| "Weigh
Down Workshop and Remnant Fellowship News and Controversial Teachings
Reviewed." News! Here are recent articles on Gwen Shamblin, Weigh Down, and Remnant Fellowship: May 18, 2004: Police Raid WDW Detectives testified that the couple admitted to using glue sticks to beat their son. It's an idea that a NewsChannel Five Investigation discovered, originated inside Remnant Fellowship, a church that preaches strict discipline of children. Detectives
said they hope the search will yield evidence that may explain
what the Smiths were thinking and what role, if any, their religious
beliefs played in the death of the child. The Controversy: Churches, Publisher & Bookstores respond Articles by Christian organizations and Apologists : Write to Don Veinot for a free copy of the Midwest Christian Journal article: Weigh Down Workshop-A Cult? News Reports and Individuals respond Read "News: Channel 5 Investigates WDW: December and July, 2001 and the PBS June 29th articles! Quotes from: Christian Research Institute & Midwest Christian Outreach Weigh Down Workshop Questions and Answers "Why should I drop the WDW program.. when it has helped so many people?"; "Wouldn't it be cruel to cancel the program?" More WDW Questions and Answers: Signs? Programs? Now what? Former WDW Coordinator's & Follower's testimonies WDW:
The Hard Facts (quotes re: authority, salvation, Remnant
church) WDW Controversy: Churches and Bookstores respond: There has been controversy since Gwen Shamblin founder of Weigh Down Workshop changed the Mission Statement of WDW stating that she (WDW) does not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. See Gwen Shamblin's statement on the Trinity . See Dr. Ray Pritchard's sermon on the Trinity: God in Three Persons: A Doctrine We Barely Understand for a biblical view. Another controversy is that Gwen Shamblin and WDW leaders have begun their own church movement: Remnant Fellowship. It has been predicted that Gwen would start this church movement since she has often voiced her disappointment with the present Christian church. The Remnant Fellowship does not teach salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, is not part of an evangelical denomination and does not believe in the Trinity. Thus, this church is more like a cult.
I received this email from the Brethren Church's director: Read
the "Synod's
Spokesman Questions Weigh Down's Theology" statement
in the Lutheran
Church Missouri Synod news. The
following is a quote: Articles and Organizations respond: Weigh Down Weight Loss founder Gwen Shamblin denies the Trinity by Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, 2002 Camping with Gwen or with the True Remnant Please Stand Up by Don and Joy Veinot, Midwest Christian Outreach, Spring-Summer, 2002 pdf issue. The Birth of A Cult? WDW by Bob Hunter. Weigh Down Workshop-A Cult? is the newest article by Midwest Christian Outreach in their Winter, 2001 issue. Write to Don Veinot to receive this latest issue free! You can read the MCO article Weighed Down by False Doctrine online now. The Weigh-Down Heresy by John Kennedy. Stand to Reason's Solid Ground November/December newsletter has published an article about Weigh Down Workshop: The Birth of a Cult?. Gregory Koukl writes: "It's not often a cult materializes before our eyes. Unfortunately, this appears to be what's happening with Gwen Shamblin, founder of a popular weight-loss program known as Weigh Down Workshop." Focus on the Family published 'Weigh Down' Founder Espouses Non-Trinitarian Theology by Mark Cowan on November 13, 2000. Focus on the Family Exec. Vice President Del Tackett said, "The nature of God is the source of all truth, and when we begin to tamper with that then we begin to break down all the rest of truth." The Southern Baptist Convention has published The Weigh Down Heresy by John Kennedy in their November journal. "Gwen Shamblin's recent denial of the Christian understanding of God as three Persons sharing one Essence undermines Christianity's message of salvation..." Watchman Fellowship writes: An Open Letter to Gwen Shamblin Regarding the Doctrine of the Trinity, October 6, 2000, by Rob Bowman, the Director of Research for the Alabama office of Watchman Fellowship a national organization of evangelical Christian apologetics/discernment ministries. Mr. Bowman is the author of several books in the field of theological apologetics, including Why You Should Believe in the Trinity and Orthodoxy and Heresy. Why Belief in the Trinity is Important to Our Faith: Excerpt’s from one Theology Professor and Pastor’s Letter on Gwen Shamblin’s view of the Trinity. Gwen Shamblin's Belief About the Trinity: A Rebuttal by William Dicks The Christian Research Institute has posted an article about WDW's controversial teachings about the nature of God and does not endorse their program (see quotes below). Also, see the Apologetics Index: Gwen Shamblin article on WDW and their controversial theology. Midwest
Christian Outreach has posted A
Response to Gwen (*see quote below).
News Reports and Individuals respond: New!
Feb.
17. 2002:
The
Great Commission of Gwen Shamblin and the Remnant Fellowship
by Adam Brooks.
"Adam Brooks fully expects to be villified for exposing the
inner workings of Gwen Shamblin’s Remnant Fellowship. He’s seen
it happen before...." Editor's
foreword. Top of page WDW: The Hard Facts: For those of you who need some hard facts on the Weigh-Down workshop theology and goals..I have collated the following archived WDW email messages along with the Mission Statement into categories with the links to each page on WDW's web site. You can then draw your own conclusions about this controversy. Just check out the link above. Resources: See the page on Weigh Down Workshop Questions and Answers "Why should I drop the WDW program.. when it has helped so many people?" Other Weight loss resources: Check out the Thin Within Online web site launched on a national level through the creators of New Life Clinics & Women of Faith and also through Word Publishers and Thomas Nelson Publishers. See the Christian Research Institute , Stand to Reason and Midwest Christian Outreach for more information on apologetics and cults. Please contact Don Veinot at 630-527-9028 for a copy of the MCO Journal with the Weighed Down With False Doctrine article or Lynette Hoy. Read A Response to Gwen by MCO and Christian Research Institute article on WDW as well as the Apologetics Index article on WDW. See the CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY article: Weigh Down Weight Loss founder Gwen Shamblin denies the Trinity. They state that Gwen Shamblin's "view is very close to the Jehovah Witness teaching about God". See Dr. Ray Pritchard's sermon on the Trinity: God in Three Persons: A Doctrine We Barely Understand for a biblical view. Read Who is Jehovah, Who is Jesus? by Phillip R. Johnson. See Shamblin's Doctrine of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ by Steven A. McKinion. And for Calvary Memorial Church's statement on the Trinity, the Nature of God and Salvation by Grace see their: Articles of Faith. Read about the Characteristics of a Cult, and When a Leader Disappoints You. Read the Spiritual Abuse Profile by the Watchman Fellowship. This article covers the characteristics of spiritual abuse, the biblical response, effects of the abuse, recovery and resources. By the way, I wonder how Gwen explains this verse which explicitly identifies the Messiah as the "mighty God, everlasting Father"? Isa 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV Top of page *Weighed Down by False Doctrine by Don and Joy Veinot has been printed in the new Midwest Christian Journal. You can write to him for a printed version at: cultsrus@aol.com or wait until it gets posted on the Midwest Christian Outreach web site. Here are some quotes: "In response to Gwen’s question about the number of thrones in heaven, we asked her if, in her view, the Father and Son are two separate beings. Her immediate reply was “Absolutely!” She then turned to Colossians 1:15 and asserted that since Jesus is here called the “first-born of all creation” he came into existence at a point in time. This would in effect mean Jesus is merely a created being, the first creation of God the Father. Again, Colossians 1:15 is another favorite verse employed (and twisted) by JWs and other anti-Trinitarians to lower Christ to the status of a mere creature. At this point, we must ask how is it that Gwen unerringly chooses the exact verses and arguments used by heretical groups to buttress her position? It has taken the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society over a century to perfect their scripture twisting techniques to promote their heretical dogmas. Are we to believe that Gwen came up with these exact same arguments all on her own, without being influenced in some way by one or more of the heretical groups that have been around for awhile? In any case, judging by her bedfellows, Gwen is keeping very bad company indeed. Having said that though, let’s examine the verse (Colossians 1:15) Gwen cites—why IS Jesus called the “firstborn?” What does it mean? Right off the bat, we can easily prove that it does not mean “first-created” without even turning a page! Jesus never had a beginning and He created all things that ever came into being, as the passage clearly goes on to state. Colossians 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him.” John 1:3 adds to this by saying, “All things came into existence by Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being." These two passages alone make it very clear that IF Jesus is a creature who came into existence at some point in time, he would have had to have created Himself! So, what does the phrase, “firstborn of all creation” mean, if it has no reference to Jesus coming into existence at some point in time? As we explained to Gwen, the term “first-born” is a title denoting that Jesus Christ is the One who has the right to rule over creation. (Why? Because He created it!) Biblical usage of the term “firstborn” has to do with preeminence, the one with the right to rule. It is a title, station or position. For example, in Exodus 4:22, even though Israel was not the first nation to come into existence, God calls His chosen people the “first-born.” David was likewise called the “first-born” in Psalm 89:27, even though he was the youngest, the last born son of Jesse. We find in 1 Chronicles 5:1 that the title, the position, “first-born,” can be lost or forfeited to another. Rueben lost his rightful pre-eminent position in the family of Israel (his “firstborness,” if you will) due to evil behavior. Esau sold his birthright as “the first-born” to his younger brother Jacob for a pot of stew. By comparing Genesis 41:51-52 to Jeremiah 31:9, we see that Manasseh was the first born of Joseph’s sons, but later God calls Ephraim the “first-born.” The entire teaching of Colossians is communicating the preeminence of Christ over all of creation. He existed before anything was created, and when everything WAS created, He created it! The Jesus-plus Plan The Bible teaches that people are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ alone, apart from works or human effort. Salvation is a GIFT. Praise God! ? Sadly, like all cults and pseudo Christian groups, Gwen ridicules this teaching as “cheap grace” which supposedly gives people license to sin. And, like all cults and psuedo Christian groups, Gwen’s salvation scheme, as laid out in her writings, could rightly be called “the Jesus-plus plan.” It is a works centered salvation where the sacrificial death of Jesus will only be applied to those who perform the right types and amount of works. The “right types and amounts” differ from cult to cult, but the core idea is the same." Resource: Weighed Down with False Doctrine by Don and Joy Veinot, MCO Journal, Fall, 2000 Read: Camping with Gwen or with the True Remnant Please Stand Up by Don and Joy Veinot, Midwest Christian Outreach, Spring-Summer, 2002 pdf issue. *Here are some quotes from the Christian Research Institute and from the Midwest Christian Outreach about the WDW controversy statement. CRI was founded by the late Walter Martin. The current President is Hank Hanegraff (the Bible Answer Man). See this article at: Gwen Shamblin & Weigh Down Workshop: "Shamblin, by denying the doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the deity and person-hood of the Holy Spirit, is denying God’s essential nature and essence, the denial of which is tantamount to the ancient heresy of Arianism. This is a view held by Jehovah’s Witnesses and Unitarians, both of whom attribute true deity to the Father alone (Walter A. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984], 74-75)." "Many of Shamblin’s Bible interpretations are the result of eisegesis, an erroneous method of Bible interpretation whereby thoughts are read into the text, rather than drawing the author’s original intention out of the text (called exegesis)." "Shamblin relies heavily upon signs and wonders for direction, and for evidence of God’s involvement in her life, even though Scripture discourages this practice. When the teachers and Pharisees asked Jesus to perform a sign, He answered, “‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!”’ (Matt. 12:38-39). Instead of performing a sign, He offers them a historical sign from Scripture (vv. 39-40)." "On the whole, CRI cannot recommend her book, workshops, or ministry. CRI will continue to monitor Gwen Shamblin's practice and teaching. We will periodically update this statement as necessary." *Midwest Christian Outreach's Director Don Veinot has been the spokesman and front person regarding the WDW controversy in radio interviews, research and articles. A Response to Gwen Shamblin is written by Stephen Berg, a Senior Researcher for MCO: "Misrepresentations of the Trinity: Mrs. Shamblin’s belief regarding the Trinity virtually mirrors that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Her line of reasoning and many of the verses she uses to defend her position are identical to those of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Mrs. Shamblin attests that this likening her to the Jehovah’s Witnesses is faulty since agreeing with one aspect of a false religion does not warrant her meriting the same label. However, she is missing the point in this regard. The reason the Christian community is using the Jehovah’s Witness label for her teachings is because their rejection of the Trinity is one of the main issues which separates this group from orthodoxy. Hence, when anyone adopts a view of God’s nature that is akin to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are, by default, straying from Christianity. This is therefore a serious matter, not to be taken lightly.... Because she has rejected the attempts by apologists to help and correct her (in accordance with Matthew 18) and because she is defiantly holding to her heretical views, Mrs. Shamblin must now be regarded as a wolf, and the Church must protect its sheep. This may sound harsh, but both Jesus and Paul gave solemn warnings against distorting the truth and leading people away from the true Christ (Matthew 7:15-23; Galatians 1:8-9). Summary of Gwen Shamblin: - Is confused about the dual nature of Christ - Misrepresents the Trinity as being Modalistic – we do NOT believe the Father and the Son are the same person - Fails to recognize the distinction between “Nature” and “Person” - Very poor scholarship." See the new article by MCO: "Weighed Down with False Doctrine" quotes below. Please feel free to contact Don Veinot at 630-527-9028 for a copy of the Journal with this article or Lynette Hoy. See Midwest Christian Outreach for their upcoming article on the WDW controversy and teachings. Top of page *"Church Lady of Diet Weighs In On Trinity and Her Flock Flees By IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, October 30, 2000 "Almost overnight, what slimmed down fastest were the ranks of Mrs. Shamblin's Weigh Down Workshop followers. Thousands of churches that embraced Mrs. Shamblin in their battle against gluttony have dropped the program. "Ten or 15 pastors are calling every day telling me they no longer want me," she laments, speaking a mile-a-minute from her headquarters outside Nashville. A religious publishing house, Thomas Nelson, canceled her new book. And workers in her warehouse say they are taking back more of her products than they are sending out. "She made all this money by deceiving all of us into thinking she was one of us," says Pam Sneed, a volunteer coordinator who three months ago had happily paraded onto the stage at the annual convention of Mrs. Shamblin's adherents, along with dozens of other thankful souls who said they had lost 100 pounds or more through her program. This month, the spat got messier. Four former employees filed a religious-discrimination lawsuit against her company in county court in Franklin, Tenn., alleging that they were fired for refusing to embrace Mrs. Shamblin's theological views and to attend her church. When Moody Church in Chicago heard from Ms. Mildenhall, it dropped the program. Lifeway Christian Stores and Christian Book Distributors returned her books to the publishers. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod denounced her theology on its Web site. Brethren Church, a denomination based in Ashland, Ohio, revoked its support. Outside Chicago, Willow Creek Community Church, which bills itself the largest in North America, recently broke the news to 17,000 parishioners that it would cancel the Weigh Down Workshop. "Some people were like, 'whatever' -- I just want to lose weight," says Judson Poling, a church staff member, taking a sip of Slim Fast. Mr. Poling asked her in a letter to recant. No way, retorts Mrs. Shamblin, who says she has only pure intentions: "I am not a savvy businessperson. I'm just a dumb blonde with a genuine heart for God, who found the golden product that everyone wanted."" Lynette Hoy, NCC, LCPC |
Notice: This column is not intended to take the place of direct professional mental health services but rather to provide insight into various problem situations and possible helpful resources and interventions. Please contact AACC for a referral to a mental health professional.
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