William Irvine in Jerusalem
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Because of the
Biblical Errors and Moral Dangers
which he initiated, promoted and which still exist today.
William Irvine claimed to be called of God to destroy the Christian church and faith. He said that a book written by a Chinese woman, Madam Su Yen, inspired him with the idea of opening his Bible and randomly pointing to a verse to receive a message from God.
His finger landed on Isaiah 41:15-16, “Behold I make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small and make the hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away…”
These verses were his inspiration for his attack against Christian churches and Christian doctrines. He claimed to be the threshing sledge and that Christian churches were the mountains. He used a Biblical allegory with false definitions creating an aberrational teaching. Those verses are actually a prophecy about Israel and Israel’s role among the nations of the Middle East.
He also attacked the belief in trusting the sacrifice of Jesus for man’s salvation. He and his followers proclaimed that people either had to give up all material possessions for salvation or follow preachers who had done so. They did not believe in the sufficiency of Christ’s life and death. They said man “must follow Christ’s example.” This is a heresy. They said that Jesus was not the Way, but that he was showing the Way through his example for the ministry. This also is heresy.
What is a heresy?
A heresy is an opinion or teaching that explicitly denies essential biblical truth.
Aberrational teaching compromises or confuses essential biblical truth.
William Irvine redefined every important Biblical word to mean something different than what the Bible or the dictionary defines them.
- He had a different God,
- a different faith,
- a different gospel,
- a different Law,
- a different Way,
- a different ministry,
- a different church,
- a different grace,
- a different spirit
- and different morals and values.
Unsuspecting, scripturally ignorant people did not recognize the differences. The workers have always had more success in rural communities. They tend to avoid large populated cities and well educated Christian people.
Cultic doctrines deny the biblical teaching regarding the identity of God. The wrong concept of God is idolatry. The workers are idolatrous because they say only the Father is God; that Jesus was just a human being and the Holy Spirit is just a force or energy from God.
Legalism is extra biblical teaching regarding what is necessary for salvation or for staying saved: Such as rules about clothing, hairstyles, jewelry, cosmetics, hobbies, spare time activities, meeting in homes, etc. The workers have begun to avoid mentioning these rules but they still believe in them.
Hidden immorality is protected and rationalized by the leadership in order to justify and continue their authority and lifestyle. Sexual predators, pedophiles, active homosexual workers are not put out of their leadership positions. They are simply moved to another area where they continue their activities. No one is allowed to talk about their scandals. Due to Internet pressure this problem may be changing. Beware!
Authority was usurped in unscriptural ways.
William Irvine told everyone that he was THE MOUTHPIECE of God.
The head workers who followed him still make this claim for themselves. The friends believe the workers are Biblically correct and trustworthy because the workers say they are.
The workers have no scriptural evidence to support their claims.
And they have no ability to do supernatural miracles, like raise the dead or heal the sick.
How does the authority of leadership get passed on? The friends are excluded from knowing anything about worker decisions; when they are made or who makes them. They have no idea about what is happening because the head workers excommunicate people who know too much or who protest what they know. The workers keep everything secret because this elevates them to a mystique that cannot be touched, questioned or reformed.
Worship of God and Jesus Christ was severely curtailed.
Irvine and his followers mocked praise and worship of God.
They said it was an “unnecessary show.” The workers encouraged people to give honor and glory to the workers rather than to God because they claimed to be God come again in the flesh. The workers still mock any organized musical praise and worship of God, claiming it is only man’s pride that inspires it.
Fear, guilt, intimidation and scriptural ignorance are promoted by the workers. Mind and behavior control are enforced by mentally isolating the members from society and especially Christianity. Their ideas are promoted in conventions and continuously in a private setting. Rules are passed along within families and their private homes of which outsiders are unaware. Shunning takes place in quiet ways. Attitudes are monitored through listening to people’s testimonies twice a week in fellowship meetings and mid week Bible studies. Those who don’t constantly endorse the workers become suspect.
In order to become a follower, one must “profess” in a meeting or group of meetings preached by the workers. One cannot become a follower unless one has had the revelation that the workers are the Way to God. Professing does not save anyone….they don’t believe anyone can know if they are saved. They must faithfully attend all meetings and obey the workers their entire lives to be saved.
All of those problems plus many others are found in William Irvine’s belief system. So, just who was William Irvine and how has he affected several generations of people who have never heard of him? He was a good looking, charismatic man with an interest in ladies but little respect for their welfare. He did not take responsibility for his moral behavior or want to be tied down to a family or a group of followers. He traveled the world several times, finding people who would support his ego and his pocketbook. He demanded that all the money taken from selling people’s homes and possessions be given to him at convention time. He was “the poor.” He was racist against Blacks and Jews. He mocked charitable activities. All money and attention was supposed to go to the workers.
He disliked people with education, especially Biblical education.
He looked down on normal family life, respectable people or people of wealth. In the beginning of his experiment he demanded that those who follow him dress like Tramps and live as Tramps. This only lasted for a few years. The historical information and his background are clearly recorded in the Irish Newspaper, Impartial Reporter and Farmers Journal and in the hundreds of letters and convention notes kept and circulated by his followers.
In 1937 he wrote a personal letter in which he said, “I am a Mason for over fifty years.”
(Click Here to Scroll Down & Read This Letter)
He was a Mason for ten years before he began gathering followers in his “great experiment.”
Ten years was plenty of time in which to climb the Masonic ladder.
There are over 30 Masonic beliefs, activities and similarities in the secret society which he founded.
Many workers still continue to hold their gospel meetings in Masonic buildings, Grange halls, Oddfellows halls, Moose, Eagles, Elks Lodges, and Woodmen halls.
Professing people are usually discouraged from observing Christian holy days, but they do celebrate Halloween.
Professing people are forbidden to read or listen to Christian books, music or preaching but they are not warned or forbidden to look at pornography, read atheistic literature or dabble in witchcraft.
Professing people are not warned against abortion and, in fact, some workers are pro choice rather than pro life, although this is not often discussed.
Professing people and workers are ingrained with an obsessive antipathy against divorce, but they seem to have few qualms about adultery, fornication or other sexually immoral behavior because such things are never mentioned.
Workers see themselves as above the law. They hide their beliefs, their activities, history and money even from one another.
Of course, most professing people do not realize this and tend to be conservative and believe that the workers are as well. There are various beliefs among William Irvine’s legacy because nothing is allowed to be definitely discussed. Uniformity is achieved through ignorance. Unity is emphasized but rarely seen.
What is an essential biblical truth? Biblical doctrines are rather like mathematical laws. In order to understand an equation, one needs to know the mathematical laws governing it. A person who can’t do arithmetic is easily deceived by a dishonest salesman. And in the same way, no matter how sweet, honest or humble, a person who doesn’t understand biblical truth can be deceived by a false prophet, deceitful worker, false teacher or false prophet who has also been deceived. An essential biblical truth is one that affects one’s understanding of salvation. Understanding essential biblical truth is necessary in order to obey God’s Word. Essential biblical truths are foundational to understanding the logic of God’s Word and applying it to our lives. Essential biblical truths build upon one another. If you get one wrong, you will usually get another one wrong. One or two mistakes foul up the whole process.
Every heresy comes from the Bible, and is a misunderstanding of biblical truth. Heresies usually occur when people are confused about the identity of God and the effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
William Irvine excommunicated many people.
Finally he was put out of fellowship and made his semi-permanent residence in Jerusalem, waiting for, and prophesying the end of the world. The remaining workers wanted to get rid of his bad reputation so they denied their historical background and claimed to be the original New Testament Church and Ministry. They excommunicated anyone who continued to believe in him or who mentioned his name. It is possible that more people have been shunned or eliminated from this group than remain within it due to the paranoia of the leadership.
The group actually split into three different factions: Irvinites, Cooneyites and Two by Twos, led by George Walker and the Carrolls who had their own differences which were not allowed to be discussed among their followers. The rule for fellowship is that one must agree with all decisions made by the overseers and to encourage others to do the same. Anyone who does not have faith in the workers is of the devil, has lost out, and is going to hell. But there are many people within the group, including workers, who don’t have faith in the workers; they just don’t admit it because they are afraid of being shunned or excommunicated.
William Irvine’s followers exhibit several heresies and confusion: Antitrinitarianism, Gnosticism, Dualism, Asceticism, Ditheism, Legalism, Pietism, Arianism, Mysticism, Pelagianism, folk theology, intellectual dishonesty, identity confusion, theological irresponsibility and probably a few other problems as well.
- They also have a tendency towards New Age teaching.
The workers do not believe in Sola Scriptura, which means scripture is the only infallible and final source of truth. Sola Scriptura acknowledges that there are other sources of truth but they must be subject to scripture. The workers view their words as equal with scripture as the source of truth.
- Truth is what they say it is.
- Antitrinitarianism denies the doctrine of the Triune God. It is idolatry.
- Gnosticism is a complex group of false teachings, built upon the Greek philosophy of Plato. Gnostics divided life into two realms, the natural world was evil and the spiritual world was good. Gnostics held secret unscriptural beliefs which they said must be revealed by the spirit in order to be saved. They didn’t believe God was interested in natural life; therefore immorality didn’t matter because it was natural, not spiritual. Dualism is the belief that God and the material universe have existed side by side; that there are two forces in the universe, God and matter. God is good, matter is evil. This heresy is found within Gnosticism. Asceticism is attached to the Gnostic heresy. It is a Hindu like belief that one must strip oneself of all natural belongings and attachments; the evil material world corrupts the spirit, one must die to self. It is an unbalanced view of scriptures that warn people against greed, selfishness, covetousness, etc.
- Dietheism views the Son as a secondary divinity beneath the Father and at the same time views the Holy Spirit as an impersonal power or influence.
- Pietism is a phony religiosity that only affects outward appearance. William Irvine encouraged selfishness saying it was wrong to be charitable. The workers continue this selfish attitude about helping outsiders or insiders. Wholesomeness is a facade, not inner character quality or Christian work to glorify God.
- Arianism is the view that Christ did not possess deity by nature but developed deity by virtue of his constant growing unity with God. They believed that Christ gave us the perfect example of how people must grow into unity with God.
- Humanism is the anti God philosophy that man determines his own values; there is no God, no hell. Irvine made his own rules and value system. Even though he claimed to believe in God, he acted as a humanist.
- Legalism is the idea that one must obey certain rules in order to have salvation or to please God.
- Mysticism is based on the idea that man can reach God through esoteric means rather than by knowing God through His Word and by faith in His Son.
- New Age/quasi-Hinduism is an idolatrous belief which claims that humans are (or can become) gods. Mysticism leads to dependence on spiritualism. The workers depend more on “the Spirit” or the “Christ Spirit” than they do on scripture. Their Gnostic views have evolved in the New Age claim of being Godlike. William Irvine said, “the gospel is God in a man speaking.” And he claimed to be the Mouthpiece of God. Instead of believing scripture must be learned and obeyed, they believe people catch the Spirit from the workers by listening to them and attending every meeting.
- Pelagianism views sin as voluntary rather than as a result of Adam’s sin. Sin is following Adams’ bad example; not inherent in man as scripture and the Doctrine of Original Sin teaches. Pelagius said that man could choose not to sin and attain a perfect Christian life while here on earth, through practical piety.
- Folk theology is not based on scripture but instead on superstition or ideas passed on from one generation to another without any attempt to understand it through scriptural doctrines and teaching. The workers ideas seem to be a combination of Masonry, Catholicism and folk theology.
These heretical and cultic teachings have been kept from public attention due to the secretive way that the head workers control their people, present their messages, confuse the scripture through allegory and false definitions and hide their activities by moving around constantly.
They shun or excommunicate people who ask too many questions.
Few other groups hide themselves as well as the workers hide their followers. Professing people cannot contact friends or workers unless they are given their addresses and phone numbers or find them in a public directory. Twenty years ago they gave people community directories but that is no longer done. Workers cannot be contacted unless one has the address list or private emails. The friends usually cannot visit professing people in other countries unless they gain permission from the workers ahead of time. Workers evade and avoid the law through their constant movement and by using other people’s names, addresses and bank accounts. The workers are reluctant to talk about their doctrines, history, or the way decisions are made within the group.
Anyone wishing to understand these issues should read the book Heresies by Harold Brown or Love Your God with All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland.
Make it a priority to learn about Bible doctrine.
The next step is to listen carefully to what is said in meeting and identify the logic of what is being said. Find out for yourself if you have misunderstood scripture or the workers. If you bluntly ask the workers these questions you will most likely find yourself shunned or put out of meetings.
On page 13 of the book Heresies, is this quotation, “Christianity takes its name from its founder rather from what He was called, the Christ….Christianity is based primarily on the person of Christ. The Christian faith is not belief in his teaching, but in what was taught about him. The appeal of Protestant liberals to ‘believe as Jesus believed,’ rather than to believe in Jesus, is a dramatic transformation of the fundamental nature of Christianity.”
The workers have fallen into the same trap as liberals, plus they believe that one must be like Christ, (poor and unmarried) live as Christ lived (as a preacher) or follow them and become as God!
Of course, Christians believe that they should believe, obey and behave morally as Christ did, but that is the result of believing in the person of Christ. They don’t create external rules by which this takes place.
Belief in Jesus produces the fruit of His character and transforms us.
Praise His Holy Name!
