THE WAY'S THEOLOGY OF SEX:

HOW WAY LEADERS USED THE BIBLE TO PROMOTE PROMISCUITY AND ADULTERY

John P. Juedes

Former presidents of The Way International (TWI) V. P. Wierwille and L. Craig Martindale have both been charged with having sexual encounters with many female followers of TWI. Wierwille, Martindale and most of the women they had sexual relationships with were married.

Their inappropriate and sinful behavior raises important questions. Did many other leaders follow the same practices? Were they violating, or following TWI teaching?

If many TWI leaders did this because because they believed it to be consistent with TWI teaching, then sexual wrong doing is ingrained in The Way International and may continue to be practiced or believed by current TWI leadership.

Former TWI follower Kristen Skedgell's experiences give insight into the sexual beliefs and practices of TWI leadership. Her book Losing the Way- A Memoir of Spiritual Longing, Manipulation, Abuse and Escape, (Bay Tree Publishing, Point Richmond CA 2008) includes sexual experiences she had with three TWI leaders, including President Wierwille, a member of the research team, and an assistant Limb leader (at that time a Limb was typically a state-wide division of TWI, so an assistant to a Limb leaders would be second in command of a state).

These are upper and mid-level leaders who were graduates of most Way classes, active in teaching TWI doctrine, and apparently graduates of Way Corps training, in constant contact with top-level TWI leaders, and perhaps ordained by TWI.

Particularly illuminating are the conversations Skedgell had with these TWI leaders in which they tried to persuade her to have sex with them or explained why they believed this was spiritually mature and biblical behavior. In every case, the leaders used TWI teaching to make their cases, even though all of them were married to other women at the time (Skedgell was married during some, but not all of the encounters).

HOW LEADERS USED WAY TEACHINGS TO PERSUADE WOMEN TO HAVE CASUAL SEX WITH THEM

Skedgell relates that her first sexual encounter with V. P. Wierwille came when she went to Wierwille for counsel about her relationship with her boyfriend. After fondling her, he advises her about her and her boyfriend,

""You can have sex if you want. Just keep your mind in the Word, understand?"

She concluded that Wierwille was "... telling me that anything is OK as long as my mind is on the Word, as long as I'm 'sold out.'" (LTW, p. 97)

According to Wierwille, the only rule about who to have sex with or when, was that their minds needed to be "on the Word." In TWI this meant that they needed to be focused on and obedient to Wierwille's teaching as published by TWI.

Wierwille cultivated an ongoing sexual relationship with Skedgell. She recalls that he visited the Way College of Indiana when she worked there. She followed typical expectations when she wrote a welcome letter offering to do anything to make his stay more blessed. He tells her that anything includes having sex with him, and to withhold sex from him would be to break her promise. She recalled how Wierwille used the Bible and Way teaching to convince her that giving him sex would be good and biblical,

"He explains that 'all things are pure to the pure.' His words carry the authority of the man of God. He reminds me that what defiles a man is not 'that which goeth in to his body but what cometh out of the body.' It's a matter of keeping our mind renewed and centered on God.... He explains that a man of God needs many women to satisfy his overwhelming needs."

After he had emotionless sex with her, Wierwille said that sex outside of marriage with other Way believers is a spiritually mature thing to do,

"You have to keep this in the lockbox of your soul. Many of God's people wouldn't understand what we've just done. You have to be spiritually mature to do this, and I believe you are...."

Wierwille then added that if someone found out, she and he should lie for the sake of the Word (p. 119-120).

She also recalls Wierwille saying that a general's request is tantamount to a command. Accordingly, his request should be obeyed by all Way followers as though they are commands (p. 123). He insists that Way followers must treat him as they would God, paraphrasing a New Testament verse to induce Way followers to comply with his wishes, saying, "... if you treat me like this, whom you see, how can you say you love God whom you have not seen?" (p. 123)

Wierwille paraphrased four Bible passages to convince her that sex with him is approved by the Bible and Way teaching.

He conveniently and deceptively quoted only Matthew 15:11, "what defiles a man is not 'that which goeth in to his body but what cometh out of the body" without quoting the rest of Jesus' words, "...adultery, sexual immorality.... these are what make a man 'unclean' (15:19-20).

Wierwille also used the central Way tenet of the "renewed mind" and keeping your mind "on the Word" to bolster his foundational belief on sex- that the renewed mind is key, not what believers do with their bodies.

Free sex became a test of commitment and spiritual maturity. But it was actually a test of commitment to Wierwille not to God. In TWI, "the Word" was a synonym for Wierwille's secret and public teachings.

FREE SEX IN THE GRACE ADMINISTRATION

Wierwille's theology of sex clearly drifted down to mid-level TWI leadership, as Skedgell's experiences reveal. She tells of how she met the assistant Limb leader of Indiana (and coordinator of its south region [area]) when she moved to the state. The first day they met he persuaded her to give him oral sex and explained how this sexual behavior is approved by TWI teaching, saying,

"God doesn't mind. This is the last thing you have to worry about. He doesn't care what we do with our bodies. This is the Age of Grace, remember? Just like the Doctor teaches in Christian Family and Sex. We just met each others' needs, that's all. I appreciate it."

The assistant Limb leader paraphrased Wierwille's class:

"Remember how he says, 'God doesn't care where you put your penis as long as your heart is in fellowship with Him.' All things are pure to the pure. My heart is in fellowship. Your heart is in fellowship. This is only a sin if you're not there, understand?... You can handle this spiritually." 72-73

The assistant Limb leader used two central TWI doctrines to defend free sex. One is the Age of Grace. The leader apparently used the technical TWI term "Grace Administration," but Skedgell replaced it with "Age of Grace" so it would be understandable to readers who have no knowledge of TWI terminology. TWI doctrine divides human history into seven distinct phases, called administrations. The leader believed that the seventh and current phase, the Grace Administration, did away with laws such as the prohibition of adultery, which enabled him to have casual sex with women even though he was married.

He also referred to the TWI distinction between the body, soul and spirit of human beings. TWI believes that humans who are not born again are like animals, having only body and soul but no spirit. He used this teaching to separate what he did with his body- casual sex- from what he did with his spirit - have fellowship with God. This compartmentalization enabled him to use his body in what the New Testament considers immoral ways. He conveniently ignored 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 which states that believers were bought with a price, and so should flee sexual immorality and honor God with their bodies.

He assured her that this kind of guilt-free sex calls for a higher level of spiritual maturity, not something of which many rank and file Way believers are capable. She should be taking pride in her new level of maturity rather than feeling guilty about sex with another woman's husband.

The leader produced ultimate proof that casual sex is good and biblical behavior by citing the highest apostolic and prophetic authority recognized by Way believers- V. P. Wierwille. Like many other Way believers, he cited the Christian Family and Sex class as proof that God doesn't care what we do with our bodies, especially not the spiritually mature who can handle it.

It is important to note that this TWI leader defended casual sex using central Way teachings. He believed that TWI theology is built for promiscuous, casual sex.

WE DON'T CALL THEM "EASY" WOMEN - WE CALL THEM "SPIRITUALLY MATURE"

At one point Kristen Skedgell is approached by a member of TWI's research team" who persuaded her to give him oral sex. There is no or emotional relationship between them. He pitched it to her this way, citing Wierwille as his authority:

"In Christian Family and Sex (class) when he (Wierwille) says that we can renew our minds to the point that our bodies don't interfere with our spirit, that's what the text is talking about. The separation of body and spirit. Most people don't understand the implications of that, but it's plain as day in the text. The Bible says 'all things are pure to the pure.' As long as we keep our minds pure, it doesn't matter what we put into the body. Understand?"

He refered to gnostic texts, appealing because they allow believers to do anything with their bodies, even things the Bible calls immoral. Gnosticism also appealed to him because it promotes an ego-stroking spiritual elitism, and because it affirms TWI's central doctrine of the separation of body and spirit.

She concludes: "He says he knows I'm spiritual enough for this.... I want to prove I am spiritual enough to handle it, to prove I am committed." (105-106)

She did what he wanted, in spite of her inner misgivings

Skedgell notes how Wierwille's instruction had primed her for casual sex:

"It's funny how Christian Family and Sex has prepared me for this. How the Doctor went over every detail of fellatio. He even taught us the slang terms for these acts.... I can see the way he twirled his pointer at the picture of the naked man and woman and showed exactly what the woman was supposed to do. Exactly how to use your lips and tongue.... I've known all about this since I was sixteen. It's as if it's what I've been programmed to do." (106)

It is unlikely that many parents of sixteen-year-old girls would have allowed their children to take such a sexually graphic "biblical" class if they had known it included such explicit sexual instruction with little moral foundation. (See below for a more comprehensive summary of this class.)

Skedgell noted that the class was slanted in such a way as to assert that the purpose of women is to give sexual pleasure to men... and not just their own husbands:

"I hear the Doctor's voice. Woman is made for man and man is made for God.... I am a woman. I am here for man.... Doesn't God love women, too?" (p. 107)

Skedgell apparently did not understand at the time that Wierwille's teachings were not the same as God's. God does in fact love women, but Wierwille used them for selfish purposes.

By separating spirit from body and soul, Way leaders removed love and relationship from sex, making it a hollow, animal-like thing. One problem was that women had soul and spirit, not just flesh, so men needed to persuade them to reduce themselves to body only. Accordingly, Kristen speaks of turning off her mind and emotions during sexual encounters.

THE WAY'S THEOLOGY OF PROMISCUITY AND ADULTERY

Two things stand out when we hear how Way leaders rationalized promiscuous sex and adultery. First, it was widespread, permeating the ranks of both high and mid-level leadership. Second, that leadership promoted free sex using core Way teachings. Sex saturated not only the leadership but also the beliefs of TWI.

Former high-level Way leaders John Lynn and John Schoenheit both describe how prevalent casual sex was among Way leaders (which was not casual to women who felt compelled to do their duty for the "man of God"). Lynn says that hundreds of women had sexual encounters with Wierwille, and hundreds of leaders (men and women) were involved in casual, extra-marital sex (John Lynn, Overview of Events).

Schoenheit's research paper on adultery, written when he was part of New Knoxville's research team, confirms Skedgell's assertions that leadership promoted free sex using central Way doctrines- the Grace Administration, the distinction of spirit, soul and body, believing and the renewed mind.

Furthermore, Way followers constantly referred to Wierwille's Christian Family and Sex class, both for what it said and for what it did not say. The class uses pornographic pictures of couples having sex, gives instructions for oral sex, and says that women are made to give men sexual pleasure. The "biblical" class never once mentions the obvious Biblical teaching that adultery and fornication (sex with anyone you're not married to) is sinful.

Many assorted Bible passages were used to promote casual sex- Schoenheit lists 14 in Appendices A to N of his paper, Adultery and Fornication: A Biblical Perspective.. (See "Review of John Schoenheit's Paper on Adultery" by John Juedes, 1998, www.abouttheway.org or the original paper in the WayDale section of www.greasespotcafe.com .) He cites some of the passages and arguments used by the men who approached Skedgell, including women meeting the sexual needs of "men of God," looser laws for those who are born again in the Grace Administration, adultery not a sin for those who are believing to stay in fellowship with God, and the separation of flesh and spirit in the believer.

Schoenheit spoke to many Way Corps grads, hearing the "biblical" arguments they made for adultery. Even though they were apparently all different from the people Skedgell encountered, they still had many of the same arguments. This indicates that Wierwille and those close to him were spreading the same version of the Way theology of adultery and sexual immorality, based on core Way teachings.

Wierwille and other Way teachers repeatedly spread their gospel of free sex personally. TWI was always small, and hundreds of leaders at all levels had personal contact with Wierwille, Craig Martindale, John Lynn and others. Through them they were introduced to the Way theology of promiscuity, either through sex with them personally or as these leaders advised their followers on their own sex lives. Young men in TWI with raging hormones, surrounded by nubile young women, wouldn't need much persuasion to accept TWI's theology of sex. TWI must have been a gold mine to many of them- lots of young women and a theology that approved exploiting them.

It wasn't necessary to release doctrinal statements approving of adultery or to teach The Way's theology of promiscuity on the Sunday Night Teaching series which was distributed across TWI. In fact, to make this public would alienate followers who actually thought TWI taught the Bible accurately. Even without public teachings, good news travels fast in a group where pretty much everybody knows everybody, and where people frequently live together as staff at root locations, in Corps residence or local Way households.

THE INFECTION BEGAN EARLY, WITH WIERWILLE

The Way's theology of promiscuity was developed and promoted by TWI's founder V. P. Wierwille. Kristen Skedgell got involved in TWI at the beginning of its growth period. She was mentioned in the article "The Groovy Christians of Rye, N.Y." in the May 4, 1971 issue of Life magazine. The infection entered TWI through Wierwille, was spread by him, and could have been killed by him if he wished. .

Why did Wierwille adopt doctrines such as the Grace Administration and distinction of body, soul and spirit? Two reasons come to mind. First, Wierwille had "itching ears." As 2 Timothy 4:3-4 predicted, "men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." Second, Wierwille took many teachings from E. W. Bullinger and even plagiarized large sections of Bullinger's books, including these two doctrines.

But why did these particular doctrines "suit his own desires?" Perhaps Wierwille adopted them because he could use them to rationalize lust and adultery he already had in his heart or practiced.

When people with Biblical knowledge become involved in sin, they have to somehow reconcile the difference between what the Bible commands and their disobedience. They must repent and change, or live in guilt and hypocrisy (knowing something is sinful but doing it anyway), or convince themselves that the practice is good, not sinful.

Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, chose the latter. After he was sexually involved with many women he finally said he had a "revelation" from God addressed to his wife in which "God" approved of his adultery. It is likely that Wierwille latched onto distorted views of certain Bible passages like "to the pure all things are pure" in order to rationalize his existing sin. Likewise, his teaching that "Christians should be prosperous" was developed to satisfy his greed and materialism.

So it may well be that the current theology of The Way International came to be in order to allow the founder to have a guilt-free life of sin. It is likely that current Way theology did not come about as a result of Wierwille's search for truth, but as a result of his search for a way to feed his lust and adultery.

Joseph Smith used "revelation" to convince his followers that men could have multiple sexual partners through polygamy. While Wierwille's followers believed he taught "by revelation," they saw him primarily as a Bible teacher, not as a prophet. So Wierwille used Bible passages and Way theology as a means to get religious women to have sex with him, because this was the "language" they responded to.

SEX ED - WAY STYLE

Followers of TWI were encouraged to take a series of classes which both indoctrinated them in Way thinking and brought money into TWI. One important class was Wierwille's The Christian Family and Sex. The lengthy class was 18 hours long spread over seven sessions. Half of the class, segments 8 to 15, was Wierwille's version of a sex education class, including graphic material on male and female anatomy, love-making, masturbation, terms for sex and how to perform oral sex, as Skedgell recalled. It also established the core Way teaching that women are subservient to, and made for the pleasure of, men. The sex Wierwille described was what he affectionately called "the way of a man with a maid," using a Biblical phrase to whitewash his version of sex ed.

During the first seven segments, Wierwille quotes 66 Scripture passages (Instructors Guide for Christian Family and Sex, 1975, pp. 3-5). Students also refer to the "Scripture Sheet" which cites 47 Bible passages. This totals 113 passages between the two, which are a lot of Bible citations. (Some passages appear in both of these places, and chapters like Genesis 2 are cited more than once. If you combine these and allow for overlap, there are about 52 different sections of the Bible cited.)

Even though so many passages are cited, it is striking how Wierwille intentionally leaves out the many passages which specifically condemn adultery, sex outside marriage (called "sexual immorality" in newer translations, and "fornication" in the KJV) and divorce. These foundational passages should be bedrock verses in any course dealing with the Christian family and sex.

The many essential Bible passages on Christian family and sex include:

+ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "neither the sexually immoral... nor adulterers... will inherit the kingdom of God"

+ Galatians 5:19, "the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality"

+ Hebrews 13:4, "marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral"

+ Ephesians 5:3, "there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality"

+ Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21, " adultery, sexual immorality... these are what make a man unclean"

+ Matthew 5:32, 19:7-9, Mark 10:4, 11-12, "anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery"

+ Matthew 5:27-28, "anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart"

+ Exodus 20, "do not commit adultery"

The only passage Wierwille cites which mentions immorality at all is 1 Corinthians 6:15-20, which prohibits sex with prostitutes.

It certainly was not just oversight that Wierwille cited 113 passages while leaving out eleven which bluntly prohibit sex outside marriage, adultery, divorce and lust. Wierwille was consciously teaching a Way theology that generously allowed for, and even encouraged these sinful behaviors.

Although Wierwille talks about sex constantly for 18 hours in the class, he never states that the place for sex is in marriage.

During the class Wierwille shows pornographic pictures of nude couples having foreplay and sex, as well as close up photos of different shapes of male and female genitals, even though children as young as thirteen years old were allowed in the class. Wierwille added comments like "aren't her breasts beeeautiful" He also described a film of a woman attempting to have sex with a dog (some say he showed the film in an early live version of the class). It was filmed more than once, in black and white, then in color. He rattled off a long list of slang terms for sexual acts and body parts. His behavior told people that lustful looks and comments are admirable traits in Bible teachers like himself.

The original sin, according to Wierwille in the early 1970s, was that Eve masturbated in the Garden of Eden. However, he taught that masturbation is allowed today, at least for single people, and implied that oral sex is not really sex, indirectly encouraging unmarried (or married) people to enjoy it without restriction.

The clear message Wierwille's students received was that sex between two people "in love" is beautiful and allowed by the Bible, whether or not they are married.

MARTINDALE'S NEW SEX CLASS

L. Craig Martindale recorded a new version of the Way's class on sex in 1995 or 1996 titled The Biblical Principles of a Believer's Family. It was recorded in six or seven sessions when Martindale and his wife Donna met with one of The Way Family Camps, weeklong "Advances" (retreats) held at TWI's Gunnison facility. The audio taped class was offered in Way fellowships ("twigs") for a fee of $30 per person.

Like Wierwille, Martindale never states in his class the Bible's teaching that the only place for sex is within marriage. Martindale emphasized key Way teachings such as the authority and headship of a husband over his wife, which is often used by men to subjugate women in The Way International. While wives are allowed to be in charge of the home and how many children a couple has, the husband is in charge of his wife.

It also emphasized being "equally yoked" - marrying only committed Way followers. This teaching was also used to encourage Way believers to divorce spouses who did not obey all TWI teachings and practices or who left TWI. The Way class on sex was still being used as a tool to enforce allegiance to TWI leadership and exploit women.

Martindale assumed or stated that the Bible is silent on premarital sex so it is up to the person, with perhaps the counsel of his or her parents, to decide if it is best in a given situation, Martindale altered Wierwille's teaching on the original sin. While Wierwille taught that the original sin was Eve masturbating in the Garden of Eden, Martindale taught in his The Way of Abundance and Power class that it was Eve having lesbian sex with the devil. Neither idea has any Biblical basis, but Way followers knew their place was to accept this no matter how strange or wrong it sounded.

It was not surprising that Martindale did not teach the Bible prohibitions against sex outside marriage and adultery. He resigned only about four years after taping the class after two married women filed lawsuits against him, alleging that he had recruited them for sex. Martindale was implicitly teaching in the sex class what he was privately practicing- that free sex is allowed or even encouraged by the Bible, especially in the case of the Way's "man of God" who has special needs.

INFLUENCE ON WOW AND CORPS

The Way theology of free sex had a powerful effect on its followers and developing leaders. First, it formed how TWI set up its households and Word Over the World Ambassadors (WOWs), who were sent to many cities to recruit people to take the Way's Power for Abundant Living class (later The Way of Abundance and Power class) and form fellowships of Way believers. TWI formed groups of two single men and two single women and instructed them to move to assigned cities and live together in a rented house or apartment. Christian groups who did not have TWI's theology of free sex would realize that this arrangement sets the stage for sex between unmarried people who don't even know each other before "going WOW."

But Wierwille saw nothing wrong with sex between unmarried people, and did not even consider oral sex to be sex, so thought nothing of this tempting arrangement. WOWs who had already taken the Way sex class took TWI's theology of free sex with them when they went WOW.

Many WOW Ambassadors who were recruited for leadership training took these attitudes with them when they entered the Corps, in which men and women lived in close proximity. Furthermore, TWI encouraged Way believers to live together in "Way households," again mixing singles with other singles, or with other marrieds, again making opportunity for free sex and adultery.

TWI has always been small. Everybody pretty much knew everybody, and Wierwille and Martindale were accessible, by phone, letter or in person. This means that they had frequent opportunities to extend their theology of free sex in a variety of ways- through teaching Way Corps, counseling people with problems, recording classes, answering questions and recruiting women to serve their sexual needs. The women considered this a godly work since they were meeting the needs of leadership.

Wierwille, Martindale and their followers all realized that what they did not say about sex was as important as what they did say. The higher up the ladder of leadership people rose, the more contact they were likely to have with the Way theology of free sex.

Both past and current Way leaders were raised on this Way theology of free sex which approved sexual immorality.

THE WAY TODAY AND THE THEOLOGY OF ADULTERY

The two presidents of TWI who popularized the Way's theology of promiscuity and adultery are no longer with TWI. However, the key teachings that formed the foundation for their theology of promiscuity and adultery continue to be taught by TWI. The Grace Administration, the separation of spirit, soul and body, male dominance in marriage, believing and the renewed mind all continue to be taught in TWI. TWI continues to teach that obedience to TWI leadership is equivalent to obedience to God, although this is not focused as intensely on the current president Rosalie Rivenbark, as it was on Wierwille and Martindale. (The appendix to The Way of Abundance and Power class bluntly states that TWI leadership is "the representative of the most high God here on earth…. The ministry that teaches them God's Word." "The Tithe Doeth Still Provide," WAP syllabus p. 125. )

The core leadership of TWI has not changed substantially, even though Wierwille and Martindale are not in power. Virtually all of today's top leadership of TWI spent decades in TWI under leaders who privately taught and practiced their theology of promiscuity. For instance, one of the teachers of the new Way of Abundance and Power class, David Chavoustie, is a long time Corps grad who is the coordinator of the Research department at TWI. He took exhaustive notes of teachings he heard from founder V. P. Wierwille before his 1984 death. This is a storehouse President Rivenbark, who was involved in TWI almost as early as Skedgell, considers valuable.

As Schoenheit and other defectors from TWI describe it, leaders who drove them out of TWI did so partly because they thought that attacking adultery would bring down TWI as a whole, by bringing down its top leaders. This means that those who stayed in when the Way splintered in the late 1980s were defenders of the Way theology of adultery.

When Martindale was "caught" by irate husbands, his first thought may well have been, "but I'm not doing anything wrong." In fact, Martindale was following the Way theology of free sex as he learned it from the venerated founder himself. Furthermore, as president, Martindale established, embodied, and was practicing Way theology as he so confidently had known and practiced it for literally thirty years, and as he had seen Wierwille teach and practice it.

As noted above, this was believed, practiced and taught not only by high level leaders such as Wierwille, but also by mid and low level leaders like the assistant limb leader, research team member, and branch leader in Skedgell's story. In fact, many women the leaders initiated may not have been leaders at all, just worker bees.

Did the scores, or hundreds, of leaders who were initiated into The Way's theology of promiscuity all suddenly stop thinking and practicing this? Were they convinced, all in a single moment, that the Grace Administration does not mean there is no law against adultery and promiscuity? Did they suddenly stop thinking that the body was so separate from the spirit that they could use it promiscuously as long as they did it with believing and their spirits were still in fellowship with God?

Did all the leaders who had used The Way's theology of promiscuity to get sex in the past have the sudden conviction that their past beliefs and behavior was wrong and repent of it? Martindale was "caught" because two women rejected The Way's theology of promiscuity. What about the hundreds who had accepted it in the past? Do they still believe it? Did TWI Directors instruct them all in a new theology which condemns adultery and sex outside marriage as sinful?

Officially, TWI began to teach against adultery in the newest version of the Way sex class by the Coulters, which was recorded around 2004 or 2005. This is closer to the truth than the past sex classes. However, even during the reign of Wierwille and Martindale, the practice of free sex was promoted primarily in an inner circle. Learning the Way theology of free sex was for the "spiritually mature" who "could handle it." An official line on adultery does not confront the problem of the privileges of the "spiritually mature." Wayers steeped in the "mature" theology of free sex may well look on the Coulters as painfully weak on maturity and believing,

Furthermore, the new sex class emphasizes authority even more than in the past. Although TWI does not admit it, obedience to Way leadership is an absolute requirement and Way teaching supercedes what the Bible itself says.

TWI's Trustees (Directors) removed Martindale only when the lawsuits against him threatened to drain TWI of the few followers and dollars it had left. But the Directors removed Martindale out of political and financial necessity, not because they believed The Way's longstanding theology of sex was defective. In fact, Rivenbark instituted a conscious return to the ways of V. P. Wierwille, even though she knew that he was the source of the Way's theology and practice of promiscuity.

IMPLICATIONS FOR WAY THEOLOGY

One troubling implication is that distinctive aspects of Way theology which are virtually unknown among orthodox Christians lend themselves to false doctrine such as The Way's theology of promiscuity. TWI's "ultradispensational" teaching on seven administrations (dispensations) makes Jesus' words no more authoritative than any Old Testament prophet, because his words are not for born again believers today- they are just for Israelites he spoke to before Pentecost.

This means that believers may learn from Jesus' teachings on adultery and other topics, but they are not authoritative today because "they were not addressed to us." In the same way, the dispensational view casts the same negative light on any passage that is not found in the seven "church epistles" written by the apostle Paul. It's a handy tool to easily dismiss any Bible verses found in 20 of the 27 books of the New Testament that make the Directors uncomfortable.

This is true also of TWI's teaching that people who are not born again do not have spirit. This gnostic idea separates the physical and spiritual aspects of human beings.

TWI's emphasis on the authority of Way leadership over all followers, of men over women, and of husbands over wives all lend themselves to the exploitation of women. As long as this teaching is in place, exploitation of women will continue to occur, in the category of sex as well as other categories. When Martindale was removed from TWI, they only pruned a "branch." But the root of aberrant Way theology remains, and will cause other distorted branches to sprout in his place

WHY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN TEACHING IS HEALTHIER THAN WAY TEACHING

Orthodox Christian ministers are sometimes caught in adultery. But they do not try to use core orthodox teachings to defend their behavior or persuade women to have sex with them.

The fact that core Way teachings can so easily be used to promote immorality is a good indication that those Way teachings are false, too. Bad fruit of immorality indicates a bad tree of theology.

TWI's teaching on administrations divides and dismisses portions of Scripture. Orthodox Christian teaching instead applies many portions of Old Testament Scripture directly to us.

For example,

the apostles quote many prophecies in order to show that they have been fulfilled in the first century. While prophecies gave some Old Testament people hope, the prophecies were written to and for people in the present day because they prove to us that the events (such as the crucifixion) were planned and brought about by God himself, not by human desire or will. 1 Peter 1:10-12 says,

"... the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven."

The prophecies were not actually to or for people who lived before Jesus Christ. They were written to and for us, because we could see the fulfillments which those who lived in ancient tiles could not see.

The Mosaic law in the Torah had three parts -- civil, sacrificial and moral. The civil law is no longer needed because Israel is not a nation, and the religious and sacrificial law (the "shadow") is no longer needed because it pointed to Christ (the reality, Colossians 2:16-17). The book of Hebrews goes into great detail explaining how the sacrifices and the laws which governed them were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. However, the moral law continues to hold because God does not change his views on godliness and love. In fact, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) shows that Jesus strengthened our understanding of sin and repentance, not did away with them.

Not only the prophecies, but also the whole New Testament emphasize continuity over time, not divisions (administrations). For example, Hebrews 11 uses Old Testament saints as examples of faith for Christians today to follow, not to distinguish themselves from. Likewise, Paul repeatedly uses Abraham as an example of faith- someone Christians should be like, because faith is the connection to God in every era, not be different from- because the requirements in the Patriarchal "administration" were different from today.

Furthermore, New Testament does not use grace as excuse to dismiss portions of moral law as Wierwille and Martindale did:

"Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2)

Sin did not cease to be sin just because Christ has come, and forgiveness is not reason for licentiousness.

TWI's teaching on administrations in itself opens the door to dismissing many Bible teachings and morality at a whim. This is an indication that it is false.

TWI emphasizes not just authority, but domination of man over woman, while the New Testament explains that a husband's headship is expressed through self-sacrifice:

"Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her... each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself" (Ephesians 5:25, 33).

Human beings are by nature selfish and love authority because it can be used selfishly. It is essential to compensate for natural (though sinful) selfishness by emphasizing love shown in self sacrifice. The fact that TWI's teaching on man and woman was easily used to exploit women indicates it is false.

TWI's concept of leadership is also authoritarian. By contrast, 1 Peter 6:1-3 emphasizes that leadership is primarily service and example rather than rulership.

TWI also has avoided serious exposition of sin and the sinful nature that resides even in born again Christians. Wayers were taught to leave the word "wretch (like me)" out of the song Amazing Grace. As a result, it missed how readily people, and Way leadership, become corrupted and need accountability (which TWI presidents and Directors have never had) to help prevent this,

BAD FRUIT, BAD ROOT

The fact that core Way teachings can so easily be used to promote immorality is a good indication that those Way teachings are false, too. Bad fruit of immorality indicates a bad root of theology.

Dr. John Juedes, 2009, www.abouttheway.org