The Essential Question

It is always important, and instructive, to return to basic principles. This serves to clarify all of the facts and burn off the dross of temporary issues and spiraling arguments.

I make several assertions to which I have not received sufficient rebuttal to cease pestering the universe with my statements. These are as follows:

A) That NTCC, reflecting the fear-based control reflexes of it’s Founder and guiding spirit, RW Davis, seeks to institute and enforce upon it’s ministers AND members a laundry list of “standards”, taboos, and abstinences that reach quite outside of and beyond the exhortation and/or specific restriction of the scripture.

B) That in doing so, NTCC frustrates Grace and truncates the growth of the Christian man or woman, denying them Liberty in Christ as recognized by the larger body of believers throughout the world. While cloistering in stagnation, NTCC further consigns the balance of the world’s Christians to the Lake of Fire, whose only offense is the violation of the personal opinions of RW Davis.

C) That in order to enforce and propagate these regulatory burdens on numerous proselytes, NTCC has established an Anti-Christian hierarchy of ministers who enjoy non-scriptural authority over Christ’s followers while exacting undue adoration and deference, thus abusing the Body fo the Lord and wantonly wearing out the saints.

Need I remind the patient reader–may I solicit your patience yet further?–of the reason for the existence of NTCC? The blustery spittle of it’s many pulpiteers could be mopped up and wrung into a veritable ocean of lofty self-importance. NTCC declares itself to be special, a modern move of God, the last chance, the last hope for our time, God’s very own elite special forces, established “For such a time as this” to snatch from the fire those many so-called Christians who have been deceived by the wily tricks of the enemy and have soiled their spiritual underpants by indulging in games such as Go Fish, Uno, Old Maid and Monopoly (with dice) and have endangered their eternal inheritance at the Arcade, the Bowling Alley and the Football stadium. NTCC seeks to deliver the planet form tight trousers, goatees, cigars, shorts, scissors (in some cases), lack of scissors (in other cases), french fries, and chewing gum. In summary, NTCC exalts it’s opinion-based, para-scriptural definition of “Holiness” so as to maintain an exclusive claim to righteousness.

This presents a chain of problems from which they are unable to disentangle themselves. These difficulties can be delineated thusly:

A) Should the leader of NTCC come to acknowledge his erroneous blunders according to the scripture, he will have effectively penciled himself onto the lengthy roster of would-be gurus who claimed to have the market cornered on Truth, only to be unmasked as fraudulent carnival hucksters.

B) As the secondary leadership of the group continues to de-emphasize the artificial standards that define the movement, (for utilitarian reasons) the members, though pleased with the development, must now ask “What is special and different about NTCC?” They should wonder why they altered their own lives in drastic fashion if the standards are unimportant. They should be scratching their heads over the fact that they left their original church home and willingly cast off the velvet ropes of true friendship that once bound them to precious saints that they have been wrongly taught to label as “compromisers”.

C) The abusive, ridiculous level of patrician authority that ministers enjoy in the presence of their congregations is encouraged by a twisted view of pastoral authority, and only maintains its bite into the life and flesh of each member because the “Holiness” rules–promoted as God’s rules and lauded as the NTCC claim to special status as God’s very own Last Day’s brainchild–hold the individual captive beyond the power of his or her will.

The member feels an obligation to obey in all things, lest the disfavor of the Pastor result in the condemnation of God. The fear of separation from the organization is evidence to the fact that NTCC equates departure from it’s ranks with spiritual death.

D) The softening, mitigation, or outright abandonment of any or all of the group’s standards or practices can only amount to a statement of futility; that all has been in vain, which means; the ministry of RW Davis is non-existent, which means; his organization is operating without the charter of the Holy Spirit, which means; it has not purpose other than existence for the sake of existence. It will be revealed as simply one more fractious cult whose members are owed an explanation.

E) The group’s false doctrine concerning the Tithes, which are demanded on pain of Hell by NTCC but are not required by the New Testament, amount to income through extortion. To continue is to be in sin, but to alter their position would be disastrous to their identity as well as to their financial status. In such dilemmas, organization takes priority over Truth.

F) To re-iterate; most of us joined ourselves to this organization because we thought it was unique in it’s message and in the delivery thereof. If attempts at damage control include a tapering down of the stridency and/or immediacy with which holiness standards are promoted and enforced, then there never was a reason to bend the respective paths of our lives to the will of NTCC.

This is the second article in the series entitled “Farewell Address“.

None Dare Call It Brainwashing

I have high hopes that one day I should retire in full from this field of open and public controversy.  I should like to apply the appellation of “Farewell Address” to this article.  Indeed, it will be followed by a period of self-imposed exile from the discussion of these rather important matters.  I say “important” because, in spite of NTCC’s gross distortion of its own significance in the world, I count it as a victory to help to enlighten and therefore rescue even one soul that is deceived thereby. I have chosen not to engage in the many forms of running debate available on the subject of NTCC, preferring to insist upon a few primary principles rather than to escalate range-of-the-moment arguments that only serve to direct attention away from essential truths.  And make no mistake, the light of truth-or, to be more specifically accurate, the inconvenience of unwanted attention directed at it’s doctrines and customs–is a radiation under which this cult-like organization must whither. This explains the irrational, almost agonized, reaction of its loyalists to any and all criticism.  A dangerous group whose power is maintained in part through secrecy and revisionism cannot, by definition, withstand (nor will it tolerate) exposure.  The source of  the light must be destroyed.  Thus, the smear campaign against us. A good deal of misunderstanding arises over terminology.  NTCC defenders actually enjoy being on the receiving end of the “brainwash” accusation.  It affords them a useful straw dog–one they can easily kick over while claiming to have defeated the accuser. This is due to the elastic meaning of the term, and more especially to its frequent misuse.  Few words conjure more frighteningly praetor natural images, or are more easily deflected as absurdity by those who are actively engaged in the sinister use of the process described by the word. The cultural backdrop of one’s life establishes the texture of the canvas upon which the pigment of personal experience is applied.  Many of us learned of Brainwashing through the agency of science fiction and/or Gothic horror.  The word seems to imply the cleansing of the thoughts, memories, and personalities of the individual to make way for some wicked mechanism of control by an outside force or some other party with evil designs.  Surely this would never take place in a church!   Surely it does. The term specifically conjures for many of us an image of the laboratory slab; the horizontal victim, the complex equipment, the skullcap from which race various non-descript wires and, most importantly, coils of tubing intended to carry {chemicals?} to liquefy the cells of the brain for easy transport to “the machine” for the purpose of {storage?}, making room for liquid “thoughts” to be introduced by way of still more tubing…the cries of protest, the victim strapped down and immobilized, the skullcap on the head, the whirr of inexplicable gears and belts…soon followed by pre-programmed actions and perfect quiescence to the mad scientists’ demands.  It could never happen in a church! Impossible! Not…”Brainwashing!”   Happens everyday, if you must know. I can vividly recall the strange apparatus that stood, rusting and neglected, along the wood line behind the football field next to Greentown Elementary School. It was, in retrospect, what is known as a “blocking sled”; consisting of a flat bottom like the hull of a rowboat, and two upright steel plates to which heavy pads were laced to provide simulated “defensive linemen” for blocking drills.  As small children, we thought of this contraption as a torture device.  A group of boys would single out a timid victim, position him between the two plates, and imitate the sounds of the mad scientist’s laboratory. After several minutes of this, the victim was to obey all commands with pretended mindless detachment.  Just like in the movies.   The device was called  “The Brainwasher”.  Surely, a collection of saintly souls would never gang up on an unsuspecting creature for such purposes!  Surely they would, not because they are evil, but because they are themselves convinced of the need to push you into their mold. I should like to examine some of the methods employed by NTCC to this end.  Many have already been addressed in the articles on this site, yet certain individual points (and objections raised by loyalists) must at this time be dealt with.  Why do we refer to NTCC as a “cult”?  Upon what are its claims based?  Are their actions and practices defensible?  What is behind the accusations leveled by this church at its critics? I find it fascinating that, in the mind of the NTCC defender, criticism of the organization is defined in reflexive fashion, without sufficient reason, as an act  of devilish wickedness, without a trace of rational or credible evidence for support.  Surely, these partisan individuals are not responding as a brainwashed herd!  Surely they are. This article is the first in a series of articles entitled “Farewell Address“.

Farewell Address

This series, entitled “Farewell Address”, is a farewell to arms for this author and will be in twelve parts.
1. None Dare Call It Brainwashing

2. The Essential Question

3. Peculiar Doctrines

The Preparation, the Novice, and the Tool

"Worth ten years of experience"

 
 
  That which passes for “the ministry” in the world of NTCC has a twisted and distorted aspect. The lower ranks are persuaded that the “Church-World” has grown soft and that the True Church needs men with backbone and a tough, thick skin. They believe as strongly as they do in the importance of toughness because their only real value to the organization lies in their willingness to obey and to accept harsh correction from their superiors who occupy the upper levels in the “chain of command”. Thus, they are conditioned to accept the preeminence of toughness, which leads them to overlook behaviors that are decidedly other than Christian. This is how a politically motivated class of preachers has taken charge of the group and put the gospel in a chokehold while they grasp for success and the attainment of personal ambition. When a leader shouts at his subordinates, when he bullies and pushes them, when he teaches them to treat the gospel as a business, his practices are accepted by malleable souls who are convinced that the great need for today’s Christian is the ability to accept harsh treatment without becoming “offended”.
 
  The purpose of the Seminary has become blurred by details, but the fog can be penetrated if one is willing to see. Ultimately, there are a few important goals, and these are best delineated by paying close attention to the classes personally taught by RW Davis. These classes are promoted as the equivalent of ten years of experience in the pulpit. Once known as The Advanced School of Theology, they are lessons in How to Win Friends and Influence People, a laboratory of Self-Esteem doctrine with personal financial success as the carrot. Though not expressly stated (for obvious reasons), the implication is: You can become rich off the ministry business, and here is how it’s done. The key is to emulate the Leader of the group and to lead with a clenched fist, using threats of damnation and getting more and more effort out of the people to whom you are supposed to be ministering, but who are really nothing more than stepping stones on your path to success in the Church Game.
 
  While you are absorbing these lessons, you are simultaneously learning to accept scathing correction, and to believe that any disagreement with the top leadership is ultimately an act of rebellion against God. The corporate structure re-creates quite successfully the boardrooms of the unrighteous mammon, with closed-door sessions resembling a form of heavy-handed wall-to-wall counseling between a CEO and his sales team, thundering disapproval and demanding better results. “Successful” ministers are those who get the most out of other people and pull in the most cash, and those who rise through the ranks learn to watch their backs. Hardness becomes the coin of the realm.
 
  Seminary students rarely find sufficient time for study and Bible reading, and most do not read their Bibles while enrolled. This fits the program very well, since they are not learning to minister, but are being taught, in an unrecognized school staffed by unqualified teachers, to succeed in the Church Game through Busy-ness.
 
  When they are finally released upon the unsuspecting world, these young and enthusiastic preachers are flush with the perception that they carry with them the antidote for sin and compromise, that all other churches in the city of their choosing are inadequate for the purposes of God in the lives of its citizens. They are novices of the faith and wholly unprepared for the task of ministering to souls, yet are buoyed by the exhortation, “Let no man despise thy youth.” This out-of-context imperative enlivens the hopes of many youthful pulpiteers who aspire to be leaders of other men and their families. Their hearers will soon find themselves under the influence of someone who has imbibed the Davis Theology, which states: “Push, and people will move. If they do not move, you do not need them. If they push back, they will be dealt with.”
 
  From time to time, these young preachers will receive visits from regional overseers whose experiences will prove invaluable. These upper-echelon leaders know that the way to succeed in the Church business is to push people, to get into their personal lives, to demand more from them. They realize there is a way to realize rich financial rewards through the pulpit, and have often leveled their gaze at the novice and tried very tactfully to explain “how it’s done”, often prefacing their couched remarks with the introductory, “Let me share something that might help you.”
 
  There must be no mistake; as a prospective minister of NTCC, the ministry is a business, and the growth of the organization will be your primary purpose. If you are satisfied with a feeble education and to be plugged into a direct-marketing-style pyramid scheme, then New Testament Christian Seminary should suit your tastes quite nicely. However, if you have any sensitivity at all, if you wish to avoid the corruption and hardness that have taken the place of Christianity, you may wish to re-think your decision to attend. These closing words, from the mouth of JH Olson, the group’s current CEO, reveal something of the tacit priority of success as defined by numbers: “You may say to me, ‘But preacher, did not Hudson Taylor labor for seven years in China before winning a single soul to Christ?’ Well, that may be, but remember this… You are not Hudson Taylor.” The implication thus stated is that you as a representative of NTCC are not allowed that kind of time. You are a salesman, a mere tool of the organization, and results are the only things that count.
 
This is the final article in the series entitled “What Can I Expect From New Testament Christian Seminary? ”  

A Match Made in Heaven

“If you are faithful, God will give you a wife.” 

 
  Most people, even Christians, make the decision to choose a lifelong mate based upon many factors. Physical attraction often starts the process of learning about one another, which consists of a series of revelations that unfold over time–usually about a year or two. During the courtship period, character is tested, actions are weighed against principles, trade-offs and compromises are worked out, and the couple begin to grow together in several important areas, such as Mutual Affection, Admiration, Respect, and Commonality.
 
  NTCC subjects its seminary students to a ritualistic mating system in which the proper means of courtship are blatantly disregarded in favor of the all-consuming goal, which is the production of work units to feed the organization. NTCC cares little about the quality of the product (the marriage itself) so long as there are adequate numbers of “couples” dispatched into “the work of the Lord”.
 
  Normal people meet and associate in a normal human environment. Even in churches, the milieu against which couples relate to one another is “normal”. However, the controlling environment of NTCC, motivated by the fear that “something might happen”, eliminates dating from the equation, forbids the prospective couple to have privacy at any time, and restricts courtship to a location known as The Wall. The way this works is very simple. When the head of the organization is in attendance at a mass gathering in the school’s Fellowship Hall, a young man asks for permission to “talk” to a girl of his liking. If the head of the organization grants permission, the young man asks the young lady to “talk”. If she agrees to “talk”, they take their places in chairs across from each other against a long, blank wall where other hopeful pairs are also “talking”. These innocent trysts are extremely brief and not at all frequent. A couple who have been “talking” for six months will have actually spent perhaps twenty hours “talking” while seated against The Wall. At this point, they are often goaded into a decision with comments such as, “You’ve been talking for six months! What’s wrong, can’t you make up your mind?” The forced separation coupled with the pressure to commit is a recipe for marital strife and failure, often resulting in very regrettable lifelong choices.
 
  The pressure to be married is great for both men and women. Young men are taught that a wife is necessary for the completion of their ministry. They come to believe that a wife is important for two reasons: the fulfillment of sexual needs, and the provision of a helper in the church. After all, a successful preacher needs someone to play the piano and pray with prospects at the altar. Obsequious loyalty to the leadership is rewarded with occasional matchmaking efforts. This fact is subtly telegraphed in the oft-repeated maxim that, “If you are faithful, God will give you a wife.” Women are faced with the prospect of attending seminary primarily for the purpose of becoming the wife of a potential preacher. With these shallow and limited goals, and after very little time actually spent in becoming adequately acquainted, young couples enter into marriage on very shaky terms.
 
  Mutual respect, admiration, and affection are based only upon one thing in such cases; loyalty to NTCC and the fulfillment of the larger program. Women seek out men who appear to have the potential for “success” in the ministry, and men seek out women who have the seal of approval from the leadership and their wives. Tacitly understood (if unspoken) is the central truth: any disloyalty, failing attendance, or slackness of dedication with respect, not to Christ, but to NTCC, will constitute a breech of pre-nuptial concord, will be considered “desertion for the gospel’s sake”, and will likely result in divorce.
 
  Perhaps nothing suffers more from this courtship method than the idea of Commonality. These couples generally are from differing backgrounds, sometimes differing races, cultures and nationalities, and usually have nothing in common save for a determination to promote the NTCC program and the apostolic prerogatives and privileges of its leaders. This is characterized as the Work of the Lord, and yet should either of the two decide for any reason that they would like to pursue the ministry or their Christian experience in some context outside of NTCC, the deal is off, and divorce is imminent. One need not look far to find many examples of the matrimonial musical chairs game that continues to break the hearts of innocent people, rewarding opportunistic loyalty and sundering once-happy families for the benefit of the group and its leaders’ personal goals. This demonstrates the power of the brainwashing that leads people to believe that no one can be saved who leaves the group.

This article is part of a series entitled “What Can I Expect From New Testament Christian Seminary? ”  

Doctrine

 “It’s self-explanatory.”

 
 
  Tongues– Jesus noted that a number of “signs” would “follow them that believe”, among which was a phenomenon he called speaking “with new tongues”. When the Apostles received their Spirit baptism, they indeed began to manifest three signs, namely: sound, fire, and the speaking of languages known to others but not to the speaker. Many claim that there is also a language known only to God which, though it may sound like unintelligible noise to anyone else, is described by the phrase “tongues of angels”. It is this language that NTCC insists must accompany the Baptism “in, with, and of, the Holy Ghost”. But must it always be?
 
  A half-dozen or so occasions are described in the book of Acts during which this Baptism takes place in the lives of individuals, and in approximately half of these descriptions, we are told of several manifestations of the Spirit’s power. These include prophecy, praise, and speaking in tongues. In the other half, nothing at all is described. NTCC prescribes to the common opinion among Pentecostal churches that something must have happened at those times that is simply not mentioned, and that tongues, being the common denominator among the more fully descriptive passages, must be THE essential manifestation or the Initial Evidence of the Holy Ghost Baptism.
 
  As can be easily seen, this doctrine, though not entirely without foundation, is derived rather than explicit. Neither Paul nor any of the Twelve, when addressing the brethren in their epistles, bothers to explain directly and in detail that upon which so many Pentecostals insist. Paul even asks rhetorically, “Do all speak with tongues?” implying that there is a variation. Nevertheless, many still suggest that this does not apply to the initial evidence, and that the evidence in question can be only one thing–speaking in tongues. Various men in history, including DL Moody and Charles Finney, believed in the Spirit Baptism subsequent to and separate from salvation, yet claim not to have spoken in tongues. NTCC, however, is highly dogmatic on this point, and will accept no one’s argument to the contrary. They are certain that a Christian who does not speak in tongues is missing a necessary element in their life, and they openly mock “charismatics” who think otherwise.
 
  The Thief– RW Davis is not above inventing entirely original doctrines that throw his hearers into a conundrum. In such cases, he places before the congregation a decision, to wit: “Do I believe what my own head tells me is right and scriptural, or do I believe Pastor?” More than one noteworthy person within the upper ranks of the group has made statements to the effect that, “If I looked outside and the sky was blue, but Pastor Davis said it was pouring down rain, I would believe my pastor before I would believe my own eyes.” This is why he knows he can get away with almost any statement no matter how unfounded it might be.
 
  Those who desire to build religious empires cannot tolerate followers who are not constantly active and motivated by fear of damnation to strive for more and more results, to bring more people to church, to give more money, etc. Knowing the importance of influencing the young to serve the organization faithfully, RW Davis is openly skeptical that people of advanced age can be saved. He does not rule it out entirely, but doubts the reality enjoyed by anyone who does not “give God the first fruits” of their youth. Furthermore, he stands steadfastly against the notion that one can be forgiven of sins near the point of death. To this end, he has invented a doctrine almost entirely unique to himself–that the “thief on the cross” was not justified by Christ.
 
  The Davis doctrine has the malefactor delivering his “remember me when you come into your kingdom” speech, a speech that seems, to any normal reader, to be an act of repentance. Then when Jesus answers him with the promise of Paradise, Davis claims that Jesus was informing the dying man of his eternal torment. His only grounds for making this claim is to point out that the word Paradise is a generic compartment of the underworld, not a blissful place of rest. Referencing the Greek, he derives the idea that Paradise is simply a separated location, and nothing more. However, a careful study of this word’s history reveals its coinage to be that of the Greeks in an effort to give a special moniker to the pleasure garden of the Persian kings, and thus–Paradise. As with all cult doctrines, the cult leader claims special revelation as to the meaning of a passage, when its real meaning and intent are obvious to the average reader, just as God meant for it to be. Davis says that the so-called “penitent thief” proceeded to “split hell wide open” when he expired on the cross, and then he bellows his reason for declaring this, “Because I DON’T BELIEVE in death-bed repentance!” Few theologians of any importance have ever ventured onto doctrinal ice more thin than this.
 
  Eschatology– In this article, we are emphasizing the degree of dogmatic insistence that NTCC places upon peculiar doctrines with little support. We have already explored their opinionated “holiness” standards (see Holiness, Hair, Pants, etc.), and would like to propose a close look at another peculiarity, the doctrine of the End Times.
 
  NTCC believes a doctrine that is commonly advanced today among fundamentalists, known as Pre-Tribulational, Pre-Millennial Dispensationalism. Simply put, this doctrine states that Jesus will return suddenly to catch away those who are “living right”, along with the dead in Christ, just prior to a Seven-year Tribulation period which is followed by an openly triumphant, warrior-like coming of the Lord to defeat Satan and reign on earth for one thousand years. This was invented by a man named Darby during the eighteen hundreds, and has since gained a following slowly and by degrees, until becoming a mainstay among evangelicals today.
 
  First, there is no biblical support for a Pre-Tribulation rapture; neither are there grounds for deriving a future Tribulation at all, neither for the seven-year time span, neither for a future dominion of “anti-Christ”. The entire doctrine is magnificently (but preposterously) derived from a highly complex manipulation of the text. The entire system is so utterly complex and unworkable that it defies understanding, yet the luminaries of NTCC claim that those who do not accept this view of the End Times have abused scripture and given heed to fables. They claim that the entire composite puzzle is easy to figure out if you simply read the Bible and believe what it says. Yet it is a doctrinal enigma so vexing that not one single minister among the NTCC ranks is capable of figuring it out by themselves. Their understanding of this doctrine is entirely second- and third-hand. Laughably, they love to state that its points are “clear”, its claims “indisputable”, and its conclusions “obvious”. It must make the teachers, who were spoon-fed this doctrine and are now spoon-feeding it to others, feel quite superior knowing that, as they sit and refer to these nuances as “crystal clear”, their hapless students are thinking, “Wow, I wouldn’t have thought of that in a million years!”
 
  Proponents of this doctrine claim to take the Bible literally, yet they constantly violate the principle of literalism in order to “make things fit”. Prophecies that are already fulfilled are said to refer to future events by a mythical “law of double reference” which has been invented to justify this doctrine. When the number of days is twice what it should be, they are no longer days, but half-days, or “morning and evening sacrifices.” In spite of the derivative nature of these beliefs, those who cherish differing interpretations of the events in question are verbally trounced from the classrooms and pulpits of NTCC as “nut-cases” and “fruit cakes”.
 
  Again, NTCC teachers refer to all these features as “obvious”, and to those who cannot bring themselves to agree as “stupid idiots”. And this is the central point we would like to make concerning the doctrines of NTCC; that in spite of their ungainliness and lack of foundation, many of their distinctive features and teachings are promoted as “obvious” and “self-explanatory”. Those who do not see what is so obviously true or self-explanatory about these things are condemned to one of three places–The Lake of Fire, the Insane Asylum , or the Special Education Class.
 
  Original Languages– The leaders of NTCC feel free to behave as if they are smarter than the rest of the room when it suits their individual purposes, but anyone who disputes their positions by means of scripture, exegesis, or logic, is instantly convicted on charges of empty scholasticism.  When supported by reason, they act as if they are or superior intellect. When opposed by reason, they become anti-intellectual. Name-calling and mockery are the weapons of choice, not because they are intellectually incapable of rallying an argument to their cause, but because they are offended at the unmitigated nerve of those who question their apostolic authority to declare the meaning of scripture. If one argues against their doctrines simply, that person is considered not sufficiently trained in the Bible. If one reasons against them intellectually, that person is an egghead.
 
  Because the leaders of NTCC are not trained in the understanding or interpretation of the original languages of the text, and since no one associated with the group’s founding has any real knowledge of textual criticism or translation, NTCC is derisive of those who study Greek and Hebrew. They will utilize the Greek original culled from a desktop Bible dictionary if it serves to prove a point, but for the most part they claim that the Bible is available in plain English; therefore, why bother with all that academic nonsense. Academic achievement, according to NTCC, is nothing more than pride at work. They despise that which they themselves are unable to grasp, and level an indictment against it by saying, “Knowledge puffeth up”. Like all know-it-alls, they know very little, and are contemptuous of what they do not know.  
 
This article is part of a series entitled “ What Can I Expect From New Testament Christian Seminary? ”

Soul-winning

“Don’t be late!”

 
 
  Every Saturday is official soul-winning day at New Testament Christian Churches throughout the world. Attendance is essentially mandatory for anyone who wishes to be treated as a Christian, and pastors typically gossip acerbically about those who do not perform this duty. In Graham, Washington, attendance is mandatory for all students and ministers by codified standard. Each Saturday, a particular quadrant or zone of the locality is bombarded with hundreds of ministers and students wearing sport jackets, loafers, white shirts and ties, who canvas the area knocking on doors in order to advance the Kingdom of God. They are organized into teams, each having a team leader or “lay-pastor” whose duty it is to inspire greater results from the efforts of the team.
 
  If you show up late for the soul-winning session, do not even bother coming in to the building, because the man who runs the show is going to berate you for not caring enough to show up on time. You will probably have to sit in your own special section like a kid in school wearing the dunce cap and sitting in the corner. This is his way of showing you that he appreciates your soul-winning efforts. He is demonstrating “leadership” and teaching you how to get the most out of people through shame, guilt, and intimidation. This is considered preparation for the ministry, in that each student is being exposed, by practical application, to “the way it’s done.”
 
  But the way it is really done is a matter of perspective. The troops on the ground are led to believe that their efforts are somehow paying off. Meanwhile, the leadership stratum knows that the purpose of this weekly exercise is to keep people busy so they do not have time for anything but the program. Every effort is made to create the appearance of activity so that enthusiasm is maintained. When things get a little boring and humdrum, the routine changes slightly in order to “keep things fresh”. What the students are learning is the primary lesson that NTCS has to teach: Busy people are happy people.
 
  One would think that the results of so much time spent in door knocking and “follow-up” would yield fantastic results, but such is (fortunately) not the case. The school teaches that “a crowd begets a crowd”, meaning that a large crowd provides legitimacy and comfort to newcomers and enquirers, and that people will come to a church where there are already large numbers in attendance. Yet in the nearly ten years that the Graham church has been open to the public, its overall growth has been limited to approximately 25%, for an annual increase of less than 3%. Also consider the fact that the Graham church is partially an amalgam of several Tacoma-area churches that have consolidated during that same span of time in order to create an illusion of vitality. Remove from consideration this local influx and the growth dwindles to a rather anemic zero percent. This condition exists despite the size of the crowd, the beauty and magnificence of the facility, the high-pressure efforts of soul-winning teams composed primarily of God’s “elite special forces”, the proven experience of the leaders, and the supposition that “God is on the move in Graham”. What are the reasons for this?
 
  To begin with, it must not be overlooked that this is a Pentecostal church. NTCC despises that label as indicative of The United Pentecostal Church, an organization that eschews the Trinitarian Doctrine (which NTCC supports). But fundamental Pentecostalism still reigns here, to include a heavy emphasis on “Getting the Holy Ghost”, an experience which NTCC declares is always accompanied, without exception, by speaking in tongues. This dogmatic position is open to question, and most Christian people who visit the church recognize very quickly the fringe nature of certain such doctrines. This applies to the “holiness” rules that NTCC esteems as equal in importance to the actual imperatives of Christ. Visitors feel out of place in an environment in which a uniform standard of clothing and hair is enforced. They are reluctant to make a spectacle of themselves. The congregation has been taught that the effect of their visible righteousness, their evident submission to the will of God, is pouring conviction down upon the lost sinner and leading him or her to repentance. In reality, most simply think the church is a cult.
 
  Secondly, there exists within the current stream of activity a trend toward reform, but only that of a surface nature for the sake of social acceptability. Whereas the organization’s strident stance on outward standards often guaranteed a steady flow of one-time-only visitors in the past, the accepted method stemming from today’s Graham program is to trick people into coming more regularly by giving these marginal issues a much lighter treatment. Nevertheless, these peculiar doctrines eventually trickle out, and visitors to the church discover that their Christian experience is not taken seriously until they have fully conformed to the 1950’s, ultra-conservative, hillbilly Pentecostal mold. The offensiveness of this is ordinarily enough to obliterate trust and send them packing.
 
  Thirdly, the soul-winning efforts have produced a deadening effect on otherwise lively souls, completely rescinding a Christian spirit in exchange for a programmed promotion. NTCS’s delusions of success result from its preening hubris as a self-proclaimed leadership and salesmanship Mecca. The joy of sharing the gospel has been greatly diminished for many who attend, because the concern for souls and the spontaneity of witnessing have been de-emphasized in favor of mass promotion. Lay pastors have been taught how to use guilt, fear, and bullying tactics in order to induce greater attendance. Most have thankfully shown a resistance to such strategies, but are under heavy pressure to fulfill quotas and goals.
 
  Another reason may very be the most simple explanation possible; the fact that RW Davis’ preaching is intolerable to the average listener. As head of New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc., Davis enjoys the privilege of preaching on any given night of the week. There is a universally feigned excitement in anticipation of these events, everyone scraping and bowing and exclaiming all over themselves that “Pastor is preaching tonight!” The reality is that, while his sermons have occasionally been gems of uplifting inspiration, they have always contained enough condemnation and assertions of personal opinion in place of scripture to gag a shark. Over the years he has lost energy and developed simultaneously an inflated opinion of the importance of his ministry, so that he has become increasingly dry and lengthy. The congregation at Graham actually dreads the seemingly interminable period and wish they had brought blankets. As if this were not enough to suffer through, listeners are often told that they will “split hell wide open” for infractions that no sane person would describe as sinful. This euphemism suggests that God (or the angels) will not hesitate to fling a soul (say, that of a woman who has trimmed her hair) into the nether regions of Eternal Torture with such energy as to actually rend the entire place asunder. One can only speculate as to the level of righteous indignation necessary to produce such a destructive impact. When reminded “If you don’t like it, get OUT!” many have accepted the invitation gladly.

This article is part of a series entitled “What Can I Expect From New Testament Christian Seminary?”