What About ntcc's Becky and John R.?

In a post on Jeff's blog an anonymous commenter posted the following comment:

What do you make of people like J P [R] and his wife Becky? I spent a lot of time with them in the mid-80's and I am certain they were very decent people who loved God. I wonder how can they stay in the NTCC organization? (I could name other very decent Pastors in the organisation) comment link

We answered with the following response:

I spent time with Becky and John [R] in Hawaii a couple of times while on leave from Korea. They were very nice folks and didn't seem to have the same judgmental attitude towards folks as others in the ntcc had. While I was on vacation, they showed me around the island; and we actually had a real good time. They didn't spend every waking moment lamenting over lost souls and stumping for tithes and offerings.


Lately I have had Becky and John R. on my mind and have been wanting to do this post for a while. In the short time that I spent with them they made a lasting impression; and most what I remember was good. They had what seemed to be real love in their hearts for people; and I never got the feeling that they were in it for the money. There were a few other couples in the ministry that left me with similar memories.

Maybe because I didn't spend much time around them I didn't see the side of them that seems to be in most of the ntcc leadership.  Maybe they are just good people that love God and are making the best out of a very bad situation.  It was mentioned by Jeff and others that Becky and John R. must have turned a blind eye to much of what went on in the ntcc.  They also no longer communicate with their family to include Deborah and Gregory.  This came about because mike kekel showed private letters to Becky and John R. that were written between Gregory S. and mck.  Not only was this a breach of confidence but was used to sow discord among brethren and to drive a wedge between lifelong family bonds.  This is proof that when people leave the ntcc they are no longer considered to be in good standing with God.  We have often made reference to the ntcc claims that they are God's last move on earth and that the ntcc thinks they are the only true church on planet earth.  These actions substantiate these claims and vindicate those that have been wrongfully cast away by the leaders of the ntcc.

Here is what I think.  In my own experience there are many folks in the ntcc that are just like we were.  Do you remember the days when all you cared about was living for God?  Do you remember when you were young and impressionable and would do anything to please God and the men and women that you thought were there to help you along the way in your life for God?  But ntcc perverted the gospel and used us.  We gave everything we had to them until there was nothing else to give.  They broke us down until we had no willpower left; and when we were no longer of any use to ntcc, they kicked us to the curb.

At one time we drew a line and said we would never cross it.  Then we saw it crossed by others in the ntcc; and in time we moved that line.  It reminds me of how lawyers start out:  Wanting to make a difference in the world.  They start out on fire and want to practice law to help people; and soon they find out that to win a case they have to misrepresent the facts.  To help a client they find themselves violating ethical practices that they never dreamed of violating.  Pretty soon they become farther and farther away from what they know is right; and it becomes common practice to lie and use deceit to win a case.

This is what the ntcc does to people.  There are still good people that have been trapped in that cult for decades and John and Becky R. may be among them.  Sometimes  we find ourselves guilty of having an "Us against Them" attitude; and in our zeal to expose the ntcc,  we don't recognize the fact that many ministers are caught up in the same hopeless situation we were caught up in.  There are many in the ntcc that we still respect and love.   We care enough to warn them and hope they eventually find their way out.  It's the establishment and the leadership of the same that we hate.   I can only imagine what some of the old-timers think when they see the blatant hypocrisy and double standards in Graham, Washington.  What can they do?  Many are now in their 50's and 60's and have very few options and even less money.  They see that the line of compromise has moved.  Standards have changed, 'holiness' has pretty much been thrown out the window; and everything that these ministers once stood for is virtually gone.

 ntcc's Becky and John R. 

To Becky and John R.,  maybe it is not my place to say this to them; but if John and Becky happen across this post I would like to make one suggestion to you.  Get back in touch with your family.  I'm sure they love you more than the folks in Graham.   They say that blood is thicker than water; and I say it is not a sin to love your families.   Some might say, "Who are you to give the [Becky and John R.] advice"?  I'm nobody.  Just an old friend.

Don and Ange

P.S.  Link to ntcc photo of Becky and John R.

While researching the proper way to make the plural form of the name R-s, we came upon this gem:

When a family name (a proper noun) is pluralized, we almost always simply add an "s." So we go to visit the Smiths, the Kennedys, the Grays, etc.When a family name ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z, however, we form the plural by added -es, as in the Marches, the Joneses, the Maddoxes, the Bushes, the R-zes. Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms.

When a proper noun ends in an "s" with a hard "z" sound, we don't add any ending to form the plural: "The Chambers are coming to dinner" (not the Chamberses); "The Hodges used to live here" (not the Hodgeses). There are exceptions even to this: we say "The Joneses are coming over," and we'd probably write "The Stevenses are coming, too."  A modest proposal: women whose last names end in "s" (pronounced "z") should marry and take the names of men whose last names do not end with that sound, and eventually this problem will disappear.   Source link.

This reminds me of Becky and John telling me that when they got married, the "s" on John's last name had to kick the "z" out of Becky's maiden name.  Boot to the "z" ;~}