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Back to 1988 Letter by John
Lynn
We, the founders
of Christian Educational Services (Mark Graeser, John Lynn, John Schoenheit)
were each involved in The Way International for nearly 20 years, until
1986/87. We are extremely thankful for their pointing us to the Word
of God ("It is written") as the only standard for faith and
practice, and for the inherent keys to the Word's interpretation, which
in large part came from E.W. Bullinger in his classic work, How To Enjoy
The Bible.
Upon leaving The
Way International, we simply applied those keys to all that we had been
taught. Though we found that much of it was biblically sound, there
were some significant errors that had a very toxic effect on believers'
lives. Because we have an affinity for those from our own background,
and a desire to minister to them, we have compiled the following list
of 26 of the subjects about which we believe The Way (and a number of
its off-shoot groups) are teaching things that do not hold up to objective
and diligent scriptural scrutiny, and may in fact be toxic.
If you look at
the descriptions of our materials here on the website, you can find
where we teach more on many of these subjects. We have listed the most
pertinent books and tapes after each of the following subjects.
Books, printed materials (marked in red)
and tapes (marked in purple) after
each subject. All are available through our Online
Catalog.
-
The Lordship
of Jesus Christ
He is not "the
absent Christ." He is the "Lord" referred to in nearly
all the uses of kurios (lord) from Acts through Philemon. He is
our Savior, Friend, Hero, and Mentor in the art of faith, which
he perfected. People talked to Jesus after his ascension (Acts 7:59,
60; 9:10ff; 2 Cor. 12:8, etc.), and we are to have "fellowship
with him" (1 John 1:3). God has given Jesus all authority in
heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18), and made him functionally equal
with Him until the Final Paradise is reestablished and Jesus subordinates
himself to God (1 Cor. 15:24-28). As the "last Adam,"
He is "creating" (Eph. 2:15) a new race of men to replace
the first Adam's dead offspring This critical subject is covered
in great detail in our book, One God &
One Lord: Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith,
and on the following audio tapes: A New Race
For A New Age; Jesus Christ, The Diameter Of The Ages; Introduction
To God's Heart; Truth Or Tradition?
-
"In
Christ" Refers to Our Standing
The phrase "in Christ" does not refer to our state, but
our standing as members of the Body of Christ, and our identification
with the Lord Jesus. As our foot is always "in" our body,
so each Christian is forever "in Christ." It is a key
phrase in understanding administrational truth and the permanence
of our salvation (A New Race For a New Age;
Let's Not Keep the Secret a Secret; Saved, Sealed, and Secure in
Christ; Jesus Christ, The Diameter of the Ages; Introduction to
God's Heart).
-
The "Law
of Believing"
Pistis is a noun that means "faith." Faith equals "trust,"
and requires something to trust in, i.e., God's Word. Faith grows
(auxano - 2 Cor. 10:15, etc.). When one believes the promises of
God, then God uses His power to bring to pass those promises. Faith
is the simplest thing that God could require of people, and so the
credit goes to Him when He keeps His Word in response to our faith,
which is in response to His promise. One's "positive mind pictures"
cannot be used to control other people or the physical universe.
The Bible never says to "believe for" something. We believe
the promises of God, whether written, spoken or given by revelation,
and trust God to bring it to pass "in due time." (Everything
You Always Wanted to Know About Fear But Were Afraid to Ask; Take
My Word For It; Introduction to God's Heart; The
Seduction of Christianity by Dave Hunt).
- The "Faith
of Jesus Christ"
There are only about seven places in the KJV where this phrase occurs,
and modern translators recognize it as an occurrence of the "the
objective genitive" and properly translate it "faith in
Jesus Christ." Romans 3:23 says that our righteousness comes
through our faith (trust) in Jesus Christ. That agrees with the rest
of the Bible, which says that we are saved by having faith in Jesus
Christ, believing what God says in His Word about him. Mark 11:22
is a good example of the objective genitive. The Greek text reads,
"Have the faith of God," but almost every version translates
it, "Have faith in God." (Everything
You Always Wanted to Know About Fear, But Were Afraid to Ask; Take
My Word For It; Introduction to God's Heart; The Book of Romans; Justification
by Faith).
- Fear &
the Book of Job
Fear is not a "mental force" that controls anything beyond
one's self, nor does it somehow dictate that bad things will happen
to us. To say that it does creates a double mental bind in which one
not only fears something but fears that what he fears will then come
upon him. In fact, the emotion of fear is sometimes very beneficial
to keep us from doing foolish things, and more than 250 times we are
told to "fear" God for our own good. Fear must be defined
biblically, because some fear is good and some is not.
Job was attacked by Satan because he was a righteous man, not because
of his fears (how could he be "righteous" if he was full
of fear, when "The righteous are bold as a lion"). Furthermore,
human suffering is not the main subject of the Book of Job. The Way
International's Studies In Human Suffering misses the whole point
of the Book of Job, which is to show that no matter what happens to
us in life, we are to love God, not only for what He does for us,
but because He is God (Don't Blame God!;
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About
Fear, But Were Afraid to Ask; Take My Word For It; Introduction to
God's Heart; The Gift of Fear by Gavin
DeBecker).
- Righteousness
and "Sin-consciousness"
Righteousness is not "our ability to stand before God without
any sense of [or consciousness] sin, guilt, or condemnation."
If we sin as Christians, though we are still righteous, we should
be conscious of sinning and feel badly about it, and such godly sorrow
should motivate us to repentance. If one is not conscious of sin,
how can he know that he needs to change his behavior? Righteousness
is a legal state of acceptability before God that is the result of
"justification." It means that we have access to God in
spite of our sin. This state frees us from the judicial penalty incurred
as a result of breaking God's laws, but not from the practical consequences
of sin. We have been delivered from the penalty of sin, but not from
its presence (it "dwells in us") or its power to tyrannize
us. Truly understanding that our righteousness is purely a function
of God's grace inspires us to confront our sin and repent of all unrighteous
behavior so that we can walk in the light, as He is light (The
Book of Romans; Justification by Faith; Saved, Sealed, and Secure
in Christ).
- The Fruit
of the Spirit
These qualities do not come about in one's life as a result of operating
the manifestations of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control are attributes
of the character of both God and Christ, and are made possible by
the "divine nature," the gift of holy spirit. These godly
ways of being will produce "good works" as the believer
puts on the mind of Christ and obeys the Word of God. Developing the
character of Christ should be the major goal of each Christian. Evangelism
and miracles are wonderful, but without the character of Christ, how
do they profit the individual? 1 Corinthians 13 makes it clear that
without love our acts are worthless. Matthew 7:22 shows that doing
signs and miracles is not the goal, but our aim should be to develop
the character of Christ and get to "know" him (Growing
Up In Christ, Part One: The Fruit of the Spirit-Developing the Character
of Christ)
- Speaking
in Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues
The primary way that speaking in tongues edifies us is by reminding
us of all that we have in Christ, and all we can do because of him,
including operating the manifestations of the spirit. 1 Corinthians
14:2 says that when a Christian speaks in tongues, he speaks NOT to
men, but TO God. Therefore, the interpretation of that tongue is not
a message from God to men, but rather praise, worship, and thanksgiving
to God. Tongues do not change into a message from God for interpretation,
just as "Gracias a Dios" in Spanish means "Thank God,"
whether we are alone or in a group.
No verse says that there must be at least three believers together
in order to have the manifestations of speaking in tongues with interpretation,
and/or prophecy. The word "men" in 1 Corinthians 14:3 is
generic, not numeric, and refers to the genus of mankind, in contrast
to "God," in verse 2. It does not mean that honeymooning
Christians at Acapulco must temporarily adopt a Mexican child in order
to have manifestations (The Interpretation of
Tongues; Prophetic Seminar tapes; Growing Up in Christ, Part 2: Teaching
and Activation in the Manifestations of the Gift of Holy Spirit; Introduction
to God's Heart).
- Prophecy
Prophecy is not only for a body of believers, but also for individuals,
and can be spoken by a prophet or by any believer via the manifestation
of prophecy. When it is for an individual, also called "personal
prophecy," it often produces the kind of response mentioned in
1 Corinthians 14:24, 25: "And thus are the secrets of his heart
made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God,
and report that God is in you of a truth" (KJV). Personal prophecy
is all over the Bible, and is the genuine for which the 1-900 Psychic
Hotline is a counterfeit. Plus it is free (The
Manifestation of Prophecy; Introduction to God's Heart; Growing Up
in Christ, Part Two: Teaching and Activation in the Manifestations
of the Gift of Holy Spirit; Understanding Prophecy [handout]).
- The Husband-Wife
Relationship
A Christian wife has the same gift of holy spirit as does her husband.
Jesus Christ is the only "Lord," and the leadership that
a husband is to exercise in regard to his wife is relative to the
overall lordship of Jesus Christ. The husband is to love his wife
as Christ loved the Church, and the wife is to cooperate with her
husband's godly leadership. God gave both Adam and "the woman"
dominion, and a husband and wife are to work as a team. The fall of
man ruined the husband-wife relationship, and Genesis 3:16 sets forth
consequences of sin, not God's plan for marriage. In Christ, a husband
and wife can each function uniquely as God intended and live as "one
flesh" (Sex and Scripture; The
Role of Women in the Church).
- Sex
The Way's 15 hour class, "Christian Family and Sex," never
took a stand against pre-marital sex or adultery. From the top down,
the majority of The Way's leadership both taught and practiced pre-marital
and extra-marital sex, to the end that many marriages were destroyed
and thousands of people's hearts were badly scarred.
Sexual sin is a very serious thing to God (1 Cor. 6:18; 1 Thess. 4:1-7,
et al). A man and a woman become "one flesh" in the act
of sexual intercourse (1 Cor. 6:16). The Bible is clear that pre-marital
sex and adultery are sins. God designed sex as a beautiful and integral
part of the marriage relationship, and as wonderfully beneficial as
it is within the canopy of a marriage commitment, it is equally devastating
outside of it.
It is not true that David, as King of Israel, could have any woman
in his kingdom, even another man's wife. God was angry with David
not simply for having Uriah killed by unbelievers but because he stole
another man's wife. This was the point of the parable the prophet
Nathan spoke to David about the man who stole another man's sheep
(2 Sam 12:1-4). (Sex and Scripture).
- Authority
There is authority in the Church, but it is relative to the overall
authority and lordship of Jesus Christ. All genuine authority among
believers is earned by faithful service. Those utilizing their spiritual
giftings to function in leadership roles are to recognize that every
Christian has equal access to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the
Body. When Timothy and Titus list what is required for overseers,
the qualifications relate to character traits, not God-given ministries
or innate abilities. Christian leaders are supposed to serve their
brethren with respect and kindness. Such leadership is indispensable
to the Church successfully carrying out its mission of making known
the heart of Christ to the world (A Biblical
View of Authority; What is Christian Leadership?; Ordination; Christian
Leadership: Living in Balance).
- Titles, Nametags,
and Robes
Biblically, there is no such title as "Reverend," a word
that appears only once in the KJV (Ps. 111:9) and it refers to God.
Giving a man or woman such a title can easily elevate him/her above
other believers and lead to a spiritual "caste system" that
can cause much division between believers. The same is true for "Bishop,"
"Pastor," "Apostle," etc. These may be functions
in the Church, but the words are never used as titles in the Bible.
Title-less nametags are not a sin.
- "Father
in the Word"
This term is not found in Scripture, and elevated Wierwille to an
unbiblical position equivalent to a Pope (which means "Father").
There is no biblical basis to equate any other man with the Apostle
Paul and his unique apostolic authority. Even if a minister leads
someone into the new birth and teaches him some of the Bible, that
minister deserves no special title or inordinate allegiance at the
expense of the lordship of Jesus Christ. "It is written"
must be our only standard for truth, and Jesus Christ is the only
"Man of God" worth exalting (What
Is Christian Leadership?; Christian Leadership: Living in Balance).
- The "Higher
Powers" of Romans 13:1-7
No Christian is inherently "higher" than any other, because
there is no hierarchy in the Body of Christ. Some have stronger faith,
and are more mature, but they are "before" ("in front
of"), not "above" others who are less mature. An in-depth
study of these verses reveals that they do not refer to the Church,
but to civil authorities, which were God's plan (since Gen. 9:6) to
keep order so believers can further the Gospel (The
Bible and Civil Law; The Death Penalty: Godly or Ungodly;
The Book of Romans).
- Financial
Giving
The Church Epistles, particularly 2 Corinthians, clearly set forth
the joy of giving from the heart according to one's ability. Even
in the Old Testament, "tithing" was not instituted as a
requirement until the Levites were set apart and commanded not to
own their own land, and even then tithing did not pertain to every
Israelite. When the Levites were no longer under the Law and the Temple
services were no longer necessary, the command to tithe ceased just
as the command to go to the Temple in Jerusalem 3 times a year ceased.
Never is "tithing" mentioned in regard to the Church. The
biblical pattern of giving we are to practice is that it is done in
response to a blessing. We do not give in order to get, but because
we have been given something to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:6
says that a Christian is to give "as he purposes in his heart."
No amount is specified. The more one sows, the more he reaps (The
Joy of Giving).
- The Ministry
of Angels
Angels are spirit beings that were created prior to the creation of
mankind. They are not assigned only to guard unbelievers until these
"pagans" get born again. Their main job is to help believers,
and biblically they do so in every administration, sometimes by coming
into concretion in the form of humans (The Ministry
of Angels to Believers).
- "Holy
Communion"
At "the Lord's Supper," Jesus did not initiate a repetitive
ritual. In John 6, after he fed the 5000, and the crowd followed him
all the way around to the other side of the lake, Jesus first introduced
to his disciples the metaphor of "eating his flesh" and
"drinking his blood," meaning to believe his words. At his
last meal with the apostles near the end of his life, he was talking
about remembering him every time we eat and drink. This is a most
practical key to keeping in mind the things of God (Eat,
Drink, And Remember).
- "The
Hope" Is Life in Paradise, Not Heaven
"Paradise" is Paul's destiny (2 Cor. 12:4), and that of
every other believer from every administration. Nowhere does the Bible
say that Christians will live forever in "heaven." We will
be with the Lord Jesus on this earth in the Millennial Kingdom and,
after that, on the New Earth, both of which are called "Paradise"
in the Bible. "The Kingdom of God" and "the Kingdom
of heaven" are among about eight synonymous phrases referring
to both the Millennial Kingdom and the everlasting reign of God and
Jesus Christ (The Christian's Hope: The Anchor
of the Soul; The Kingdom of God, Paradise
Regained; The Purpose of the Ages; Let's Not Keep the Secret a Secret;
Introduction to God's Heart).
- Freedom of
Thought
2 Peter 1:20, as tied to verse 21, is regarding the origin of Scripture,
not its meaning. "Private interpretation" should be translated
"one's own determination." Who says we can't "think
it means" so and so? A Christian is supposed to think about,
question, and consider spiritual matters on the path to developing
his own convictions.
Along this same line, Eve's mistake in Genesis 3: 1-5 was not that
she "considered" the Serpent's words, but that she failed
to compare what the Serpent said with what God said. To say that she
should not have even thought about an alternative viewpoint shuts
down healthy inquiry and the freedom to develop personal convictions.
It is a subtle but deadly form of "brainwashing" and fosters
unhealthy dependence upon teachers and tradition, often at the expense
of truth and a "good conscience" (Introduction
To God's Heart).
- Sin
Sin is not merely "broken fellowship." Biblically, it means
disobedience to God's Word, either as a state of being (e.g., "in
sin") or an act (e.g., Adam's sin). Romans 5:12 does not put
the blame on Eve as the original sinner, but rather on Adam, for it
was he whom God had instructed, not Eve. The teaching that "sin
is sin," that is, that there are no sins worse than others, is
not true. We know that there are "degrees" of sin, because
in the Old Testament, for example, there were degrees of punishment
(The Book of Romans; One
God & One Lord; The Christian's Hope: The Anchor of the Soul).
- Genesis 6:1ff
and The Flood
The "giants" (Heb. nephilim) are the offspring of fallen
angels (now imprisoned) who came into concretion and impregnated human
women. This Satanic attack on the Christ line was the main reason
for the Flood, which was caused by God (not Satan), and why God later
told the Israelites to kill all the "Canaanites." Everything
reproduces "after its kind" only in an undisturbed environment,
without genetic tampering (The "Sons Of
God" of Genesis Six).
- Eli, Eli,
Lama Sabachthani
These Aramaic words spoken by Jesus on the Cross, left in the biblical
text, actually mean, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
(Not "this was my destiny"). Jesus did not literally believe
that God had forsaken him, because he knew that his Father was always
with him (John 16:32), including when he was hanging on the tree.
Rather, Jesus was witnessing to Israel with his last breath by quoting
the beginning phrase of Psalm 22 (and also the closing phrase, "It
is finished" - properly translated), which was an incredibly
vivid prophecy of what was happening right before their eyes that
day. By quoting this passage, Jesus was acknowledging that to all
appearances he was "cursed" (Deut 21:23, Gal 3:13), "smitten
of God" (Isa 53:4), and "forsaken," as his torture,
crucifixion and death led many to believe. But Psalms 22:22ff also
shows that God did not forsake Jesus, by pointing to his post-resurrection
glory. Also, Jesus did not literally become sin on the Cross, but
he was a "sin offering" in accordance with the types in
the Old Testament (Introduction to God's Heart).
- The "More
Abundant Life" of John 10:10b
This "more abundant life" does not primarily refer to material
things, or even "spiritual abundance" in this life, but
rather to everlasting life, which we infer from the scope of scripture
and the frequent use of "eternal ("aeonian," or "age")
life" in John. The literal meaning of zoen aionion in John 3:16
is "life in the age to come" (Introduction
To God's Heart).
- "Study"
in 2 Timothy 2:15
The KJV phrase, "study to show yourself approved unto God"
has caused some people to put an improper emphasis on the value of
book learning. Spoudazo does not refer to reading lexicons, etc. It
means "to exert a diligent effort." The NIV reads "do
your best," which is a good translation. When a Christian does
his best to be approved before God, he obeys the written Word and
the voice of the Lord, imitates Christ and walks worthy of his calling.
Reading and studying God's Word is certainly encouraged in Scripture,
but one need not be a Greek scholar to be well-pleasing to God. What
God wants is for us to obey the Word we do know.
- "Need
and Want Parallel"
What Wierwille was apparently trying to communicate was that one must
want what he truly needs, and need what he wants. The Bible establishes
the standard for what is needed, and the believer must bring himself
to want what the Bible says he needs. Being clear about what one needs
and having an equivalent desire to see those needs met is a profitable
way to be, but this teaching in PFAL did not make this point clear.
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