Names given to The Truth
RFW-Other sites about the Truth
I.Friends site
II.The work
III.Youth in the Truth
IV.Issues effecting professing women
V.DICTIONARY of PROFESSING TERMS! Click here!
VI. Professing person analyzes VOT and TTT
VII. Young professing people-Conventions at Pulaski VA, Downings VA and Milford NH.
VIII. Steve Edwards' website
XI. SIte that compares truth to biblical teaching
You have all heard of these phrases before: The Truth, friends, professing friends, God's way, meeting in the home and the minister without a home, special meetings, conventions, Wednesday night bible studies, gospel meetings, God's people, The friends, Way within a way, professing and possessing, Servants of God-workers, God's true servants, the workers, 2X2 church, 2X2 workers/friends, Giving our all, soft and tender heart, right spirit, giving out a hymn, taking part, losing out, going to meetings, church in the home, Black Stocking Gang, giving God our all/best/100%, dying to the world, dying life, professing, showing worldly people we are different, reproach being different from the people in the world, visiting worker, worker talk etc.
Current and former members conjure different images of this fellowship. Some feel it is the only true way that Jesus started in the beginning. Some feel it is the only true church and one must be "taking part in the fellowship meetings" in order to have a chance of going to heaven at death. Others feel it is a dangerous cult and members have been brainwashed to disassociate with those who don't attend meetings.
Several factors help mold your views about this fellowship including your upbringing, personality, personality of the workers in your field and friends in your little meeting, level of conformity to the "dos and don'ts" on the way. It is not suprising for one person to attend a meeting and say "this was a wonderful meeting". Another person might attend the same meeting and say "this was so boring and I didn't like what how the main speaker spoke against..."
Some friends believe that those in their truth fellowship are more sincere. Some complain that those who attend a "worldly church" talk religion but their lives don't back up their good words! Some professing people believe a meeting (church service) should be held in a home where the workers have "consecrated" for use in the Kingdom. Some workers preach openly about "worldly preachers" passing the collection plate each Sunday. Professing friends have a tough time handling married and salaried preachers who maintain their own homes since the workers spend different nights in the homes of professing "friends" in the "truth" fellowship.Certainly a sing or potluck where people are singing the grace and talking about interest in a gospel meeting would appear to be a nicer atmosphere than a place where drugs, beer and partying was occuring!!
Members who have left the fellowship voice complaints about a number of issues. Some feel that a church service doesn't have to be in a home. Some also complain about how the workers aren't allowed to be married and maintain their own homes. Others have problems with believing that the "Truth" is the only true fellowship since nobody professed their faith before the late 1890s! Other complaints center around the dress code for professing women, ban on divorce-remarriage or marriage to outsiders. Some also feel that the professing folks often praise and worship the workers during meetings instead of giving God praise.
Former members of the "truth" complain that the workers weren't very friendly toward them when tried to bring up concerns to them about the fellowship. Workers encourage the friends to promote unity and peace in the kingdom even if it means that you are misunderstood by "your brethern". Workers are often more likely to criticize the person for "finding fault with God's true/perfect way" that trying to reform the fellowship. Head workers can be hostile toward those questioning their preaching and even encourage the other friends to shun the "weak saint". People have been asked not to "take part" (speak or pray in meeting) and not partake of the emblems for disobeying the workers!! Workers feel the friends must "fit in and fill their place". Friends are supposed to be "content" in God's perfect way of "truth".
2000 years have passed since Jesus died on Calvary. It is impossible for any group to trace its religion back to the beginning. Christianity has been preserved through scriptures and writings of older saints. Different professing friends and workers have different beliefs about the origins of the fellowship. I don't know if early workers intentionally misled some into believing the group had been preserved since Jesus' day or not. Most friends didn't give this much thought for many years. Friends often believed their fellowship meetings were the only form of Christianity that lined up with the New Testament ministry-meeting in the home and itinerate disciples.
Many of those who "professed" truth in the early days felt that this religion/way of life is what they needed. Some felt that there was a time in their life that they knew they were lost and sought the true church. Friends often see their meetings as the only true way that God established on the earth. All other ways are seen as "false ways" or "ways of Satan". Thinking back on testimonies from the older days, a common theme was "thankful that God sent His true servants" to one's home and showed them the true way. Thus one would have to profess through a worker in a meeting in order to be right with God. However, some would profess by going to a Sunday morning meeting and "give their testimony".
There are many unanswered questions about the early days of this fellowship we call "The Truth". Some data indicates that around 1897-1901, homeless Irish tramp preachers leave Ireland for other English speaking nations. The first workers sold their possessions and became roving preachers spending a different night in a different home. Professing people in the British Isles also sold their possessions enabling the work to spread to the English speaking lands.
Until the 1990s, little was known about this sect. Workers carefully guarded information about its history, inner workings of the head workers, internal problems and other information. Some workers felt that as "God's true servants", they should be careful about information about their group leaking out to non-members.
Many problems confront the sect: Handling the history of the truth, justifying the dress code for women (dresses and uncut hair in a bun shape), unquestioned authority toward the workers, money given to the workers in secret, building buildings for convention sites, divorce-remarriage ban, pressure from the workers to break up a relationship between professing and unprofessing partners, only wayism, and other problems. With the advent of the information superhighway, workers are going to have to deal with declining numbers if they don't answer questions about the history and unwritten rules of the fellowship.
Different professing friends have different backgrounds. Some professing parents were quite strict with their children while others forced their children to attend meetings, forced dress/entertainment rules on the children etc. Professing children have also been raised in a lenient environment where movies, music, and deviations from the dress code were permitted. For some professing families, going to meeting meant going to church. For other families, going to meetings meant a "separate from the world" lifestyle! Much of the complaints from former members comes from those who were raised to be separate and different from the world.
. You may have been raised in a strict professing home, a divided home, an open home, or raised in another church and know nothing about these no name meetings. Your experiences will effect how you view this church!
Why does this website exist? Several reasons. Many people are raised in a professing home and knew little or nothing about religion outside of the meetings. In fact, many young "professing friends" don't know the history about their "truth fellowship". Why not investigate the doctrine and history of your beloved fellowship?
There are some signs that the fellowship may be losing some of its long held traditions and behaviors of the past. Professing girls are beginning to trim their hair in places, wear pants outside of the meetings, work at public jobs etc. Workers may still disapprove of some of these things yet turn a blind eye to them in order to keep more people from leaving the meetings.
