Quote: Our wills must be broken in order for God’s will to be done in our lives. Parents must break the wills of their children as early in life as possible. We must die to self in order to have eternal life.
The workers have taught these ideas ever since William Irvine began his rule over the minds of his followers in 1897. Sin and salvation through faith in the cleansing blood of Christ was not the message. Scripture was not the issue. Mind control through biblical ignorance, guilt and fear are the issues.
The overseers and senior workers have controlled every generation with “sweet cruelty.” Unscriptural, and unkind things are said with a sweet voice and a smile. The sweetness confuses and disarms their listeners in an effective means of enforcing submission. Fear, guilt, self-righteousness, self-destructive behavior, depression, emotional problems, obsessive/compulsive behaviors, dysfunctional marriages, anger, sexual abuse, immorality, and child abuse have been problems in this system for generations.
Although the workers themselves have been the most victimized by William Irvine’s faulty understanding of scripture, they have continued inflicting abuse upon professing families. Parents are taught that it is their duty to coerce, control and manipulate their children to never question the workers, to be seen and not heard, to follow the dress code, the “no-frills no-fun” rules, to believe everything the workers say, to admire and praise the workers, to keep quiet about any dishonesty, unscriptural statements, immorality, lies, or cruelty they have seen or experienced.
This secret sect is maintained through unrestrained abuse of power. It is not a faith that glorifies God.
The workers’ unbiblical attitude towards marriage hinders them from counseling the church with scriptural family principles. Loyalty to the workers and their rules hinder family relationships. Unhappy marriages, divided homes, homosexuality and antagonism between the sexes are frequently seen. Some people raised within the fellowship remain single, living with different people from time to time because they fear the stigma of divorce. It is viewed by workers as an unforgivable sin.
Scripture is used as a weapon rather than as spiritual food, instruction or correction. Parents are subtly encouraged to emotionally or physically abuse their children, in order to please God or, at least, please the workers.
Instead of presenting God as the generous Creator who gives good gifts to the whole world, the loving Father who sent His Son to take away the sins of the world; workers have presented a false god who is waiting to hit doubters with illness, accident or misery. They don’t use scripture, they use “examples” of someone they “heard of,” or someone they “knew.” (Usually the stories are false.) The workers frighten people into silence and stop every doctrinal or scriptural question with threat of damnation or losing out for questioning the workers.
The workers’ God is not the triune God of the Bible, but a Gnostic god who doesn’t approve of His natural creation and requires an ascetic lifestyle. They teach that the physical world is evil and the spiritual world is good. Their god requires unmarried preachers and meeting in the home for salvation. Only those who follow the workers are viewed as faithful to God.
“Robots or Rebels”
William Irvine’s followers produce robots or rebels instead of thoughtful, obedient followers of Christ and scripture.
It is a shocking misrepresentation of God and His Word. But it is even more shocking that 21st Century people are willing for such ignorant leaders. Most professing people don’t notice that they aren’t worshipping Jesus Christ and they aren’t serving God or obeying His Word. Who has the courage to challenge a worker? The workers condemn and excommunicate anyone who persists in asking questions. The workers can’t answer questions because they aren’t allowed to ask questions. Workers can be excommunicated as easily as anyone else. The head workers forbid people to question their words or decisions; it is considered blasphemy, or questioning the Holy Spirit.
Who has the ability to reason with professing people? They refuse to listen to people who try to help them, because they are afraid. Professing people don’t understand the Bible and the true gospel. They believe the whole point of serving God is to look old-fashioned and attend meetings in a home, following the advice of the workers in all things. They have been socially isolated for so long that they can’t fit into normal society so they are stuck in a treadmill of meetings and friendship with people they don’t really know and often don’t even like.
Many of them are so connected to the fellowship through intermarriage and family relationships that familial affection keeps people more loyal to family and workers than to God.
Jesus said, “If the light that is in you is dark, how great is that darkness!” Matt 8:23
The workers claim their church is “the Way, the Truth and the Light” but they, themselves, are walking in darkness and are leading their followers into a ditch. The workers’ nomadic life is not conducive to responsible ministry. They are secretive of their whereabouts. Meetings are invisible to the public. They hide their beliefs and meetings to protect their followers from finding out information that would alert them to the cultic aspects of the leadership and beliefs.
Investigate the history and doctrinal statements of the workers. Read old worker quotations and then compare them with scripture. Write everything down. It does no good to ask the workers. One must look outside of “the lie” for truthful information.
Check the Internet, read Christian books, listen to Christian radio. Find out the differences between cults and Christianity, visit local evangelical, community Christian churches or talk to a pastor in your home town.
The workers have rejected every Christian doctrine, fellowship and practice ever since the time of William Irvine. Renounce their mind control tactics and ideas about testimonies, dress codes, homeless preachers, meeting in the home, etc. It is all false. It is an anti-Christian society. Read your Bible, stop going to meetings and think for yourself! Find friends who are honest about what they believe and who are willing to answer questions and tell the whole world what they believe. Ask for a statement of faith from any church you attend. Compare the statements to Scripture.
By Kathleen (Munn) Lewis
Internet Resources
Telling the Truth – Historical documentation from around the world from 1897 to 2009
Research Information Services – Books and Impartial Reporter news articles
Recommended Books
The Church Without a Name By Kathleen Lewis (out of print)
Reflections By Daurelle Chapman
Reflected Truth By Joan F. Daniel
Reinventing the Truth By Kevin Daniel
The Secret Sect By Doug and Helen Parker (out of print)
Has the Truth Set You Free? By Gene and Grace Luxon
The Church With No Name By Lynn Cooper
Believer’s Bible Commentary By William MacDonald
Churches that Abuse By Dr. Ron Enroth
How to Study the Bible for Yourself By Tim LaHaye
Systematic Theology By Wayne Grudem
The Grace and Truth Paradox By Randy Alcorn
Money, Possessions and Eternity By Randy Alcorn
The Treasure Principle By Randy Alcorn
Divorce and Remarriage By Ralph Woodrow
Out of the Cults and into the Church By Janis Hutchinson
Toxic Faith By Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton
Mere Christianity By C. S. Lewis
Twisted Scripture By Mary Alice Chrnalogar
Shame and Grace By Lewis Smedes
Grace Awakening By Charles Swindoll
Love God with All Your Mind By J. P. Moreland