church they were members of. Who knows what improprieties John did besides introduce foreign doctrine?
I do recall vividly that he seemed to hit on women ( terms I would use today.)
My mother was quite attractive - until she "let her self go "*. She dressed professionally and wore lip stick. JRS really hit on her- pissed her off and she left the church a sort time later. * some of the women were jealous of her about the heads she turned. JRS spoke that if you have anything against anyone to go to them to confess your sin - this was done right them and there in the service. Women flocked to my mother to tell her they were jealous she got to wear lipstick and she was pretty or that she had a job our side of home.
These poor women I'm sure could see how jrs googled eyed my mom. ( I was kid and I could see it.) My mom had been in the military in WWII she took no crap- rejected jrs and then left the church.
My dad was always oblivious and did not get my mom's tirade...it was scary to see as a kid...the truth is - my mother stood up to JRS. His womanizing in my moms case cased division for a while in the church among the women - good women who would not have deliberately hurt anyone's feelings - except jrs started it - I'm convinced.
My mother did come back to the church at times but she stopped dressing profession - ashamed she caused others "to sin." Then again, she walked in on a number of problems that did NOT involved WJ. WJ was very patient with my mother.