Letter #1 to Wellspring from ESN Founder & Editor of OIU Newsletters [All emphasis ours]:

June 1994

Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center
PO Box 67
Albany, Ohio 45710

Dear Paul and Barbara,

I have been very busy in the past few weeks concentrating on the cult awareness with WCG. I have included you on the Network's "receive copies of everything" list. Enclosed in this package are some of the documentation and information sheets that I'm compiling for an awareness package. The goal is to contact every author and publisher that deals with cults, and arm them with enough information to balance the scale. You will have a good understanding about what is going on after you review some of the letters and materials.

The tape holds the sermon that offers excellent documentation of the whole propaganda lie. If you have a chance, treat yourself to a real WCG sermon. I have many sermons on hand, but this one from Evangelist Gerald Waterhouse helps me do my job, and tells the whole story. The transcript is included in the package.

WCG uses a lot of dialectical patterns in their writings. I included two publications they've recently sent to the membership. WCG has tried to be careful with their writings as they realize "outside people" are looking in. The May 15th paper arrived the same day the May 26th Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ letter arrived. Notice the contrast of messages. The big thirst now is evangelism. Things are taking shape very much like Boston Church of Christ [International Church of Christ].

CRI continues to do its thing, whatever that may be. CRI went on the air May 5th and told the nation that WCG was a true Trinitarian Church, blessed with God's guidance and walking with the Holy Spirit. He also said the leaders were truly repentant. This is an atrocity! The CRI tape is at the end of Waterhouse, on side two. Paul Carden does it big time. CRI still ignores the pleas from ex-members and hasn't done any proper research on this cult.

Now Ruth Tucker allows herself to be sitting on the pages of the Plain Truth. The extensive corruption behind this organization (which is well document by the way) lends itself to a firm foundation. Thinking it would be possible for a cult like WCG to change is analogous to an orange tree growing bananas. Anyway, the whole propaganda routine is in full swing and the Network's goal is to circumvent or counter the propaganda. If WCG gets away with this, every cult will be doing it next. If all the cult watchers succumb to the strong-arming of the big guns, there will be no hope for those not yet attacked by the call of the cult.

I spoke with Ron Enroth. He was quite surprised about a few things regarding CRI. We chatted about Cornerstone, and I filled him in on the WCG scene. I have issued much information to him and will continue to mail all updates and letters for his files.

Please forward to me any address listing for publishers/authors etc., who should receive notification about WCG. I appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

L. A. Stuhlman

Encl: Flyer
Letter copies, Arnn, Langone, Tucker
W-A-C-O News, COP-AID
Sermon Excerpt
Public Eye
Tkach Letters
CRI Letter
WWN: May issues
Ambassador Report, Feb. issues [Note from ESN: Please be aware that the AR is now posted on an agnostic/atheist website.]

Letter #2 from ESN to Wellspring [All emphasis ours]:

April 22, 1995

Wellspring Retreat & Resource Center
P.O. Box 67
Albany, Ohio 45710

Dear Larry,

I'm enclosing the titles of those books you wanted, some things I've written concerning the WCG, a Worldwide News, and a recent Dear Brethren letter. These items will show the guilt, fear, and control still being exercising on the inside.

The reasons I believe they are still a cult are because they still fulfill the points listed in the booklet you gave me; namely:

1. Members still look to Tkach to give them understanding.
2. They don't realize the Holy Spirit can teach them on their own.
3. They are encouraged to give time and money to the group (fund-raising, told to get out and "evangelize."
4. Pressured to serve in various capacities
5. Expected to show up for Sabbath and Holy Days
6. Those who are "marked" have their names announced across the country in services.
7. Disfellowshipping is still used for "rebellion" and "causing division."
8. Members believe in being loyal to the government (WCG).
9. They are not serving and interacting with the larger Christian community.
10. Members are not to voice doubts or objections.
11. Those that leave are still shunned.
12. The Plain Truth. and booklets are written so nothing looks contrary to mainline Christianity, while controlling messages, guilt, and fear are in the Worldwide News in a double-talk way to keep members confused as they feed them the new understanding.
13. The members have been programmed to respond to guilt and fear, they don't think for themselves, but look up to Tkach as the all-wise-one, inspired of God.

In the 2-15-94 WN [Worldwide News] they said: "Coming to Christ is a lifetime commitment and a process of growth and development in the Holy Spirit that cannot merely take place alone in someone's apartment. It can only take place in the context of the Body of Christ."

In the 11-29-94 WN, they said: "Although we recognize that there are Christians who are not members of the WCG, this does not give us an excuse to leave the Church where God has placed us. All of us will be judged on the basis of what we do with what God has given us."

The last sermon I listened to from the WCG out in this area, the minister was quoting Scripture to make the members think they were "wicked and lazy" if they didn't get involved in the fund-raising. They are doing the same thing to them now if they don't get involved in the "evangelizing program, and this was mentioned in a WN.

I don't know if you could get on the list to get the Worldwide News since they know who you are, but you could try.

Please share any of what I've sent with Barb as she was interested in the controlling statements still being used.

I'll keep in touch if I find anything else interesting concerning the WCG.

Sincerely,

D. Williams
Exit & Support Network™

Update 2005: Read: Unavailable! The Worldwide News - Prior to September 1995 (shows the contradictory and confusing statements WCG made during the changes; comments by ESN).

Letter #3 From D. Williams, ESN, to Wellspring Retreat:

Letter #6 Reply from Larry Pile of Wellspring to former member [all emphasis ours]:

Wellspring Retreat & Resource Center
P.O. Box 67
Albany, Ohio 45710

July 19, 1999

Dear Ms. Long,

Allow me to answer your questions about the Worldwide Church of God first. We do have a good bit of information on this church in our files and our library. Most of the information in our library is fairly old, however, and deals with the church as it was under Herbert W. Armstrong. We have more recent information in our files, though, much of it from people who have left the church in recent years including the period after Armstrong's death and the doctrinal reforms that Joseph Tkach, Sr. oversaw before his death. From those letters and personal accounts, we believe there still remain serious issues that have not yet been full addressed by the present church leadership, beginning at the top with Joseph Tkach Jr. These issues especially include allegations of authoritarian leadership and legalistic lifestyle still, to some extent at least, being imposed on members.

Whether the Worldwide Church of God should be considered a cult or not all depends on how one defines a cult. The general evangelical community normally defines cults in terms of their doctrine -- as long as a church's doctrine is "orthodox" it is not a cult. We at Wellspring consider doctrine, but also practice, in deciding whether or not a group is a cult. As in many issues, however, there are degrees of abuse when it comes to practice, and there are degrees of divergence from orthodox theology. I wish it were more back and white -- that would make it much easier to decide whether a particular group is a cult. By the measuring stick of practice, I would have to say, based on what I have heard from many sources that the WCG is still at least cultic. Others who are more informed might go farther and say it is still a cult.

The best sources for information on the Worldwide Church of God, at least from a critical point of view, are the following:

[Note: At this section in the letter Larry lists WCG Exit and Support Network, Ambassador Report, and a former WCG member agnostic/atheist website.]

Regarding your first question as to whether Wellspring is the only cult rehab center in the world, the answer, as of last January, is no. A new cult rehab center opened in Germany in January. However until then (and from about 1992 or 1993) Wellspring was the only cult rehab center in the world. You might be interested in the following information about other cult rehab centers that used to exist but now do not:

During the 70s and 80s a number of cult rehab centers sprang up over the United States. We have heard of at least 14 besides Wellspring:

[Note: At this point, Larry lists 14 rehab centers by name, several now closed. We do not list this part of his letter, as it is very long.]

Some of these centers had to close because they engaged in illegal activities. In addition, a few engaged in practices or permitted behavior that, while not illegal, was, in our opinion, unwise and even foolhardy (there were reports of sexual improprieties and free-flowing alcohol on the premises in some cases among other things). But most of these centers closed because of a combination of three reasons -- a lack of funding, harassment by cults, and tremendous burnout suffered by the staff.

I trust this is helpful to you. If you have other questions, please don't hesitate to write again.

Sincerely,

Larry Pile 

Back to Research Information on Worldwide Church of God

Worldwide Church of God's Faulty Orthodoxy (summary by Dr. Robert L. Sumner)

Back to Research Letters Concerning Worldwide Church of God Changes