Update on Undertow: My Escape from …

Finally! Beat the drums. Coming January 2017—

Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism

and Cult Control of The Way International™

This memoir draws back the curtains on my seventeen years in The Way, one of the largest fundamentalist groups in the 1980s. I now consider it a destructive cult. When I’d dropped out of college in 1970 and thrown myself into the cult, all I wanted was to serve God in this world. What harm could that possibly bring?

On this website I have written more than one post about that experience. The book, Undertow, reveals the deeper story, tracing my quest for truth, my discovery of it in unexpected places, and the psychological chains that eventually broke.

Beginning at age 18, I pledged loyalty to The Way as a zealous leader. I married a Way clergyman. Behind the scenes in my unique situation as biblical researcher at Way headquarters in the late 1980s I realized escape was my only chance for spiritual survival.

Advanced praise for Undertow

Already, several authors have read an advanced copy of Undertow. Here is one response:

“Charlene Edge’s personal story, Undertow, is a wake-up call to moderate Christians (and everyone else) about the dangers of the respectable-looking kind of fundamentalism that conducts Bible study but in reality twists Scripture to produce self-serving doctrines, demands obedience to a cult-of-personality leader, warps believers’ personal identities, and potentially damages members’ long-term welfare. With non-profit status, such cults are here to stay. Read Undertow and be warned.” – Julia Scheeres, author of Jesus Land

Undertow pre-orders in November

This November you can pre-order Undertow at this website on a handy dandy new home page featuring Undertow’s front cover, a summary of the story, promotional blurbs from other authors, photos that will appear in the book, and other goodies.

My creative website designer, Mary Ann de Stefano, owner of Mad About Words, is working with me on the overhaul. BTW, she also took on the enormous task a few years ago of reading a draft of Undertow. Afterwards, the long journey to publication began. More help arrived. I’ll write THAT story in future blog posts.

About New Wings Press, LLC

Some of you subscribers may remember that in March I announced the creation of New Wings Press, LLC with the purpose of publishing my book. I gathered a team of talented and dedicated freelancers to help me. In future posts, I’ll introduce Team Undertow to you. I’m humbled that such loving, dedicated, and talented people believe in my story.

This undertaking is indebted to more than one of you reading this. You know who you are. Your support of this memoir has given me encouragement and joy to continue. Especially the love and support from Dr. Hoyt Edge, my husband. You rock!

So many stories behind the story …

Stay tuned for more “Updates on Undertow” and stories about this, that, and the other thing, and far-flung places on the planet. For instance, since April, Hoyt and I have traveled to Costa Rica and to New Orleans. That pesky travel bug keeps biting.

Your writer on the wing,

Charlene

Share this…

email

Facebook

Linkedin

Twitter

Print