Charlene Lamy Edge Speaks about The Way International

Greetings, readers. News of lawsuits against The Way are often lost or ignored, especially by followers of The Way who deny their importance. This post offers well-researched material about one such lawsuit. Although it happened 26 years ago, it affected many people's beliefs, reputations, and families. That matters. I bring this to your attention today because it ties into my recent post on the topic of sexual misconduct at The Way:  Was Victor Paul Wierwille, Founder of The Way International, a Sexual Predator? Victor Paul Wierwille, the first President of The Way, personally trained its second president, Craig Martindale, who is featured in the lawsuit I reference here.  The following report was published on the website of the Christian Research Institute, by Hank Hanegraaff.  Hank Hanegraaff | Christian Research Institute  : The Way TreeIs Splintering | Christian Research Institute "The second president of The Way, Craig Martindale, admitted to sexual misconduc...

Greetings, readers. In 1972, The Way International published a book, The Way: Living in Love , by Elena Scott Whiteside. I call it TWLIL. The Way now says they republished it. The following description is from their website:  The Way: Living in Love – The Way International Bookstore "First published in 1972, The Way: Living in Love is being re-released for a new generation of readers. Whether you’ve been part of our ministry for decades or are just discovering it, this beloved book offers a vivid glimpse into the early days of The Way International—through the lens of one unforgettable day at Headquarters. It’s a portrait of a community where God’s Word was lived with boldness, joy, and love—and where people from all walks of life came together around their love for God’s Word." I ordered and received two copies recently, and I'm telling you they DID NOT republish the original book. They changed it.  [March 2, 2026, I added this note to this post]: The Way added a Forword...

UPDATE on 2/25/2026: I just received two copies of the re-published version of  The Way: Living in Love  by Elena Whiteside that I ordered from The Way last week. I wanted to see whether they changed any of the text in the original text of the book that shows VPW in a bad light. THEY DID. In the quotes from the original version of the book (I own) that I give below, I will now bold the wording that's been deleted in the re-published version that I just bought from The Way. Greetings, readers. This post will give you insights into attitudes Victor Paul Wierwille (1916 - 1985) founder of The Way International, had about women that were published in a book about The Way in 1972. Those attitudes are not flattering to women. They are written in black and white, making them irrefutable evidence. The book? The Way: Living in Love In 1972, The Way International's American Christian Press published a book by Elena Scott Whiteside,  The Way: Living in Love . In the book, Whiteside ...

* This photo was taken in Squaw Valley, circa 1975, featuring Way Corps grads and Victor Paul Wierwille who is on the left side, wearing a white coat, sunglasses, green hat. Charlene is in front of him, wearing a green sweater, sunglasses, white hat. Others' faces are blurred to protect their privacy. This photo was included in Charlene's book,  Undertow . Greetings, readers. If you are new to my Blogspot account, welcome. Today's post is not pleasant, but I think it’s important—a list and descriptions of source materials presenting first-hand accounts of women who say they were sexually abused by Victor Paul Wierwille, founder of The Way International (1916-1985). He was married and had five children.  Note : Frankly, with the Epstein files in the news every day, this topic in my personal history has come back to haunt me. I feel compelled to speak out again on this outrageous and damaging aspect of my Way experience. There are more adjectives I could use, but those are en...

Today, in 2026, most of the people running The Way International organization did not personally know the founder: Victor Paul Wierwille (VPW) who died in 1985.  Current Board members are listed here:  The Way International - Biblical Research, Teaching, and Fellowship I did know VPW. He trained me to be a leader in The Way and assigned me to his biblical research team.  (See photo at the end of this post featuring Dr. and Mrs. Wierwille, me, my former husband, and others on stage at the annual festival at Way headquarters, 1983. From my experience, I can tell you he used fear to draw believers into his high-control organization and keep them there. VPW’s authoritarian influence is preserved in his tape-recorded teachings, printed books, and videos of films made of him teaching the Bible. Many of those videos are posted on YouTube. If you search online today, you can find these materials. But be aware that VPW plagiarized many other Christian authors, even copying most ...

What did I say in my first published interview?  In the summer of 2017, not long after Undertow was published, Professor Maria Moss at Leuphana University in Lüneburg, Germany , invited me to give a presentation about my cult experience to students and faculty in the American Studies Department.  Afterwards, she interviewed me for the blog the department publishes.  Part I:   American Studies Blog Here's a bit from Part II's intro: "After  last week’s introduction  to the seductive power of the fundamentalist cult 'The Way International' and the practice of speaking in tongues, in this installment, readers will find out more about both  Charlene Edge’s  'faded scars' as well as memories of happier times while serving The Way." Part II:  Interview with Charlene - Part II Thanks for reading! Charlene Find my books at Amazon. They are also at other major booksellers. Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way Interna...