Apostle Dog Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > With all respect to anybody that thinks one way or > the other, my own opinion is that APCO, > (*Apostolic Company, when I was in there,) I think > those guys were pretty much John's minions, they > just did what they were told. I was at the meeting > in the Valley church and it appeared to
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I'll start. I can't imagine what TLWF and family are going through right now. I am sorry for their loss. My favorite memory of Marilyn was M and JRS standing on the podium at Shiloh and Marilyn was prophesying to JRS and JRS was preoccupied with something and he wasn't paying attention. So Marilyn grabbed his arm and said, "Listen to me," and JRS focused his attention on
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

pbxguy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > John Miller is The. Very. Last. Person. I thought > would leave the walk. wonder what the #$%#$ > happened. A lot has been written about this. You might read here: Basically John Miller was told he was "too influencial" and was taking the focus off of Marilyn. G&M put him on a "pr
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Lily Rose, I really hope that Larry Cotton did well and could put that mess behind him without too much discouragement and of course, without the bitterness. I know I have had plenty of bitterness. I was very attached to that church as we all were. I met Larry Cotton once at Shiloh, we all went out and played some basketball, along with some guys from Knoxville Tennessee. I really liked him.
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I'm sure the South Gate congregation had no vote in the shut down decision. Even though they were the ones paying the bills and maintaining the church. Unless you were deemed a "kingdom facility" your head was (is) on the chopping block. It was difficult to survive as a lowly local church. 80% of the tithes and offerings were sent to the APCO support fund and "word for
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I have been told wrong or they are lying. I have been told that Marilyn sent out a word for most of the churches to California or the Shiloh area in Iowa. Their website says: “In the 1990s, many congregants of the smaller churches and home meetings chose to relocate in order to attend the churches originally founded by John Robert Stevens. Since the mid-90s, the fellowship has focused on dev
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Welcome slandjt and thanks for posting! It’s interesting to me the common threads that all of us have shared that are categorically denied by TLWF. For example, being told to lie to your parents – the end justifies the means if your shepherds tell you to do it. Instead of the scriptures having the final say, they are ignored if it serves the purposes of the leader. Divorce has been another is
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

changedagain Wrote: > helping maintain these churches> clarification: two churches I was a congregant in, and then aiding other crews, during my 'free time' (if such a thing existed) at the Church of the Living Word, Centers of Learning, Shiloh etc. Also, the North Hollywood Hargrave home, the home next to it (not Blix side), and perhaps as punishment after I became a bit too mo
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Perfect, Saw Enough. Gary promoting oneness among 'all the churches of the earth' is the most delusional notion of all. I think George Constanza's parents would do a better job. Saw enough Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > One thing has not changed through the years -- the > belief that the LWF is always on "the front > lines.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

One thing has not changed through the years -- the belief that the LWF is always on "the front lines." First they were different because they were not the old order. Then they had the Apostle. When others started to claim they had apostles, they claimed that they were still different because they had the Apostle to the Kingdom." They had the Apostle who saw 7 years into the Kingd
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I am going to concern myself mostly with WALK 1, because that is the one I was in the most. I was in there during the last of the regime of JRS while married to his first wife, and I understand from hearing from Lily Rose that the Walk changed in 1980, when the wife changed, the ministry changed. Maybe that is a coincidence, but I doubt it. I was in it for the other half of my hitch with Maril
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

To this day, I really wish I had a better way of putting it, when I talk about John Stevens, I don’t look at him to this day as somebody that was intentionally wrong. He said that the Lord told him to stay away, or not associate himself with the Latter Rain. Well, if you look at any of the articles about the latter Rain they refer to two different segments of it, one is all of the others, an
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Lily Rose, what years were you in the Walk? Were you in the Southern California churches? Did you know JRS? If so, what were your impressions? I didn't go out there until 1983 or so, whenever that meeting was that Marilyn called after Stevens died. I would like to know more about JRS. What he was like. My son met him, in fact they shot firecrackers together at Shiloh when he was a little k
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I agree and I think some of the sexual revolution of the 60's in the world carried over into the 70's in the Walk via our angst over having a religious spirit. I think JRS tried to curb some of that thinking that if it feels good do it by telling us that if you do it you also form a bond with that person (bad transference). That wasn't much of a concern to the young people at the
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I really wish that when the Walk changed from JRS to the Hargraves, in other words from the Walk to the Walk, the Sequel, I wish I had stayed in contact with many of the people that I just didn't think of contacting before everybody disbursed. I don't know what happened, all of the churches east of the Mississippi, most of them, just disappeared I think, I think they "got a word&qu
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

You know Changedagain, what I was talking about, that time we all supposedly bound Satan, that was a special call that all the churches got sometime in the 80s, or I guess all the churches got it, it wasn't on a tape or anything for the "shepherds" to start fasting and praying at a certain time and actually bind Satan permanantly. I wonder sometimes if John Robert Stevens actua
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

When you think about it, we all chose to follow a leader because of personality. John Robert Stevens had that booming deep voice, very articulate, he spoke with such authority, knowing what scriptures to emphasize, what scripture to overlook. He knew just how to tickle our ears. We all felt special, we all felt like we were just about to have the breakthrough, just on the other side of the curre
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I hear Shiloh finally put in a bar a swell.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Did anyone see the episode of “The Hunt with John Walsh” this past week on Victor Barnard and the River Road Fellowship? Victor referred to himself as “Christ in the Flesh” and his followers worked long hours at a camp out in a farming community, isolated from other groups. It seemed strangely familiar - except for his interest in young girls. In fairness, I was never aware of that type of thi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Norman Bates is a nice, well-mannered boy. He couldn't hurt a flea! Paleface wrote: > Well, another gala 4th of July show was > presented at Shiloh. It is part of Shiloh's campaign to > reach out to the community and say "Hey everybody, > come see our fireworks show and behold how > normal e are.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

factoverfiction, You're right the testimonies while helpful to those who post them and those trying to sort it out are probably easily discounted by the leadership. But they do point out the dysfunction in the church as 160 pages of complaints can't all be wrong. But I think I see what you are getting at. paleface Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- &
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Well another gala 4th of July show was presented at Shiloh. It is part of Shiloh's campaign to reach out to the community and say "Hey everybody, come see our fireworks show and behold how normal we are". It really is a fantastic event. I wonder what it costs and who pays for it? I'm sure it's part of that "blank check" spending account that is given to Rick
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Here is a link to a Kalona News article regarding the first graduating class of Shiloh University (2014): A description of the university in the article: "Shiloh University, an online seminary and Bible college founded in 2006, is a ministry of The Living Word Fellowship. Its purpose is to provide quality education and training to pastors, church ministries, and Bible teachers; and
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Factoverfiction Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Closing a church that the congregants > would buy is a tragedy, Shiloh U seems criminal. I too think it was a tragedy. One poster on fact net said that JRS wanted to tear the building down and rebuild. Even if that had happened you have heard the phrase location, location, location. The Grace Chapel churc
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Interesting observation FoF. I think if an employee of Shiloh U asked this question, you be fired faster than a New York minute.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I recently had a troubling conversation about Shiloh U. It seems they are marketing to YASPers and also online with Google Ads. They only carry a measly DETC accreditation, but are trumping it up to be the equivalent of a community college degree. This is very misleading, and could have detrimental effects in a few years when credits won't transfer and jobs won't recognize their expensi
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Invisible's story about the sale of Grace Chapel, South Gate, and the prophecies about evangelism say something to me about 1) the nature of the Living Word and Living Word prophecies and 2) our vulnerabilities which led to becoming victims of the Walk's power play. In Isaiah 55:10-11, we read "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without w
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

FactoverFiction, Do the Shiloh University instructors have to be believers or part of the fellowship? (My Dad believed that all university professors were leftist communists.) Anything in particular that caused you to leave the fellowship? (If I am poking my nose too much here I understand if you don't want to respond.)
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The only time someone would be told to stop reading the bible would be if they find a passage that is causing them to stumble in their walk, (in other words with TLW messages) then it's temporary. Regardless, greater emphasis is put on getting into the "current word," which is literature from JRS, tapes, and videos. Very often, Wednesday services are summations of weekly bible read
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

For that matter, throw away your Bibles and only drink from the LW fountain. As they tell the young adults at Shiloh every summer, everything you need is in the current LW literature, and maybe JRS's words as well. I've heard kids being told to stop reading the Bible. And to stop worshipping the "God in the sky". They are told their relationship with God is now to com
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families