PUSH, THEN PULL: Sixth Article in a Series - Written by a Former NTCC Minister in 2006

PUSH, THEN PULL

If one of the Apostles from the First Century was to walk into a modern-day church, he would probably demand to know why in heaven’s name there was an altar displayed prominently before the podium. His alarm would be understandable since an altar serves as a place for blood sacrifice either in pagan worship or according to the Jewish legal means of atonement. All such things ought to be done away with now that Christ has come, and we are no longer in need of them. Though it is common in contemporary circles for people to have a “place to pray” and a location where the focus of attention is directed for the time of prayer, the Apostles would not have understood this in the context of “the Church” as opposed to The Temple or Synagogue, and someone would have to explain it to them.

  

  The Roman Church of the Medieval period used the altar as a place to perform the priestly hocus pocus (a term corrupted from the Latin hoc est corpus Cristi —”this is the body of Christ”) of magically transforming the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of the Lord. The act was viewed as a sacrifice and therefore an altar was used. The evangelicals of later years would alternate between the use of altars as a focus of prayer and the complete absence of all outward reminders of sacrifice.

  

  Charles Finney popularized the practice of calling his hearers to make a decision for Christ prior to leaving the building, and placed a chair at the head of the congregation for all inquirers who wished to settle the matter of their salvation. This became known as the “anxious seat”. In the latter half of that same Nineteenth Century, Dwight Moody famously vowed, after the terrible Sunday fire that gutted the city of Chicago, never to release his listeners without drawing their attention to the need for an immediate decision. This practice became a rigorously applied requirement that many denominations imposed upon themselves. 

This was certainly in agreement with the Biblical incidents in which the proclamation of the gospel was followed by conversions of those asking “what must we do?” as well as with the tradition of the Awakening of the 1700’s. But in 19th Century America this time of decision became a habit, a time of focused “seeking” always included in the program. It later became fashionable to think of this period as a time to “lay one’s life upon the altar”, and so the language of sacrifice returned to the scene. In this way, the altar and the altar call have taken their place as an American Ecclesiastical matter of course. Some who promote the born-again experience have nevertheless done away with the altar as a piece of furniture based on the fact that it is superfluous to the question at hand, and many “old-time” preachers today relish the opportunity to skewer the occasional practice of “taking the altar out of the church!”

  

  NTCC is heavily populated with men who style themselves after these old-timers. They have no clue as to the implications involved in what they are saying, yet are quite comfortable railing against “people who want to take the altar out of the Church!” You will find that these men place a high degree of emphasis upon what takes place “at the altar”. R.W. Davis teaches all candidates for the ministry that everything that takes place during the church service is geared toward getting results at the altar. Once the preacher has pushed you into a corner, his desire is to pull you to the front of the church in order to “get what you need from God.”

  

  You will be exhorted to go to the altar to pray, after having been subjected to preaching concerning a range of behaviors with which New Testament Christian Church takes issue. Behavior will be stressed much more than Christ. You will be challenged about your dedication to God, but strangely this dedication will always be measured by some external practice that relates directly to NTCC’s pet doctrines of outward dress and appearance, or to the activities of that local assembly. 

If you are not in attendance whenever the doors are open, there will be a constant, gentle but persistent push toward further participation in church activities. If you do not bring others to church, your soul-winning efforts, and by extension your love for God, will be brought into question. The technique they frequently use is that of equating (or linking) your participation in NTCC activities and approved behaviors with your dedication to Jesus. 

That way, when the altar call is given, you have already been programmed to see that you are not good enough and need to do more, MUCH more–you need to give more, MUCH more, than you already do. The music will begin as the pastor is suggesting “Let’s all find a place to pray”. The stirring song that accompanies the time of prayer lends emotional weight to the words that have been said, and you probably are beginning to feel the sadness of not measuring up to the standards of God, when it is in fact the standard of This Church that is being held aloft as a goal for which every Christian ought to strive.

  

HE SEEMETH TO BE A PILLAR (of stone)

  

  R.W. Davis displays a domineering personality that has not changed appreciably in many years of “pastoring”. Those who knew him in the sixties knew that he would one day rule a kingdom of his own making and wield power through intimidation. Their words have come to pass:  

He claims to have a special line of communication with God that is not enjoyed by others. 

He claims to be constantly in touch with the Holy Spirit. 

He claims to be equal with the Apostles who saw the Lord after he was risen from the dead. 

He claims to be First Up Before The Throne, meaning that no person on earth has priority over him in God’s dealings with mankind. 

He claims that his organization is the only one in the world preaching the truth, that those who oppose him “have never done anything for God” and that he “cannot remember the last time I sinned.” 

There are many who would be happy to remind him.

  

  R.W. Davis is able to sustain these absurd claims because he has gathered around him a group of men whose entire lives are defined by their absolute loyalty to him. There is nothing that these individuals would not do or say to defend their precious organization and its leader. These men have adopted the practice of promoting Davis as “God’s man” for our time on this earth. This allows Davis himself to remain fairly quiet on the subject until great necessity is upon him to assert his self-bestowed authority. In this manner, all of the propaganda that concerns him and his godly powers is spread thickly throughout the group, while those who are deceived by it lavish praise on R. W. Davis for his supposed humility, telling one another that Davis “..is God’s man, but I’ve never actually HEARD HIM say it.”

  

  With this authority comes great power over the lives of people. From the top down there exists within this organization a mortal fear of R.W. Davis, who creates this fear through his apostolic claims and methods of intimidation. 

Everything he says is justified because “I didn’t say it; God said it” and everything he does is justified because “God told me to.” 

He accepts no opposing views, has no patience for disagreement, and has no real fear that anyone will step forward to question him seriously. When he is displeased, he shouts at the offender. 

When someone runs afoul of him, they are marked. 

If an individual makes the mistake of appearing to have disobeyed him, they are subjected to embarrassment without the opportunity to explain. None dare defend themselves against his mistaken accusations because Davis knows the mind of God, and therefore the accused is always wrong, though he or she may not have the “humility” to see it. 

To be in the presence of R.W. Davis is to be a child in the presence of a disciplinarian parent who may choose to publicly humiliate and embarrass you at any time. Your “humility” is always subject to spur-of-the-moment testing. The stress of such a situation is obvious. Having created his own rules of righteousness, and having a bank of information on everyone who has ever failed to meet his standards, he has the upper hand in any confrontation, and with this comes the ability to hold an entire room full of otherwise perfectly normal adults in complete silent suspense.

  

  The dread of Davis that pervades the Church at every level ensures the continuation of his authority. Each person who has been a minister or who has attended the church for any length of time has been subjected to the mental programming that promotes the primacy of “Pastor”. 

To speak against him is to “touch the Lord’s anointed”. 

To question the doctrines and practices of the group is to be guilty of “doubt and unbelief” in light cases, “rebellion” in more serious matters. 

To give one’s devotion to Davis is to be a follower of Christ, and to leave his association is to leave God and secure one’s place in the Lake of Fire. 

The fear is so effectively sown that peer pressure alone is enough to quench the mildest dissent. People live in fear of this man for years before they gradually wrap their heads around the absurdity and reconcile themselves entirely to his primacy and his position before God, making these things a part of their own intellectual foundation. 

This acceptance comes at the price of one’s intellectual integrity, but is rarely noticed by the subject. The natural desire to rationalize causes the subject to think that Davis really is not the tyrant he once feared, but is in fact a loving and kind soul. The subject decides “I was wrong to think those things–now I see.” He does not realize that his mind and personality have been warped to conform to that of his leader, so that R.W.Davis need fear no opposition or disagreement from this person. Thinking he has attained to a higher level of understanding, the victim thinks back on all the years of fear, thinking “How silly of me to have been that way”, and then continues to cower in the presence of The Man.

  

  All of this has a tragic result in the lives and ministries of those who emulate him. 

Davis borrows a line from Paul and says, “Follow me as I follow Christ”, which in the hands of such a person always means “Just do what I say.” 

This touches on the very government of the Church itself and speaks of a highly patrician, top-down authority structure. Every local pastor is in effect a miniature clone of R.W. Davis. 

These ministers do not have a ministry of their own. 

Davis makes this explicitly clear. They are merely a part of HIS ministry, and would be nothing without him. Their mission is to bring growth to the local bodies in which they serve as pastors, always promoting the organization, its purpose, its seminary, its goals, and most of all, its leaders. 

Pastors involved with New Testament Christian Churches are given complete authority (under R.W. Davis) to dictate all matters that pertain to the local church. They oversee all church-related activities, all financial operations, and have no accountability whatsoever to the local congregation. They are accountable only to their overseers, and ultimately to Davis.

  

  The question of accountability and authority is an important one, since it touches upon many of the truly unchristian practices of this worldwide organization. 

The local pastor encourages dependence upon him and his “advice” in all matters, both spiritual and personal. Those who do not follow his unsolicited advice are considered rebellious against God. 

All who attend the church for the first time are encouraged to believe that God sent them there because He wants them to be there, period. Those who attend more than once are taught that they are “here because God sent you here, and if God sent you here, then how can you go anywhere else and be acting within the will of God?” 

Thus the mental programming begins very early. Unsure as to whether they can be saved anywhere else, ultimately people are afraid to depart from this very unhealthy fellowship. 

The pastor’s unceasing goal is to get you more and more invested in the church, to acquire greater attendance, larger sums of money, and the full participation of everyone involved. The pressure is not only relentless, but it is based upon the authority of the pastor, bestowed by God himself, to get completely involved in your life and tell you what to do, what not to do, whom you should marry, whom you should divorce, whether it’s alright to take a college class (not if it interferes with a church service–and besides, what do you need a class for? God’s coming back for people who are in church every night, not people who are educated!!) and on and on.

  

  All of us, at every level of Christian experience, have opportunities to bless and help, to counsel and to teach, not just the pulpiteers. 

Paul counsels those who find themselves in a position of influence not to be lords over those that God has entrusted to their care. The use of constraint (coercion, obligation, or pressure) is something further that the Apostle Paul bans from Christian relationships. 

But within the ranks of NTCC, coercion, obligation and pressure have been subtly elevated to an art form. Jesus made it plain that the greatest among his disciples ought to be servant to all. But these pulpit aristocrats who have patterned themselves after their earthly leader have great difficulty in thinking of themselves as the servants of Christ and of His church, and find it much more to their liking when people see them as a leader, without whose leadership they would be utterly lost. 

They like to be called reverend, do not like to be addressed by their first name, and take it as a sign of true submission to the plan of God when the lowly church members call them “sir”. Church members are not as important as ministers, and are looked at simply as foot soldiers whose job it is to pay their tithes and bring people to church so the pastor has more people to scream at. Commandments go down and money goes up, and everyone is happy.

  

TWO OR THREE WITNESSES

  The need for rigid, top-down control of every aspect of the organization necessitates some mechanism by which those in leadership positions, including ministers in local churches, are insulated entirely from the effects of a compromised reputation. Davis has taken the biblical exhortation not to receive an accusation against an elder except by two or three witnesses, and turned it into a tool of pastoral abuse. 

While there is a certain utility in protecting innocent men from unwarranted accusations, the NTCC dogma on this issue protects all ministers from accusations by church members in the absence of two or three witnesses to the same offense, which means the same identical occurrence. 

Therefore it is truly impossible in most cases to prove a case of pastoral misbehavior or abuse, and almost always impossible to establish a pattern of misbehavior and abuse. The result of all this authority and insular structure is a veritable train wreck of human debris, disillusionment, and despair.

  

FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

  

  If a loved one has entered into this web of deception and abuse, you can do several things to help. Always avoid direct confrontation, as those initiated into the organization are prepared for this and will only avoid you in the future, seeing you as a distraction from God’s purpose in their life. 

Do not be surprised if the church schedule conflicts often with normal family activities and bonds of friendship. Normal family entertainments that are not sinful will be viewed as a compromise of organizational standards. They may even be under the influence of a pastor who has them convinced that they are “called to preach”. 

They may be under pressure to marry someone who is “called to preach” and pursue a life in the ministry with someone they would not wish to marry under normal circumstances. These and other behaviors will come about as a result of Pastoral Authority. They think they are obeying God as long as they are turning their life over to the use of the pastor. 

They should be encouraged to understand that a relationship with God does not mean a relationship with a pastor who acts as an intermediary to God. The priesthood is no longer valid, yet this group behaves as if it is. Certainly this is dangerous in the lives of families, because NTCC pastors routinely come between husbands and their wives.

  

  Ask questions, rather than argue. Aptly phrased questions brought up in a conversational tone and a right spirit will make an impression. 

Allow that person you care about to be the one to defend contradictions and absurdities. Let them see and hear for themselves what they are defending. It will not work miraculously at first, but the weight of the questions will take effect in good time. 

They think they occupy an unassailable place of defense, but there are cracks in the stone. Do not engineer a frontal assault or they will defend the walls vigorously against you, and you will become their sworn enemy. Merely ask questions (we will provide some) and let the questions be like warm water that you pour into the cracks. Then wait for nightfall, and when the temperature reaches the freezing point, the ice will force the cracks to become an avalanche.

  

  Remember to have hope; not many people grow old in NTCC. Only a small percentage of ministers remain a part of the organization throughout their lives. Those who leave, though they are in the majority, are accused of adultery, fornication, rebellion, being a coward and a loser and selfish–but they are happy to be alive, and all the more if their family has remained intact. 

  

This article is part of a series:  Click here for The Introduction, Entitled: The Wreckers and the Second Article: First Things , the Third Article: The Red Carpet , the Fourth Article: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ , the Fifth Article: One Cent Too Heavy , Sixth Article: The Foolishness of Preaching

THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING - Sixth Article in a Series - Written by a Former NTCC Minister in 2006

 The Foolishness of Preaching

(As I was editing this article to fit this blogger format, I realized how much it relates to the notes I took when I watched the Wednesday morning, October 4, 2023 service in the Memphis, TN conference.  Joe Olson preaching) 

The Apostle Paul, in a letter to the Corinthian church, made a statement that carries with it the seed of much misunderstanding when viewed through the arbitrary lens of a group like New Testament Christian Church. The topic at hand was God’s method for reaching the heart of man.

 Truth is ordinarily perceived and recognized with the mind. The truth that God sent his Son to die for sins and arise bodily from the dead in order to justify lost mankind, well…it is quite plainly impossible for the mind to perceive or process this to the degree that the individual will commit themselves fully to this truth. For this reason, God must use the influence of his Holy Spirit in tandem with the mind and spirit of a person in order to accomplish his plan of redemption. 

The act of believing, placing one’s faith in this truth, relying on Christ for salvation based on his death, burial and resurrection, is an act that requires more than naturally acquired knowledge. There must be a spiritual confirmation, a small voice “inside” that agrees with the truth that the mind is perceiving. In this way the mind receives an otherwise unthinkable truth, the spirit seizes upon this truth as its single ultimate hope, and the soul is redeemed and renewed. This tandem, inside-outside voice is brought about in a manner that we might call “simple declaration.”

Scientists gather data through experimentation and observation. It is considered rational to accept verifiable facts gathered in this way. Philosophers build systems of thought by integrating what is verifiable into a reasonable and workable structure. A high level of cognitive reasoning and development is required for philosophy to take its place next to science. Religion uses mythology to guide the path of man’s behavior. Only where tradition is strong or ignorance is rampant does religion, with its taboos and priesthoods designed to wield power, survive. 

Even in Paul’s day, science, philosophy, and religion, shared the stage and molded the world. But none of these things could convincingly relate ultimate truth from an unseen spiritual realm, nor could they convince one who had not personally witnessed the event that a man could be raised from the dead. This is where the tandem method of simple declaration comes in, where God’s spirit confirms in the heart of the individual that which he is hearing. Part of the work is done by the Spirit of God, and the other part is done by the speaker who declares the truth. The hearer is the one who is affected by this.

 Knowing that this flies in the face of what is known concerning the three great branches of world influence, Paul addressed to the Corinthian believers this formula. Paul acknowledged that this method that God uses to reach men, this method of Simple Declaration supported by spiritual confirmation, runs counter to all that is considered acceptable and “wise”, and in this spirit of acknowledgement, he referred to it as something the world would consider “foolish”. He called it The Foolishness of Preaching.

 He DID NOT say where this preaching was to be done. 

He made no mention of a building, a “church” setting, or anything of the kind. The Bible demonstrates that this act takes place, with abundant results, on the street, in public places, in homes, in the desert, even in pagan temples. 

He did not limit the mode of declaration; did not say it could not be conveyed with music, radio, television, sign language, smoke signals, or a personal letter. 

He did not say it had to be loud or especially forceful. 

He did not say it had to take ten, fifteen, thirty minutes or an hour. He did not say it should be preceded, accompanied or followed by music to get the hearers in the mood. 

He did not say it had to be done on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Thursday. He seemed to imply that anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances, the Word, in the hands of the Spirit, has a life-changing power all its own.

 He also did not suggest that the one doing the declaring had to become animated to a degree that it seemed he would die of a heart attack if he did not stop to breathe, working up a froth much like a pagan priest or a witch doctor would do to convince people that he is under the influence of a presence quite outside his normal self-containment. 

Paul did not suggest that a loud, rapid-fire delivery punctuated with shouts of agreement from the congregation, used in order to give credibility to the idea that the speaker is speaking for the Almighty and therefore everything he says is true, was a critical element that would make or break the presentation. 

 The old mountain revivalists, the tent preachers and faith healers, were not as stupid as ye suppose. They knew how to generate the ‘results’ they were after. They still do. They shunned many of the old hymns with their lofty compositions and theological lyrics for the simple, home-spun chorus book. They sang songs containing the same phrases repeated over and over. They told people to lift their hands, jump up and down on their benches, and run around the tent (or the brush arbor) in order to receive a ‘blassing’. They cried out “I feel somethin’! Do YOU feel somethin’?” 

Of course, everybody FELT something because if they did not FEEL something, they would not be spiritual in the eyes of the preacher and their peers. It was an experience-driven phenomenon that infected many Pentecostal groups in the Twentieth Century.

 NTCC is one of these Pentecostal groups. 

They promote this same behavior, equating it with Paul’s “foolishness of preaching” and condemning other groups for having “lost their fire” in the pulpit. Every NTCC preacher is ultimately a performer being judged on his performance. R. W. Davis has taught his preachers to create an atmosphere in which people are suggestible. 

Once you convince yourself that the man behind the pulpit is “on fire” with the Holy Ghost, you will believe and do things that would shock you under normal conditions. 

You will buy into false doctrines, you will believe lies about people who have left the church, thinking that God is revealing information about them and their many sins. 

When the preacher cries “Thus saith the Lord”, you will be utterly swayed to believe whatever it is that the Lord just “saith” through his mouthpiece, the minister. This is a trap that NTCC has gotten itself into and from which it cannot be extricated. 

The nonsense that has gone out over its pulpits from the mouths of men motivated by greed, lust, anger, and a distorted belief in the prerogatives of the pulpit have made this group the well-deserving butt of countless jokes.

 R. W. Davis treats the pulpit much like the place of special authority occupied by the Old Testament prophets. And like those prophets, he believes in the value of creating an attention-getting spectacle and manufacturing excitement through loud and strident bombast. 

He justifies his insistence on the Tithe as the pastor’s personal support, commanded by God, based in part on the idea that the New Testament ministry is the follow-up and continuation of the Old Testament priesthood. This is Anti-Scriptural, but very useful. 

With this idea comes the belief that the preacher is “The Lord’s Anointed.” Anyone who criticizes the preacher (especially if that preacher is R. W. Davis) is worthy of death (thought the sentence is never carried out, thank goodness)after the Old Testament pattern because he has touched the Lord’s anointed. 

When the New Testament declares all believers to be kings and priests, to have an “anointing”, to be elect in the beloved (Jesus), it is difficult to understand how NTCC and other groups arrive at this notion that there is a special anointing on the life of someone whose job it is to yell at people for thirty minutes. 

But with this ‘anointing’ comes the authority that is the real goal of Davis and his followers. And with this authority comes the responsibility to generate an emotional environment in which people are pressured to participate and give generously.

 In classes geared toward the pulpit ministry, R.W. Davis relates an account of a tent revival in which the preacher came running to the podium to jumpstart the service, began to cry out about what God had in store for everybody in that place, began to sing and shout in a rising crescendo about what he was “feelin’ right now!” and started to challenge everyone to “get a blessing tonight”. 

After several minutes of this, everyone there was “wantin’ a blessin’ tonight!” 

The preacher never let up, never let the excitement die down, and began to hold out a stack of offering envelopes. He further challenged them concerning how much of a blessing they were willing to receive, about how they were to give in order to receive a manifold blessing and then released the pent-up crowd to come rushing forward for the envelopes that he was now throwing down in a heap onto the stage. 

When Davis reaches the climax of this story, he waves off any notion that he is promoting a snake-oil approach and reminds his listeners that “I’m not saying that’s what you should do”. 

The implication seems to be “Here’s how it’s done, but you didn’t hear that from me.”  

More to the point however, is the explicit mandate: “Enthusiasm gets results. It’s your job to generate that enthusiasm.” One can see that such teaching discounts the Holy Spirit. One wonders whether such a person even believes in God. 

Davis summarizes his approach to the ministry by saying, “Preachers, you’ve got to be ‘good at God’.”

The Wiz

 New Testament Christian Church is conducted much like the Emerald City from The Wizard of OZ. It appears on the exterior to be constructed of pure emerald because you are given green glasses to wear as you walk in. Then the Wizard appears, daunting and imposing, pretending to be something he is not, clamoring for respect and admiration, nailing you to the wall for ’sins’ that are nothing more than violations of R.W. Davis’ opinions, demanding that you look upon him as God’s direct representative. 

But keep in mind that the Wizard is only an illusion created by the little man behind the curtain. 

Do not be dazzled, and do not be intimidated.

This article is part of a series:  Click here for The Introduction, Entitled: The Wreckers and the Second Article: First Things , the Third Article: The Red Carpet , the Fourth Article: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ , the Fifth Article: One Cent Too Heavy

ONE CENT TOO HEAVY - Fifth Article in a Series - Written by a Former NTCC Minister in 2006

ONE CENT TOO HEAVY 

The principle of The Tithe finds its roots in Old Testament history. It is a terminology that refers to “one tenth” of anything, and applies to things that are given to God, be it the offspring of herds, the productivity of the land, etc. During the time of the Law, tithes were commanded, and operated in part as a means of support for the extensive system of priests who served in the tabernacle or Temple. 

Many Christians of all major denominations apply this principle. They believe that it is right and good to give of their substance and finances to their church; and for the purpose of supporting their local assembly, they regularly make payments amounting to ten percent of their income. This is usually done in addition to other offerings. Some Christians believe this is a freely given offering, others that it is a required “payment”. Required or not, a majority of Evangelical Christians believe it’s a good thing to do.

  

  New Testament Christian Church is one of several organizations who promote tithing as a New Testament commandment. They haven’t a leg to stand on in support of this teaching, and come about their conclusions through textual acrobatics. The goal of every New Testament Christian Church pastor is to teach you that God expects you to perform this service. They will not pressure you individually right away, but it will be made known, and will constitute one of many “lines of demarcation” between the saved and the unsaved. 

You will be told it is a requirement, that “you have not given God anything until you have paid your tithe.” You will be encouraged to tithe in exchange for God’s blessings. If this does not work, you will be told that all your substance will be cursed and that “God will get his tithe” one way or another, either through circumstances or by extracting a proverbial pound of flesh. Do not think that the pressure to make these regular payments will ever let up. They will not come knocking your door down to break you legs like loan enforcers, but you will be reminded regularly from the pulpit that you are not a Christian if you do not pay your tithes.

Need Recent Proof:  

  

  What’s more, these tithes are to be placed into an envelope and labeled with your name and the amount enclosed. Many churches follow a similar practice, for their own administrative reasons and/or for tax purposes. Here at New Testament Christian Church, your tithing records are being kept as a dossier of your life and spiritual condition. Should you miss a payment, your pastor will become “concerned” and may find it necessary to speak with you about this “oversight.” Ultimately, he believes that God has no use for people whose names do not show up on his tithing report. All those who do not pay their tithes have their place in the Lake of Fire, according to him, and he may at times repeat another favorite Davis-ism and remind the congregation that:

 “If you owe God one PENNY of tithe, and the Rapture of the Church takes place, you’re ONE PENNY too heavy to go.”

  

  R. W. Davis makes no secret of his childhood poverty, and his experience of growing up during the Depression. He has often spoken of his desire to be wealthy and successful, of how the money flashed by business executives, salesmen and bankers filled him with the fires of ambition and longing; how the poverty of his upbringing drove him to succeed, to live in a nice home, to have all the money he needed, to heat his home without worrying about the cost, and to always “go first class”. 

He has organized NTCC in such a way that the local pastor looks upon the Tithe as his income (for all practical purposes), so that his income is limited only by his ability to produce tithe-paying attendees. On top of this, ten percent of all church finances are then passed along to the organization, every aspect of which is under Davis’ ultimate control. 

It is a very simple pyramid in which commandments go down and money goes up. R. W. Davis teaches all candidates for the ministry very explicitly that “Your church is a business!” This is one of many examples of how NTCC twists the scripture to favor its own power, prestige and prerogatives (alliteration unintended). R. W. Davis quotes Jesus: “…I must be about my Father’s business..” and says in essence 

“There you have it. I didn’t say it–Jesus said it! The ministry is a business.” 

The listener thinks “Wow! I never thought of it that way.” 

No normal Christian would think of it “that way”.

  

  As the service is beginning, after the singing of a couple of songs, the pastor will begin to receive the offering, a ceremony punctuated by the exhortation that “All Christians Pay Tithe”. This is something he is taught to say. The implication is clear to all those who do not agree that tithing is a commandment to Christians–you are obviously NOT a Christian. The pastor is motivated, without even realizing it himself, by a simple formula that might best be expressed in the following manner:

  

  A blessed church is a growing church.

  A blessed Christian is a giving Christian.

  

  Therefore…

  

  Success = (attendance) x [(Tithes + offerings) per member]  

or…

  

  S = A x $/A

  

  Simple algebra renders the outcome of this formula as…

  

  S = $

  

  

  Please Do Not Turn With Me

  

  Those who place themselves under the spiritual leadership of R.W. Davis soon find that this man is driven by peculiar motivations that can only be fully explained by a thorough psychological analysis. One of the defining events of his life, as has been stated, is The Great Depression. This has sculpted within his character some very fine and admirable qualities, yet has also rendered him incapable of seeing some very alarming flaws. 

The refusal to learn any lesson twice, or the tendency to move with alacrity to quickly snuff out the possibility of a problem arising a second time, is one of his many assets and at the same time one of his liabilities. This two-sided coin is spent in many venues and for many purposes. The erection of a fence around the NTCC campus at the slightest provocation is almost metaphorical for everything he does. Unwieldly rules are enacted to prevent bad things from happening, with worse consequences as a result of the rules themselves. The average person can do no less than breech many of them in the course of doing what is perfectly right and normal.

  

  One of many madcap manifestations of this trend is the practice of leaving Bibles at home. The students of the NTCC Seminary, those ministers who attend the Mother Church in Graham, Washington, and many members of local churches flying the NTCC banner will ordinarily attend church services without bringing their Bibles. There is an official reason for this, and there is a real reason as well. The official, ostensible reason is to be found in a past decade, when students of the seminary frequently forgot to pick their Bibles up from the pew before departing the premises. Every church in America has this problem, for which we should all be thankful since an abundant availability of the printed Word is the major culprit. Tiring of the traffic in the lost-and-found department, Davis enacted a rule that “you should leave your Bible at home.”

  

  But the real reason for this rule should be obvious when viewed in the light of this particular group’s system of management. Pastors of normal Christian churches generally announce their textual reference for the day, saying something like, “Please turn with me if you will to the fifth chapter of Mark and we will begin reading at…” This way the people can read along. R.W. Davis, when instructing his hearers to leave their Bibles at home, knows that he is violating the Berean principle, in which the speaker’s facts are thoroughly examined by his audience. Not that the Bereans brought their scrolls to church–they did not have their own individual copies. But in this country and in these times, it is perfectly easy, inexpensive and normal for Christians to read along with the preacher. Sure they forget to pick their Bibles up, but other churches simply maintain a stockpile of lost-and-found Bibles without suffering such disproportionate heartburn over the issue. Why does it bother R.W. Davis?

  

  The key is found in his own words. When reading his text in preparation to preach, he purposefully neglects to cite the place where the text is found. Then he asks himself aloud, mockingly and for the benefit of anyone who may be thinking for themselves, “Well, how am I supposed to know where you’re reading from, Preacher?” After a moment’s pause for effect, he answers his own question with a note of exasperation, “I’m reading FROM THE BIBLE! That’s where!” Local preachers emulate this bizarre behavior. When a visitor notices that the passage was not cited, they will assume it was a mistake, asking “Where did you read from?” Sometimes the response will be a testy, “I was reading from THE BIBLE.”

  

  The explicit and oft-stated motivation behind this response is, “You can trust me.” This gets to the very heart of NTCC. The entire organization is founded upon R.W. Davis. The ministry of R.W. Davis is entirely founded upon his presumption of Apostolic authority. Therefore, it is to be assumed that everything he says is true and reliable, and you can follow him without danger, even if he is wrong. His authority under Christ makes everything OK. 

To question this, or to challenge him on any point at all, leaves the inquirer bearing an unenviable label. Those who question R.W. Davis, his doctrines, his authority, his prerogatives or privileges, are simply unrighteous sinners. In Davis-ology, they are “not of God”; they are rebellious, and unbelieving. This filters down through the ranks. All it takes to elicit a gasp from a local NTCC congregation is to question the pastor’s authority or doctrine.

(Screens have been mandatorily erected in NTCC churches since the writing of this article, but the spirit still remains the same.  You never hear them say:  "I'll be reading from such and such if you want to follow along in your bible.  If you don't have one, feel free to trust that what's on the screen is from the bible")

  R.W. Davis has built his organization upon himself and his opinions, condemns those who do not easily fall under his leadership and control, and loses his temper at the thought of being seriously questioned. Nothing could be more ridiculous to him than to suggest a relaxation of top-down, militant, pastoral authority and control. 

Nothing sends him into a rage more quickly than the idea of rebellion, which is any disagreement with the authority structure he represents and supports. We have stated previously that the first leg in the NTCC authority stool is: Push, and people will move. The second leg is: Those who do not move, I do not need. With R.W. Davis, you are either all the way in, or you are all the way out and on your way to hell. If you do not trust him automatically and without doubting, if you do not accept his apostolic primacy, he simply does not want you around him.

This article is part of a series:  Click here for The Introduction, Entitled: The Wreckers and the Second Article: First Things , the Third Article: The Red Carpet , the Fourth Article: The Wonderful Wizard of OZ

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ: Fourth Article in a Series - Written by a Former NTCC Minister in 2006

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

(sidenote:  I left this title as it was originally written, but truth be known, I have no idea why it's been titled this way)

The Usual

  

  The Graham experience is unique in all of NTCC, an organization that maintains oversight of many congregations throughout the country which are generally of small size and modest means. 

The organization began in obscurity and once looked upon this as a mark of particular distinction. Their belief that all other churches were ‘compromised’ and enjoyed large attendance by appealing to the worst of human nature allowed  them to enjoy and glory in their miniscule numbers. Since that time, with growth has come the belief that this philosophy is no longer applicable, and now it is thought large numbers are a sign that God is blessing. It is a mark of legitimacy. Yet the average NTCC congregation still ranges from between twenty and fifty on a sunny Sunday morning, with some larger exceptions. 

Ordinarily you will be ushered into a modest free-standing building with a seating capacity of about two hundred, or perhaps a humble hotel conference room, a community center, or a tiny rented retail storefront. But no matter the size of the place or the number of the group, the following description is what you can expect to find in practically every New Testament Christian Church. Your experience is about to begin.

  

  Warm and Fuzzy

  

  You will be greeted at the door by the pastor and his wife. They are friendly people who really seem to be interested in you, your personal background, where you hail from, and whether you like your job, be it in the civilian realm or the military. Chances are that at least one of them or both were in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps when they were younger, and are anxious to swap war stories and banter with you in the terminology of military life. They call it “speaking the language”, and will engage in this activity in order to endear themselves to you.

  

  Immediately you will notice some very stark outstanding features of the lady in question. She will have a distinctive hairdo, worn either down or up, which makes it obvious that her hair is rather long. She will be attired in an attractive dress of modest cut and length. She will be wearing no jewelry except for perhaps a wristwatch, and absolutely no facial cosmetics of any sort.

  

  The ‘Mane’ Issue

  

  The reason for the long hair is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in which he makes a comparison between a woman’s religious veil and the length of her hair for the sake of ameliorating a local doctrinal dispute. One could say from a cursory reading of the text that it is appropriate for a woman to have long hair. But whether the writer of the scripture ever intended for this practice to be universal and dogmatic is questionable. NTCC, on the other hand, believes and enforces this standard for all women everywhere, and places a prohibition on the cutting of female hair entirely. They even go so far as to place the cutting of ladies’ hair in the category of ‘rebellion’, saying the word as if it were a verbal punch in the mouth, and using an Old Testament scripture that equates the seriousness of rebellion against God with the practice of witchcraft. 

Therefore, if you are a lady, and you are speaking to the pastor’s wife, please be fully aware of what is going on. Her affection and ‘niceness’ are probably genuine, and she will not say anything to embarrass you just yet if you have your hair cut short or trimmed, but on a certain level deep down, she is pretty sure that you are not a Christian, because if you were, or if you “get saved today”, or if you truly submit your life to the will of God, you too will cease to take the scissors to your hair ever again. To do otherwise will confirm that you are indeed guilty of witchcraft (or at least its equivalent–rebellion).

  

  Warpaint

  

  The reason for the lack of pigment enhancement is more than likely the modesty of the lady herself, and an unwillingness to portray an artifice rather than the “real her”. There is nothing wrong with this principle if the conscience of the individual so dictates, and you need not be alarmed at this if you are a woman who wears make-up; just as long as you are prepared for the cold reality that NTCC promotes a dichotomy between anything you might put upon your face and the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying influence. 

They believe that the Old Testament reference to (the wicked queen) Jezebel’s painting her face before greeting Jehu at the window is a reference to her adulterous ways, and therefore not to be emulated by a godly woman. In point of fact, this reference also includes Jezebel’s donning of her tiara, which indicates that she was not undressing to seduce, but dressing for a queenly execution. Her words indicate that she expected to be killed. She was killed of course, but not at all with the dignity she expected. That being said, NTCC subscribes to the old Pentecostal prohibition against facial cosmetics as being reflective of an adulterous “Jezebel spirit”. The pastor may not say anything to you on your first visit, but he and his wife are assuming that if you ever become a “real Christian”, you will “wipe that junk off your face”. While they know you are not actually a street-walking harlot in real life, they assume that on a deep-seated psychological and/or spiritual level, you display the innate character of a “whore”.

  

  Britches

  

  There is within the doctrine of NTCC a prohibition against pants or trousers on women. There is no Biblical authority for this teaching, and they will admit to this fact when robustly challenged. There is a reference in the Mosaic law concerning women and men not wearing things that pertain to the opposite sex. The law does not describe the required clothing in detail, however, and since men of the Old Testament did not wear breeches, one is hard pressed to prove that such things pertain only to men. The organization’s founder, R.W. Davis, took it upon himself during the sixties to review all of the churches of his day, assess their worthiness, and having weighed them in his balances, found them sorely wanting. He was aghast that churches let women get away with such abominations as the wearing of pants, and felt that God was therefore calling him to start an organization of churches that would put a stop to it. 

He had no Biblical mandate for this attitude then, and he has none now. It is really a detailed and rather daunting question of historical development and the indignation of ecclesiastical authority and its helplessness in the face of inexorable change. It is another matter of personal conviction in which so many hair-splitting Christians become foolishly enmeshed. If you are a lady who wears pants, or if you bring your wife to church in pants, the pastor and his wife will treat you kindly at the door, and probably you will not be told to go home and change clothes right away. But rest assured, they know that if you ever expect to be what God wants you to be, if you ever hope to make it into heaven, you will run home right after church and put on a dress. Otherwise, you only demonstrate your stubbornly willful immodesty, and your perverted desire to play the role of a man.

  

  Dinglebobs

  

  She may have holes in her ears which hark back to a former time when she was a “sinner”, but you will currently find no earrings on the pastor’s wife. Again, the absence of this type of jewelry is not wrong as a matter of personal conviction, but it is difficult to be dogmatic about such things based upon the New Testament. This church that you have just walked into will judge you according to your earrings, which can become an obnoxious distraction to other truly spiritual matters. The primary heartburn with earrings stems from an ancient pagan belief in the talismanic power of ear ornamentation to frighten evil spirits away from those convenient holes in the sides of one’s head through which they would gleefully enter if they could. 

Supposedly, such practices bespeak the superstitions of bygone days and are therefore strictly verboten. It is also a commonly held piece of background information that earrings are a token of excess intended to display wealth, even though they are normally just cheap junk and contain no actual precious stones of any kind. Another belief of NTCC is that the placement of these items draws the attention of the male sex to an area of the woman’s anatomy that is, supposedly, more sensual than some other areas. 

By placing emphasis on outward standards of holiness, NTCC has entered a trap. They have to constantly refine their explanations of what constitutes enticement, which reveals more about the people who make the rules than those wearing the stuff. If you stick around long enough, you will begin to feel the wrath of the pastor coming down hard on your diamond studs. He will begin to stamp and tramp and bellow in such a way as to create the impression that the Holy Ghost is “all over the room” and proclaim the certainty that “hell will be your home” if you do not immediately “pull them dinglebobs off your ears.” You will wonder what happened to that nice man that you thought was a real pastor. 

  

  A word about “dinglebobs”: This is a homespun moniker given to earrings based upon the fact that they are often suspended and they sometimes bounceLike the playground bully who christens every new kid with his official nickname, R.W. Davis assigns his own lingo to various and sundry persons, places and things, and NTCC is populated with a thick stratum of preachers who, utterly lacking in imagination and bent upon emulating their leader, thoughtlessly repeat his favorite forms of phraseology whether he is there listening or not. More on these items as they arise.

  

  The point to be made about these artificial standards that NTCC refers to as standards of “outward holiness” is that they lack scriptural and spiritual support. They are fundamental to the organization’s history and existence, having been promoted as the requirements of God and used as a line of demarcation between the saved and the sinner for many years. 

In recent times, the organization has learned to soften its approach to the teaching of these doctrines, laying upon them less stress and amplification than in past times. This softening is done for one reason only; the habitual driving away at these spurious doctrines from the pulpit has a negative effect upon attendance. But it must be made known to the unwary victim that NTCC will never accept your claim to be a real Christian until you submit to these and many other ridiculous prohibitions. 

This article is part of a series:  Click here for The Introduction, Entitled: The Wreckers and the Second Article: First Things and the Third Article: The Red Carpet

THE RED CARPET: Third Article in a Series - Written by a Former NTCC Minister in 2006

The Red Carpet

 There are certain distinctive characteristics that one should expect to find upon his first visit to a New Testament Christian Church. I should like to address this topic in two variations. The first variation describes what might be called The Graham Experience. The second we shall call The Usual. 

When we refer to The Graham Experience, we are speaking of the headquarters of the entire organization, located in the rural town of Graham, Washington, a Tacoma ’suburb’ situated in the beautiful farm-and-forest countryside that adorns the lush foothills of gorgeous Mt. Rainier. One should keep in mind that the beauty of the setting lends itself to poetic transports, and has long been used by the organization as proof that the entire endeavor is blessed directly by God. 

One might well ask if the Building Projects of Donald Trump, or the home of Bill Gates, or the Jade Buddha of Thailand are also blessed by God. But NTCC seems to think that their building projects are evidence that The Almighty is ‘on the move’ and is using them to spearhead an attack on the devil. Thus, the beauty and expanse (expence) you see before you. 

(sidenote:  This article was written in 2006 before all of the growth of the Graham area.   I took a tour of the area via Google Maps recently and I almost couldn't recognize how this area has been built up)

  

The Keep

  

  And indeed, behold! As you approach the campus, you will find the entire complex surrounded by a rather stark chain-link fence, through which you will drive into the parking lot and see, if you are alert, several youngish men in suits, perhaps toting umbrellas if appropriate for the time of year, who act as ‘guards’, and report by radio to a gentleman whose job it is to coordinate the operations of these ‘guards’. 

One might well ask, “What is this, a fortress? Why the security? It seems like a relatively sleepy area. Is that fence really needed? Why, the thing seems to stretch half a mile in one direction!” 

And one would be wise to ask just such questions. In years gone by, the Founder and Chairman of the Board of New Testament Christian Churches, a man named R.W. Davis, decided that the recent (early nineties) crime wave in the area (someone’s car was broken into during church services) warranted the erection of a security fence. The organization has spent hundreds of man-hours in the intervening years attempting to convince the locals that they are not dangerous, not Branch-Davidians, and do not have a rifle range on the premises.

  

 The truth is, there is little of value within the gate that anyone would actually bother to take, except for a few computer and some mechanical equipment that is bolted to the ground. There are churches all over the world without fences. It tends to make a place appear rather unwelcoming. All of which brings us hard up against a fact that should be stated quite clearly at this juncture: New Testament Christian Church and its leaders are possessed of a siege mentality designed to create enthusiasm and cohesion by making an enemy of the outside world. 

In the absence of actual persecution, they seek to enliven the loyalty of those who participate with this defensive frame of mind. Be sure to ask your host about the fence, and enjoy his attempts to reassure you that it is perfectly normal and not at all strange.

  

  The Village

  

  You have now entered the confines of the New Testament Christian Church property. On your left you will see what appears to be a lovely chapel bedecked with stone, once used as the main chapel before growth dictated a move. This is not the church proper–this is the children’s church, a separate building for the use of children aged 7-9. If you have children in that age range, you are better off leaving them here than taking them with you to the adult church service. The people who teach your children are very kind, and they will be perfectly safe.  

But be aware–they look upon children mostly as a doorway to the parents (not unusual in churches that place emphasis on growth for the sake of growth). There are plenty of churches in your area that offer lively programs for children all the way up to and including the teenage years. NTCC, on the other hand, believes that all children over the age of nine belong with the adults. In fact, it has only been in recent years that the leadership of the organization “discovered” what normal Christians had known for a very long time; that children are important. 

NTCC existed for years as a group that discouraged childbearing, encouraged their ministers to undergo vasectomy procedures, and looked upon family life as detrimental to “the work of the Lord.” This is very revealing as to their military roots, and their view of life as a whole.

  

  To the right is a small building that generally matches the chapel in style. This building is largely unused. Beyond this, also to your right, you will find a small, octagonal library that is kept locked at all times and is also seldom if ever utilized. To the left beyond the children’s building is a two-story office facility. This is the nerve center of an outreach that covers most states and maintains small outposts and military-oriented churches in several countries, most notably the Philippines, Germany, and Korea. It is staffed by a small band of young, computer-literate men who go beyond mere diligence in their daily duties–they toil almost in fear, dreading mistakes and guarding their tongues at all times lest they run into disfavor with the leadership of the group. These men have accepted long ago the belief that there are no real prospects of eternal salvation outside of New Testament Christian Church because all other churches are in their estimation wrong, compromised, worldly, and luke-warm. Therefore their eternal soul, like the eternal soul of each person you will meet in this church, depends largely upon their loyalty, faithfulness, and success within the organization. They have grown accustomed to living under this cloud, and appear externally to be quite happy and content.

  

  Far back behind the library, largely out of view, you might notice a stretch of homes extending approximately one half mile down the road. These are occupied by a collection of ministers, teachers, office workers and other assorted staff members. The mammoth stucco structure just beyond the library is the all-purpose classroom building for New Testament Christian Seminary, a training facility for prospective ministers and their wives. 

The seminary purports to be exclusive. The young men and women who attend there are told before they enroll that “only the best” can qualify. Then when they arrive they are subjected to a battery of stringent regulations designed to keep them under tight control and subject them to the “pressures of the ministry”. It is not an academically rigorous or difficult school. It’s chief subjects are Punctuality and Obedience to the leadership.

  

  These young men and women, having been persuaded at some point that no other church is right, and that God has called them to do something for Him from which they cannot turn aside for fear of eternal damnation, have trapped themselves willingly and earnestly into believing that this organization holds their very lives in its hands. Without the opportunity to fulfill “the calling”, they have no hope of salvation, and without the approval of R.W. Davis and the staff of the seminary, they cannot begin to fulfill their calling. 

In this manner they are locked into an array of stultifying behaviors, requirements and thought patterns from which many desire relief, but from which few will dare to escape. By the way–this building is usually empty except for a few children’s classrooms and on seminary class nights.

  

  Beyond this is The Fellowship Hall. You must circumnavigate this building to reach the main church parking lot further up the hill. This facility also sits empty, or mostly empty, much of the time. “Why”, you might ask, “are there so many underutilized structures on this campus?” A just question. The explanation that most appropriately speaks to the fundamental mentality of NTCC is this: In order to engender enthusiasm, and have something to point to as evidence of God’s hand at work (evidence of God’s approval), a church needs to embark upon a series of well-timed, periodic building adventures. That is the only explanation necessary. The organization is very close-lipped about “where all the money goes”, and whenever the subject of financial accountability arises, the favorite remark used to change the subject and make the question sound ridiculous is to wave a hand across the vast array of structures and proclaim laughingly, “Just look around you!”

  

  The Villagers

  

  Now that you have arrived in the main parking lot, you can get a better look at the main chapel facility. This is neither a huge nor a magnificent building by modern church standards, yet many who attend here have participated in its construction and are very proud of their accomplishment. Noteworthy are the wonderful brass doors, shiny in the morning sunlight, bearing an imitative sunburst pattern of their own. There are reserved parking spaces close to the building. These are not merely for the disabled  and infirm; these are for the preachers in high leadership, and may God have mercy upon you if you park there. Try it and see what happens. The leaders themselves will not say anything; others are trained to step in and “be the bad guy”.

  

  In order to remove all obstacles to your coming to church with your hostess (or host)- who will have encouraged you not to “worry about how you’re dressed! Just come!” She will have instructed you to “come as you are”, and unless you took the trouble to wear a suit (if you are a man) or a dress (if you are a lady) then by now you are beginning to notice that you have come badly underdressed and are beginning to feel a bit out of place. That is exactly what is intended. 

In spite of Stephen’s question, taken from the prophets and delivered on the day of his stoning, “What house will you build me?” these people believe very strongly that the Church building is “God’s house”, that it is necessary for a real Christian to wear his ‘Sunday best’; that their righteousness is having an affect upon your conscience, and that you are beginning to say to yourself “Verily, God is in these people”. 

They believe that the conviction of the Holy Spirit is now beginning to show you your sinful state and is making you feel very uncomfortable. He may be, and if you are not a Christian already, you would do well to pay heed to the Spirit of God no matter where you find yourself. But do not forget that your feelings of discomfort are being encouraged by this church, and if the Holy Spirit cannot convince you that they have exactly what you need, then they will tell you themselves.

  

  You have now ascended the stairs to the main chapel, and are about to walk beneath the overhang and pass through the emaculate doors of New Testament Christian Church. Don’t worry–those are not rifles you see propped against the building; just umbrellas. This IS Western Washington after all. As you pass through these beatific portals, be very careful to remember one thing: If you already claim to be a Christian, they will not believe it until you forsake friends, family, and all other bonds of fellowship and join their church.  

Everything that takes place inside this edifice is engineered to win your trust, your future attendance, your full participation, your enthusiasm, your unwavering dedication, and your financial support, for the rest of your life.

This article is part of a series:  Click here for The Introduction, Entitled: The Wreckers and the Second Article: First Things

(another sidenote:  since the writing of this article, which was in 2006, at least one other structure has been erected)