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Oops! I'm In A Cult

Oops! I'm In A Cult

Walk Doc, LLC

What do you do when you realize that the church you grew up in was actually a cult? You make a podcast all about it! Born and raised in The Living Word Fellowship, hosts Scott Barker and Charity Navalesi discuss their experiences growing up in this modern day cult, conducting in-depth interviews with other former members and exploring the hidden truths of an organization that masqueraded as a non-denominational Christian church for over 70 years, at its peak growing to 100 chapters in 10 countries. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Oops! I'm In A Cult episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Oops! I'm In A Cult for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Oops! I'm In A Cult episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Oops! I'm In A Cult - What is The Living Word | Ep001
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10/21/23 • 80 min

What do you do when you realize that the church you grew up in was actually a cult? You make a podcast to talk all about it! Born and raised in The Living Word Fellowship, hosts Scott Barker and Charity Navalesi discuss their experiences growing up in this modern day cult, conducting in-depth interviews with other former members and exploring the hidden truths of an organization that masqueraded as a non-denominational Christian church for over 70 years, at its peak growing to 100 chapters in 10 countries. In 2018, a former member came forward on social media with allegations of mental, emotional and sexual abuse within the church, spawning a movement of truth-telling that caused the almost immediate demise of the organization, its entire leadership resigning as more and more accusations of misconduct were revealed. In this podcast we'll discuss the history of the organization, its ultimate collapse, and the effects of its abusive culture and toxic leadership on former members. Adding a touch of humor, because if you can't laugh about it, it just sucks too intensely, Scott and Charity unpack their and others' experiences, how they're recovering from religious abuse and navigating life today, and the moment they realized, "Oops! I'm in a cult!". Hey, it happens.

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member: https://988lifeline.org/

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help

eMail - [email protected] Instagram - www.instagram.com/thecultdoc TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@thewalkdoc YouTube - www.youtube.com/@thewalkdoc More - linktr.ee/thewalkdoc

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - Oops! Trailer

Oops! Trailer

Oops! I'm In A Cult

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08/22/23 • 1 min

The Living Word Fellowship was a cult.

In this podcast we'll discuss the history of the organization and the effects of its abusive culture and toxic leadership. We’ll investigate the remaining factions of The Living Word Fellowship, its former leaders and...

The kidnapping of Yoko Ono’s baby

Doomsday prepping

Time Travel

Gold and Silver Mine scams

Raising people from the dead

Secret affairs

Sexual scandals

Child Labor

Health Food Crazes

Arranged marriages

Extravagant trips to Africa and Brazil

Exotic Animal Farms

High-budget Hollywood style productions

Expensive artisan turtle coffee tables

Teen bad boy bootcamps

Court battles

Exorcisms

Death prayers against John F. Kennedy

Pastors in Speedos!

Violent intercession

Brainwashing! Mentalists! Psychics!

Communes and compounds

Deviant sexual interests

Misogyny

Bars in churches - drinks, drinks, drinks!

Christian capitalism

Secret vault

eMail - [email protected]

Instagram - www.instagram.com/thecultdoc

TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@thewalkdoc

YouTube - www.youtube.com/@thewalkdoc

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - Power and Privilege | EP007 | Interview with Adam Beatty
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10/21/23 • 95 min

Adam Beatty was a member of the original Southgate, CA church, Grace Chapel, as well as the Shiloh, IA faction of The Living Word Fellowship. Adam talks with us about his family's history in The Walk, starting in the John Robert Stevens days, his experience with power dynamics and racism within the Fellowship, and learning to maintain relationships with friends and family members who still believe the cult's teachings, while making room for his own healing and the healing of others.

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member:

⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help⁠⁠

eMail - [email protected] Instagram - www.instagram.com/thecultdoc TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@thewalkdoc YouTube - ⁠ / @thewalkdoc ⁠ More - ⁠linktr.ee/thewalkdoc⁠

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - The Witch Trials of 1967

The Witch Trials of 1967

Oops! I'm In A Cult

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05/13/24 • 71 min

Before John Robert Stevens was the venerated cult leader we know him as today, he was a defrocked preacher cultivating a small following in his two Los Angeles churches.

In this episode, We will examine scandalous audio that documents Stevens’ greatest test to his authority and apostleship to date.

On this historic Sunday evening, JRS is publicly challenged over allegations of infidelity by an ex-witch who he claimed to have saved through the power of Jesus Christ. What you will hear is a public witch trial, a battle of loyalty, and the ultimate Oops im in a cult moment where his followers are forced to decide where they stand.

Scott Barker and Charity Navalesi are former members, born and raised in The Living Word Fellowship. They are investigating this organization, founded by John Robert Stevens in 1951, that branded itself as a Christian church for over seventy years but turned out to be just another cult. Stevens demanded full submission of his followers until his death in 1983 and when his successors, Gary & Marilyn Hargrave took over, the beliefs and practices became even more extreme as they levied control over the congregants for the next three decades.

In 2018 a former member finally spoke up after Marilyn's death accusing her son of abuse. There are five active lawsuits. The organization is a shadow of what it once was, but some remain believers of John Robert Stevens' teachings and many maintain loyalty to Gary Hargrave. Gary has a new following on social media and an active "ministry".

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member.

⁠⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠⁠

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help

Podcast Links:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oops-im-in-a-cult/id1703501829

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YlZeTiuons5y4J3RZYXSv

Support our Supercast

https://oopsiminacult.supercast.com/

Contact Oops!

www.oopsiminacult.com

eMail - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oopsiminacultpodcast

More - https://linktr.ee/oopsiminacult

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - The Cult Killed My Mom

The Cult Killed My Mom

Oops! I'm In A Cult

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04/15/24 • 89 min

In this especially personal episode, Scott and Charity show how The Living Word church leaders coerced Scott’s mom, Laurie Barker, into using unproven alternative medicine to treat her stage 3 ovarian cancer. The emails that Scott uncovered display how effectively The Living Word brainwashed their members into thinking that they were soldiers fighting for “resurrection life” and how they should lay their lives down to fulfill the Founder John Robert Stevens’ version of God’s Kingdom. You’ll see how the leaders, like Gary Hargrave, persuade the followers to not trust medicine and how his subordinates worked every day to ensure each member obeyed his Word. In the end Scott is left to put together the pieces 7 years after the loss of his mother. Scott Barker and Charity Navalesi are former members, born and raised in The Living Word Fellowship. They are investigating this organization, founded by John Robert Stevens in 1951, that branded itself as a Christian church for over seventy years but turned out to be just another cult. Stevens demanded full submission of his followers until his death in 1983 and when his successors, Gary & Marilyn Hargrave took over, the beliefs and practices became even more extreme as they levied control over the congregants for the next three decades. In 2018 a former member finally spoke up after Marilyn's death accusing her son of abuse. There are five active lawsuits. The organization is a shadow of what it once was, but some remain believers of John Robert Stevens' teachings and many maintain loyalty to Gary Hargrave. Gary has a new following on social media and an active "ministry". If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member. ⁠⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠⁠ https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help Podcast Links: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oops-im-in-a-cult/id1703501829 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YlZeTiuons5y4J3RZYXSv Contact Oops! www.oopsiminacult.com eMail - [email protected] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oopsiminacultpodcast More - https://linktr.ee/oopsiminacult

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - Girls Turn it Off | Misogyny in Christianity
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04/22/24 • 78 min

Marilyn Hargrave, the leader of The Living Word Fellowship was famously “anti-woman”. She perpetuated a system of misogyny within the Fellowship for decades. In this episode, we start by examining Marilyn’s infamous “Girls Turn it Off” message, a principle teaching used to demean and control women in the church. We compare her teachings to the misogyny inherent in Christianity that dates back millennia.

How did the Catholic church’s teachings lead to the extermination of women through the Inquisition? Were New Testament manuscripts by Mary Magdalene and others purposely excluded from the Bible to eliminate women’s voices? Why are modern day christian denominations suppressing women’s involvement in leadership of the Southern Baptist Church?

Podcast Links:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oops-im-in-a-cult/id1703501829

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YlZeTiuons5y4J3RZYXSv

Support our Supercast

https://oopsiminacult.supercast.com/

Contact Oops!

www.oopsiminacult.com

eMail - [email protected]

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/oopsiminacultpodcast

More - https://linktr.ee/oopsiminacult

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member.

⁠⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠⁠

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
bookmark
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - Apostolic Abuse | Interview with LuAnn Banoczi
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05/06/24 • 97 min

LuAnn Banoczi joined the Living Word Fellowship in 1967 and married into John Robert Stevens’ family at his direction and subsequently divorced, also at his direction. She was witness to his misogyny and inappropriate behavior towards women, and in this interview she talks about his fascination with the occult, witches and opening doors in his underpants! LuAnn also expresses great regret for not recognizing the abuse that was happening all around her, including her own, and uses this as motivation to help those affected heal.

Scott Barker and Charity Navalesi are former members, born and raised in The Living Word Fellowship. They are investigating this organization, founded by John Robert Stevens in 1951, that branded itself as a Christian church for over seventy years but turned out to be just another cult. Stevens demanded full submission of his followers until his death in 1983 and when his successors, Gary & Marilyn Hargrave took over, the beliefs and practices became even more extreme as they levied control over the congregants for the next three decades.

In 2018 a former member finally spoke up after Marilyn's death accusing her son of abuse. There are five active lawsuits. The organization is a shadow of what it once was, but some remain believers of John Robert Stevens' teachings and many maintain loyalty to Gary Hargrave. Gary has a new following on social media and an active "ministry".

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member.

⁠⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠⁠

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help

Podcast Links:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oops-im-in-a-cult/id1703501829

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2YlZeTiuons5y4J3RZYXSv

Support our Supercast

https://oopsiminacult.supercast.com/

Contact Oops!

www.oopsiminacult.com

eMail - [email protected]

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oopsiminacultpodcast

More - https://linktr.ee/oopsiminacult

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
bookmark
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - A Cult Exposed | Ep003

A Cult Exposed | Ep003

Oops! I'm In A Cult

play

10/21/23 • 73 min

In this episode we delve into the 2018 letters that forever changed the course of The Living Word Fellowship, bringing the truth of the rampant abuse in the organization to light. We discuss the details of the letters Shalom Abrahamson published on Facebook, how they reflected the toxic leadership structure and controlling culture of the Fellowship, and why her letters were instrumental in opening the eyes of members both past and current.

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member:

⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help⁠⁠

eMail - [email protected] Instagram - www.instagram.com/thecultdoc TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@thewalkdoc YouTube - www.youtube.com/@thewalkdoc More - ⁠linktr.ee/thewalkdoc⁠

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
bookmark
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Oops! I'm In A Cult - Leni and Sam Davis | Ep002 | An Interview
play

10/21/23 • 86 min

On today's episode, we talk with Leni Davis and her son Sam, former members of the Oahu, Hawaii chapter of The Living Word Fellowship, known as Grace Chapel of Honolulu. Leni and Sam discuss why Leni joined the fellowship in the early 1970's, her initial interactions with John Robert Stevens and how, in the years that followed, the toxicity of the organization affected her as an individual as well as her relationship with her child. Sam shares his experience being born and raised in the fellowship during the years after John Robert Stevens' passing, under the leadership of Gary & Marilyn Hargrave, and how its abusive culture impacted him as a child and as a gay man being brought up in a homophobic organization.

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member:

⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠

⁠https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help⁠

eMail - [email protected] Instagram - www.instagram.com/thecultdoc TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@thewalkdoc YouTube - www.youtube.com/@thewalkdoc More - ⁠linktr.ee/thewalkdoc⁠

--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oopsiminacult/support
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What is the truth about John Robert Stevens? Throughout the history of The Living Word Fellowship cult rumors circulated about John's purported infidelities and indiscretions, but these rumors were always excused away by the belief that his "apostleship" outweighed the importance of any questionable behavior. His claims of time travel and having the power to cause the deaths of people he deemed nephilim such as John Lennon and the John F. Kennedy were among the many unbelievable things that his followers bought into. These excuses were perpetuated by his successor, Gary Hargrave. In this episode we delve into these topics and reveal our findings on one of the most recent and biggest allegations against JRS: that he plagiarized his manifesto "To Be A Christian", which was the legacy of his ministry.

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally, or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend, or a family member:

⁠⁠https://988lifeline.org/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help⁠⁠

Contact Oops!

eMail - [email protected]

Instagram - www.instagram.com/thecultdoc

TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@thewalkdoc

YouTube - ⁠ / @thewalkdoc ⁠

More - ⁠linktr.ee/thewalkdoc⁠

EPISODE SOURCES:

@4:46 NEPHILIM DEATH PRAYERS

@11:03

1980 Vain Glory Documentary - Tony Cox

@12:06

1976 March 7 - South Gate and Sepulveda CA - A Prophets Meeting The Principles Of Judgment - Judgment When We Do And When We Don't ~ 48:37 on tape

@13:13

Interview with Sandy Navalesi on The Living Word Cult YouTube

@15:11

1976 March 7 - South Gate and Sepulveda CA - A Prophets Meeting The Principles Of Judgment - Judgment When We Do And When We Don't ~ 05:45 on tape

@27:25 TIME TRAVEL

@28:14

1972 December 14 Thursday PM South Gate CA JRS - RESTRICTED - The New Step into the Day of Revelation ~ 00:29 on tape

@29:38

1972 December 14 Thursday PM South Gate CA JRS - RESTRICTED - The New Step into the Day of Revelation ~ 04:58 on tape

@32:15

1972 December 14 Thursday PM South Gate CA JRS - RESTRICTED - The New Step into the Day of Revelation ~ 11:11 on tape

@34:02

1972 December 14 Thursday PM South Gate CA JRS - RESTRICTED - The New Step into the Day of Revelation ~ 10:20 on tape

@34:28

1972 December 14 Thursday PM South Gate CA JRS - RESTRICTED - The New Step into the Day of Revelation ~ 38:45 on tape

@42:45

1993 Jan 31 - Sunday am Sepulveda CA - The Truth About John - 15:38 on tape

@43:59

1993 Jan 31 - Sunday am Sepulveda CA - The Truth About John - 20:23 on tape

@45:31

1993 Jan 31 - Sunday am Sepulveda CA - The Truth About John - 22:04 on tape

@47:26

1993 Jan 31 - Sunday am Sepulveda CA - The Truth About John - 31:01 on tape

@50:40 TO BE A CHRISTIAN

Shareable Slideshow - “Oops! I'm a Plagiarist”

TLW & JRS Links

https://johnrobertstevens.com/teachings/to-be-a-christian-by-john-robert-stevens/

https://johnrobertsteTo Be A Christianvens.com/biography/seeking-the-lord-in-his-youth/

https://livingwordpublications.org/video/to-be-a-christian-mp4/

CUT GEMS - ©1897 - Rev. George W. Plack - University of Florida - p.59

https://books.google.com/books?id=8WhR6VW7mKUC&pg=PA59&lpg=PA59&dq=%22let+Him+possess+and+direct+it%22&source=bl&ots=00RJw5STx2&sig=ACfU3U35Yd4vl-LsM1Wy24rnGJMuqQRE6w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja3dilmLqBAxVZIUQIHTyADCgQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22let%20Him%20possess%20and%20direct%20it%22&f=false

Library of Congress Catalog - April 1897

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