Several months ago, a fellow survivor of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) gave me an article he had cut-out of a newspaper. He did not leave me the title or date of this publication, but the author of the small piece was very well known. The article was titled, “No need to fear a loving God- In My Opinion by Billy Graham”. It included a question and answer. Here is a copy….

   I stuffed the small piece of paper in my calendar and left it there for weeks. It was not until a second article came to my attention that I retrieved the first one and considered them side by side. In reference to the first clipping, and in order to avoid quoting the entire piece, I will recap. The person writing the question was trying to reconcile the instructions to fear God and love Him. “How can you love someone you also fear?” It would be incorrect to assume that the entire scope of the matter could be answered in a small newspaper clipping, but, one could get some direction from this answer.

  Billy Graham explained his opinion of what it meant to fear God. “To fear God is to treat him with reverence and respect, acknowledging that he is far greater than we are, and he alone is worthy of our loyalty and obedience… But does this mean we should cringe whenever we think of God, and stand in terror of him because we fear his punishment? It doesn’t need to, because God has loves us and he has provided a way for us to be forgiven and saved from his judgment. That way is Jesus Christ.”  (emphasis added)

   As I read the article my thoughts returned to my time in WOFF and listening to Jane Whaley attempt to explain the answer to similar sounding questions or quandaries. Regardless of any disclaimers to the contrary, it was evident after living at WOFF that fear was a big deal and very important in the life of a faithful member. It was preached that you were to fear God. MANY services were spent preaching the fear of his judgments. Ironically, it was practiced to fear Jane and her wrath and her power. After all, she was THE one to hear God when you couldn’t – which was 99% of the time, right? The practice of WOFF was to be loyal to Jane and the life she had created at WOFF. It was credited to God, but, in reality to stay and “enjoy” the benefits of WOFF- it required loyal to Jane and her self-proclaimed perfection. You were told you were faithful to God as long as in word and deed — you were faithful to Jane and did not “attack”.  

   If there is doubt about this, then make your way into a service and just observe. Who do the members turn to for direction at EVERY point? Even better, who will a surprise visitor be taken to and reviewed by in order to stay? You can rest assured if you were allowed to stay there would a “visitor service” and everyone would have on their “visitors are here” face. So, ask other survivors. Do faithful members fear God or fear Jane more? Do faithful members confuse the two because in practice Jane serves in the place of God? Do faithful members cringe whenever they think of Jane, and stand in terror of her because they fear her punishment? They don’t need to. There is a way out.

   The second article came to me through Google Alerts®. Oddly enough, the article appeared in the Gaston Gazette on October 27, 2010. Again, it was a question and answer format and again Billy Graham is credited with the answer. Here is the link- http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/return-62496-cousin-cult.html

   The title: “That your cousin will leave cult and return to her family” So, was there any wonder why I read the article with great interest? Now, I have not been a constant follower of Billy Graham’s ministry. Sure, I remember watching the Billy Graham Crusades on television growing up. As I think back, I went to one of his crusades in 1987 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. It was packed! There were easily over 70,000 folks there. It was in many ways unforgettable and yet, very orchestrated. But, when I read the title to the article, it caught my attention!

The question posed: “We’re in shock because we usually have a large family gathering every Christmas, but this year one of my cousins isn’t coming because she’s gotten involved in a religious group that says she shouldn’t have anything to do with her family. Is this a cult or something?” Mrs. C.J.

  Yes, WOFF does not celebrate holidays as we outlined in previous posts. Yes, many WOFF members are told “to seek God if they are to continue to be around their family that is not serving God. (family that are not members of WOFF!). Should you really go see them when there is so much common ground? You could get pulled out of the move of God!” For other WOFF survivors does this sound familiar?

   Billy Graham’s answer lets me know he has seen this type of thing before. “Yes, from what you say, I strongly suspect this group is a cult — although you don’t name it. One characteristic of many cults is that they insist their members cut themselves off from their families…. Why do they do this? One reason is because cults are usually led by a strong leader who wants to exert total control over the cult members. He alone supposedly knows what is right, and he demands total obedience to his orders. But if a member is also listening to their family, they might be tempted to disobey his orders or question the cult’s beliefs — and he doesn’t want that to happen. Therefore he orders them to stay away from their old friends and family.” (emphasis added)

   The last part of the answer… “Pray for your cousin, that she will become dissatisfied with the path she’s chosen and instead will turn back to her family. Most of all, try to keep some contact with her, and pray she’ll realize she’s on a dead-end road and will turn to Christ for the hope and peace she seeks.”

  These articles addressed two very relevant issues when considering cults and their effects on families. From my experience at WOFF, there was a massive amount of fear used to control members – especially around the holidays when members would have usually gone to see family not in the group. When considering these questions and the answers given from a minister who has counseled with eleven U.S. Presidents, these answers were encouraging to me. So much so, that I took time to visit the Billy Graham Library this week in Charlotte, NC. I would recommend the trip for others. Besides the displays and media presentations telling about the years of ministry, the teams of people who helped and the message he was given, there was also a display about the publishing of Bibles in China. I did not realize that Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, was born in China to a missionary family. Her ties to China helped lead the Graham family to China in later years. Below are a few pictures from the trip.

 

 

 

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       Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, for posts written by John Huddle, any information about WOFF is from his 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 361.