I was a 4th generation (I guess) B&R 2×2. Professed for about 20 years and left around 2001.
Growing up I don’t remember the history being discussed, but I don’t get the impression it was hidden in the U.K. the way it seems to have been in other places. Occasionally there would be mentions of the early workers.
Previous generations of my family lived in places that John Long mentioned in his diary so could well have professed through him. (Thanks to Cherie Kropp for all the work put into getting that info and everything else on TTT)
Probably what started me questioning was being in a Sunday morning meeting with a 2×2 lady who had been divorced and then remarried an “outsider” She took her new husband to the gospel meetings, where she played piano, and he professed. It then led to the absurd situation where he could speak in the meeting, but she wasn’t allowed to (due to her being divorced and remarried–D&R), and could only give out hymns.
She was in tears, and after the meeting I think I asked the worker (privately) who was in the meeting, about the situation and he said she had been forbidden from speaking and she had been told to explain to her husband why.
What really disgusted me was I knew of this workers previous impropriety, (I had been molested by him many years earlier) and yet here he was sitting in judgement on her and forbidding her giving testimony.
It was about this time I searched the internet and found VOT and read it all, and was so glad to see others with similar feelings. I showed VOT to the workers and one described it as “blasphemy, the one sin that wouldn’t be forgiven.”
I also went to Keswick Convention, and after listening to the singing and the speakers, was almost in tears seeing their love for God and knowing I had spent years judging them as unsaved.
After that I thought I could maybe help change the 2x2s from the inside, and spoke about grace and outreach and similar that was never mentioned.
I realised I was fighting a losing battle, and the final straw was one Sunday after I spoke the elder spoke and firmly put me in my place letting it be known that the 2x2s were God’s only people, and people could only be saved through the workers.
I stopped going, I wrote back to one lady who had kindly wrote to me, and explained my reasons for leaving and said she was free to share the letter with anyone. So I guess that was my exit letter.
I was unsure whether to join the TLC Forum as there are times I think, well I’ve been out of the 2x2s for 8 years, I should just be able to put it all behind me and move on, and yet there are other days when I think I’m never going to be able to do that, it’s part of who I am and it’s with me for life.
I’m the only member of my family not professing, so I’m very much the black sheep of the family.
It is good to have somewhere though, where people understand what you have gone through, and I hope TLC can be well publicised to help any new exes. I know reading of other peoples’ experiences were a big help to me when I left.
By UKer 260702
January 9, 2011