Flashbacks to Disruption at The Way International

March 4, 2025

As I write this, the United States and many other countries are in disarray to one degree or another due to Elon Musk's and Donald Trump's cavalier dismanteling of agencies in the Federal Government of the U.S., and due to other actions they've taken.

The confusion, uncertainty, and outright fear that has been unleashed across the world is monumental and affects all of us.

How do I feel? Upset...that's an understatement.

I'm having flashbacks to a time of upheaval during 1984 - 1987 that I experienced at The Way International headquarters in New Knoxville, Ohio, where I was working as a biblical researcher.

Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-1985), founding president of The Way, died in May, 1985, during my time at headquarters. His death ended his authoritarian power. Sort of. Before he died he passed along that power to a second president, a leader he'd trained to be loyal: L. Craig Martindale. 

Martindale's power was challenged the following year, in 1986, by Wierwille's former bodyguard and personal valet Christopher Geer. Geer was by that time a Way leader in Europe. In the spring of 1986, he paid a visit to Way headquarters with one goal in mind: to confront and challenge Martindale and the other Board of Trustees, claiming Wierwille told him they were corrupt and should repent or get out. He did this before hundreds of Way Corps members in a meeting at headquarters. I was there.

Note: Martindale was ousted in the year 2000, not due directly to Geer, but due to the fallout from two lawsuits alleging Martindale's sexual misconduct. Those cases were settled out of court.

Shortly after the confrontation, Geer made off with rights to publishing Wierwille's bible classes and the loyalty of many former Wierwille followers. And their money.

I am a witness of these and many other disturbing events in The Way that occurred during the years of my involvment, 1970 - 1987.

The disruption Geer caused with his confrontational document he titled, "The Passing of the Patriarch" which he alleged was Wierwille's final assessment of problems and corruption and misconduct by many Way leaders who he trained himself, set off a series of events I include in my memoir, Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International.

For me, the disruption, confusion, and fear infecting our country and others around the world is a million times more distressing to me.

To maintain equilibrium, I often recall how I did that back in The Way during those times: focus on being as good a person as I can be, one who tells the truth.

You can find Undertow at all major booksellers, in paperback and ebook.

If you can, try to support indie bookstores like this one that sells Undertow:

Bookshop.org US

Cheers,

Charlene Edge

https://charleneedge.com


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