This article was published today by VICE Media
Known to outsiders as the “Two by Twos,” a little-known community is reckoning with a far-reaching scandal over sexual abuse, accountability, and power.
See:
Discover more from WINGS for Truth
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
WINGS for Truth 
I posted this on my news feed…..for anyone to read.
MG I have respected Wings for Truth News for posting non-biased information. Allowing this post to remain disappoints me. Yes there are problems – they are being looked into and steps are being taken to remedy.
The data doesn’t lie, this truly is a massive problem. Remedies underway are insufficient.
Totally agree
Not only is the data overwhelming, and that the remedies underway are insufficient, but most importantly there are fundamental theological and organizational structural causes for the problems. It is impossible to reform those fundamental issues without destroying the entire 2×2 group in the process. Folks have to progress to the 5th stage of grief – acceptance. And then move on to a normal denomination.
I agree with your conclusion regarding the possibility of reform. However I strongly disagree with your suggestion of replacing it with a standard denomination. A large portion of us longer term exes have climbed out of the pit of ‘organizational’ religion to pursue life fulfillment and implement the beautiful Christian teachings and deeper personal spirituality simply in the ‘fellowship’ of the folks we live and move amongst in ordinary life.
Sorry you are part of the problem, you want it all hushed up when it needs to be out in the open.
Workers( most) and overseers are silent.
There is next to zero communication between workers and friends.
Remember the children and others who have been and will be abused.
We should not be trying to protect a corrupt organization.
It is broken, it needs to be fixed or discarded.
Gail, are you a worker? Or maybe just a pacifist? Part of the look the other way crowd, when you see a child being sexually molested because if YOU don’t see it, it never happened. Even though the defiled child will have be the same. The child will one day eventually die, changed forever at an early age by one cruel event. Gail, you state, “Allowing this post to remain disappoints me. Yes there are problems – they are being looked into and steps are being taken to remedy”. The ” problems” are being “looked into”? Who is looking into the problems? Ray Hoffman? Jerome Frandle? Maybe, Carson Wallace will help out? Or, Harold Hilton, or his always with him teammate, Scott Boswell? Remember those two? They wanted to get ex-worked and acknowledged multi-country child sex molester, Gilbert Smith, reinstated in the “meetings”. Those two are really looking into things. This all gives one comfort, Gail. Knowing the problems are being looked into and a remedy is coming. Please update us all when those guys looking into things get some traction with their looking. In the meantime, nobody should hold their breath while waiting for the remedy. …Remedy? Yes, everyone knows that the church is sick. Is a heart transplant needed? Maybe, just simply follow Christ Jesus?
Burying our heads in the sand only leads to the situation we are in. What is being done is so far not nearly enough. I’m leaving this godforsaken group. May it and its leaders crumble into the sea.
Thanks to Anna Merlan at VICE for taking the time to dig into this issue and do some research. I thought it was balanced, fair and took no sides. Keep up the good work Anna! Considering the subject and how I’ve felt about it the past few months, I was impressed by how this piece avoided seeming sensational or overly negative. Either of those things could have been easily written into this story. I’m hoping journalism like this will be one of many things that forces us to work together for long overdue changes. There is a lot more to be told. There are many both current and former members ready to tell anyone and everyone who will listen. It still feels like most in the church with the ability to implement change are NOT really listening.
This is a good article, but the last paragraph should not be the last word on the subject. It implies that everything is fine now and it’s not. Yes, God is in control, but that overseer is either blind or being deliberately obtuse. There IS a crisis in the faith group! So many have been deceived for years. So many are still being deceived. We are struggling to figure out how to fix it, or if it is even fixable. We are struggling to get workers to admit there is a problem. We are struggling to get workers to take action.
Ray Hoffman, is noted in this letter stating, “The Master is purging His family”. This is Ray’s way of explaining why all the child sex abusers are being exposed. Where in the Bible, the Word of God, does it speak of ” purging family”? Purge means to get rid of. The Master wants to get rid to His family? That is the exact opposite of what Christ Jesus taught! Jesus came from heaven to earth to save His family. Ray Hoffman is the lead of the church organization and it is obvious why the church organization is way off mark. They are not following Jesus. This letter also notes, “a longtime Michigan overseer named Jerome Frandle was convicted of failing to report abuse and sentenced”. After Jerome Frandle was sentenced and time served, Jerome Frandle was moved out of Michigan and now he is the head worker for Tennessee and Kentucky. So much for Jerome Frandle getting “purged” by The Master, as Ray Hoffman wrote. Jerome was just moved to an unknown and unsuspecting new group of people by Ray Hoffman. In Jerome Frandle’s court hearing (posted on WFT), the court transcript shows Jerome had it argued that he was NOT a minister, attempting to have his court case dismissed. Jerome argued he had no responsibility to even report a child was being sexually abused by another worker. Jerome had his lawyer say, “neither of these individuals (Jerome and the child sexual molester) qualifies under the definition of the statue… for that reason this case must be dismissed”. Jerome Frandle had signed letters to the court, ” as a minister… signed minister underneath his name ” and the court transcript said, “he is trying to pick and choose as to what he is”. Then Jerome had it argued he never performed any duties a minister performs, such as baptism, ” to say that he’s performed baptism… None of that has happened , Jerome Frandle had his lawyer say. ” Motion to dismiss”. A witness told the court, “Mr. Frandle baptized me when I was 12 years old… I was baptized in Lake Huron…He baptized me himself…. I’ve seen baptize many other people”. Jerome Frandle had his attorney argue, regarding baptism, “Do you believe that one of the overseers in this faith has the ability to literally remove a person’s sin from their life”?Jerome’s lawyer stating, Jerome Frandle was not a minister and the case should be dismissed against him for being a mandated child sexual abuse reporter, even if he knew of the child sexual abused. While Ray Hoffman quotes himself, and Jerome Frandle has an attorney argue for him, both men will have to recognize there is One greater than them. Revelation 20:10, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”.
Ray is not the “leader of the group”. He may well wish he was, but there are many like him. He’s only one of them. No, overseers are not scriptural, and the only time the Bible references one, it’s referring to the Elders of the fellowship.
I don’t mind articles being written, and facts being shared, I don’t agree with some of the statements, but it was their perception, their reality. I never grew up following the ministry, we were always taught that we were following Jesus and His words (which God gave Him). So, I feel for those that are so confused. I have sat in meetings with ones on the platform just vomiting garbage, and it’s always telling when everyone stops taking notes. Look around. When I was young, I thought it was because there was something wrong with me that there seemed to be no bread, just trash. Now, I understand it was the Spirit of God within me resisting the devil and his messenger. Matthew 7:15 became very clear to me. Yes, there are still ministers sharing the Truth of Jesus, but many like Kenion Coleman and Leslie White, Taylor Wood, Ray Hoffman, Dan Douglas, etc that don’t/didn’t.
Be prudent as parents, and have a “camping” experience for your children (on the floor in YOUR bedroom, with the door locked, and strict instructions that NO ONE leaves the room without Dad at night, if there’s no master bathroom. Dad can wait outside the door.). We kids loved it when the workers or ? came…we got to sleep in sleeping bags! Never let your children out of your sight when guests of any kind are there…or you are visiting somewhere…ever! One violation is all it takes to destroy a child.
I like your idea about “camping”, but….. Not allowing the males workers into our homes, not giving them money is a far better approach. If they are not given access, they can’t take it. If they have no funds, they can’t continue to move about. The camping idea while nice does not hit the nail on the head.
Well William Irving started this mess, as he was not an honest man. When asked about this in later years he said “well it was a good experiment wasn’t it.” That’s all this was to him……an experiment !! How can good come from an experiment such as this. I am so disappointed in George Walker and a few others who went along with this. I suppose they thought that their names would have a special place in Heaven. So many feel that this is unfixable and YES we have been deceived and are still being deceived.
COME ON, give me a break.!!!!!! They knew right from the start that what they were doing was wrong and those who conspired to keep workers in the work knowing that they were BAD FRUIT !! And yes they are still trying to cover. Look at the above story. I too feel dirty by association. What is it going to take ????????
If you were George Walker, you’d have gone along with it too. Imagine having a free AirBnB in every city, unlimited cash supply, and a harem of ‘sister workers’.
Que estamos esperando que baje Dios de los cielos y expulse a estos depredadores y a los que lo encubren? cuando dicen que todo se lo dejo a Dios???
Solitary writes in translation: “That we are waiting for God to come down from the heavens and drive out these predators and their cover-ups? when they say I leave everything to God??”
I have a hard time to understand honest critisizm of this explicit news item … It express only well known and previously published issues of deepl concern. Its critical tone is the very reason that it is so neccesary and morally correct.
The fellowship is famous for violent resistence to the slightest negative suggestion.
I’ve noticed that this article has really brought out the disgruntled. In trying to understand I tried putting myself in your places and came to the conclusion I would probably be disgruntled also if I had a religious experience where I heard the gospel preached and only saw that religion as something that a man came up with and I was no closer to God after the experience. Is it possible that some would hear the same gospel preached and actually hear a voice behind them saying this is the way, walk ye in it when they turn to the right and to the left (in other words Christ in you the hope of glory), while others only hear a human voice? Paul made it clear we will hear the gospel, how shall they believe without hearing, how shall they hear without a preacher, how shall they preach except they be sent? I believe we all understand that it is not the skills of the preacher that counts but it is God that gives the increase.that is why we often pray when some come to listen that God will open their hearts and begin a work in their lives.
The no confidence comment showing up under Edgar masseys comment shouldn’t be there.
I am not saying he is part of the problem, I have nothing but the greatest respect for Edgar.