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BIBLICAL RESEARCH & TEACHING
Click on any of the links on this page for detailed articles on The Way's research and teaching.
The Way Int insists that believers must obey the Law of Tithing and Abundant Sharing. Believers must tithe (give 10 percent of net income to TWI), or they will not have their material needs met. They must also practice "abundant sharing" (giving more than 10 percent), or they will not receive spiritual blessings. Buying Blessings evaluates this TWI teaching as recorded in the appendices of the new Way of Abundance and Power class syllabus. This detailed evaluation notes that most of the terms WAP uses (such as "tithe," "abundant sharing," "operate the principles," and "tithe doth still provide" are never found in the Church epistles (and except for one, never in the New Testament).
Believing is Biblical, but The Law of Believing as The Way Int. teaches it is an atheistic system in which a detached God lets "both saint and sinner" operate the law to their own benefit or destruction. The "law" results in guilt, hypocrisy and condemnation when believing does "not work" and prompts people to focus on themselves instead of on God. Study The Law of Believing- No God Needed for a response and a more balanced, Biblical view of believing.
"From 'Vesper Chimes' to 'The Way International'" is a brief, heavily documented history of The Way International and its founder, VP Wierwille. It outlines its early history (before 1983) and analyzes some of the exaggerated and whitewashed claims made in "official" TWI sources. This includes chapters 1 and 2, "Founder Victor Paul Wierwille: Early Years" and "Wierwille Strays from the Fold." Look for more chapters in the future.
"George M. Lamsa: Christian Scholar or Cultic Torchbearer?" - Many people think Lamsa was a Bible scholar. But they may be surprised to find how few basic Bible teachings Lamsa really believes, and how arbitrary his "research" is.
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"The Bondage of the 'Law of Tithing'"
-- TWI's teaching on tithing and abundant sharing burdens people and obscures God's truly generous character.
"The Word Must Fit Like a Hand in a Glove"
-- If Wierwille's definitions of Biblical Greek words are so accurate, why do they contradict each other so badly?
"Only Two Words for 'Receive?'"
-- The nicest thing one can say about Wierwille's "study" oflambano and dechomai is that it is sloppy, inaccurate and misleading. |
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The New Way of Abundance and Power class (WAP) mixes elements of the old WAP class taught by disgraced former TWI president L. Craig Martindale, and the older Power for Abundant Living class. In The New Way of Abundance and Power class of 2006: The Absent Christ, we examine several sections of the class including segments on the destructive power of believing (Job), theories on two part creation and continental drift, and the lack of teaching on Jesus Christ. We also outline how the class is presented and when and how it's offered.
"A Close Look at Some of The Way's Teachings"
-- a close, Biblical analysis of teachings including believing, body-soul-spirit, Aramaic, death, and word distinctions.
"Three Days and Three Nights."
-- How could TWI have missed what this Hebrew idiom really means?
"Who is the Holy Spirit?"
-- a detailed response to TWI's teaching on holy spirit, with special attention given to its use with and without the article "the."
"Jesus Christ is Not... What? A Closer Look at The Way's Efforts to 'Divide' The Word About Jesus Christ"
-- A very detailed study of how V. P. Wierwille and TWI use, and abuse, many passages from the Bible in their desire to believe that JCING. If you're serious about knowing what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ, this is "must" reading.
"Which Way Does It Read? TWI's Confusion About Hebrews 1:2"
-- TWI has made several, different, and lousy, guesses about what they'd like Hebrews 1:2 to say.
"Inhaling the Spirit"
-- A careful analysis of the idea that Jesus Christ taught His followers to "breathe in" spirit.
"The 'Weak" Case for the Trinity"
-- V.P. Wierwille said that "only six" Bible verses may say Jesus is God. Did he miss a few (hundred)?
"Jesus Was God?"
-- Cult members often don't like the way evangelical Christians talk about God-- and rightly so.
"Literal Translation According to Usage"
-- Although The Way likes to talk about "literal translations according to usage," they are actually seldom literal, translations, or according to usage. In fact, Wierwille used to call them "free" translations. Here are examples of their misuse and of contradictory "translations."
"Private Interpretation"
-- Examples of how "Forger of the Word" V. P. Wierwille adds to, deletes, and revises the Word.
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"Overview of The Way International"
offers a thumbnail sketch of its teachings, history and background.
"A Review of Wierwille's Book Jesus Christ is Not God"
-- a careful, detailed response to Wierwille's poorly thought-out book; review by Donald Dicks
"Were Four Men Crucified With Christ?" -- TWI thinks it has an open-and-shut case that four men were crucified with Jesus Christ, not two. Here are some details they've missed.
"The Nicene Creed"
-- You may have heard about it, but when is the last time you read it? (It's only a couple paragraphs long)
"What if There is No Time Between Death and the Resurrection?"
-- Much of the book Are the Dead Alive Now? was written to try to solve the problem of the passage of time after death. But what if time doesn't even exist then?
Dr. John Juedes addresses a variety of topics on TWI and its splinters in several audio interviews. One of them is especially helpful if you've ever wondered about the man behind the articles and the ministry of www.abouttheway.org
Zeitgeist: The Movie is an extended diatribe against Christianity, and to a much smaller extent against theism in general. It labels Christianity as "the fraud of the age," calls Jesus Christ a "Solar Deity" and "mythical figure" and labels the Bible as "an astro-theological literary fold hybrid, just like nearly all religious myths before it." While it claims to be factual and correct, it explicitly tells readers NOT to try to verify the "facts" in the movie-- for good reason-- because it's chuck full of error and fiction portrayed as fact, as our evaluation of it shows in detail. .
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| TWI followers believe that "Follow the pronouns" is one immutable rule of dividing the Word. But V. P. Wierwille didn't understand that rules he learned in English class don't always apply to New Testament Greek, which is a very different language. It's another example of Wierwille's extremely shallow knowledge of Greek.
"The Origin of The Way's False Jesus"
-- Wierwille was notorious for stealing other authors' ideas and presenting them as though they were to result of his careful study of The Word. Where did he find his ideas about Jesus? |
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"The Law of Believing and Prosperity"
-- A look at a couple of men who taught this "law." Wierwille proudly said he followed Albert Cliffe, even though he was a spiritist and medium who said he contacted the spirits of the dead.
TWI’s Law of Believing leaves people guilty- or prideful- and always on their own, apart from God.
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