Peter Ditzel
Rt. 1, Box 107-C
Spiro, OK 74959 (918) 962-2819

February 21, 1996

WCG Exit Support Network

Dear L. A.

A couple of ex-WCGers have mentioned your name to me recently, and I spoke to [a former member] the other day who told me something about the WCG Exit Support Network.

I am writing to ask if you can send me some information about the work you do in helping people who have left the WCG, what publications you have concerning the WCG, etc.

I understand you are familiar with the articles I wrote for the Personal Freedom Outreach's Quarterly Journal. My opinion as expressed in those articles remains the same: the WCG should not be considered a Christian church or admitted to orthodoxy.

I would be interested to know your opinion of Hank Hanegraaff's declaration that the WCG has "a firm standing in the church of Jesus Christ." I wrote Hanegraaff a letter expressing my concerns, but he has apparently chosen not to answer it. [A former member] mentioned Robert Bowman of the CRI accountability group. Do you have his address?

Thank you for any information or help you can send my way. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Peter Ditzel 

Letter #1 from ESN Founder:

March 12, 1996

Mr. Peter Ditzel
Rt. One, Box 107 - C
Spiro, OK 74959

Dear Peter,

My apologies for the delay in mailing this material to you. I could fill pages discussing what I do with my time and how stressed we are with Exit & Support Network activities but I'll spare you the agony.

I have compiled information that will help you get started with understanding about what is actually going on behind the scenes. The Exit & Support Network is the only available resource updated on the intricacies of the WCG history and the current events. Another time, if you wish, I will be pleased to tell you a bit about what we have experienced these past few years with this deception. The story is big and disgusting to say the least.

The most disheartening situation is having to deal with "professionals" in the counter cult arena who have already been bought off. I stand strongly and with courage on whatever I print and it is not printed frivolously. I did not go into detail with you on the phone regarding the events with the CRI this past year, but possibly after you read some of this material you will be more updated to discuss with me the reasons behind the events..

I ask that you please cover the postage for this mailing and either return the CRI package and Exposes' package (you may copy it for your records) or send a payment for $20.00 to cover the printing at 5 cents a page for CRI, and $15.00 for Exposes`. We have personally spent thousands assisting others and watch-dogging this WCG arena (which falls under many different corporate names now) and I have no choice but to request that costs be covered now as I have personally taken a severe loss. We are absolutely dedicated to serving those who have been victimize by deceptive religious organizations and have sacrificed much to follow this mission.

Thanks for your considerations; we need all the intellectual support possible as this should be collective resistance against deception. When you read the letters to Latayne Scott and Janis Hutchinson and then compare their responses, you will understand what we are up against.

We are not against the changes; we are against the lying, cheating, stealing and massive hypocrisy forced on the unsuspecting.

Sincerely,

L. A. Stuhlman

Encl:

In Transition interview with Phil Arnn; In Transition is an Armstrong offshoot newspaper filled with propaganda.

A Cult in Transition package, including info about CRI and COP-ADD documents written by me in May of 1994.

CRI article from Media Spotlight (just a sampling of information on this topic)

CRI package consisting of documents and testimonies from CRI and its past employees. Much verification regarding Hank's lifestyle ($20.00)

Janis Hutchinson Letter and response

Latayne Scott Letter and response

Exposes package on WCG history ($15.00 or return, please)

Outsider's Inside Update--ESN newsletter written with the exiting member as the main audience

Letter #2 From ESN Founder to Peter Ditzel:

May 4, 1996

Peter Ditzel
Rt. I, Box 107-C
Spiro, OK 74959

Dear Peter,

I returned home on April 21st, from a ten day research trip to Texas. I was a presenter at the Second Annual Conference for the International Council on Cultism and Ritual Trauma. My particular seminar addressed professionals in the health, law and legal field on the topic cults in the broader spectrum and their affect on society today. As ample research indicates, millions of citizens are exploited and manipulated by deceptive groups encompassing many disguises. While many in the professional fields are educated in specific cult related topics, few have the awareness of how dramatic the cult. explosion has been throughout the past three decades. Too few in the mental health field are equipped to handle the special needs of the ex-cult member. Cult education is not well advertised nor publicized in professional journals; hence, seminars such as this one are well appreciated. I am personally grateful for having had the opportunity to attend various seminars and conferences relating to cults, abuse, and associated topics. The versatility of education has proved an asset to handling the Exit & Support Network (ESN) activities.

After the three full day conference in Dallas, a Network associate and I spent the following seven days investigating CGI in the Tyler area and proceeding to Big Sandy for additional research with WCG and Ambassador University. The Network manages at least two research trips yearly. The first hand information obtained justifies the extensive personal cost and time required. My apologies for the lapse of time in responding to your letter of April 4th, but as par for this course, the ESN service leaves little time to do much.

Several months ago, Kelly requested I contact you regarding the WCG developments these past years. Requests such as this are presented to the ESN frequently. A few years ago, we made it a priority to initiate contact with Christians in the counter-cult arena in air effort to A.) establish a rapport and define our mission, B) provide critical information to Evangelical Christians who were on the receiving end of WCG's change and events. My husband and I personally approached Kurt Goedleman at the PA Evangelical conference in 1994 and introduced ourselves. As he, and I believe his wife, were busy at their information booth, we chatted very briefly. I explained to Kelly that we no longer expend exhaustive energy sending information toward the counter-cult evangelical ministries, as our experience, for the most part, has witnessed a "closed thinking" and tunnel vision regarding the WCG in many compartments of the evangelical community. The fact that the WCG story is so very complicated and tangled with webs, makes it even more unappealing for the "outside observer" to expend the energy and commitment in scrutinizing the superficial WCG stance (which I often term, "propaganda") it so deserves. However, Kelly's persistence and follow-up with her letters convinced me that I should at least pursue a follow-up with Janis Hutchinson and yourself. Per Kelly's request, I called Janis Hutchinson and spoke for at least one half hour. Janis seemed cordial and willing to assess any information provided. I explained that the report, Chronology of Change was detailed and documented and it would, I hoped, be finished prior to her (all expense paid by WCG) trip to a WCG Ministerial Conference in March. I was not able to complete the report so instead wrote a fifteen page letter and attached it to several pounds of documented materials. My only request of Janis, was to please keep an open mind and not draw conclusions that the WCG has truly converted before she had done an in-depth study and research related to it. I noted that the Exit & Support Network had an extensive ex-member mailing list and I would be able to furnish her with many contacts for further testimony and clarifications.

As demonstrated so often these past few years, individuals such as author Janis Hutchinson, have been contacted by one of the WCG PR leaders, wined and dined in various degrees, and made honorary friends of the Worldwide Church of God. A small price for WCG to pay in exchange for an endorsement or removal from the author's index roster of cults. Janis had the WCG stricken from her 2^nd printing prior to my contact with her. She didn't relay that to me on the first and only phone call, which was placed by me. She did, however, relay her exuberance for her Plain Truth interview which took place before our chat.

I supported Kelly on her endeavors but also explained that many of the previous experiences several of us have had with a few of the counter-cult ministries over the past three years resulted in obstacles of discouragement rather than a healthy networking experience. Some of those obstacles are as follows:

• Being stigmatized as an ex-member and often referred to as "bitter." This is a re-victimization of the already abused exiter for speaking out about the atrocities and personal experiences.
• Not being heard on the issues or worse yet, not even receiving a response to a plea.
• Becoming the focus of judgment while the issues raised by the ex-member are ignored to great degrees.
• Supporting a strong position without clout, money, power, support or aid from others, or the arrogance needed to command the attention the WCG receives.
• Politics in the evangelical community. When one confronts corruption in the Christian arena [e.g. Hank Hanegraaff], all must look on their own back porch to see who is knocking on the door. It is easier to ignore the knock, than to confront who is on the other side; and the picture isn't pretty!
• Relentlessly working toward communicating duplicity and events to individuals who have already been entertained with the WCG leaders' strategies (which very often includes their wallets), is analogous to being the last surviving salmon swimming upstream.

By no means do I intend a broad sweep of the evangelical community. The ESN was, for the most part, in contact with those ministries already targeted by the WCG leaders. Any counter information deems "negative" or "bitter," or for a popular description, "sorehead." Unfortunately, too many supposed counter-cult Christian ministries have demonstrated to ride with the authoritarian power quietly, than to challenge entities such as Christian Research Institute or Worldwide Church of God. While many counter-cult ministries have hopped on the band-wagon, supporting the WCG, I know of only three or four ministries who have assertively reached out to obtain critical information and explore the available resources pertinent to healthy and honest discernment. The WCG is hot topic these days for the Christian publishing community, and the content within the articles is basically ascribed by the leaders themselves. The FREE PR campaign was ingenious to say the least. Like so many other times the ESN reached out to counter-cult ministries, the hope was to educate (from the other perspective) and find Christian ministries willing to exercise courage and assist those hurting spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

People have lots of questions directed toward me, as I represent the Network as the founder and manager; that is healthy and I answer them to the best of my ability. That honesty has assisted me with being personally involved in providing a path for so many as they temporarily use the ESN's offerings while exiting through a very painful process.

The WCG operated on the surface as a "church." Throughout its sixty years of development it built a multi-million dollar empire. It operated on many levels, the least of which was the church. As far as members were concerned, a church is all there was to the operation. What was occurring outside the small parameters of the "church," was vast, global in scale and extreme in the nature of business. HWA may have spread heresies, but the church was founded as a vehicle to do just what it did--build its own government and lavish empire. 

Those who remain within WCG are in a cult. Cult members cannot discern, or they would not be living within a cult community. Their critical thinking ability is greatly affected and they are uneducated to the deceptive measure to guard against. WCG, like many other Bible-based cults twist the Scriptures to fit the need at the time. The leaders employ psychological tactics that manipulate the thinking process. I fully believe that Christ leads people out of the cults, but I find it most abusive to label those in cults as choosing to go the way of Satan. That is Hanegraaff's perspective.

The leaders have changed business strategies. I diligently attempted to provide Janis Hutchinson with the overview of understanding. There is no indication that they will continue in Armstrongism in any way. They will continue to infiltrate the evangelical arena, with little thought to the few remaining as church members. They are in the merchandizing business now and they have a product. They will continue to explore recruiting youth, and have recently purchased eighty acres of land in Canada for a youth camp. Armstrongism didn't work to the extent necessary to continue to build the church. Assets of the organization were being sold for the past twenty years and money absorbed into the overall business. No products to sell, and no recruiting to bring in fresh money, played out more like, all dressed up and nowhere to go.

As I mentioned previously, the Exit & Support Network has an extensive archive extending from the 1940's. Several ministers also provided us with their extensive, ministerial collections. Added to that, several of us with the ESN have traveled the U.S. obtaining documents and verifications on interests ranging from HWA's childhood, to current "under the cover" events relating to the WCG conglomerate. In order to discern any events a thorough consideration and research of the intricate past is essential. We could not do anything without the extensive archive available to us and the connections we have currently.

It is sad that so few donate the time toward scrutinizing the reasons behind the events and instead get manipulated by the surface distractions. Wait long enough, possibly this year, and you will hear the current leaders denounce Armstrong. You will hear everything you want to hear and if history repeats itself, you, like so many others, could possibly turn away ignoring what is actually happening on the level you can't see. Who is going to challenge the deception and exploitation in the name of Jesus Christ and Christianity? We've watched, for the past several years, prominent evangelical figures run to the aid of the cult leaders as they turned their backs on desperate victims with actions analogous to spitting on the ex-member. Let's see what they will do and say if and when they are led to see the error of their ways! Actually, what does it matter as the real losers are the intentionally deceived members caught in the web.

The WCG has only a few thousand remaining in its grip. They are looking ahead to their new youth target. Meanwhile over 30,000 members are sitting in the latest Armstrong "extension" groups. I don't see or hear the Christian counter-cult arena placing an emphasis on this. Armstrongism is alive and limping, but, may I ask, who is caring? My phone is ringing all too often with devastating testimonies from all the groups. I hardly ever receive a call from the evangelical community saying, "we're here, how can we help these people?" While WCG receives the FREE glory through the media, the real story is continued pain, suffering and bondage starting with the WCG and extending to all her daughters.

You use verbiage such as "conspiracy" that discredits whatever is being said and the person stating the information. Many cults are currently using the same terminology to discredit exiters who find out what is not for them to know. The connotation that I spend my time spinning mysteries at the expense of others is disparaging and offensive.

You cite "that some of the Network's claims are certainly wrong," then proceed to give a brief example of your own experience regarding doctrinal changes. The WCG was on shaky doctrinal territory throughout its history which strongly manifested itself during the 1970 era. [Read Gerringer's 1975 Letter and Worldwide Church of God History] Your involvement with the WCG was from 1978 onward. I don't know how much you know about the actual events throughout the 1970's other than your view while you were inside, but plenty of documented evidence is provided that supports doctrinal turbulence. You cite a discrepancy stating I was wrong, when in fact, I explore the issue of "doctrinal" imbalance to support many conclusions. I do not dispute the doctrinal ambivalence, but include this fact as an important impetus toward the current strategy maneuvering. I have made that position clear.

The marketing strategy of the PT and World Tomorrow flipped every six months. That is another relationship to the WCG marketing strategy. While some marketing ploys may have been no secret, or an issue for that matter, the obedient members were not mindful of what "God's one true ministers" were doing as members were programmed through much fear to trust and not question. A members' job was to accept whatever the "true ministers of God's one true church" said. Members in the field were kept in the dark through information control. Who would dare question? Everything was in "God's hands," right?

I do suggest you read, When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger. I have also found several classic publications on propaganda to be an enormous asset to understanding how manipulative strategies work. Hitler and his co-conspirators left a wealth of information for those who chose to understand the depth of history. I highly recommend any of the above. What you see is not what you get. That is what deception is about. The WCG orchestrated a strategic maneuver which is succinctly evident throughout the chronology of events, massed by lies. I can understand how difficult it is for someone to be out of touch with the day to day, month by month, year to year events and find it difficult to discern the strategy.

In order to understand what in the world is going on with these cults, one must invest much time, money, commitment, and sacrifice to research the total picture inside and outside, not just one little view. It is a full time job, exhaustive in nature and the only reward is having a hand in freeing His children from the clutches of evil deception.

While my personal perception was important, it was also through a clouded mirror. Information was withheld [by WCG's leadership] on all levels and was selective as well. That is how cults operate. One must have access to pertinent documentation and scrutinize the events from as many angles as possible. Persistence with pursuit, in-depth interviewing and questioning, and patience while peeling the layers of onion skin deception, allows for increased critical information necessary to understand how the "web" is spun. You give no credence to the years of laboring with this task and appear to brush off whatever information provided as ineffective at best. If you don't know much about the extensive history of this organization, and its key players, you risk discounting what is not familiar to you. If pursuing an in-depth study of the organization is something you wish to do, I'd be pleased to assist. An attempt to verbally convey this rat's nest to you or anyone else who has not  intensely studied the WCG conglomerate is time consuming, ineffective and not my intention to do so. We have done our homework and we're still working on it. The effort attains a broader view than that of the rear view mirror. Our job is to provide whatever ample data is necessary for continued research and questioning. Whatever conclusions the Network has come to acknowledge is in constant scrutiny with additional information and data constantly arriving at our doorsteps. This is not about criticizing a church. It is partly about exposing works of evil in the name of Christ and partly about assisting those who have been victimized by control and abuse under the guise of God or Christ with the Bible/Christianity used to distort and influence strict obedience to the cult.

One of our goals at the ESN is to reach out to all who have been mistreated through the deceptive use of the Bible and church system by skilled mind manipulating professionals. The WCG did not and does not employ ministers of the David Koresh type. WCG's ministers are well trained for their jobs. Each questioner or exiter is coming from an individual and sensitive position spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally. We take considerable care in treating each Network contact as a human being with feelings and individual experience. No two stories are the same. It takes strong patience on our part to assist or nurture each person respectively. The healthiest ex-members are those who have patiently studied their way through: (1) the deception of the WCG; (2) full understanding of what a cult is, how it functions in society, and the repercussions of cult involvement, and, (3) spiritual discernment through: a) learning how WCG used techniques that spiritually damaged members (such as Scripture twisting); b) networking with others who have experience and sensitivity with the understanding of GRACE vs. LAW and the Gospel as understood by traditional Christianity; c) following through on the booklist provided which leads members into making solid decisions backed up by factual content and not just emotion, which often leads to toxic faith syndrome (Toxic Faith). That is the basic triangle of healing we use here. There is no particular order in the healing process. It has proven to be most successful when the exiter becomes responsible for his own recovery on his own time schedule. Understanding of corruption and deception within the organization has proven to be instrumental in leading the exiter away from the Armstrong dogma and into clear traditional Christian understanding. Recovery consists of breaking down every facet of manipulation and building a solid foundation on truth. 

There is much to consider when assisting hurting ex-cultists, that is exactly why we are very respectful toward others' struggling beliefs and we don't hide that fact. Bible-based cult victims must be offered a balanced support with spiritual and psychological considerations. The issues we deal with here are serious and confronting; e.g., those who have been raped by ministers, had lives ruined, lost suicide victims, were ritually abused and on and on. Some of the stories aren't bad and some are actually OK. The reality is, the story is big and it can hurt. 

There are some wonderful Christian Ministries who have done their part in assisting the wounded. The problem is, they are few and far between. I had hoped that you were another Christian Ministry we could count on to refer exiters, with the bonus of not being snowed by the WCG current strategy. I pray you will understand how disappointing it is to find our efforts more undervalued instead of positively considered for further exploration. I was hopeful you, as a past WCG member and evangelical, would have been open-minded to the issues.

We pray for your ministry and family,

Sincerely,

L. A. Stuhlman

Book Listing

ESN brochure

NOTE: Peter Ditzel wrote other articles in PFO's Journal showing concerns with some of WCG's changes:

New Wine in Old Wineskins--Has WCG Really Moved from Cultism? (1995; no longer online; ESN has the hardcopy)

The Two Faces of the Worldwide Church of God (1997)

TRANSFORMING THE TRUTH - The Worldwide Church of God Continues to “Make” History (1998)

The Worldwide Church of God's "Orthodox" Bandwagon (1998)

Being Saved After Death Is Still Alive in the Worldwide Church of God (2001)

UPDATE: Peter Ditzel is no longer with PFO. The above links are not necessarily an endorsement by ESN of all opinions or views held by PFO. PFO is a member of Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR), a Lausanne-covenanted organization of which Ron Enroth was a founder. EMNR has, in fact, been instrumental in mainstreaming the Mormon religion as a Christian denomination. WCG has given their approval to the Lausanne Movement, calling it a work of God. (History of Mission Spokane - as of 2-13-00, "What is God Doing?" / "What on Earth is God Doing?" by Gary Roberto.) Worldwide Church of God joined the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions in 1998. For more information, please see the following reports: 

The New Age Ties of the Apologetics Ministries

Evangelical Ministries to New Religions (EMNR)

Back to Research Letters Concerning Worldwide Church of God Changes

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