The Way International
[4] It was founded by Victor Paul Wierwille in 1942 as a radio program, subsequently becoming The Chimes Hour Youth Caravan in 1947,[5] and The Way, Inc., in 1955.
The ministry distributes publications such as The Way Magazine through its company, American Christian Press, and has developed and promotes classes and other programs, some of which are in several languages.
The Way International has given focused attention on first-century Christianity and extensive research into the Church Epistles.
[13] Wierwille was deeply interested in Christianity from a young age, and attended Mission House College and Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, as well as the University of Chicago Divinity School.
[6] On October 3, 1942, Wierwille began a weekly live radio program dubbed Vesper Chimes, recruiting a group of young people from local churches to help him.
The program was broadcast from WLOK in Lima, Ohio, where the youth would sing and perform alongside Wierwille's sermons that included "principles for abundant life".
Nearly ten years following the first broadcast, The Van Wert Gospel Gift Shop and Multigraph Printing and Publishing Co. opened for business and released the first issue of The Way Magazine.
[17] Wierwille continued to broadcast his meditations over WIMA in Lima, WONW in Defiance, and WRFD in Worthington, Ohio, until 1955.
In January 1968, Wierwille visited San Francisco to personally witness the Jesus People street ministries, such as those in Haight-Ashbury, where he himself ministered.
He disbanded the group for reasons which were never made public, other than a statement in The Way: Living in Love that they "never got it together among themselves", and that Wierwille "gave them the privilege of leaving".
Days were spent on work assignments, usually involving the needs of each campus (such as painting, food service, construction, building renovation, sanitation, gardening).
[37] Way Corps duties include "providing spiritual leadership at all levels and carrying out decisions made by the Board of Directors".
One of the purposes of the festival was to welcome home returning Word Over the World Ambassadors (the Way's first missionary program) and to send out a new group on their yearly assignment.
[43][44] The Way Biblical Research team cataloged 600 Aramaic manuscripts to compile their New Testament text and lexical aids.
The Way International's belief system is based on the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments being "given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16)[47] and perfect as originally given.
[53] Wierwille claimed that English translators of the Bible missed this distinction, and that Greek manuscripts were written in uncial script, which further confused the subject.
[54] Speaking in tongues energizes the "effectual operation" of the other eight manifestations, and thus holds an important place in The Way's doctrine for this reason.
[55][self-published source][56] The Way's beliefs about Christ's passion differ in several details: they believe Jesus was crucified on Wednesday (instead of Friday) and raised three days later on a Saturday before sunset (instead of Sunday morning).
Jesus died upon a stake, together with four other individuals (instead of two), two thieves and two malefactors, based on the use of different words in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, specifically, kakourgoi and lēstai.
Way followers reject water baptism, holding that it was not intended as a continuing practice after Pentecost, and that it applied only to Israel.
The Way notably believes that once a person is born again, they receive "holy spirit" and cannot lose it through any sinful acts.
[71] Tithing one's net income to the church is a recommended minimum, taking the example from Abraham's donation to Melchizedek, as well as the instruction in Malachi 3:7–12.
[6] The Way believes that homosexuality is not God's design and agrees with many Christian organizations on this position (Baptist, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Pentecostal, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist, etc.).
[77] The Way derives its teaching through Biblical sources such as Romans 1:27[78] and Leviticus 18:22[79] in the King James Bible that "Thou shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination".
[77] The second president of The Way, Craig Martindale, admitted to sexual misconduct with a younger married female follower in early 2000.
Judge Schmitt of Shelby County's Common Pleas Court upheld four of their claims as viable, including the allegation that Frances Allen was sexually victimized by Martindale, Biden, and others; that the assault upon Frances Allen occurred as a result of civil conspiracy; that The Way engaged in a pattern of corrupt activity which included acts of assault and rape; and breach of contract.
