Just recently I came across several articles about the VanGelderen family and the history behind why churches like mine were so obsessed and crazy. Rather than try to sum up what was said in the articles, I've included snippets below. These articles were written by "Liz Woodhouse" with the Daily Kos News. Wayne Van Gelderen Jr. is a graduate of Bob Jones University. Ironically he enrolled in 1971, the same year the university lifted its ban on single black students. However, unlike their white peers, married black students were still not allowed to enroll at the college until 1975, the same year Wayne Jr. began work on his second degree from Bob Jones University. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that the university finally desegregated and lifted its ban on inter-racial dating and inter-racial married couples. Here is an example of what they think of music. So often I would hear these lectures, there were even full classes you could take on "recognizing bad music", even how to write music that was not emotional or seductive (I would find out later that there are "wrong chords" to use while writing music, what?!). Along with his two brothers ... Wayne Van Gelderen Jr. signed a statement promising to never date women of different color or even associate with organizations that advocated interracial dating. As detailed in last week’s piece, Wane Jr.’s father was part of the Bob Jones University board that defended segregation by saying, “God created people differently for a reason.” The fact that these men actually believe everything they are saying makes me sick. Not only did they control the music and dating scene, men in these churches control their women... Gothard sought to control every aspect of his follower’s lives. As one fundamentalist Christian phrased it, “Gothard's Institute has in fact become a system unto itself. This system covers teaching on counseling, ministry, home, family, worship, church structure, divorce, adoption, dating, even hiring a church secretary.” If that doesn't make you want to scream, I don't know what else will. As women, we were always treated as inferior, never allowed to be in leadership positions that were over men, even any sexual activity had to be for the purpose of having children to keep the church growing and to keep supporting the church leaders. The women's place was at home, raising children and keeping house. Working women were frowned down upon and counselled by the pastor until they understood they needed to stay home and submit to the husband. The church college program (that I would later be forced to go to) was just another way to infiltrate the minds of young people. This started early on in the first few years that Falls was a church. Adopting material and practices from other church leaders, this non-accredited college stole the years and talents of so many people, and at graduation handed them a piece of paper that meant something only to churches like themselves. This meant that no secular jobs or employment interests could be acquired with the use of that flimsy piece of paper. They had done it again, full control all the way through college and now they still had them, most students didn't have a choice but to go into the ministry full time, because they weren't qualified for anything else. Baptist College of Ministry('s)...website boasts that the school is “unashamedly fundamentalist and militantly separatist.” I'm going to stop there for now, but as you can see a cult like this is a very serious thing. It's not just about going to church every Sunday, this cult takes your whole life from you and leaves you with nothing. No control, no happiness, no freedom, no jobs, and no fulfillment. They were turning out scores of "cookie cutters" and building an empire governed and ruled by the "elite family". Just reading these articles now makes me SO happy I escaped before I was destroyed anymore. To finish off this post, here is a portion of "The Rubaiyat" by Omar Kayyam, I think this sums up exactly how I feel about the bubble that was my church for 10 long years... The Rubaiyat (Omar Kayyam)
6 Comments
Anonymous
2/1/2017 04:05:53 pm
I am so glad that someone is opening up about what's going on there! Don't know that I would have the guts to do it but...glad someone does! Can't wait to read the next article!
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Pugs
2/12/2017 12:45:14 am
Contrary to their popular beliefs on marriage... Husbands are supposed to love their wives as Christ loved the church, he gave himself for it. Also husbands are supposed to present their wives to themselves as a glorious church not having a spot or blemish. Not making them sit in the back seat of the car while driving to church.....just saying.
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Jon
5/24/2017 12:49:22 pm
How could anyone read any of these articles and not just say....WTF
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David
6/26/2020 09:26:07 am
I know this is late on this post, but as an alumni of Baptist College of Ministry, I can verify what your sources here say. Interracial marriage is still discouraged at the college, and several classes have 'warnings' against it in the curriculum. They justification is not explicitly racist - instead it is founded on the notion of cultural background incompatibilities. It is said in such a nice way that you can miss the profoundly racist implications.
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C
7/16/2022 03:08:27 am
So I live in Wi and my ties with this church is with one of the local 4th of July parades. And their promotion of VBS!!! Which they ways had and still do have the biggest float. And I want to say it wasn’t until 2019! I started to try and deep dive this Church and it's possible ties to ATI/IBLP BELIEFS. But I would always come up short. Along with another super church like them. In the Brookfield area.
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Tom Cat
12/26/2022 06:03:37 pm
I knew Wayne well, as a young adult, while at Marquette Manor, and the arrogance he displayed was sickening. The sexual abuse that went on at MM was inexcusable, and caused them to leave and start Falls Baptist. It does not surprise me that in forming Falls Baptist, he looked to Gothard for his pattern. A man [Bill] that has not been married and been tried for multiple sexual implications on co-workers, is just the thing that a man [Wayne] building an empire to himself looks for. Wayne had all of the good tools available in college to become an effective and good person. But, he choose to love himself more than God. Pride cometh before the fall.
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AuthorCanadian born and raised, I am an independent spirit that has always longed for freedom. I have experienced a lot of contrasting things over the years, and finally now have the courage to write it down. Categories |