Posted on 06/18/2024 12:13:10 PM PDT by Morgana
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The FBI is investigating a religious sect that's facing widespread allegations of child sex abuse. They're called the Two by Twos (2x2) or The Church with No Name - and there's a following here in the Bay Area.
72 miles south of San Francisco, in a remote isolated location of San Martin, a special meeting took place where a group of people preached their version of the gospel. What is the 2X2 religious sect?
It's a non-denominational Christian religious sect that's been around since the late 1800s. It was founded by Scottish evangelist William Irvine. Historical records suggest it wasn't until the early 1900s, the ministry set roots in the Bay Area.
"It's a very persuasive type of religion," said former member Michael Day.
"How would you describe this organization?" ABC's Stephanie Sierra asked.
"They use fear and manipulation, they manipulate people and the fear of the Lord to control people," said LaNette Burrage Flanigan, another former member. "They tell you, we are the only true way."
The Two by Twos are often referred to today as "The Truth" by its followers. According to the ministry's doctrine, this is the only way to find true salvation.
"Do you think they're being truthful?" Sierra asked.
"No, they're not," said Flanigan, a former member who says some members of her family were victims of child sex abuse. "I'm just broken. I could cry right now, it makes me sick."
"His type was small framed brunette girls," said another former member Sheri Autrey, who identifies as a survivor of child sex abuse.
In February, the FBI announced it was investigating the ministry and seeking victim information following allegations of child sexual abuse reported across the U.S.
Victim advocacy organizations report allegations across the world.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc7news.com ...
Maybe an offshoot of the 2x4’s from Home Despot?
No, never heard of them.
Good one!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_by_Twos
My grand father was involved in this. We think he liked the idea of not spending money on church building. Cousins still in this, little contact with them.
Had a client in this, never got into deep discussion.
There is the outside view from others and the inside view.
Nope, never heard of them.
Any religion that claims it alone is the only true way to God and you must be part of them to be saved is a cult and preaching a false gospel.
Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, not through a religious organization or system of works.
You can get 2 x 2’s at Home Depot!
An online search yields:
Two By Twos
Authors: Brian A. Onken and Dan R. Schlesinger
Article ID: DC690
Updated: July 6, 2023
Published: April 13, 2009
https://www.equip.org/articles/two-by-twos/
oooooooooooooo
Secretive sect under investigation faces venue cancellations after email campaign
Wellington, New Zealand, June 4, 2024
oooooooooooooo
Historical sexual abuse charges filed against B.C. minister belonging to church with no name
Toronto, Canada, March 8, 2024
oooooooooooooo
Catholic Cardinal John Dew allowed to resume public activities after sexual abuse allegations dismissed in Vatican review
Australia, June 4, 2024
oooooooooooooo
well I ain’t joining that cult then if I can just get the truth from the source:P
I’m one, but we don’t call ourselves 2x2s.
YES! My mom got involved with them in the 1950s. Going to Church was never a joy after that. Very controlling of what you believe, They don’t use many reference books at all, KJV ONLY. it is more about what you feel about scripture than what it actually says. They hold to the commission Christ gave to the 12 and the 70 in Matthew 10 and Luke 10, not later commissions. They condemn all other churches and do not give tithes. The poor really like that! They drove my younger brother into atheism.
Thankfully a man(Grace Believer) in New Mexico broke their power over me fifty years ago and I never looked back. They are a WORKS FOR SALVATION CHURCH. in other words follow the rules (none printed). When My mom lay dying one of her (women) preachers asked if she was ready to meet God. Her cry tore me apart. “I’M AFRAID I HAVEN’T DONE ENOUGH!” Her “workers” assured her she had. I was ready to yell “It is not what you do for Christ that saves you! IT IS WHAT HE DID ON THE CROSS THAT SAVES YOU!”
(and who gave these “workers” authority to to decide if someone is saved or not?)
But in their church you EARN it.
Poverty is one thing they really like as those poor they preach to feel they now already have one foot in heaven and must earn the rest.
Known as Two by Twos and Cooneyites due to an early preacher named William Cooney. Also known as Christian Conventions Church.
I checked this out. Yep it is “them”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_by_Twos
Other books about them.
https://www.tellingthetruth.info/lists/books.php
I used to have the book The Secret Sect, 1982 by Doug & Helen Parker. It is now out of print and I gave my copy to the local University Library.
They do use excellent bibles by R.L. Allen but the publishers are not Cooneyites. They also print song books for them.
https://evangelicalbible.com/allan-bibles/
I should add that my last dealings with them was in the 1990s. At one of their “Gospel Meetings” I wanted to ask the woman preacher some questions. She was agreeable.
I asked: Is it necessary for a person to earn salvation?
BOOM!
“OH YES YOU MUST DO GOOD WORKS FOR SALVATION”
Me: But St Paul says it is not by good works but by the Grace of God that saves you WITHOUT WORKS!”
She was no longer friendly and said I should quit reading “other” things and get back to the Bible only!
Sadly I found her to be very ignorant on the Bible and what St Paul said.
There is only one true organic church. All you need to do is to ask one of them and they will tell you they are. As will that next one true cult, in competition with the others.
The only one true church which is the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18) to which He is married, (Ephesians 5:25) being the "household of faith," (Galatians 6:10) for it uniquely only and always consists 100% of true believers, and which spiritual body of Christ is what the Spirit baptizes every believer into, (1Co. 12:13) as "living stones" in this "spiritual house," (1 Peter 2:5) while organic fellowships in which they express their faith inevitably become admixtures of wheat and tares, with Catholicism and liberal Protestantism being mostly the latter.
Fascinating...
Never heard of them
Woman Preaching is a bad tell.
Thanks for sharing.
Woman Preaching is a bad tell.
‘’’’’’’’
JMO but Woman can do a lot of bad things.
So can Man as we are all humans and must
be accountable for our actions.
Golly!
Just like the...
Catholics
Mormons
Oneness Pentecostals
Islamists
Seventh Day Adventists
Reformed Baptist Church of GOD, reformation of 1879
...
Ignore the terrorists of muslim or south american groups, focus on nothingburgers AND MEAN IT!
Sounds like Flds (or a certain president)
Back in 1961, one of their women preachers typed me out a set of rules. Wish I had kept it but it can best be said the main word is “NO!”
Remember, 1961.
NO TV.
NO movies.
NO radio (except to get weather reports on.
NO record players.
NO dancing.
NO dice games
NO card games.
NO books on other Religions!
NO tape players as you might record their “preaching”.
NO smoking.
NO drinking.
NO makeup on women.
NO church doctrine.
NO friends unless they were interested in her “church.” If not interested then we could not have them as friends.
NO after school get to gathers with school acquaintances. I missed lots of common school after hours functions because of that.
Dietary rules..None.
The “meetings” had no preacher so the “elder” of the family where the get together was held was in charge. All very sad faces, Never saw a person happy to be there.
With no main preacher. songs were sung from their hymnal “Hymns, Old and new” Then each “professed” member prayed, then another song, then each member stood up and spoke on what the Bible had “taught” them during the week, then another song, the breaking of bread and a sip of grape juice from one cup. Then closing hymns and dismissal. Suddenly all the sad faces I saw there turned joyous and the talked and conversed with each other.
Meetings were held Sunday morning, evening, Wednesday nights unless there was a “gospel” meeting in town that week. A few times I did see men preachers there.
Dress rules, most women dress in old clothes so out of style they could pass for Amish or Holiness Bible church without the head covering. Their head covering was very long hair done up in a bun.
Dad insisted we have TV to counter what mom forced on us.
After dad died mom kept the TV but it was covered with a towel as if an evil eye was looking at her. My sister finally took it to her house. Poor mom. When we visited all she could talk about is what her “church”.
The first ten years of my life were very happy years. We went to a common little Church on the high plains filled with mostly local people who were Baptists.
Then mom fell in with this new group.
Next 18 years were miserable as I tried to keep to this new “church” rules”.
A working companion at a steel shop broke their power over me by having me read what the bible actually said, not what I thought it said.
I have been FREE since 1974 and have gone to a Southern Baptist church ever since. That was fifty years ago. Church was great again!
I never knew the name of the “church with no name.” When asked where we went to church as kids we were embarrassed as we could not tell them. As late as 1987 I had no name for that church. When one of the people who had gotten me out of that group asked I simply told him it had no name and told how it met.
He said “Sounds like COONEYITES to me! I went to the local university religious library and looked it up. YEP. that was them! Now I had a name and also a listing of other names they went by which I have mentioned above.
I found a great book “Heresies Exposed” by William Irvine. Please note this is NOT the same William Irvine and Edward Cooney that started the 2x2s. This book exposed the beginnings of that group and many others.
The 2x2 William Irvine was later kicked out of the group he started and ended up in Jerusalem expecting to be one of the two witnesses killed and brought back to life in REVELATION.
FLDS. Nope. Definitely not mormon at all. Just a deluded religious group.
Saves time. Makes it easy.
For example:
.
.
You're either in or out of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
5 posted on 6/10/2024, 5:34:56 PM by (name redacted)
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To: (name redacted)
Already Covered (courtesy of daniel1212)
6 posted on 6/10/2024, 5:33:56 PM by Kinsman Redeemer
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