Talk:The Way International

Beliefs and Doctrines

There are two sections on beliefs and doctrines. The first is in paragraph/summary style and the second is more bullet-like, with separate sub-headings. These sections can probably be combined

I combined the two sections, as well as the section on ":esoteric teachings" since they had been covered in the main doctrinal section Ten of Swords (talk) 23:41, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Whitby House

I deleted the section on the Whitby House. It didn't seem to contribute to the main flow of the article, which was The Way's history, structure and beliefs. It seemed such a minor point to receive its own section Ten of Swords (talk)

Overall, as a former Christian who spent 3 years in the Way of 15 years as an extremely dedicated faithful follower of Jesus and had what can only be described as a strong relationship with God, this particular article is a fair description of The Way.

Now that I practice logic, rational thought, skepticism and epistemology, I take exception to 2 things in this article.

1. Describing John Lynn as a "huckster extraordinaire". As a former Christian, I consider all ministers and priests, etc as hucksters extraordinaires. However, I would NEVER use that term in an article that is intended to be an unbiased information piece. I have met John Lynn and he definitely doesn't take himself very seriously and he has a sense of humor that's second to none. I have found no reference on the web of Lynn labeling him a huckster. Calling him a "huckster extraordinaire" makes it appear that traditional Christians aren't hucksters, which in my opinion they are. Simply refer to Lynn as the leader of Living Truth without labels.

2. Walter Cummins and Chris Geer's reference to their ministries should not be in quotation marks. Whatever one may feel their mnistries are, they should not be labeled "ministries". As I have stated, to me, any Christian ministry is a "ministry". I would never call it a "ministry" in what is supposed to be an unbiased information article. Lose the quotation marks please.

Programs

Deleted the below text from the "Graduation" sub-topic because I couldn't parse it in any way that didn't require both additional information and additional explanation. I don't know the additional information so I can't assist in the explanation. The text seems relevant to the topic in approximately the same manner word salad is relevant to tonights's dinner. In any event, it would probably be good informaition to sort out and re-post. Text:

"The campus which had limited in-house degree granting status because it had been a Roman Catholic Convent and Spa, and The State of IN granted the convent an in-state degree from the Church. The Way assumed this status upon purchase of the property. Emporia had originally been accredited through the Presbyterian College denominational charter. The Way attempted to transfer the accredited Presbyterian degree granting privileges to itself, but was thwarted by the State of KS because The Way was unable to meet the minimum standards required for federal and/or state degree-granting privileges."

Removed the single-sentence second paragraph of the summary because it was both redundant and a direct quote from promotional material.

Added a short paragraph in the summary regarding the 1980's cult scare and their prominent place within it.

The Greachery (talk) 13:45, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Birthdate

There is no November 31. Aetataureate (talk) 21:47, 23 September 2016 (UTC)

I was involved in The Way from 1976-1999 and never heard Wierwille's birth date referenced as anything other than December 31st. The footnote to Nov 30 goes to one of Wierwille's books - what's the documentation for 11/30? Rosedale Tom (talk) 21:05, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

Passing the Mantle

Regarding Wierwille's post "retirement" title. I was involved in The Way Int'l during the time Wierwille was alive after he "passed the mantle" to Martindale. He may have been referred to at times as the "founding president", but the title that he accepted was "President Emeritus". I believe that after his death he was referred to more often as "Founding President" however. I believe that since the passage in the article is referring to the period immediately after his stepping down, but before his death that "President Emeritus" is proper here. I inserted a footnote documenting this title Rosedale Tom (talk) 19:03, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

Criticism and controversies

The content recently added under “Cult status” appears to be old (or perhaps invalid) information. The section, being titled “Cult status,” implies that The Way International is currently considered a cult. However, both sources of information listed are more than 2 or 3 decades old. Furthermore, the part about the 1995 report from the French Commission on Cults links to Governmental lists of cults and sects. On that page, the section regarding the 1995 report is almost entirely a list of criticisms of the report. It even mentions that in May 2005 the Prime Minister of France officially cancelled and invalidated the list of cults in the report. Given these points, the validity of the “Cult status” section is questionable and appears to give a non-neutral POV. Kas585 (talk) 15:27, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

If would be nice to have someone more familiar with navigating French legal documents and archives for better sourcing. Gwen Hope (talk) (contrib) 22:03, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

Upcoming addition to sexual misconduct section

Future editors, keep an eye on the outcome of Vozzo v. The Way International et al, a case in SDNY alleging that a fellowship coordinator sexually assaulted a minor. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Truthis4thots (talk • contribs) 19:03, 4 May 2021 (UTC)

This was settled out of court in 2023. 98.28.116.243 (talk) 23:50, 27 August 2024 (UTC)

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