Category Archives: Books, Resources

Books, Resources for learning about religious cults

“The Art of Remembering” – Charisma Magazine® (3)

Are you aware of “scandals”? Then what shall we do…?

Our last post explored an article in Charisma Magazine® about Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and their Holocaust Museum display. It was dated October 1, 2013 and can be found here. The article was written by Marcus Yoars. Here is the contact information for Mr. Yoars: marcus.yoars@charismamedia.com main tel:407.333.0600

A few blog readers have replied to me with copies of emails sent to Mr. Yoars. Also, several comments were placed in response to the article. This post will review a response written by Mr. Yoars to a blog reader. A blog reader wrote this to Mr. Yoars:

After reading your well intended article, I realized you do not know the truth behind the walls of WOFF. As a victim/survivor, I am here to tell you that what you are seeing is a well orchestrated façade. I am not bitter, just thankful I survived.  However, I do want people to know the truth about what seems to be a loving, caring, God centered fellowship. My story is one of many. These people are not what they portray themselves as. They lie, cheat, steal and destroy the families, marriages etc. of those who do not accept Jane Whaley as their almighty. I know, I WAS one. Thank you for taking the time to consider my email.

  Continue reading “The Art of Remembering” – Charisma Magazine® (3)

“The Art of Remembering” – Charisma Magazine® (1)

A recent gander at the website for Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) revealed a new header on the home page. The purpose was to direct visitors to the article recently released by Charisma Magazine® posted online October 1, 2013. The article titled-“The Art of Remembering” features Nahum Burgeson and the story behind his art work as well as extolling the “multilayered miracle taking place in tiny Spindale, NC.”  Before we review some information about the article, let me give the link and some of my own reflections on Charisma Magazine®.

The article can be found here. Oh, reading this article and perusing the website brought back fond memories of years gone by as well as some very disturbing questions. First off, I so enjoyed the memories of actually receiving the magazine in the mail for many years and devouring the content of every page… I cannot deny I was an avid fan before the magazine even went digital. Then as we moved to Greenville in 1992 and began to attend Grace and Truth Fellowship, our hunger for the magazine began to wane. Certainly by the time we moved to Spindale in 2002- the magazine was off limits and held no content which was meaningful to those “walking with God” and serving the Lord at WOFF.

Continue reading “The Art of Remembering” – Charisma Magazine® (1)

WOFF Fear-Chains are worse than Castro’s Chains….

First, let me say Thank You to all the concerned readers and friends who have expressed their support during the last few weeks. Some are familiar with the level of personal drama that I have been walking through and all that was involved. It is a fact; things are not always in the condition that Jane Whaley and those inside Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) would have you believe they are; inside or outside that group. The spin factory works overtime within the WOFF camp and it takes a keen eye to understand what is really being said and done. “Truth” does not always resonate from their mouth or from their actions.

There is so much I want to share about the latest drama going on around this nation; I have a hard time knowing where to start. Not very much of it is positive, but, all of it is interesting and much of it gives insight into the past and present state of things at WOFF. The drama unfolding in Cleveland Ohio concerning the captivity and now freedom for the women held by Ariel Castro is mind boggling. The control, abuse and torture he forced on his victims will have people talking for a long time. He apparently used physical force, constraints and lots of fear to control those women for YEARS. Castro used actual chains on his victims.

 “The women were initially kept chained in the basement of Castro’s dumpy home, but later permitted to live upstairs on the second floor.”  Read more here.

Continue reading WOFF Fear-Chains are worse than Castro’s Chains….

ICSA Discussion from June 2008: Growing up in Cults

Founded in 1979, the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) is a global network of people concerned about psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. ICSA is tax-exempt, supports civil liberties, and is not affiliated with any religious or commercial organizations.The ICSA holds meetings around the world with different themes and various speakers. ICSA is a proven abundant source for help and insight into cults of all types in many different cultures. Their website can be found here. This post will review the content of a discussion group from an ICSA Conference which was held June 26-29 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. The full title of the discussion “Growing up in Cults: The Special Issues of Children in Cults and Second Generation Cults Members”, the moderator is/was Joyce Martella. The discussion group participants include Juliana Buhring discussing “Advocating for Children’s Rights”, Michael Martella, MFT- “The Mask We Make”, and Gina Cantena, MS., CNM, NP- “Post-Cult Identity Issues for Second Generation Adults.” The audio begins low and may need to be bumped up on your listening device. The video is long and I will only cover highlights. For a more full understanding, please listen to the entire discussion.

Why would I post this here? Many of my readers are former cult members, as well as family members of present and previous members of high demand faith groups – as we know them. This resource will help further the ongoing search for answers for many of the nagging questions that haunt former cult members and family members who have shut-out of their relative’s lives who are in these groups. The readers of this blog consist of survivors from several groups other than Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and for that- I take no credit. We will provide the video first, and then my comments.

Continue reading ICSA Discussion from June 2008: Growing up in Cults

Eighteen Years Ago Today- March 13, 1995

Has it been that long? For many reasons, some known and some unknown; the months and years that have passed since March 13, 1995 seem as a blur. As the song says; “Don’t Blink!” Where were you? What do you remember about that time period? For me, it is filled with loving joyful memories as my son was born at the St. Francis Women’s and Family Hospital in Greenville, SC on that wonderful day. (The hospital is now called – St Francis eastside.) We referred to it as the hospital with the green roof! It was a very exciting day amidst a series of events that would change the lives of many in Greenville, SC and Spindale, NC.

First, let me share what I remember about that day for our family. We lived on Central Ave. in Mauldin, SC with another member of Grace and Truth Fellowship. We had moved to Greenville in March of 1992 from Summerville, SC. When we moved, our daughter was sixteen months old. During the three years since we arrived, we had integrated into the Fellowship and settled into the routine of attending services several times a week, while my wife taught in the church run school that my daughter attended. During those years, I worked several part-time jobs in order to attend the “Training Center” at Grace and Truth. That subject is for another day.

If my memory serves me correctly, when we checked into the hospital,we were on the second floor in the maternity ward in a spacious delivery room. Several ladies from the church surrounded us as we witnessed the miracle of birth of our son. Medically, the process seemed to go smoothly, as smoothly as it does, I reckon. (Easy for me to say, I was a coach and supporter, my wife did all the hard work …) Our son was healthy and had no apparent medical alarms. We both stayed the night as I remember. I slept on a chair that pulled out into a sleeper. Before the evening was done, the lady we lived with brought our daughter to the hospital to see her new brother. Many smiles were on everyone that night!

Continue reading Eighteen Years Ago Today- March 13, 1995

Would You Recognize a Christian Cult if You Were In One?

The premise of this post is simple. I will review a blog post from a leading Christian magazine website and compare the material to my own experiences from my time at Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF).  Some of my readers may disagree with the source of the post, but, please review the material with an open mind and heart. The post is titled, “Would You Recognize a Christian Cult if You Were In One?” The blog is “The Plumbline” by Jennifer LeClaire found on the website for Charisma Magazine- the main site found here- http://www.charismamag.com . Her post is dated November 29, 2012.

My hopes for this post are the same as for the blog overall. I aim to retell my experiences and inform about the present happenings surrounding this group and others. All the while seeking to spark readers to discern their own experiences and make quality decisions for change. I have no formal training to lean on as stated before.  I do not pretend to be a professional anything. My experiences and my desire to tell those experiences in a fitting, truthful and forthright manner are the foundation that allows me the motivation to continue. For those readers that have traveled this path with me, you know that I have had my own personal struggles when processing the decisions I made that led me to join and leave WOFF. And for those that understand the trials of leaving a group such as WOFF, you also know that just the act of leaving does not bring immediate healing. A survivor must learn to process the past and prepare for their future, one day at a time, all of this while discovering who they were before they joined, who they are now and who they want to become. For a second generation survivor who grew up in WOFF or a similar group; it is like starting all over and learning to crawl while the people around you expect you to run. Recovery and/or discovery can be a slow process.

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Confusion Around a Meeting at Word of Faith Fellowship (video)

On Wednesday, March 6, 2013, the confusion and conundrums around the controversial Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) increased yet further. The controversy surrounded a meeting held Wednesday evening at the “campus”. This video link below from WLOS in Asheville, NC outlines the main points. Reporter Ashlea Surles gives a brief outline of the events. You may have to use your “back” button in order to return to this post.  Please, read on after viewing the video for the possible fallout from the confusion.

http://www.wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_church-blocks-gay-rights-group-10857.shtml

This was not surprise move from the WOFF playbook; they feel they are under “attack.” It appears that Brent Childers was trying to warn Dr. Kokkonen about the group. Well, that seems fair, right? Per Josh, “All I know is that the email disturbed the speaker.”  “We absolutely have nothing to hide,” said Farmer. I found that frankly a surreal stretch of a representation of their actions in the past, both while I was inside and now that I am out. Nothing to hide? Laughable! The façade that exists when visitors attend the services is vibrant evidence that there are things to hide, actions and practices that others may find strange or abusive. Shall we list them?

Continue reading Confusion Around a Meeting at Word of Faith Fellowship (video)