For a review, I spent a total of 16 years under the direct or indirect teachings of Jane Whaley who is the leader of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) in Spindale, NC. During the process of my exit from that group, I began to see there were numerous deceptions that I lived under while in that group. As I have searched for answers to several questions, more and more of the deceptions have been made clear for me. This post will attempt to list and explain several of those deceptions. I do not assume that I see them all or know all of the deceptions I lived under while in that group. Also, this post is not meant to hurt or harm or impugn others who have been a part of that group in the past or who are a part of that group now. This post is purely reflective of my search and struggle for Truth that brings emotional and spiritual stability and life.
How will I determine what is a deception and what is in reality a truth? First, if there was a statement or rule or group approved behavior put forth in WOFF and I obeyed that statement or rule, then I agreed with that rule, at least on some level. If there was any discontent or angst against such a rule, I will try to tell it, but if I submitted to that rule and did not question it outwardly, then I will list that rule or axiom as an acknowledged deception. (If indeed it was one.) I will attempt to concentrate on main foundational deceptions that were put forth and lived as “truth” while at WOFF.
As I came out of WOFF, certain things became immediately obvious and other things or ideas or anomalies hung around on the edges of my thinking or in the shadows just beyond my perception. When events would unfold or memories would return, then I had the opportunity to see more deceptions that I had lived. Some are difficult to admit and hard to recognize, I probably do not see them all – even now after 26 months out of that group. Some deceptions are so elusive that even now they are cloaked as “truths” in my thinking and this process will continue to test these “truths” and find their true nature. Also, from what I can tell, different WOFF members have different levels and areas of deceptions that give them their way to live in WOFFness. Deceptions ebb and flow in strength and are definitely stronger at certain times than others. This may be obvious to some and hazy to others. Certainly, WOFF members will not agree and admit that there is any deception while at WOFF. How can there be? “We are seeking Truth.”
Deceptions — such as I lived under at WOFF are built layer upon layer upon layer- one service at a time, one sermon tape at a time, one Sunday evening service at a time, one “correction” at a time, one phone call at a time. One church service, one fellowship, one marriage service, one memorial service, one wedding shower, one baby shower, one weekday prayer meeting – all add up to layers and layers of deception. These layers make it tougher and tougher to find and focus on the real matters of life. For me, it has taken a while to see through it. When will I be finished with it all? I am not sure. I still act WOFF sometimes when people do things that are not WOFFness. It may be an area that I have never thought of as affected by WOFF, but if someone does opposite to WOFF- there still can be a WOFF-response even if just in my thinking.
I realize I could not have written this post a year ago. I could not have written this post six months ago. The process of admitting you have lived in deceptions and lived a life in many areas, full of religious fantasy is a searching and at least on some level, a painful admission. Who relishes or readily admits with joy that they have been deceived? Only one, who is in turn so in love with the Truth that times of past deception fade in the glory of the present knowledge that in the Truth is life and peace. I desire that all will come to know the life, hope and love that Truth brings. With that all said- we shall begin.
The major foundational deception I see from my time at WOFF is this: It is required to live life as if Jane Whaley is the only true source of the knowledge of God or God’s will. All of WOFF-life rests on this deception. What starts as a simple question- Did you check that out with someone leadership? – then grows into a requirement to check out your life decisions with Jane Whaley. Personally, for many situations, I “checked out” things with a minster who would then ask Jane about it. In comparison to my time at WOFF, I had few times of personal contact with Jane. However, she could send word back through someone that could and did affect my life. It was a great source of angst and bewilderment for me. Why do I have to ask a person if what I am about to do is okay? Especially, if there was no direct conversation with that person. Have you ever seen the Wizard of Oz? It had that feel to it on many days… “Don’t pay any attention to the guy (gal) behind the curtain!” But, I lived it and since I did for so many years, I cannot deny that at least to some degree I accepted that deception. I lived the deception that Jane Whaley’s ability to hear God was vital to walking with God. In reality, it is only vital to walking in WOFFness. If a person bucks this deception, they will not last long at WOFF. It is all about control for Jane. She is like the Wizard or the ?? – So to speak. Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.
From this deception stem several others. If Jane predicted it or things happened the way she says they would, then for sure it was God’s will; since, she hears God. Do I need to elaborate? I was under this deception for years. Do we need to talk about ventures that were supposed to bring in finances for the church and never happened? When things did not come about the way Jane predicted, then it was glossed over or buried under the next WOFF-drama that was to unfold.
And then there is the deception: If Jane does it, it must be right, if Jane said it, it must be God. How can folks live under this? It is a gradual submission for some. I lived under it and only very few times, during my stay at WOFF expressed doubt. This was another very essential axiom in order to continue living at WOFF. I believed first and doubted later… That cost me dearly.
The realization for me that living at WOFF is based on the above mentioned deceptions was both sad and thrilling at the same time. Sad because of all the years wasted in WOFF-land doing WOFFness. It is sad, because of the family and friends who remain at WOFF who struggle daily with the weight that the primary WOFF deception brings. It is a weight because it is not able to bring life. No one is to take the place of the Truth. The understanding of the deception and thus beginning of understanding the Truth is thrilling in many ways. There is always life when Truth comes.
You may ask how someone can know that certain things are not “normal” in the Body of Christ and yet continue to do them regardless of the criticism. For me, I did not consider WOFF-life and all that it included as an indictment against my personal faith and therefore did not see the attacks on Jane Whaley and WOFF as personal attacks on me. Was that thinking in itself evidence of deception? How can someone be a part of a group for so many years and somehow think that the criticisms of that group do not affect them in any way? What a deception that was.
Because I lived the WOFF life, I was steeped in the WOFF deceptions. It was in me through and through. So, coming out has been a major deal. It was a major change in my life to begin to see that Jane Whaley and the life at WOFF were not true. In effect, life at WOFF and the things it all entails is surreal. There is a reason there is so much drama surrounding WOFF. In my opinion, the intense drama is present because of the deception that is the basis for the group. The deception which is the basis for WOFF member’s relationship with God is predicated on Jane Whaley and her “gift” of deliverance and her “hearing God”. This goes in the complete opposite direction of what the Scriptures show was the purpose for Jesus to come to the earth. Why would Jesus come and deal harshly with the Pharisees and then allow other men or women to occupy that same type of place in His church? What would He have accomplished if it was necessary for a human to still be the go-between for man and God? What would be the purpose of the Holy Spirit?
From here I could list other things that are evidence and characteristics of the WOFF-life that are based on these deceptions however, this post is going long and we will pick up the list of deceptions in another post.
Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Comments are invited from all readers, including present or former members. Polls are not scientific and no private information is gathered.
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(Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. ) Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 184.