Charlene Lamy Edge Speaks about The Way International

THe following Endorsements are found in the front pages of the book, Undertow . Praise for Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International “In  Undertow,  Charlene Edge has written a brilliant and engrossing warning to the future by dissecting the past. There are really two books here: one is on a cult called The Way (one of the largest fundamentalist cults in America with about 40,000 followers [in its heyday]). The second book is an examination of the dynamics of all personality, religious, and political cults. By looking (from a heart-wrenching insider’s point of view) at a misuse of power in one specific group, Edge has written a book that unpacks a far greater truth. What she exposes to bright liberating daylight is just how our political and religious worlds actually function based on the mesmerizing enticement of belonging to an in-group. This is a brilliantly written and timely warning against falling into the tr...

First, a few words about Undertow If you’re not acquainted with my story in Undertow , here’s a section from the Preface of my book: In its heyday in the 1980s, The Way International was one of the largest fundamentalist cults in America, with about forty thousand followers worldwide. Founded in 1942 by a self-proclaimed prophet, Victor Paul Wierwille (1916–1985), who marketed the group as a biblical research, teaching, and fellowship ministry, The Way still operates in the shadow of its dark history. I knew Wierwille personally. As one of his biblical research assistants and ministry leaders, I am a witness to his charisma, as well as his abuse of power and manipulation of Scriptures to serve his own agenda. I discovered his sexual abuse of women and chronic plagiarism. Today, those underbelly facts are hidden, denied, or otherwise squelched. The years of Wierwille’s authoritarian reign and the chaos after his death provide the context of my story. Former Way devotees endorse Underto...

  Fundamentalism , by James Barr, is book that helped educate Charlene concerning Victor Paul Wierwille's claim of inerrancy of Scriptures and other aspects of Christian Fundamentalism. Greetings, readers! Today, let's flash back to a few of my posts about Christian fundamentalism. Note: The featured photo is of an outstanding book about fundamentalism, by James Barr. Studying it soon after I left The Way helped me understand my experiences in the cult, especially in the Biblical research department, which I tell you all about near the end of my memoir,  Undertow . I wrote about Christian fundamentalism... ...because The Way International, the Bible-based cult I spent 17 years in, fits into that category of religious ideology. How's that? The main reason is that The Way's founder, Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-1985) promoted the claim that "the Bible" is inerrant. Which Bible? He didn't say, other than "the original Scriptures," which were lost or ...

Welcome to the continuing celebration of Undertow's upcoming 10th birthday. If you've read the book, I want to say thank you for your support of my memoir—a story that, for one thing, shows how good intentions can go so very wrong. I foreshadow this at the end of the first chapter, "In the beginning, I only wanted to know, love, and serve God and understand the Bible. What harm could that possibly bring?" Thankfully, Undertow has a relatively happy ending, but believe me, that's not the case for many other people who escape from cults. From reader feedback, I know Undertow is a source of healing for other former cult followers. I also know it's a resource for outsiders. It shows how vulnerable seekers can get hooked on false promises, claims that prove detrimental to the quality of people's lives. A stellar review of Undertow In 2017, Undertow was independently reviewed by a professional at Kirkus Reviews. If you haven't heard of Kirkus, Wikipedia...

Charlene pictured in a Winter Park, Florid, shop with copies of her memoir, Undertow, on the shelf. 2017 Hello, readers. Today's post is mainly for writers, but really, like all my posts, it's for all of you. What about writers and self-respect? Self-respect is connected to today's topic: writers and AI. Remember, AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. I know, I know. This issue of AI is all over the map. Some believe it's helpful in certain fields, like those pertaining to science and math. But if you ask some of us who care about literature, you might get a different response. We say something like this: If you want artificial novels, plays, poems, memoirs and articles spit out by a machine (in part or in whole), fine. But some of us don't. We don't want literature like that, and we sure won't write it like that. We refuse to use AI to create any literary works, i.e. poems, novels, plays, essays or ANYTHING else, including book reviews. We don't consi...

Greetings, readers. Do you know a "high-control" group or a cult when you see one? From my 17-year experience in The Way International™, founded by Victor Paul Wierwille (1961-1985), I know first-hand what it's like to be in one of those groups. Their leaders, like Wierwille, and their recruiters, engage in usurping your life, not respecting personal boundaries, and making you feel powerless. They reinterpret this behavior to mean it's what God wants. This post gives helpful hints to avoid that trap. First, below is a valuable summary of such a group's tactics. It's published in the newsletter "Cult NEWS 101." One of the editors of the newsletter is Patrick Ryan. Years ago, Patrick provided a promotional "blurb" for my cult memoir, Undertow . At the end of this post, you can read the blurb.  Below that you'll find a great description of "reality bending" and the link to the Substack article where I found it. CultNEWS101 Articl...