In this bonus episode I speak with author and webmaster of William Branham: Historical Research, John Collins. John was raised in the Message cult and has since worked to expose the teachings of William Branham who founded and led the cult until his death in 1965. In addition he researches other cult leaders who were influenced by Branham's Latter Rain teachings of the mid 20th century. Listen as we discuss how the founder of the Living Word, John Robert Stevens is connected to Branham and other cult leaders like Jim Jones.

Kristy Pfeifer’s family was part of the inner circle of The Living Word Fellowship and were members of an exclusive group created by Marilyn Hargrave known as The Purples. As a child growing up within this secret society, Kristy regularly saw behind the facade of John Robert Stevens’ and Marilyn and Gary Hargrave’s public personas. Kristy was a plaintiff in the recent lawsuits against the Living Word Fellowship and speaks publicly in this episode about her experience for the first time. In her deposition, Kristy says that she was sexually abused from the ages of 8-14 by two prominent leaders of the church, Marilyn’s son, Rick Holbrook and his friend, Scott McDonald. When members of her family informed Gary and Marilyn of the abuse it went ignored and both men maintained their positions in the church until 2018 when Shalom published her letters. Kristy, having been out of the church for nearly thirty years, was immediately moved to take action and help bring accountability and justice.

On this episode we will be speaking with the Internationally known cult expert and deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross who is the founder and Executive Director of The Cult Education Institute. Rick has personally assisted thousands of families in an effort to help the victims of destructive cults, groups and movements. Ross has been an expert witness in court proceedings across the US including the US federal Court and has been featured in numerous publications including Time Magazine, People, The New Your Times and appeared on national TV on shows like Dateline, 20/20 and Oprah. Ross' analysis has been sought on virtually every major cult story for decades.

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.

Lauren Beckman was born and raised in The LIving Word Fellowship, her early life spent in San Diego where she was separated from her mother as a teenager and sent to be a live-in servant for her shepherd where she was physically, emotionally and mentally abused. In early adulthood, she moved to the Church of The Living Word in Los Angeles, where the abuse only escalated. Not only was Lauren regularly abused by Rick Holbrook, but she shares with us a traumatic sexual assault perpetrated by a member of the Fellowship, which was covered up by church leadership, including Marilyn and Gary Hargrave. Through all of the abuses she endured, Lauren was instructed not to tell her mother, report abuses to authorities, or seek professional help. She tells us about the lasting effects these experiences have on her and how she continues to work toward healing.