In our final episode of the season we dive into a treasure trove of archived materials from the 1970s that expose the secrets of The Living Word Fellowship’s bizarre doomsday preparations. These guidelines were delivered on leaflets that we recently received from a former follower of John Robert Stevens’ cult. We share more revealing letters from listeners, including another former tape editor with tea from the tape room. We also hear from a couple of Kalona, Iowa locals who experienced the cultiness of the Shiloh compound first-hand.

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".

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