Gail Riplinger, Prophetess of KJVO-VPP, exposed
By Lim Seng Hoo based on research
findings by Shari Mills*
Gail Riplinger is a leading writer
for the KJVO-VPP (King James Version Only/Verbal
Plenary Preservation) movement, which has sown
division and confusion among bible-believing churches
in America and elsewhere. She has earned lavish
praise from Dr & Mrs D A Waite of the Dean Burgon
Society (a society of which John William Burgon,
if alive today, would not be able to be a part
of), and her books are sold at Waite's "The Bible
for Today" site and at the FEBC Book Room, and
more recently, also at Calvary Pandan's Tabernacle
Book Room.
In her writings, Riplinger often
makes extreme, wild and untrue claims. In her
"New Age Bible Versions" for example, she gave
her name as G. A. Riplinger. When later interviewed
about this in the "The End Times Victorious Living
Prophecy Newspaper", she said,
"Daily during the six years
in this investigation, the Lord miraculously brought
to me the materials and resources much like the
ravens fed Elijah. Each discovery was not the
result of effort on my part, but of the directed
hand of God so much so that I hesitated to even
put my name on the book. Consequently I used G
A Riplinger, which signifies to me God and Riplinger
- God as Author and Riplinger as Secretary."
In addition to claiming inspired
status for her book, she claims to be God's Secretary!
Riplinger also displays megalomaniacal tendencies
and takes it upon herself to disparage her fellow
KJVO proponents. "New Age Bible Versions" for
example included attacks on Rev David Cloud, who
in turn, reviewed the book and concluded that
it was "full of problems", "misquoting and poor
documentation", "errors of facts", "faulty logic",
"unproven statements", "Mrs Riplinger's amazing
statements", "endorsements which are not endorsements"
and finally, "a divorced woman preacher." See
http://www.wayoflife.org
for more details.
Credit for this expose on Riplinger's
double-life goes to Mrs Shari Mills, who has done
extensive research and documentation of proofs
of the facts here presented. I would recommend
visiting Sister Shari's website www.avpublications.org
where you may download all of these documents
and read her comprehensive article "Reasons
for exposing Gail Riplinger". We give praise
to Almighty God and our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ for Sister Shari's endeavours.
TWO DIVORCES AND THREE MARRIAGES
"Such is the way of an adulterous
woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith,
I have done no wickedness." (Prov 30:20)
Riplinger shares traits in common
with Dr Peter Ruckman, a promoter of paranormal
views including "Ruckmanism", which holds the
KJV English as being of advanced revelation and
more authentical than the Hebrew-Aramaic-Greek
manuscripts. (Incredibly, Dr Jeffrey Khoo argued
similarly in respect of 2 Sam 8:4 - see "Lim Seng
Hoo Vs Jeffrey Khoo Perfect KJV-VPP Written Debate").
Dr Ruckman's two divorces and three marriages
are well documented, and he is largely rejected
among conservative circles. Even FEBC rejects
Ruckman.
Like Ruckman, Riplinger is twice
divorced and thrice married. Whereas Ruckman has
been open and defiant about his past, Riplinger
has concealed hers. At a King James Bible Conference
on 10-11 January 2008 at Straightway Baptist Church,
Princeton, New Jersey, with Internet broadcast,
Dr D A Waite was asked if Riplinger is divorced.
He replied that his wife recently spoke with Riplinger
and she denied she was ever divorced, saying to
Mrs. Waite that she has been "married to the same
man for all these years." Either Riplinger lied
to Mrs Waite or Dr Waite was not being truthful.
After the Conference, Waite received full documents
of Riplinger's divorces but to date has not made
any corrections or taken any stand on these facts.
OUR LORD'S TEACHING ON DIVORCE AND RE-MARRIAGE
The Word of God teaches the sanctity and permanence
of marriage and does not easily sanction divorce
with re-marriage. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke
unequivocally about this in the Gospels,
"But I say unto you, That
whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for
the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit
adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is
divorced committeth adultery." (Matt 5:32)
"The Pharisees also came unto
him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every
cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have
ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning
made them male and female, And said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall
be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain,
but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder. They say unto
him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing
of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith
unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your
hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but
from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto
you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except
it be for fornication, and shall marry another,
committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which
is put away doth commit adultery. (Matt 19:3-9)
"And he saith unto them, Whosoever
shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth
adultery against her. And if a woman shall put
away her husband, and be married to another, she
committeth adultery." (Mark 10:11-12) (Emphasis
Added)
It should be noted that our Lord
recognised only one ground for divorce, which
is "fornication" (Greek: (porneia) or "uncleanness",
from which the word "pornography" is derived).
Secondly, our Lord differentiated
between an act of adultery, i.e. an occasion or
occasions of marital infidelity and a state of
adultery, which a person who divorces, except
for fornication, and re-marries, commits or falls
into (Mt 5:32, 19:9, Mk 10:11-12, Luke 16:18).
The Apostles Paul and John, by
the Holy Spirit, wrote concerning fornicators
and adulterers,
"Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind." (1Cor 6:9)
"For without are dogs, and
sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."
(Rev 22:15)
These are hard sayings. Our hearts
are with all who may encounter marital difficulties.
While our Lord has clear requirements of those
who follow Him, we should be careful not to judge
a person unfairly for a past divorce per se, but
to have understanding of the grounds for their
divorce and who initiated the same. The following
documents facts about Riplinger's divorces.
DOCUMENTS OF RIPLINGER'S 2 DIVORCES AND 3 MARRIAGES
Riplinger was born Gail Anne
Ludwig on 10 October 1947 at Mount Carmel Hospital,
Columbus, Ohio, the first and only child of Wilson
Ludwig and Helen Frech (Mrs Ludwig).
First Marriage on 7 June 1969
Documents show Gail Anne Ludwig
(occupation: group counsellor) 21 yrs on 10 Oct
1968 and Latessa (occupation: labourer), 22 yrs
on 10 Oct 1968, apply for a marriage license on
2 June 1969. The marriage was solemnised by Rev
Richard Marciangelo, Asst Pastor of Mt Carmel,
in Trumbull County, Ohio on 7 June 1969.
First Divorce on 12 February 1975
Documents show Gail Latessa initiated
divorce proceedings against her husband in the
County of Mahoning, Ohio, on the grounds of "extreme
cruelty", one of 12 recognised grounds in the
State of Ohio for divorce, and a convenient divorce
ground that can amount to something as small as
a spouse raising their voice or telling them to
do the dishes. It is certainly not the only one
allowed ground in the Scriptures, which is "fornication"
(see above).
The divorce documents called
for a payment of $14,000 to Mrs Helen Ludwig,
which was advanced to the parties as a down-payment
for their marital home, from the proceeds of its
sale.
The Court record states, "The
defendant was not present in person nor was he
represented by counsel". Her husband did not
initiate the proceedings, and perhaps did not
want the divorce but did not want to make things
difficult for Gail. In the absence of a defense,
the Court granted the divorce on the Plaintiff's
stated grounds on 12 February 1975 and restored
her maiden name. They were married for about 5
years and 8 months, and they had no children.
Note: Riplinger claimed in her
video lectures that she was "saved" at the age
of 26, but yet filed for divorce when she was
27. As a Christian, did she not care to obey the
Scriptures?
"And unto the married I command,
yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart
from her husband: But and if she depart, let her
remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband:
and let not the husband put away his wife. But
to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother
hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased
to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And
the woman which hath an husband that believeth
not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let
her not leave him." (1 Cor 7:10-13)
Second Marriage on 5 November 1976
Documents show Gail Anne Ludwig
(occupation: student) 29 yrs on 10 Oct 1976 and
Kaleda (occupation: Retail Manager), 27 yrs on
2 December 1975, apply for a marriage license
on 1 November 1976. The marriage was solemnised
by Rev Richard Gordon in Portage County, Warren,
Ohio. This union also yielded no children.
Note: Riplinger met her second
husband, who is 14 months younger then she, at
Kent State University and their marriage took
place about 1 year and 9 months after her first
divorce. This marriage placed both Riplinger and
her second husband in a state of adultery as long
as it lasted (Mt 5:32, 19:9, Mk 10:11-12, Luke
16:18).
Second Divorce on 23 July 1984
Documents show Gail initiated
the divorce proceedings against her second husband
as Defendant in Portage County, Ohio (Case 84CV
0652), again on non-Scriptural grounds of "gross
neglect of duty" and "extreme cruelty" towards
her.
The second husband however filed
a sworn Answer and Counterclaim on 28 June
1984, which states, inter alia that: -
"ˇhe has always fulfilled
his marital obligations during the parties' marriage,
but that the Plaintiff had not been a dutiful
wife and has been guilty of gross neglect of duty
and extreme cruelty towards the Defendant;"
"ˇthe Plaintiff has a good
professional position with Kent State University
as a professor earning at least $20,000 per year;"
"ˇthe Defendant is presently
unemployed and unemployable because of severe
emotional problems brought on by the wilful acts
of the Plaintiff-Wife
- that said Defendant is without
funds and is presently on welfare;"
However, 5 days later, on 3 July
1984, her husband's lawyer, Michael L McGowan,
wrote to the Honourable Joseph R Kainrad Judge
(excerpts) as follows:
- "Dear Judge Kainrad:
I am enclosing herewith Order
of Withdrawal and Cancellation in the above subject
case which is self-explanatory - myself withdrawing
as attorney and the Defendant, Kaleda, desiring
to have his Answer and Counterclaim withdrawn
or dismissed.
I have discussed this matter
with William F. Calhoun, attorney for the Plaintiff,
and advised him of my concern regarding this matter.
Mr. Kaleda, in my opinion,
does not appear to have all his wits about him.
He is under psychiatric care and operating on
heavy medication.
I am also enclosing herewith
a written statement from Mr. Kaleda wherein he
states that he wishes to withdraw his Answer and
Counterclaim in case No 84 CV 0652 for personal
reasons - he wishes to be married to his wife,
Gail Kaleda and that neither his wife nor he wish
to contest this matter further.
I do not think this is
true that his wife does not wish to contest the
matter. His wife insisted on accompanying him
into my office and staying with him during our
office conference. I asked if she was going to
contest this matter further and she said it was
none of my business. "
We see Riplinger able to manipulate
her second husband, right into his lawyer's office,
to withdraw his Answer & Counter Claim, while
having no intention at all to stop her divorce
proceedings. Clearly, her husband did not want
to divorce, but Riplinger is not one to heed the
Lord's command (1Cor 7:10-13). With the Defendant
not contesting, the Court awarded the divorce
to the Plaintiff on her grounds and restored her
to her maiden name, Gail Ludwig, on 23 July 1984.
Following no objections from her husband, judgment
was entered on 6 August 1984.
Third Marriage on 27 October 1984
Documents show Gail Anne Ludwig
(occupation: Professor) 36 yrs on 10 October 1983
and Michael Domnick Riplinger (occupation: serviceman),
34 yrs on 28 April 1984 applied for a license
to marry in Summit County, Ohio, on 4 September
1984. This marriage was solemnised by Judge Pike
on 27 October 1984.
Note: 28 days after the
judgement entry, when the ink had barely dried
on her last divorce, Gail and Michael (18 months
younger than her), apply for a marriage license!
1 month and 23 days later, this marriage was solemnised
by a secular judge, despite Riplinger's claims
to be a believer. Mrs Shari Mills traced Gail's
background through records at the university where
she taught and found that Michael's sister and
Gail obtained degrees in Art at the same college
around the same time. If she had divorced Kaleda
in order to marry Michael, the Riplingers are
today living in a state of adultery (Mt 5:32,
19:9, Mk 10:11-12, Luke 16:18).
CONCLUSION
Our Lord Jesus Christ said of
false teachers, that we shall know them by their
fruits,
"Beware of false prophets,
which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by
their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit. (Matt 7:15-18)
One who consistently does not
obey the Holy Scriptures and bring forth the fruit
of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) is a corrupt tree;
and a corrupt tree cannot bear forth good fruit.
Riplinger's fruits show that she is not a good
tree. As a professed teacher of fanciful and misleading
"doctrines', she is a false prophetess, who dresses
in sheep's clothing but inwardly is a ravening
she-wolf. David Cloud correctly points out that
Riplinger as a woman preacher, is unscriptural,
"Let your women keep silence
in the churches: for it is not permitted unto
them to speak; but they are commanded to be under
obedience, as also saith the law. And if they
will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands
at home: for it is a shame for women to speak
in the church." (1 Cor 14:34-35)
We have nothing personally towards
Gail Riplinger other than compassion, wishing
to "save with fear, pulling out of the fire; hating
even the garment spotted by the flesh." (Jude
22-23) She however is a teacher of false doctrines
and must be exposed for the sake of those whom
she has misled over the years. May the Lord be
pleased to use the truth about her double life,
to open the eyes of many, who have been deceived
into the heresy of KJVO-VPP through her misleading
claims! This we pray in the Name of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
Singapore, 22 October 2008
* - Shari Mills is a pen name.
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