Is The Way International a Christian Nationalist organization?

I say yes.

First, let's consider this definition from Christian nationalism | Definition, History, United States, & Facts | Britannica:

"Christian nationalism, ideology that seeks to create or maintain a legal fusion of Christian religion with a nation’s character. Advocates of Christian nationalism consider their view of Christianity to be an integral part of their country’s identity and want the government to promote—or even enforce—the religion’s position within it."

    I was a leader and biblical researcher in The Way International for 17 years before I escaped in 1987. In my experience with The Way, it was clear Victor Paul Wierwille, its founder, believed the U.S.A. was created to be a Christian nation and Wierwille's bible-based-ministry's goal was to bring this country back to God's Word (which was, in actuality, Wierwille's mostly-stolen bible teachings and personal opinions about what God did or did not do).

    Numerous outreach efforts were put into action to accomplish this. One year Word over the World ambassadors (missionaries sent to serve for one year in a city) were assigned to target political elections and influence voters to vote for candidates on the Republican ticket. There was a program called "God's Word in Culture" which aimed to convert folks who could spread The Way's propaganda anywhere and everywhere in the arts. Wierwille didn't make a secret out of his hope that this country would return to what he believed the founders intended, which was to base the U.S.A. on Christianity. This sure fits the profile of Christian Nationalism. It is not the way of democracy.

    I once wrote a paper titled, From Fundamentalism to Freedom. Here are a few quotes:

    "Dr. Wierwille was determined in this mission [of making the US a Christian country]. "The United States of America is the central battlefield in a spiritual warfare being waged between the sons of God empowered and enlightened by His Word and spiritual wickedness from on high...we have been appointed and commissioned by God to carry the light of His Word to a nation desperately in need." (Wierwille, The Way Magazine 1974).

    He also wrote: "One reason America was in need, was that it had turned from God’s way of doing things. So we in the good old U.S.A. have been caught up in the efforts to replace our American Christian foundation with a man-centered philosophy” (Wierwille in an article in a series called “By The Way.” Those articles were published in the St. Mary's Evening Leader newspaper in Ohio).

    The person who was The Way historian in the 1980s told me that: "He [Wierwille] came across a book, The Light and the Glory, which had a major effect on him.  Many of the Way’s leaders began teaching it in classes designed to show the importance of America in God’s plan to get The Word over the world."  

    This was the goal of The Way Ministry.  In practice, it meant promoting the PFAL class and running Way fellowships in every country.  She also told me that a staff person, who had worked closely with Dr. Wierwille, said that before this time in the 1970’s most people on [The Way's] staff did not even vote.  She remarked that the term “founded on” seems to be the key in understanding what people refer to when they say this country is Christian.  In other words, when someone says this country was “founded on the Bible,” they are usually appealing to the Puritan and other Christian influences of the early settlers, not to what the Constitution sets forth separating church and state."

NOTE: The Constitution is the law of the land here in the U.S.A. It gives us, among other rights, the right to freedom of religion. See First Amendment | U.S. Constitution | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

    Since I had never read The Light and the Glory , I found a copy and read the authors’ basic premise.  One basic presupposition is that God had a definite and extremely demanding plan for America ... First, God had put a special ‘call’ on this country and the people who were to inhabit it.  In the virgin wilderness of America, God was making His most significant attempt since ancient Israel to create a new Israel of people living in obedience to the laws of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Marshall, Manuel 22).

    As I read along, I wondered how the authors could reconcile these statements with the First Amendment.  They feel the early settlers had a correct understanding of the will of God for America, and that this tradition is still somehow alive today.  In Christians on the Right, I found further evidence of this way of thinking. "It was a God-given opportunity to do what they (the Puritans) had never been able to accomplish in the Old World: to establish a society which would be built entirely on their understanding of God’s laws as revealed in the Bible (Kater 22)."

    The Way held similar beliefs.  I realized I had been in a group which tried to indoctrinate others with its own idea of God’s will just as those mentioned above.  I saw that I had believed The Way’s interpretation and understanding of the Bible should be accepted by everyone.  Where was the freedom to choose in that?  During my years in The Way, I did think we should be and were examples to the world of what it means for Christians to live together in love.  

    We were convinced our goal was attainable.  We felt so strongly about this that one of our aims was to influence decisions made by our government.  Dr. Wierwille was very adamant about this. “Let us put men and women into office who stand for the principles of God’s Word and let us rally to their support...get involved in the outreach of God’s Word or see America die." (Wierwille, The Way Magazine 1975. 30).  

    I admitted we had just been reenacting what the Puritans had done long ago."

 

Thanks for reading!

Charlene

Note: I do not use AI to produce content.

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