This is the fifth post in a series which will highlight insights found in the book by Dr. Len Oakes while comparing his observations and conclusions to my personal experience inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF). This work by Len Oakes titled, “Prophetic Charisma” – The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities (copyright ©1997 by Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, NY, ISBN 0-8156-2700-9) helps explain the different aspects of the personality of cult leaders. I have found that the material in this book helps me understand what I saw while in WOFF and the behaviors of Jane Whaley.
In previous posts, we have covered several the traits Oakes lists that “broadly characterize the prophetic personality type.” (page 12) We ended the last post with the author’s description of the manipulativeness in people with these traits. Today, we begin with Oakes describing how “aloof” these leaders can be. “To the inner circle the prophet may be quite frank about some motives, but to the world beyond and to most of the followers he is aloof. (page16) Here, I must add that I was never in the “inner circle” at WOFF. I did not attend “leadership meetings” or take part in the meetings in Jane’s office before the services. My perspective is that of a regular member. I can attest that there was a caste system with some mystical requirements to move up in the system. Nothing was ever put in writing that I saw as to how to become “leadership” within the group. Moving down the ladder was obvious. You could express doubt as to the validity of anything Jane said or did and your status in the group was downgraded. You would be put “in discipleship” or “out of the church” until such time that Jane felt you had “repented” and “made things right”.
“Prophets are self-contained and autonomous, seeming to need little to nothing from others… The prophet always holds himself slightly apart from others, revealing little of his true feelings and seeming to be something of a mystery even to his long-term followers. This may mean that he is unable to have close friendships… but it can also mean that he doesn’t take conflicts personally. Provided miscreants show contrition, and the cost of the conflict has not been too great, the leader can be very indulgent and forgiving. For he sees himself as above his charges in the way a lion tamer is above his beasts; they may turn on him from time to time in misguided rebellion, but he is not like them.” (page16)
There is so much here, where do we start? Does Jane Whaley hold herself “slightly apart from others”? Is she “aloof” around her followers? In my opinion and from my perspective, I say yes and amen. During the time I spent in Greenville and inside WOFF, from 1992 to 2008, I can count the times I spoke directly to Jane Whaley on one hand. Not everyone could say that. Some other members had regular contact with her for different reasons. Combine what Oakes says earlier about these leaders being constantly “on stage”; “Such leaders appear to be “on stage” the entire time, seeming to derive sustenance form endlessly repeating their own rhetoric which has become from them a “beautiful lie you can live in” (Rapp 1972)”. (page 14-15), with the aspect of being aloof, and one can understand how you can be with Jane Whaley talking to her and not really be with her.
She has mechanisms in place to keep her space and will tell folks that “giving her a note or letter is useless right now, I won’t read them.” At other times, people get chided and rebuked for NOT giving her a note about “where they are walking in Jesus” or “opening their heart about their sin”. When you were on the crew to do the lawn maintenance at the Whaley’s, you were told which window was to Jane’s room and to stay away as long as the shade was down. Just plainly put, Jane was difficult to approach at times and as a regular member, the response was not as predictable as Jane and her leadership would claim. Add that to the fact that if Jane was missing from a service and the reason was not announced, you could be rebuked for even asking where Jane was. She was “on a mission” and you don’t need to know more than that. Aloof? Former members: can you express your views on this?
As I have been reading the work by Oakes and putting it together with other material, I realize that the “aloof” aspect a “prophet” goes along well with the mystical manipulation explained by Robert Lifton in his work on thought reform. The post about that is found here: Thought Reform? At WOFF? (3) Mystical Manipulation, https://religiouscultsinfo.com/?p=3238 . “Robert Lifton writes about “mystical manipulation”, “Initiated from above, it seeks to provoke specific patterns of behavior and emotion in such a way that these will appear to have arisen spontaneously from within the environment. This element of planned spontaneity… must assume for the manipulated a near mystical quality.” (page 422)
As Jane holds herself “aloof”, it explains well with the mystical aspect of the “direction of the service” and the requirements to be in the church or out of the church. During my time in WOFF, I never saw this for what is truly was. Why? Because of the blind zeal that is required to be a part of WOFF, it never occurred to me to question why Jane was so much in control and was “on-stage” and used a mystical approach to tell why certain things happened. All of these things were positioned to her advantage.
As I look back on my time at WOFF, I realize that Jane saw what we saw; she could not help but see the destruction of families and the loss of relationships that her members experienced. She had to be blind to NOT see it. We were told this was all the judgment of God on those that left. Was it? Was it truly to results of some leaving after their eyes were opened and those that stayed were under the cloak of a blinding zeal? What Jane saw, she used it to her advantage as she kept aloof and used mystical manipulation. Let me explain.
When Jane “warns” members to not do certain things or you will be out of here, you will lose your family, you will lose your job, you will lose your place with God and you could go to hell; she is not prophesying in the Biblical sense. She was taking what had happened to others in the past and telling the members that this will happen to you. She acts as if it is prophetic, when in fact she sees and knows that the level of blind zeal in the members that stay will keep many in WOFF regardless of who leaves. Since many members DEPEND on WOFF for their housing, for their job and for relationships – whether family or friends, she can say you will lose these things because she controls them. She also sees that rarely do people leave in groups. Some have, but most leave as singles. So for her to say that “you will lose your family” is counting on the blind zeal and loyalty that she has already tested and witnessed in the family members around the one who is “in rebellion”. She knows how to close ranks when someone leaves and turn the events to her edification in support of her “authority”.
For Jane to warn someone that is considering leaving WOFF that you will not make it, you will lose your family, you will lose your job and so on; is in reality ADMITTING how destructive the group has been and will be in the future! She was admitting the stronghold she had on her members and counting on the blind zeal in members to help her hide the fact that life at WOFF was an emotionally devastating train wreck waiting to happen! If it were a healthy place to be, then free entrance and exit would not be an issue. If Jane could count on easily replacing lost members and not jeopardizing the cash flow when members left, then she would not control folks the way she does and seek to intimidate members into staying and continuing to give “tithes and offerings”. By observing Jane’s intimidating actions which are meant to keep members in her fold, we can learn what she was/is truly afraid of: losing members and thus losing money. We will continue with more from Dr. Oakes’ book in future posts.
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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 299.