| A Bible Speaks / Greater Grace chronology: 2005 |
[Jul. 27th, 2006|02:35 pm] |
Tuesday, February 1 – Saturday, February 5, 2005 – The GGWO elders and many affiliate pastors meet at Sandy Cove and discuss doctrinal issues. The Sandy Cove Declaration and Covenant is signed in the early morning hours Saturday. It declares that there have been doctrinal errors in GGWO and promises to continue addressing them. Tom Schaller signs the Declaration & Covenant. Steve Scibelli is not present.
Tuesday, March 1, 2005 – The GGWO elders vote to remove Carl Stevens as senior pastor of the Baltimore church.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 – The GGWO elders vote 5-2 with two abstentions to make Rodger Stenger senior pastor of Baltimore church. Stenger asks that the congregation ratify the elders’ decision. Ballots are placed on the chairs in church. Carl Stevens’ housekeeper Noreen Kennedy leads many in shouting for Schaller. The congregation begins voting.
Thursday, March 24, 2005 – Tom Powell, pastor of the Tacoma, Washington affiliate, sends a letter to all the affiliate pastors informing them of the elders’ decision.
Friday, March 25, 2005 – Youth pastor John Love orchestrates a meeting of the department heads with Stenger. The department heads are not in agreement with the elders’ decision.
Saturday, March 26, 2005 – Mark Morin (pastor of the Rome, NY affiliate) sends a letter to the elders expressing his concern with the election process. Baltimore elder Steve Scibelli says in a rap that people who don’t vote for Schaller are “off”.
Sunday, March 27, 2005 – Easter Sunday. Carl Stevens comes to church for the first time in 5 weeks. In a back room a videotape is made of elder Scott Robinson stating that Schaller will be the senior pastor and Scibelli & Steve Stevens will be the assistants and asking Carl if this is what he wants. Carl says yes. The congregational vote concludes. Two GG pastors are overheard commenting that they need to overturn the Stenger decision, and that they need to get rid of Sandy Cove.
Thursday, March 31, 2005 – The Florida letter is drafted by the southeast meeting of Missionfield America (Greater Grace affiliate churches). It supports the Sandy Cove process.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 – At an elders meeting, David Duff announces the results of the congregational vote as 407 (56%) in favor of Stenger, 282 (39%) opposed, 33 (5%) no decision. Stenger resigns because 56% is insufficient support to pastor a church effectively. The elders decide on a non-binding congregational vote between Tom Schaller and Steve Stevens.
Saturday, April 9, 2005 – The first letters from affiliate pastors are published on Factnet. Most are very concerned with how the election is/was being conducted.
Sunday, April 10, 2005 – There is an “open” forum at the evening service with Schaller and Steve Stevens answering written questions.
Monday, April 11, 2005 – Schaller sends a letter to the affiliates urging them to “hold the line.”
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 – The second congregational vote begins.
Friday, April 15, 2005 – The Rome Declaration (by the Rome and Seneca Falls affiliates) gives Baltimore until the end of the month to make things right.
Sunday, April 17, 2005 – The second congregational vote concludes with 800 for Schaller, 289 for Steve Stevens, and 94 other – some specifying Stenger. In Rome, NY, Pastor Mark Morin brings those who have been marked to the service and apologizes to them.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 – The elders vote 8-0 for Schaller. Skip Wood (missionary in Argentina) publishes his disaffiliation letter.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005 – Pastor Jerry Graziano (Seneca Falls) begins openly posting on Factnet.
Thursday, April 21, 2005 – The St Petersburg (Florida) board votes to disaffiliate and change the name of the church.
Friday, April 22, 2005 – Mark Morin resigns as pastor of Rome affiliate to give the elders a free hand, The unanimous election of Schaller is announced. John Love is appointed official spokesman in Baltimore.
Saturday, April.23, 2005 – Jim Morrison (pastor of the Marlborough affiliate) sends a letter in support of Schaller. The Westfield/Pioneer Valley affiliate in Massachusetts changes its name.
Sunday, April 24, 2005 – The Rome church disaffiliates.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005 – Dan Lewis resigns as an elder in Baltimore & leaves GGWO.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 – GGWO posts a chronology on their website. It is misleading at best.
Friday, April 29, 2005 – Seneca Falls (Graziano) disaffiliates. Rob Prokop and the Austrian church disaffiliate.
Saturday, April 30, 2005 – All the Russian & Belorussian churches disaffiliate.
Sunday, May 1, 2005 – Franck Corbiere (pastor of Braintree MA affiliate) sends a letter supporting Schaller. The St. Petersburg, Florida church holds a disaffiliation service.
Monday, May 2, 2005 – Maciej Wilkosz (an affiliate pastor in Poland) sends a letter to John Love questioning the timeline Greater Grace published.
Wednesday, May 4, 2005 – Schaller states at Wednesday night service that Carl Stevens is the pastor and always will be.
Sunday, May 8, 2005 – Carl preaches on the geographical will of God. (This is Carl’s doctrine that God has called each believer to a particular church and pastor.)
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 – A letter in Carl’s name is sent to the affiliates.
Saturday, May 14, 2005 – Carl’s letter is read at the noon rap.
Thursday, May 19 – Saturday, May 21, 2005 – The Chicago meeting: a new affiliation forms.
Thursday, June 16 – Sunday, June 19, 2005 – The new affiliation meets at Sandy Cove (“Sandy Cove II”) and adopts the name International Association of Grace Ministries.
Monday, June 20 – Saturday, June 25, 2005 – GGWO holds its annual convention in Baltimore. Carl Stevens attends a couple days of the convention and denounces those who left. “Technical difficulties” occur during his on-microphone remarks, preventing them from going out on the internet broadcast or appearing on the tapes.
Saturday, October 1, 2005 – Skip Wood withdraws from IAGM over its slowness in dealing with the issues. John Collins follows in a few days. IAGM fails to publicly interact with Lee Leonard, who left in 1987. To date, IAGM (consistently mainly of pastors and congregation which disaffiliated in 2005) has had no dealings at the institutional level with those who left in 1981-1983 nor those who left in 1987, Some individual members of the IAGM have done so.
Saturday, July 15, 2006 – Greater Grace Delaware’s school & office space are put up for lease. |
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| A Bible Speaks / Greater Grace chronology: 2004 |
[Jul. 27th, 2006|02:33 pm] |
February 10, 2004 – The sixth post on Factnet opens the floodgates.
Thursday, March 11, 2004 – A Factnet post asks about the letter sent to the board. GGWO lawyer and elder Michael Marr is said to have described it as evil/criminal.
Sunday, March 14, 2004 – The letter sent to the board is read in morning service, Marr denies that Carl abused prescription drugs.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 – Carl Stevens is in the hospital.
Wednesday, March 17, 2004 – A second letter to the board states that Carl’s back, heart, and thyroid problems were caused by prescription drugs.
Sunday, March 21, 2004 – A letter was sent out to congregants. Enclosed was a copy of second letter to the board.
Sunday, March 28, 2004 – Carl returns to the pulpit. He sounded disoriented and stated there would be manifestations in angels in coming months. He mentions female angels. Carl Stevens also denounces Betsy Dovydenas.
Friday, April 2 – Monday, April 5, 2004 – 600 postcards arrive in the mail, pointing people to Factnet. Loyalists post foolish threats about taking legal action.
Sunday, April 11, 2004 – Paul Stevens begins a church, Finished Work Ministries, on Easter Sunday.
Saturday, May 15, 2004 – The Baltimore Sun publishes an article on GGWO & Factnet.
Sunday, May 23, 2004 – During the evening service, Carl Stevens referred to the Factnet board as “one hundred million percent Satanic garbage”.
Sunday, June 13, 2004 – Michael Marr preaches during the evening service and refers to Factnet by name as “rotten lies”.
Sunday, June 20 – Sunday, June 27, 2004 – Greater Grace’s annual convention in Baltimore
Friday, June 25, 2004 – Carl Stevens preaches what has become known as the “Five Men Died” message at convention. This part was deleted from the tapes made available afterwards. Carl also preached on salvation by obedience and said you can be saved if you had one abortion but not two.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004 – Carl Stevens preaches against the dissenters and does the boxing routine on stage.
Sunday, September 25, 2004 – Carl preaches against going to Paul Steven’s church or any other besides GGWO Baltimore.
Sunday, October 10, 2004 – Carl preaches that it is a sin to go to another church if you are called to GGWO. He specifically mentioned Aberdeen – the location of Finished Work Ministries.
Thursday, October 14, 2004 – Somone mentions that 700 people have left GGWO Baltimore. (This number may be too high an estimate. However, it may also be accurate.)
Sunday, October 24, 2004 – Jeff Wisot (pastor of GGWO Delaware) preaches that those who left are like those who left Gideon’s army.
Sunday, November 7, 2004 – There were about 890 at Sunday service according to Carl Stevens’ statement made the following Wednesday on the radio show The Grace Hour.
Sunday, December 5, 2004 - John Hadley “responds to a movement of the Holy Spirit” during the Sunday morning service. He leads a time of prayer. Tom Powell (pastor of the Tacoma affiliate) urges a meeting to address the affiliates’ concerns.
Sunday, December 12, 2004 - The Elders' Declaration is read to the congregation by the newest elder, Roger Stenger. |
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| A Bible Speaks / Greater Grace chronology: 1990-2003 |
[Jul. 27th, 2006|02:32 pm] |
1990 – Maryland Bible College & Seminary is investigated by the Maryland Higher Education Commission for claiming to have state approval when it did not.
June 1991 – MHEC & MBC&S agree on a disclaimer to be placed in MBC&S’s catalogue and to be aired twice on The Grace Hour (which was done).
January 17, 1993 – Boston Globe pp 37, 39 reports that the Lenox property was sold to the National Music Foundation.
April 19, 1993 – People Weekly article by Elizabeth Gleick on “five cults among us” includes TBS/GG.
~1993 – Watchman Fellowship concerned about GGWO influence in Nashville, CRI stands by their report.
1994 – Murraysville PA church splits up.
Sunday, October 1, 1995 – Carl preaches “Just Let God Love You”
1997 – Baltimore Free Press article on GGWO, George Robertson, & Friends of Freedom
April 14, 1999 – Alan Lang meets with Paul Stevens, John Hadley, and Jim Hadley
1999 – Alan Lang posts account of Margaret Lang and Paul Stevens
August 1999 – Dartmouth sheriff awards prison Protestant services contract to Grace Gospel, Swansea over a 40-member consortium that previously held it.
Sunday, April 22, 2001 – Newspaper article about John Love being a basketball chaplain. Various publications edited the article differently, so there are different versions, newspapers, and publication dates.
April 2002 – The Lang case was settled out of court.
September 25, 2002 – The first post on Factnet related to Greater Grace World Outreach asks about Alan Lang’s testimony.
October 2002 – Carl Stevens' message "Despising the Shame" draws a parallel between Jesus' suffering and the Dovydenas trial.
May 6, 2003 - Bob Clemons posts on the cult watch internet discussion board Factnet, asking about Lang's testimony and counseling refugees.
May 12, 2003 - third post on Factnet
October, 2003 – Paul Stevens confronts Carl Stevens about his drug use. The older elders do not support his efforts as promised. There is some indication that the promise was given with malice aforethought.
November 4, 2003 – apparently the date on which Paul S “repented” for using the pulpit to attack Carl
November 18, 2003 – The fourth post on Factnet asks who the next pastor-teacher would be.
November 19, 2003 – The fifth post on Factnet provides a one paragraph overview of TBS/GG.
Christmas 2003 – Carl Stevens is hospitalized. |
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| A Bible Speaks / Greater Grace chronology: 1984-1989 |
[Jul. 27th, 2006|02:31 pm] |
Fall 1984 – Carl Stevens & Barbara Baum are engaged.
November 13, 1984 – Betsy Doveydenas tells CHS that she intends to give TBS a gift of one million dollars.
November 24, 1984 – Carl Stevens marries Barbara Baum.
December 1984 – The first of Betsy Dovydenas’s large gifts: $1,000,000
December 13, 1984 – CHS tells Jonas & Betsy Doveydenas that he won’t take any more gifts from Betsy without Jonas’s knowledge.
March 1985 – Berkshire Eagle learns that TBS is “rocked by dissension”.
March 19, 1985 – Betsy plans to give five million dollars in June.
April 16, 1985 – Ben Turkia is detained by Romanian border guards.
April 17, 1985 – Turkia is released & calls his wife from Budapest on way to Austria at 0800 local time. The court (sees below) finds evidence that Turkia’s companion called his wife who called Turkia’s wife (staying at Caninos’ home in Lenox) who called Schaller who called Carl & Barbara Stevens.
April 18, 1985 – Carl tells Betsy Doveydenas that Turkia had been detained and might be being tortured, Mrs. Turkia makes a 12-minute call to the house in Austria where Ben Turkia is staying.
April 21, 1985 – Betsy decides to give $5 million right away.
April 24, 1985 – Ben Turkia returns to the USA.
April 27, 2985 –Carl Stevens was in attendance at a sports banquet at TBS Lenox.
April 30, 1985 – Betsy Doveydenas’s father calls her after he finds out about the $5M gift.
May 13, 1985 - $5 million gift completed.
Fall 1985 – There were 626 students at SSB. SSB was issuing diplomas, not degrees.
Sunday, Sep 15, 1985 – Two days after the Berkshire Eagle contacted TBS, CHS preaches that the slaying of Amasa as "’capital punishment principle’ for people who oppose the church” (quote from Eagle, inner quote from Stevens)
November 4-6, 1985 – Berkshire Eagle runs series on TBS, interviewed 100 people including 60+ ex-members, states SSB was accredited by an organization not recognized as an accrediting agency by other organizations, Jonas’s father sends articles to Betsy’s father Wallace Dayton who reads them & decides that Betsy needs to see a counselor
December 1985 – last of Betsy Dovydenas’s large gifts
December 10, 1985 – CHS & Betsy meet “to discuss threats against TBS and its members” (Appeals Court)
December 13, 1985 – Betsy Dovydenas changes her will leaving almost everything to TBS.
December 26, 1985 – CHS swears to Jonas that he has never accepted money from Betsy without Jonas’s consent.
1986 – Betsy Dovydenas leaves TBS.
April 14, 1986 – TBS seeks a legal ruling in Berkshire Superior Court that it does not owe Betsy Dovydenas any money
April 15-16, 1986 - Boston Globe articles on lawsuit
June 1986 – Twelve, Inc. pickets Lenox campus.
June 13, 1986 – TBS’s case against Dovydenas is dismissed.
June 19, 1986 – Betsy Dovydenas files suit against TBS in Berkshire Superior Court.
July 15, 1986 – TBS motion to dismiss Dovydenas suit is dismissed.
July 29, 1986 - TBS files for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.
Oct 31, 1986 – Proof of claim is filed by Dovydenas in Bankruptcy Court against TBS, CHS, and Kathleen Hill.
1987 – The Appeals Court decision mentions 1300 members and 100 branch churches totaling 17,000 and 160 missions in 26 countries.
February 17, 1987 – Bobby Fisher committed suicide
March 30, 1987 – The trial begins.
April 8, 1987 – Dismissal of TBS suit against Dovydenas affirmed, possibly by Massachusetts Appeals Court
April 16, 1987 – The trial ends.
April 17-23, 1987 – Boston Phoenix articles, quotes Gordon Walker (Betsy Doveydenas’s attorney) accusing TBS of green card fraud
April 22, 1987 – Wakefield Daily Item article on Bobby Fisher
May 19, 1987 – Bankruptcy Court issues its decision.
May 20, 21, & 24 1987 - Boston Globe articles on lawsuit, page 1 on May 20
May 31, 1987 – 60 Minutes article on Carl Stevens
Tues, Jun 2, 1987 – Carl Stevens resigns from TBS.
Friday, Jun 6, 1987 – Judge Queenan appoints a federal trustee to run TBS.
Sunday, Jun 7, 1987 – Last service at Lenox. Many people leave TBS but hundreds of others follow Carl to Baltimore.
July 1987 – Greater Grace World Outreach is incorporated in Maryland.
July 26, 1987 - Los Angeles Times reports appeal filed
October 12, 1987 - Boston Globe article on lawsuit, bankruptcy granted to TBS
November 1987 – New England Monthly article on TBS
April 12, 1988 – Betsy Dovydenas files a motion for dismissal of the appeal on basis that TBS has no standing to appeal; motion dismissed as part of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision.
March 9, 1989 – Judge Bownes, writing for Judges Breyer & Brown of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds most of the decision against TBS in the Dovydenas case, In Re The Bible Speaks, Dovydenas v The Bible Speaks, 869 F. 2d 628 (1st Cir. 1989) cert. Denied 493 U.S. 816
November 17, 1989 issue of Christianity Today (p. 71) reported:
The [U.S. Supreme] Court also let stand a lower court ruling [869 F.2d 628 (1st Cir. 1989)] that a woman [Elizabeth Dovydenas] who gave millions of dollars to the Bible Speaks, a Lenox, Massachusetts-based religious group, may get it all back based on her contention that she was unduly influenced to give. Church/state expert Dean Kelly of the National Council of Churches called the ruling "ridiculous." "If a former member can recover contributions made to a religious group in good faith, and this becomes a trend, churches would have to put all donations in escrow, essentially being unable to use them for fear of having to give them back," Kelly told the Chicago Tribune. |
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| A Bible Speaks / Greater Grace chronology: 1976-1983 |
[Jul. 27th, 2006|02:28 pm] |
1976 – Carl Stevens purchases a doctoral degree (doctor of divinity) from Clarksville School of Theology which was later put out of business by Tennessee attorney general, State v. Clarksville Sch. of Theology, 636 S.W.2d 706, 709 (Tenn. 1982).
1976 – Mrs Stevens dies of blood disorder. Carl Stevens has two ongoing affairs during this time.
1976 – Stevens is listed as a graduate of Moody Bible Institute in TBS literature. Mpody has no record of Carl ever completing any classes there.
1976 – TBS moves from South Berwick to Lenox. This may be the date when Northeast School of the Bible became Stevens School of the Bible.
1976 – The Appeals Court decision (see below) mentions TBS as having 800-900 members.
June, 1976 – Carl preaches the sermon “What It Means to Be Baptized Unto a Man”. There is no record of this sermon ever being repudiated by the current leadership of Greater Grace World Outreach.
Wednesday, September 29, 1976 – Carl preaches the sermon “Throne Words”.
January 1, 1977 – There are five tape recorders in the back of the church to take loyalty oaths.
May 24, 1977 – The Boston Phoenix publishes an article, “The Gospel According to Stevens”.
1977 – Carl Stevens purchases a second doctor’s degree (law & literature) from Clarksville School of Theology, Dan Lewis also receives an honorary doctorate.
1978 – The Appeals Court decision mentions 370 people 17 & older living on Lenox campus.
1979 – The Appeals Court decision mentions 450 students at SSB.
1979 – The Christian Research Institute begins an investigation of The Bible Speaks.
1979 – The National Association of Evangelicals turns down TBS for membership because it was “cultic” although not a cult.
May 20, 1979 – Rev R Alan Street reports on TBS in the publication Street Meetings, Inc.
1980 – The Christian Research Institute issues its initial report.
1981 – Stevens School of the Bible applies for accreditation from the American Association of Bible Colleges.
March 28, 1981 – Gospel Truth Ministries issues a report critical of The Bible Speaks.
June 1981 – Executive Director John Moster of the American Association of Bible Colleges performs a site visit of SSB.
October 26, 1981 – The American Association of Bible Colleges turns down Stevens School of the Bible’s accreditation request.
1981 – The Christian Research Institute issues a revised report which sparks division within TBS & SSB
December 4, 1981 – 6 of 11 faculty members including President H Eugene Hollick & Dean of Students Allen Bonner resign from SSB largely over the doctrine of delegated authority. From 1981-1983 many left TBS after Carl Stevens promises to adopt the recommendations that the Christian Research Institute is making but nothing changes.
1982 – Betsy Dovydenas first attends The Bible Speaks.
1982 – The Appeals Court decision mentions 280 people 17 & older living on Lenox campus and 175 students at SSB, as well as 18-20 branch churches around the world.
December 20, 1982 – The Billy Graham Telephone Counseling Center in Watertown, Massachusetts turns down offer of counselors from TBS.
1983 – Massachusetts does not authorize Stevens School of the Bible to issue degrees.
Summer 1983 – Betsy Dovydenas meets with Carl Stevens.
September 1983 – The Appeals Court decision mentions about 200 students at SSB.
November 16, 1983 – Family Life Center letter notes that Tim & Beverly LaHaye cancelled a speaking engagement at TBS based on advice of several concerned Christians including David Jeremiah.
December 1983 – Stevens School of the Bible is accredited by International Accrediting Commission for Schools, Colleges and Theological Seminaries. The IAC is not recognized by US Department of Education or by the Council on Post-Secondary Education. (Later it is shut down by the state of Missouri for accrediting degree mills. It is reconstituted as ACI and still exists under that name.)
Sometime in 83-87 - The Lake Elsinore branch writes a letter of disaffiliation. |
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| A Bible Speaks / Greater Grace chronology: Early years |
[Jul. 27th, 2006|02:26 pm] |
Timeline for Carl Stevens, The Bible Speaks, and Greater Grace World Outreach
November 4, 1929 - Carl H Stevens born in West Sumner, Maine.
1952 - Carl’s salvation experience
1960 - Carl’s supposed call in the woods at Worthley Pond, “liquid waves of love” – Note the similarities to Charles Finney’s salvation experience.
1961 - Carl pastors in Milton, ME & copastors in West Sumner & Norway, Maine.
1962 - Stevens family moves to Wiscasset (Steve Stevens, The Grace Hour 11/09/04)
September 10, 1962 – Carl Stevens begins pastoring at Montsweag Baptist Church
March 7, 1963 – Carl Stevens is ordained at Montsweag Baptist Church by a group of independent pastors.
1967 – Montsweag Baptist outgrows its building
1967 – Carl has a radio program “The Bible Speaks” in Portland, Maine
1968 – Dedication of the new building; church renamed Woolwich-Wiscasset Baptist Church
Sunday, November 7, 1971 – Carl preaches the sermon “Last Looks, Last Thoughts, Last Words”
1971/1972 – Northeast School of the Bible opens
September 10, 1972 – The church celebrates “Tenth Day”, Betty McIntire appeared to die & revive.
August 1972 – Woolwich-Wiscasset Baptist Church burned to ground – a man angry with Stevens’ counsel to his wife poured gas over the pews.
Fall 1972 – Carl Stevens forces Campbell, Hart, & Dunham to leave after they confront him about an affair. The beginning of the doctrine of conspiracy
1972 or 1973 – Carl buys the radio program Telephone Time from Clifton White
December 1972 – Carl Stevens was relieved by elders of Woolwich-Wiscasset Baptist Church. He reportedly states he will never again be accountable to anyone.
Winter 1972-1973 – In Bath, Maine Carl Stevens was lowered out a back window to safety by loyalists when angry husbands were at the door. Elwynne Kenney catches him from below. Carl’s followers follow him to Portland, Maine.
1973 – The church (now The Bible Speaks) and the school (Northeast School of the Bible) move to South Berwick, Maine with a core of 40 who signed notarized loyalty statements at a midnight meeting. While at South Berwick, Stevens claims God told him when specific individuals would be healed
1973/1974 – Sputh Berwick, Carl stated that a man who opposed his ministry died of cancer of the tongue.
1975 – First graduating class from the college, apparently now called Stevens School of the Bible (although other sources call it The Bible Speaks Bible College around this time). This class includes Tom Schaller.
Sunday, January 12, 1975 – Carl preaches “Certain Certainties”
Sunday, July 6, 1975 – Carl preaches “Beautiful for Situations”
Sunday, August 10, 1975 – Carl preaches “Corporate Pentecost” There is an analysis of this sermon here: http://z10.invisionfree.com/DiscussGGWO/index.php?showtopic=128 |
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| Drugs |
[May. 15th, 2006|09:43 am] |
Carl Stevens has appeared behind the pulpit slurring his words, preaching outright heresy instead of cloaking it in the usual redefined terms, and appearing unsteady. The Greater Grace leadership has explained this behavior as dementia and/or Alzheimer’s disease.
However both medical professionals and individuals who have experience with drugs have identified Stevens’ behavior as prescription drug use. It has likely been oxycontin in recent years and other prescription painkillers before that.
The October 2003 sermon by Paul Stevens that led to his removal as heir apparent of Greater Grace was about Rush Limbaugh’s prescription drug use. Those in the know understood he was not really talking about Limbaugh. And if he were talking about Limbaugh, what reason would there be to remove him?
Crossfirestorm |
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| Fraud |
[May. 12th, 2006|10:08 am] |
What concerns do people have about fraud at Greater Grace World Outreach?
First, there are repeated assertions of how long Carl Stevens and others have been hosting The Grace Hour, on the board of Maryland Bible College, in "the ministry", etc. But none of these entities existed before 1987. Before 1987, it was The Bible Speaks, Stevens School of the Bible, etc. - and it was all closed down after the Doveydenas case. By claiming years of service before 1987, those associated with GGWO identify Greater Grace with The Bible Speaks.
Second, there is the Doveydenas case in which a federal judge ruled that The Bible Speaks had to return millions of dollars to Betsy Doveydenas because the ministry had obtained through undue influence. Both the original decision and the Court of Appeals decision are posted here: http://www.carlstevens.org/gpage2.html.
Third, there are accusations that The Bible Speaks accepted the donations of homes and promised rent-free housing on their campus in return, although rent was soon being charged to those who donated their homes.
Fourth, it is alleged that TBS and GGWO have "managed" disadvantaged persons' finances for them.
Crossfirestorm |
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| Weapons and surveillance equipment |
[Apr. 6th, 2006|02:34 pm] |
I haven’t posted in quite a while. It’s probably time to finish up this series.
1. The Bible Speaks stockpiled weapons and surveillance gear in Lenox. A pile of this equipment was seen when the campus was being turned over following the Doveydenas case.
2. In the mid 1980s, night vision goggles were rarer and more expensive than today. NVGs would seem to be excessive for guarding a ministry. I mean, in the role they are only good for detecting a night attack. Why would Carl Stevens and TBS anticipate a night attack?
3. However, NVGs have another use – eluding other people. If one wanted to sneak off campus *without* being detected, NVGs would be really good for that.
4. In addition to the reports of that stockpile, I have come across a report of wiretapping equipment before Lenox. It was suggested to me that wiretapping gear makes it easy to have a rhema.
5. Once reconstituted in Baltimore as GGWO, hidden cameras became part of the mix.
6. And there are firearms. In Wiscasset, armed men guarding the parsonage. Granted, after the arson at the church, a certain level of alertness would be justifiable. But what about police protection?
7. Why would there be firearms in Lenox? Continuing fear of attack?
8. Why are there firearms in Baltimore? Security? That’s rather iffy in my mind. But in the entourage? I find that really questionable.
Crossfirestorm |
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| Sexual misconduct |
[Feb. 23rd, 2006|12:15 pm] |
I’ve been very hesitant to write this entry. I suppose you may have even decided that after nearly a month with no new entries, I’d quit. I figured everyone either knew about it by now or else wasn’t going to believe it no matter what. But I was reading about another pastor (Jack Hyles). Carl Stevens modeled himself on Jack Hyles, and reportedly reckoned Hyles to be above him in “the government of God”. Carl Stevens seems to have thought of Jack Hyles as his pastor.
Jack Hyles had affairs, a concealed door to a female staff member’s office, and used thousands of dollars he was given to support her. I have read Charles Sumner’s expose and Jack Hyles’ rebuttal. Sumner’s thoroughness is impressive. There are legal cases that have gone to trial on less evidence. But it’s not my purpose to comment on the Jack Hyles situation except insofar as it impacted Carl Stevens, The Bible Speaks, and Greater Grace World Outreach.
The apple does not fall far from the tree. Jack Hyles had affairs; so did Carl Stevens. I believe the number to be more than 10. One source tells me that the actual number is much higher. Five affairs have been specifically discussed elsewhere online. Suffice it to say that there is more than one witness to each.
What really got my attention was how conditioned everyone was not to believe the evidence of their own eyes. Many people observed Carl Stevens in questionable situations but *were not able* to “think evil” of their pastor. They lived for a long time with the tension of consciously or unconsciously suppressing what they saw, what they heard, and what they found. Unfortunately, many pastors have fallen into the sin of sex outside of marriage over the years. But not many continue to get away with it because of the high level of cognitive dissonance they have instilled in their congregation.
Carl Stevens’ affairs seem to predate his association with Jack Hyles. Could one pastor with secret sin have seen through the shield of cognitive dissonance that another pastor with secret sin had erected? Could Stevens have drawn from Hyles the lesson that if you’re big enough and fundamental enough, you can get way with anything? I don’t know. I don’t know if Stevens knew what Hyles was doing, but I believe this is an area that should be investigated.
Concealed rooms? Yep. Financial support? I think so. Bad example to the staff and affiliate pastors? Absolutely. Did some of them fall into the same sin? Yes. Were there consequences? No, not really. If a pastor under Stevens got far enough out of control – if the situation became known – he would be transferred. Kind of like the Roman Catholic Church used to deal with situations like this – with similar tragic results.
What, practically, did this lead to? A low view of the family. A low view of marriage. A low view of women. Pastors divorced for biblical cause still in the pulpit. An overall atmosphere in which abuse of women and children could go on and on.
Crossfirestorm |
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| Testimony |
[Jan. 26th, 2006|02:46 pm] |
There are two separate but related concerns about testimony. Both have to do with whether or not a true history of Carl Stevens’ ministries is conveyed.
First, there is Carl Stevens’ own testimony of his encounter with God in the woods by Worthly Pond in 1960. Two elements are very similar to the testimony of Charles G Finney, the 19th century evangelist. The first element in common is the lengthy struggle alone in the woods. The second element in common is the phrase “liquid waves of love”.
Here is an excerpt from Finney’s testimony: “As I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.”
Here is an excerpt from The Bible Speaks Book of Miracles: “In the early 1960s when Pastor Stevens was preaching to a couple of very small congregations, God called him one day to. the back of the woods near a lake. Then the Lord Jesus baptized him with what Pastor describes as liquid waves of love. Along with this experience, God promised him several things. First and foremost, God promised an anointing upon every message he would preach from then on.”
I have some questions as to what actually happened at Worthly Pond.
Second, there are many numbers concerning the length of the various ministries which are not correct. Carl Stevens’ “over five decades of service”, “decades” of Grace Hour broadcast, and “over twenty years” on the board of the Bible college are among them.
Whatever happened at Worthly Pond happened in 1960. That’s 45 years ago. And Carl Stevens has not been actively pastoring for the past couple years. The first of a succession of radio programs began circa 1967. The first of a succession of colleges began in 1972. But Greater Grace World Outreach, Maryland Bible College, and The Grace Hour all date from 1987.
Crossfirestorm |
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| What did I find? Doctrine, part 2 |
[Jan. 9th, 2006|09:16 pm] |
The following doctrinal issues were not discussed at Sandy Cove:
1) Carl Stevens explicitly claimed to receive special revelation. See his sermon “Corporate Pentecost” for one example.
2) Carl Stevens also made false prophecies:
The Maine Yankee nuclear power plant did not explode. In fact, it has been decommissioned and is not capable of a nuclear explosion.
The rapture did not occur before 1981. Carl Stevens stated that it would happen sooner than anyone was predicting so far. This was said when Stan Ashby was predicting the rapture in 1981.
The prophecy that God supposedly gave Carl Stevens that Carl talked about in his sermon “Corporate Pentecost” contains King James-isms mixed with modern psycho-theological vocabulary. It also contains regionalisms such as “Northeast” meaning New England.
In his Friday night sermon at Convention 2004, Carl Stevens stated that angels would be seen in the coming months.
3) The Bible Speaks / Greater Grace World Outreach is elitist.
The corporate body reigning – in the context of the sermon “Corporate Pentecost”, the corporate body is just TBS, not the whole Church.
The Morningstar Order sitting closest to the throne, being taught by Carl Stevens
“You won’t hear this in many other churches…”
4) There is confusion over doctrines GGWO claims to believe:
Eternal security is undermined by “Corporate Pentecost”, especially the part where Carl Stevens talked about Christians who aren’t even saved.
Salvation by grace alone is undermined by the Convention 2004 Friday night message. Carl Stevens is also quoted as saying, "You didn't think you could have grace all the time, did you?"
Revival is defined as purging & pruning in the sermon “Corporate Pentecost”, and this definition is still in use today. It is used to explain why so many churches and individuals disaffiliated in the spring of 2005.
24 / 7 commitment to “the ministry”
Don’t be introspective
Don’t like art
Don’t think for yourself – do what the pastor says
Greater Grace’s counseling is scary stuff. Not only does it amount to just believing your way out of trouble, but anything you say can and will be used against you later. Possibly in a sermon illustration.
Excessive claims of authority for Carl Stevens
“God’s man”
Apostle
Grasping this authority was necessary in order for Carl Stevens to carry out his statement, “I’ll never be under the authority of man again.” (1972)
Persecution complex
“Doctrine of conspiracy”
“Geographical will of God”
Carl Stevens and Tom Schaller teach that people who move away from Greater Grace’s headquarters are out of the will of God.
Fictional demonology
Carl Stevens made up names for demons.
Made up kinds of grace: Logistical, tactical, strategic
This would have been funny if Carl Stevens and Steve Scibelli weren’t serious about it.
Coverings
Starting with the error of Watchman Nee, Carl Stevens taught that authority was to be followed even when it was wrong. By contrast, even secular society recognizes that “I was only following orders” does not absolve one of guilt. |
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| What did I find? Doctrine, part 1 |
[Jan. 4th, 2006|09:30 pm] |
These doctrinal issues all appear in the Sandy Cove documents, to which Tom Schaller was a signatory”
Chief Elder
Ecclesiastes 12:9-13 has been taken as a proof text for the pastor being the unquestioned leader. But in these verses, the Shepherd is God.
Pastor for life
It has been taught that a person has one pastor-teacher for life. There is no support for this in Scripture.
One pastor-teacher
A pastor is the same thing as an elder is the same thing as an overseer or bishop. (1 Peter 5:1-4, Acts 20:17 & 28) So if you have an elder board, you have multiple pastors.
A teacher is something different than a pastor. In Ephesians 4:11, “the pastors and teachers” is *NOT* a Granville Sharp construction. Two plural nouns connected by “and” and a single article do not refer to the same thing. Usually one is a subset of the other. Most probably, “pastor” is a subset of “teacher”.
Also, in Acts 13:1, the church in Antioch had multiple leadership.
Spiritual father
Does he override the local pastor-teacher? No, for that would undermine each local church’s autonomy.
Accusations against an elder
1 Tim 5:17-22 refers to rebuking sinning elders before the congregation, not rebuking the witnesses before the elders (as has been taught at GG in the past).
Anointing
In the Old Testament, kings, priests, & prophets were anointed. A pastor is not a king nor a prophet, and no more of a priest than any other believer. So what does it even mean to refer to a person or a message as anointed?
Touching the ark
Touching the ark does not equate to disagreeing with a New Testament pastor. A pastor does not mediate between man and God. Nor does the pastor convey the presence of God to us like the ark of the covenant did for Israel.
Touch not My anointed
Psalm 105:15 says “Touch not My anointed” but again, with no kings, everyone being a priest, and no current prophets, disagreeing with one believer is the same as disagreeing with the next, including the pastor-teacher
Table of Organization
This comes from the military term “table of organization and equipment”. This doesn’t make it right or wrong. But if a church is going to have a table of organization, it needs to remember servant-leadership, John 13:12-17 & 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Marking – Rom 16:17; 2 Thess 3:14-15
Rom 16:17 –who cause divisions & offenses & are contrary to doctrine
2 Thess 3:14-15 – who does not obey our doctrine in this epistle, don’t be around them but treat as brother not as enemy
GGWO marks those who leave as enemies. False reports are spread about them.
In Philippians 3:17, the same word “mark” (skopo) as Rom 16:17 and it is used in a good way: “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”
Personality rapport / soul power relationships / sentimentality
These are all ways that GGWO has used to undercut friendships. Basically in GGWO you don’t have friends; you have co-workers. If someone leaves the church, he or she is no longer a co-worker & is therefore no longer someone with any contribution to make or anyone to waste time on. |
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| What did I hear? |
[Jan. 1st, 2006|09:24 pm] |
So what concerns did people have with Greater Grace World Outreach? Their concerns fell into six categories:
Doctrine
Testimony
Sexual misconduct
Weapons & surveillance equipment
Fraud
Drugs
Ok, now obviously it is really easy to make an accusation. It’s something different to prove it. Which brings up another point – what constitutes proof?
There is a mathematical proof that ends with A = B or something similar, and it either works or it doesn’t, and there are no opinions.
There is the legal standard of “beyond reasonable doubt”. Of course, that begs the question of who is reasonable.
There is the biblical standard of two or three witnesses.
My plan is discuss each of these six area of concerns. And I will state ahead of time that I am not going to put everything I have heard on the table when I discuss sexual misconduct. |
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| Merry Christmas! |
[Dec. 18th, 2005|10:08 pm] |
So it’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve begun studying Greater Grace World Outreach. It’s been really neat to meet to so many people, and to see God working. At times, it seems like I can see the edge of His plan unfolding. Other times I can’t see anything, and I wonder if that’s because He’s waiting for us to get with His program.
I’m going to be away for about a week, and it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to post. So if you leave a comment, please understand that I can’t respond right away.
Merry Christmas! |
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| Two Degrees of Separation |
[Dec. 16th, 2005|08:54 am] |
Once I started looking into Greater Grace World Outreach, I found all these connections. Instead of six degrees of separation, it kept being two degrees of separation.
1. A teacher I know was teaching someone from GGWO. A bit unusual since Greater Grace has its own college, but…
2. Some friends of mine used to play against Greater Grace Christian Academy.
3. I used to attend a church that was started by a pastor who left GGWO. I didn’t realize this until years later.
4. A man I used to work for is from Maine. I figured he might possibly have heard of The Bible Speaks (what Greater Grace was called before 1987). Not only had he heard of them, but TBS had been involved in a split in his home church.
5. My current pastor is also from Maine. He had not only heard about them, but even taught a couple people who were in GGWO.
6. My brothers had a summer job down the road from a Greater Grace affiliate.
7. I once went to a competition that included a group from Greater Grace. I didn’t know that at time. But I had that “there’s something funny” feeling for myself.
8. I was talking to a friendly competitor of mine. He had recently heard some things about Greater Grace, too, and had some concerns about The Bible Speaks from way back.
9. Okay, this one is three degrees. I called a respected cult watch group to get their opinion on Greater Grace. (He had definite concerns, by the way.) The man I talked to used once taught another former supervisor of mine.
So, I figured I'd better get a handle on why people had concerns about Greater Grace World Outreach.
Crossfirestorm |
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| Why? |
[Dec. 12th, 2005|09:50 pm] |
So what am I doing here? And why do I have these interests?
I’m an evangelical Christian. That is, I believe in one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the the Son – Jesus Christ – died on the cross for everyone’s sins but that we have to accept this free gift. I could go into more details – we should interpret the Bible, God’s word, literally and grammatically in its historical context, that I am neither a Calvinist nor an Arminian with respect to how God saves us, that my understanding of how things finally end is pre-trib, pre-mil, dispensational. Maybe some of that will come up later.
In the summer of 2004, I was put on a committee at work. This is what happens when you make suggestions…. Anyway, my assignment was to find pictures of the Great Awakening online. (Great Awakening – the revival in the American colonies in the mid-1700s) One slow day I was a bazillion pages deep in a Google search, and I found the Apologetics Index (http://www.apologeticsindex.org/g00.html). And I find a brief paragraph and no pictures. But right underneath is another entry: Greater Grace World Outreach. I said to myself, “Oh – that’s the church that has Greater Grace Christian Academy and Maryland Bible College. What are they doing here?” Being a curious person, I read the entry. Needless to say, alarm bells started going off. You can take a look at the link to see why. Well, sometimes things get a little mixed up on the Internet. I wanted to know if there was anything to this. I knew a handful of people at GGCA and MBC, and if there was anything to this, I wanted to know about it. As near as I can remember, that was Thursday, July 8, 2004.
I started looking for information on Greater Grace World Outreach. There were a few articles, mostly too short for much detail. Then I found a chatboard. I was shocked to find there were 17,000 posts about Greater Grace. I started reading the most recent stuff. It was about weapons and hidden cameras. This was not exactly encouraging. On Tuesday, July 13, 2004 I realized that the whole thing was much more complicated than I had thought. I had to start over, read chronologically, and take notes.
Oh, that committee? It was dissolved without ever meeting again. As far as I can tell, God used it to bring me into contact with the situation at Greater Grace World Outreach.
So what did I learn?
First, some asserted that there were a great number of problems with doctrine and with conduct. Others disputed this.
Second, some people had been hurt. Some of these lashed right back. Others didn’t. Other people were defending their church. Some of these fought fire with fire. Others didn’t. Early on I discovered that “nice” and “mean” both had little to nothing to do with “true” and “false”.
Third, a definite pattern emerged when I also started asking around for information. It was eerie how many times I heard, “I always thought there was something funny about them.” Not only this, but connections began to accumulate. You’ve heard of six degrees of separation, right? I kept coming up with two degrees of separation. I’ll get into that later.
So – was there any hope that I could really make heads or tails out of this? Or more bluntly, am I qualified enough to have an opinion? Well, I graduated from seminary. My major was systematic theology, but I took a lot of Greek and Hebrew, too. We were taught how to recognize good and bad doctrine. Before that, I read quite a bit on apologetics in college. And before that, in high school I used to try to argue doctrine with a Jehovah’s Witness classmate. I’m sure there are people better qualified than I am, but I’m the one that drew that really bizarre committee assignment. |
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