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{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] -->
| name = Gwen Shamblin
| name = Gwen Shamblin
| image = Gwen_Shamblin_And_Children.jpg
| image =
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| birthdate =
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| influences =
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| website = http://www.gwenshamblin.org/
| website = http://www.weighdown.com/
}}
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'''Gwen Shamblin''' is an [[United States|American]] [[Christian]] non-fiction author and leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church. The most distinctive aspect of her writing is its combination of weight loss programs with Christianity. Shamblin is married and has two children.<ref>
'''Gwen Shamblin''' is an [[United States|American]] [[Christian]] non-fiction author and leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church. The most distinctive aspect of her writing is its combination of weight loss programs with Christianity. Shamblin is married and has two children.<ref>
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{{cite news | last=Mulrine | first=Anna| coauthors =| title = A Godly Approach to Weight Loss| work = [[U.S. News & World Report]] | pages =| language =eng| publisher = | date =1997-04-27| url =http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/970505/archive_006847.htm| accessdate =2007-04-06 }}</ref>
{{cite news | last=Mulrine | first=Anna| coauthors =| title = A Godly Approach to Weight Loss| work = [[U.S. News & World Report]] | pages =| language =eng| publisher = | date =1997-04-27| url =http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/970505/archive_006847.htm| accessdate =2007-04-06 }}</ref>


Recently, Shamblin has used the Weight Down Diet workshops as recruiting grounds for her church. Weight Down followers are told that, if they can't seem to lose all of their excess weight, it is because they attend a church that allows "false idols." They are then encouraged to join Shamblin's church, which is billed as the one authentic church. Church members engage in "lovebombing," a frequent practice in cults, where they shower potential new members with attention.
==The Weigh Down Workshop==
Weigh Down is a Christian-based weight loss ministry, sponsored by The Remnant Fellowship Church, that teaches people how to transfer a relationship with food over to a loving relationship toward God. Weigh Down teaches people how to eat food only when they are truly physically hungry and how to find the control to stop eating when that physical hunger has been satisfied. Weigh Down is addressing the greed for food that has been created by excessive dieting in this country.<ref> {{cite website | title = The Weigh Down Workshop| date =2008-11-25| url =http://www.weighdown.com| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref>

==The Weigh Down Workshop Seminars==
===Exodus Out of Egypt: The Change Series===

Exodus Out of Egypt<ref> {{cite website | title = Exodus Out of Egypy Seminar| date =2008-11-25| url =http://store.weighdown.com/EXODUS-OUT-OF-EGYPT-CHANGE-SERIES-ONLINE-SEMINAR-P164C15.aspx| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref> is The Weigh Down Workshop’s foundational weight loss seminar and your first step in permanent weight loss! If you want to stop dieting forever, learn to eat in the way that God planned for your body, and lose your extra weight permanently, this is the perfect class for you! You will find self-control that you never thought you could have as you enjoy all the wonderful and God-given foods you have been denying yourself for so long. And the best thing is, you will no longer feel controlled by the food or have the desire to binge at night when no one is looking! Gwen Shamblin will teach you how to plug back into your God-given physical signals, and you will find incredible freedom in your eating as you learn to follow God’s perfect will in regard to food.<br>
As a participant in this 8 week online seminar, you will meet once a week for approximately 2 hours for video lessons and live interaction via a chat room with your coordinator and classmates. Your coordinator, who has lost all his/her excess weight and kept it off for several years, will be there to help answer your questions and encourage you on this journey! You will also receive a workbook and set of 8 audio CDs to help you apply each weeks' lesson.<br>

SPECIAL NOTES:<br>
•A high-speed Internet connection is required. <br>
•An orientation will be held exactly one week prior to the start date. <br>
•By signing up for this seminar, you are reserving a seat in the specific time selected. One make-up lesson is allotted for an unexpected absence. You can contact the Weigh Down Workshop office at 1-800-844-5208 or info@weighdown.com to schedule a time.

===The Last Exodus Seminar===

This seminar targets basic weight loss for children ages 8-28 and is an excellent bible study to do as a family or to use in homeschooling. The Last Exodus seminar<ref> {{cite website | title = The Last Exodus Seminar| date =2008-11-25| url =http://store.weighdown.com/THE-LAST-EXODUS-YOUTHFAMILY-ONLINE-SEMINAR-P238C15.aspx| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref> is geared towards teenagers and young adults - and is positively affecting all ages! If you have ever felt yourself entrapped or addicted to anything in this world, such as food, disrespectful attitude, cigarettes/alcohol, TV/videogames, lust, money or anything else, and couldn't break free, this is the program for you! Come experience God's deliverance from anything that has enslaved you. You will hear from teens and young adults who have exchanged a passion for things that robbed them of looks, time and money with a focus and love for God. Only God can set you free forever. You will never be the same! The Last Exodus is truly a break-through for this generation!
As a participant in this online seminar, you will meet once a week for approximately 2 hours for video lessons and live interaction via a chatroom with your coordinator and classmates. Your coordinator, who has lost all his/her excess weight and kept it off for several years, will be there to help answer your questions and encourage you on this journey! You will also receive a workbook and set of 8 audio CDs to help you apply each weeks' lesson.
SPECIAL NOTES:<br>
•A high-speed Internet connection is required.<br>
•An orientation will be held exactly one week prior to the start date.<br>
•By signing up for this seminar, you are reserving a seat in the specific time selected. One make-up lesson is allotted for an unexpected absence. You can contact our office at 1-800-844-5208 or info@weighdown.com to schedule a time.

===The Legend to the Treasure Seminar===

If you have participated in the Exodus Out of Egypt-Change Series course and you have started changing by applying what you have learned, yet you want more and you are ready to dig deeper – The Legend to the Treasure <ref> {{cite website | title = The Legend to the Treasure Seminar| date =2008-11-25| url =http://store.weighdown.com/THE-LEGEND-TO-THE-TREASURE-ONLINE-SEMINAR-wCDs-P186C15.aspx| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref> is your next step and The Weigh Down Workshop’s latest seminar!
Do you find yourself occasionally still going to the food for comfort or zoning out with TV or getting caught up in the worries of the world? What you have treasured is about to be revealed. Join Gwen Shamblin on this 8 week seminar that will challenge, encourage, and convict you more than anything you have ever experienced before.
As a participant in this seminar, you will receive a Treasure Box with the following items:<br>
•''The Legend to The Treasure book'' (ISBN 1-892729-80-6)<br>
•A Shipmates Log Book (questions, surveys, weekly lesson reviews)<br>
•10 Audio Lessons on CDs <br>
•20 Pearl Cards (pocket-sized encouragement reminders)<br>
To read excerpts from the books, hear audio clips and more, go to www.legendtothetreasure.com. <ref>{{cite website | title = The Legend to the Treasure | date =2008-11-25| url=http://www.legendtothetreasure.com| accessdate =2008-11-25 }}</ref> <br>

SPECIAL NOTES:<br>
•A [[high-speed Internet connection]] is required. <br>
•An orientation will be held exactly one week prior to the start date. <br>
•By signing up for this seminar, you are reserving a seat in the specific time selected. One make-up lesson is allotted for an unexpected absence. You can contact our office at 1-800-844-5208 or info@weighdown.com to schedule a time. <br>
•You may want to consider purchasing a Journal for note-taking as there is no extra journaling space in the Log Book.

===Exodus from Strongholds===

This seminar offered by The Weigh Down Workshop is geared more towards helping individuals break free from addictions and strongholds. Exodus from Strongholds<ref> {{cite website | title = Exodus from Stronholds| date =2008-11-25| url=http://store.weighdown.com/EXODUS-FROM-STRONGHOLDS-ONLINE-SEMINAR-P203C15.aspx| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref> has helped participants permanently lay down cigarettes, alcohol abuse, overspending, pornography, anger, gossip – and help heal marriages - just to name a few! In This 12-week seminar, Gwen Shamblin teaches the same Christian principles in Exodus Out of Egypt to help people realize that overindulgence in any worldly idol or unfruitful behavior is not God’s plan for us - we are to serve only the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ, and break free from any other stronghold that controls us.<br>
As a participant in this online seminar, you will meet once a week for approximately 1.5 hours for video lessons and live interaction via a chatroom with your coordinator and classmates. Your coordinator, who has lost all his/her excess weight and kept it off for several years, will be there to help answer your questions and encourage you on this journey! You will also receive a workbook and set of 10 audio lessons to help you apply each weeks' lesson.

SPECIAL NOTES:<br>
•A high-speed Internet connection is required.<br>
•An orientation will be held exactly one week prior to the start date.<br>
•By signing up for this seminar, you are reserving a seat in the specific time selected. One make-up lesson is allotted for an unexpected absence. You can contact our office at 1-800-844- 5208 or info@weighdown.com to schedule a time.

===Weigh Down Advanced===

After you have taken Exodus Out of Egypt and The Legend to The Treasure, if you feel like you are still struggling with laying down your own will in regard to the food - meaning that you feel like you are having a hard time breaking your focus on the food and finding the self-control God has for you - and you want further instruction and encouragement, Weigh Down Advanced<ref> {{cite website | title = Weigh Down Advance| date =2008-11-25| url=http://store.weighdown.com/WEIGH-DOWN-ADVANCED-ONLINE-SEMINAR-P222C15.aspx| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref> is the 3rd Step! You want to make sure you have participated in the previous courses first because Gwen Shamblin builds upon the foundational instruction in Exodus Out of Egypt and the deeper study of The Legend to the Treasure.<br>
This powerful 10-week seminar will take you beyond the physical aspects of your hunger and fullness into a deep, convicting study of your heart. You will see the "big picture" of how your rebellion in regard to food affects God and His plan for you, and you will find the strength and conviction to never overeat again.<br>
As a participant in this online seminar, you will meet once a week for approximately 2 hours for video lessons and live interaction via a chatroom with your coordinator and classmates. Your coordinator, who has lost all his/her excess weight and kept it off for several years, will be there to help answer your questions and encourage you on this journey! You will also receive a workbook, a set of 10 audio lessons, and pocket-sized encouragement cards to help you apply each weeks' lesson.
<br>
SPECIAL NOTES:<br>
•A high-speed Internet connection is required. <br>
•An orientation will be held exactly one week prior to the start date. <br>
•By signing up for this seminar, you are reserving a seat in the specific time selected. One make-up lesson is allotted for an unexpected absence. You can contact our office at 1-800-844-5208 or info@weighdown.com to schedule a time.<br>

===EL ULTIMO EXODO===
This seminar, El Ultimo Exodo, taken from the seminar, The Last Exodus, is subtitled in Spanish and has testimonies in Spanish. It targets basic weight loss and is an excellent bible study to do as a family. If you have ever felt yourself entrapped or addicted to anything in this world, such as food, disrespectful attitude, cigarettes/alcohol, TV/videogames, lust, money or anything else, and couldn't break free, this is the program for you! Come experience God's deliverance from anything that has enslaved you. You will hear from Spanish speaking participants, who have exchanged a passion for things that robbed them of looks, time and money with a focus and love for God. Only God can set you free forever. You will never be the same! El Ultimo Exodo is truly a break-through for this generation!
As a participant in this online seminar, you will meet once a week for approximately 2 hours for video lessons and live interaction via a chat room with your coordinator and classmates. Your coordinator, who has lost all his/her excess weight and kept it off for several years, will be there to help answer your questions and encourage you on this journey! You will also receive a workbook and set of 2 audio CDs to help you apply each week’s lesson.

SPECIAL NOTES:<br>
•A high-speed Internet connection is required. <br>
•An orientation will be held exactly one week prior to the start date.<br>
•By signing up for this seminar, you are reserving a seat in the specific time selected. One make-up lesson is allotted for an unexpected absence. You can contact our office at 1-800-844-5208 or info@weighdown.com to schedule a time.

===Weigh Down at Home Series===

The Weigh Down Workshop’s weight loss basic at home series<ref> {{cite website | title = Weigh Down at Home| date =2008-11-25| url=http://www.weighdown.com/At_Home_Kits.shtml| accessdate =2008-11-25 }} </ref> has everything you need to keep you focused on the nights you are not in class. Gwen Shamblin walks you through the basics using 12 weeks of video lessons, that you own for life plus 6 audio cassettes, a workbook and the two very popular pocket guides "How to Eat Your Favorite Foods" and "Pocket Tempatation Guide". If there is not local class available or you do not have access to the Internet - this is the best way to get the basics to start your journey to permanent weight loss.



==Remnant Fellowship Church==
==Remnant Fellowship Church==
Gwen Shamblin is a leader in and a founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church. The church takes its name from the [[Book of Ezra]] 9:8-9, which mentions a "faithful remnant" of followers.<ref name="Kennedy sect guru">
Gwen Shamblin is a leader in and a founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church, and church which is considered by most nonmembers to be a cult. The church has many of the features of a typical cults, such as telling members not to question any church doctrines or read any materials that contradict church doctrines, insisting that they are the only authentic church, showering new members with love and attention, and telling members not to even engage in discussion with others about what they believe. Members are encouraged to cut off all ties with family members and friends that question the cult. The church takes its name from the [[Book of Ezra]] 9:8-9, which mentions a "faithful remnant" of followers.<ref name="Kennedy sect guru">
{{cite news | last=Kennedy| first=John W.| coauthors =| title =New Sect: Weigh Down guru Gwen Shamblin's Remnant Fellowship grows. | work= [[Christianity Today]] | pages =| language =eng | date =12/9/2002| url =http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2002/december9/6.15.html| accessdate =2007-04-09}}</ref> According to the church's website, it currently has over 120 locations worldwide.<ref>
{{cite news | last=Kennedy| first=John W.| coauthors =| title =New Sect: Weigh Down guru Gwen Shamblin's Remnant Fellowship grows. | work= [[Christianity Today]] | pages =| language =eng | date =12/9/2002| url =http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2002/december9/6.15.html| accessdate =2007-04-09}}</ref> According to the church's website, it currently has over 120 locations worldwide, mostly home churches consisting of less than 10 members each. Shamblin encourages members to look to her as the source of truth and to not listen to the teachings of other pastors that contradict hers.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.remnantfellowship.org|title=Remnant Fellowship Church Homepage |accessdate=2007-04-06 |publisher= remnantfellowship.org}}</ref> The church was started in 1999 in Brentwood, [[Tennessee]].
{{cite web |url=http://www.remnantfellowship.org|title=Remnant Fellowship Church Homepage |accessdate=2007-04-06 |publisher= remnantfellowship.org}}</ref> The church was started in 1999 in Brentwood, [[Tennessee]].


In a 2001 interview with ''[[The New Yorker]],'' Shamblin stated that she felt called by God to start Remnant Fellowship after noticing that some users of the Weigh Down program were beginning to gain back their weight. This led her to theorize that the mainstream Protestant doctrine of "Eternal Security" leads some people to believe they have a license to sin.<ref>
In a 2001 interview with ''[[The New Yorker]],'' Shamblin stated that she felt called by God to start Remnant Fellowship after noticing that some users of the Weigh Down program were beginning to gain back their weight. This led her to theorize that the mainstream Protestant doctrine of "Eternal Security" leads some people to believe they have a license to sin. This is an important part of her church doctrine; people who can not lose weight or get rid of other sins in their lives are told it is because they attend a church that worships false idols, and that they need to join the true church, which is Remnant, if they ever want to be free.<ref>
{{cite news | last=Mead| first=Rebecca| coauthors =| title =Letter from Tennessee: Slim for Him|work= [[The New Yorker]] | pages =| language =eng | date =2001-01-15| url=http://www.rebeccamead.com/2001/2001_01_15_art_slim.htm | accessdate =2007-04-06}}</ref>
{{cite news | last=Mead| first=Rebecca| coauthors =| title =Letter from Tennessee: Slim for Him|work= [[The New Yorker]] | pages =| language =eng | date =2001-01-15| url=http://www.rebeccamead.com/2001/2001_01_15_art_slim.htm | accessdate =2007-04-06}}</ref>


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{{cite web |url= http://www.quickandsimple.com/article.php?id=463&menu=&menu_cat= |title= How I Prayed Off the Pounds |accessdate=2007-05-29 |publisher= ''Quick and Simple'' }}</ref> and in numerous newspaper articles. Most recently, ''[[The Tyra Banks Show]]''<ref>
{{cite web |url= http://www.quickandsimple.com/article.php?id=463&menu=&menu_cat= |title= How I Prayed Off the Pounds |accessdate=2007-05-29 |publisher= ''Quick and Simple'' }}</ref> and in numerous newspaper articles. Most recently, ''[[The Tyra Banks Show]]''<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://tyranews.blogspot.com/search/label/cheap / |title= What's new on Tyra this week? Thursday, 10 May: Church of Thin |date= [[5 May]] [[2007]] |publisher= tyranews }}</ref> devoted an hour long program to Shamblin, the Weigh Down Workshop, the Fellowship and participants from Weigh Down programs.
{{cite web |url=http://tyranews.blogspot.com/search/label/cheap / |title= What's new on Tyra this week? Thursday, 10 May: Church of Thin |date= [[5 May]] [[2007]] |publisher= tyranews }}</ref> devoted an hour long program to Shamblin, the Weigh Down Workshop, the Fellowship and participants from Weigh Down programs.

===Alberta Report===
<ref> {{cite website |url=http://www.wdworkshop.com/Gwen_Shamblin_Alberta_Report.htm |title=“How to feast on faith: Growing numbers of churches are devouring God-based weight control” |accessdate=2008-12-14 |publisher= [[Alberta Report]] |''The Report Canada’s Independent News Magazine'' }}</ref>The Weigh Down program teaches the differences between worshipping God and idolizing food, between true "stomach hunger" and false "head hunger," and on a practical level, between eating until satisfied and eating until everything on the plate has vanished. A workshop leader calls Weigh Down an answer to prayer. "I was drawn to the fridge, drawn to food. Now I turn to God instead of the fridge," she says, having lost 35 pounds in 10 months, with no inclination to put it back on.


==Criticism==
==Criticism==
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=== Religious Beliefs ===
=== Religious Beliefs ===


Gwen Shamblin's weight loss programs were initially very well received within Christian churches. Tens of thousands of churches in many different denominations used her materials to teach her faith based weight loss program in the late 80s and early 90s. Controversy arose when she began to teach that the doctrine of the [[Trinity]] was not Biblical, which led Thomas Nelson Publishers to cancel the publication of ''Exodus'', her next work.<ref>
Gwen Shamblin's weight loss programs were initially very well received within Christian churches. Tens of thousands of churches in many different denominations used her materials to teach her faith based weight loss program in the late 80s and early 90s. Controversy arose when she began to teach that the doctrine of the [[Trinity]] was not Biblical. Gwen Shamblin made it clear that she believes Jesus Christ is not God but rather God's son. This led Thomas Nelson Publishers to cancel the publication of ''Exodus'', her next work. In a letter to her followers sent to clarify her position on the Trinity, Shamblin wrote: "The reason all of this is important is that if you do not understand that God is the clear authority and that Jesus was under God's authority, then you will not have a clear picture of what it means to be Christ like. Jesus suffered, obeyed, submitted, denied his will, and made it his food to do the will of the Father."''<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=6481|title=Thomas Nelson pulls plug on Gwen Shamblin's book |accessdate=2007-04-06 |publisher= [[Baptist Press]] }}</ref> In a letter to her followers sent to clarify her position on the Trinity, Shamblin wrote : ''"The reason all of this is important is that if you do not understand that God is the clear authority and that Jesus was under God's authority, then you will not have a clear picture of what it means to be Christ like. Jesus suffered, obeyed, submitted, denied his will, and made it his food to do the will of the Father."''<ref>
{{cite news | last=Veenker | first=Jody| coauthors =| title =The Weigh Is Narrow | work =| pages =| language =eng| publisher = ''[[Christianity Today]]'' | date =[[September 1]], [[2000]]| url =http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2000/septemberweb-only/53.0a.html| accessdate =2007-04-09}}</ref>
{{cite news | last=Veenker | first=Jody| coauthors =| title =The Weigh Is Narrow | work =| pages =| language =eng| publisher = ''[[Christianity Today]]'' | date =[[September 1]], [[2000]]| url =http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2000/septemberweb-only/53.0a.html| accessdate =2007-04-09}}</ref>


===Remnant Fellowship Church===
===Remnant Fellowship Church===


There is great concern that Remnant Fellowship is a cult. Gwen Shamblin is seen as the supreme authority on all matters, and members are encouraged not to question Gwen's teachings, and to cut off all contact with family members and friends that question the church. Members are instructed not to read and books or news sources that might contradict the church. Like most cult leaders, Shamblin insist that all other churches are false, and that hers in the only one that truly glorifies God.
Some people have said that Remnant Church members are encouraged to move to Tennessee to be closer to the church if possible; about 650 members are estimated to have moved.<ref>
<ref>{{cite news | last=Burch| first=Bonnie| coauthors =| title =Remnant founder says church not politically involved | work =| pages =| language =eng| publisher = ''[[The Tennessean]]'' | date =2005-04-21| url =http://www.tennessean.com/williamsonam/news/archives/05/03/68490782.shtml| accessdate =2007-04-09 }}</ref>
{{cite news | last=Bartlett| first=Jennifer | coauthors =| title =Cults are not the way to lose weight | work= The Kingman Daily Miner | pages =| language =eng| publisher = | date =2007-04-30| url =http://www.kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=11978| accessdate =2007-05-11 }}</ref> In an interview where Shamblin was asked if Remnant is encouraging families to move to the Nashville area from elsewhere, she replied "We had 80 members for a long time. We bought that land. And we were building the church at that time. It just grew little by little by little. Then inside the last year, when all of a sudden all these people wanted to move, well, I'm not going to tell them where to live. And I said, ''Are you sure God is asking you to sell your land?'' And they would say, ''We feel God calling us to move. And we want to move. Every time we come down to visit we don't want to leave because we have such a good time."<ref name="Burch founder">
{{cite news | last=Burch| first=Bonnie| coauthors =| title =Remnant founder says church not politically involved | work =| pages =| language =eng| publisher = ''[[The Tennessean]]'' | date =2005-04-21| url =http://www.tennessean.com/williamsonam/news/archives/05/03/68490782.shtml| accessdate =2007-04-09 }}</ref>

==Legal cases==


===Josef Smith Case and Shamblin on Child Discipline===

Although the case ([[Georgia v. Smith]]), prompted authorities to raid the Weigh Down Workshop's Franklin headquarters in 2004, church officials were not charged with wrongdoing in the case. Police investigators who testified in court said they could not find any link between the boy's death and the church. Josef Smith's parents were sentenced to life in prison in February of 2007. The Smiths were convicted of manslaughter. Remnant Fellowship Church funded the defense of the parents and continues to support for them via the internet. Supporters of the Smiths argue that the Smiths never stood a chance for a fair trial because the media had deemed them guilty for the 3 year time period between their sons death and their trial. The website TheSmithsAreInnocent.com (http://www.thesmithsareinnocent.com) states: "after three years of false accusations and rush to judgments followed by only 7 hours of defense in the courtroom - a jury was left in confusion, leading to undeserved convictions of these innocent parents in 2007." This website also includes pictures and other information which was not allowed in the trial. Supports of the Smiths say this additional information could have made the difference in the verdict. <ref>
{{cite news | last=French| first=Rose| coauthors =| title =Church leading appeal of Ga. parents sentenced in child’s death | work =| pages =| language =eng| publisher = Associated Press| date =2007-03-28| url =http://www.dailyreportonline.com/Editorial/News/new_singleEdit.asp?individual_SQL=3%2F28%2F2007%4014364_Public_.htm| accessdate =2007-04-06 }}</ref> According to [[WTVF]] ''NewsChannel 5'' Nashville, "Even Remnant's most vocal critics insist they do not believe Ms. Shamblin or anyone ever intended for child abuse to occur."<ref name="Williams investigation">
{{cite news | last=Williams| first=Phil| coauthors =| title =Religious Movement at Center of Child Death Investigation | work =| pages =| language =eng| publisher= [[WTVF]] ''NewsChannel 5'' | date =2004-02-04| url =http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5412250&nav=menu374_2| accessdate =2007-04-06 }}</ref>



Former members of Remnant Church and critics of Shablin believe the institution to be strictly authoritarian, with recruits and adherents under the guidance of Shamblin about many different aspects of their lives.http://www.spiritwatch.org/RFtest.htm Former recruit Adam Brooks stated that "Members...are willing to yield to Shamblin on the use of severe discipline for children," due to this type of church environment. http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=541230


==References==
==References==
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.weighdown.com Weigh Down Workshop Website] link retrieved 10/02/2008
*[http://www.weighdown.com Weigh Down Workshop Website] link retrieved 10/02/2008
*[http://www.remnantfellowship.org Remnant Fellowship Church Website] link retrieved 10/02/2008
*[http://www.spiritwatch.org/remnantwatch.htm Remnant Fellowship: A Brief History]
*[http://www.TheSmithsAreInnocent.com Joseph & Sonya Smith Website] link retrieved 10/02/2008

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamblin, Gwen}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shamblin, Gwen}}
[[Category:American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American non-fiction writers]]

Revision as of 20:59, 23 May 2009

Gwen Shamblin
OccupationAuthor and Registered Dietician
GenreSelf-help, Non-fiction
Website
http://www.weighdown.com/

Gwen Shamblin is an American Christian non-fiction author and leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church. The most distinctive aspect of her writing is its combination of weight loss programs with Christianity. Shamblin is married and has two children.[1]

According to her website, Ms. Shamblin is a registered dietitian, consultant and was an instructor of nutrition at the University of Memphis.[2] Before she started writing, she earned a master’s degree in dietetics from University of Tennessee, in Knoxville.[3]

The Weigh Down Diet

Gwen Shamblin is the author of The Weigh Down Diet (ISBN 0-385-49324-X). First published in 1997, this diet advises using spirituality to avoid overeating and has sold more than 1.2 million copies.[4] Since that time she has written Rise Above (ISBN 0-7852-6876-6), a devotional book called Exodus (ISBN 1-892729-00-8) and most recently in 2007 The Legend to The Treasure (ISBN 1-892729-80-6).

Shamblin teaches that there are two very different needs in each person; a need for food and an emotional need. According to Ms. Shamblin, people should only eat when they feel real, physical hunger and stop when full; prayer and Bible reading will fill emotional needs instead of food. Overeating is equated with greed. A core principle of the Weigh Down Diet, when people feel an urge to snack but are not experiencing true physiological "hunger", Shamblin encourages participants to read the Bible instead.[5]

Recently, Shamblin has used the Weight Down Diet workshops as recruiting grounds for her church. Weight Down followers are told that, if they can't seem to lose all of their excess weight, it is because they attend a church that allows "false idols." They are then encouraged to join Shamblin's church, which is billed as the one authentic church. Church members engage in "lovebombing," a frequent practice in cults, where they shower potential new members with attention.

Remnant Fellowship Church

Gwen Shamblin is a leader in and a founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church, and church which is considered by most nonmembers to be a cult. The church has many of the features of a typical cults, such as telling members not to question any church doctrines or read any materials that contradict church doctrines, insisting that they are the only authentic church, showering new members with love and attention, and telling members not to even engage in discussion with others about what they believe. Members are encouraged to cut off all ties with family members and friends that question the cult. The church takes its name from the Book of Ezra 9:8-9, which mentions a "faithful remnant" of followers.[6] According to the church's website, it currently has over 120 locations worldwide, mostly home churches consisting of less than 10 members each. Shamblin encourages members to look to her as the source of truth and to not listen to the teachings of other pastors that contradict hers.[7] The church was started in 1999 in Brentwood, Tennessee.

In a 2001 interview with The New Yorker, Shamblin stated that she felt called by God to start Remnant Fellowship after noticing that some users of the Weigh Down program were beginning to gain back their weight. This led her to theorize that the mainstream Protestant doctrine of "Eternal Security" leads some people to believe they have a license to sin. This is an important part of her church doctrine; people who can not lose weight or get rid of other sins in their lives are told it is because they attend a church that worships false idols, and that they need to join the true church, which is Remnant, if they ever want to be free.[8]

In the media

Shamblin has recently been featured on The Today Show,[9] DaySide,[10] and The Early Show.[11] Participants from the Weigh Down Workshop have been featured on the cover of Good Housekeeping,[12] in the Ladies' Home Journal,[13] First magazine,[14] Quick and Simple,[15] and in numerous newspaper articles. Most recently, The Tyra Banks Show[16] devoted an hour long program to Shamblin, the Weigh Down Workshop, the Fellowship and participants from Weigh Down programs.

Alberta Report

[17]The Weigh Down program teaches the differences between worshipping God and idolizing food, between true "stomach hunger" and false "head hunger," and on a practical level, between eating until satisfied and eating until everything on the plate has vanished. A workshop leader calls Weigh Down an answer to prayer. "I was drawn to the fridge, drawn to food. Now I turn to God instead of the fridge," she says, having lost 35 pounds in 10 months, with no inclination to put it back on.

Criticism

Diet Principles

Other dietitians have questioned the soundness of Shamblin's diet advice, which focuses on faith instead of healthy eating habits or exercise.[18][19] In the book Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity (ISBN 0520242408), author Marie Griffith, a Princeton associate professor of religion, examines the trend of religion-based dieting. Griffith credits Shamblin for the new wave of interest in creating "a more holy body", and substantial sections of the work examine Shamblin's movement.[20] Griffith notes "In Shamblin's world, people who don't lose weight often feel like failures. If they don't lose weight, it's a failure of discipline; it's a failure of obedience."[21] At the same time, Griffith's work places Shamblin's movement squarely within a historical tradition of perfecting one's body in order to be more Christ-like, or fasting and dieting in order to feel closer to God.

Religious Beliefs

Gwen Shamblin's weight loss programs were initially very well received within Christian churches. Tens of thousands of churches in many different denominations used her materials to teach her faith based weight loss program in the late 80s and early 90s. Controversy arose when she began to teach that the doctrine of the Trinity was not Biblical. Gwen Shamblin made it clear that she believes Jesus Christ is not God but rather God's son. This led Thomas Nelson Publishers to cancel the publication of Exodus, her next work. In a letter to her followers sent to clarify her position on the Trinity, Shamblin wrote: "The reason all of this is important is that if you do not understand that God is the clear authority and that Jesus was under God's authority, then you will not have a clear picture of what it means to be Christ like. Jesus suffered, obeyed, submitted, denied his will, and made it his food to do the will of the Father."[22]

Remnant Fellowship Church

There is great concern that Remnant Fellowship is a cult. Gwen Shamblin is seen as the supreme authority on all matters, and members are encouraged not to question Gwen's teachings, and to cut off all contact with family members and friends that question the church. Members are instructed not to read and books or news sources that might contradict the church. Like most cult leaders, Shamblin insist that all other churches are false, and that hers in the only one that truly glorifies God. [23]

Former members of Remnant Church and critics of Shablin believe the institution to be strictly authoritarian, with recruits and adherents under the guidance of Shamblin about many different aspects of their lives.http://www.spiritwatch.org/RFtest.htm Former recruit Adam Brooks stated that "Members...are willing to yield to Shamblin on the use of severe discipline for children," due to this type of church environment. http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=541230

References

  1. ^ "Brief Biography". annonline.com. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  2. ^ "Weigh Down Workshop". wdworkshop.com. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  3. ^ "Williamson County Local Authors". Williamson County Library website. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
  4. ^ Stein, Joel (1999-10-24). "The Low-Carb Diet Craze". Time (in eng). Retrieved 2007-05-20. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  5. ^ Mulrine, Anna (1997-04-27). "A Godly Approach to Weight Loss". U.S. News & World Report (in eng). Retrieved 2007-04-06. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  6. ^ Kennedy, John W. (12/9/2002). "New Sect: Weigh Down guru Gwen Shamblin's Remnant Fellowship grows". Christianity Today (in eng). Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ "Remnant Fellowship Church Homepage". remnantfellowship.org. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  8. ^ Mead, Rebecca (2001-01-15). "Letter from Tennessee: Slim for Him". The New Yorker (in eng). Retrieved 2007-04-06. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  9. ^ ""The Today Show"". NBC.
  10. ^ ""Can Praying Help You Lose Weight?"". FOX News.
  11. ^ ""The Early Show"". CBS.
  12. ^ ""Slim Down Secrets"". Good Housekeeping. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ ""Diet Help From on High"". Ladies' Home Journal. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "I stopped thinking about food and the fat fell off!". First magazine. Retrieved 2007-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "How I Prayed Off the Pounds". Quick and Simple. Retrieved 2007-05-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ / "What's new on Tyra this week? Thursday, 10 May: Church of Thin". tyranews. 5 May 2007. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ ""How to feast on faith: Growing numbers of churches are devouring God-based weight control"". Alberta Report. Retrieved 2008-12-14. {{cite web}}: Text "The Report Canada’s Independent News Magazine" ignored (help)
  18. ^ Morning News, Dallas (2006-04-14). "God is Their Weight-Loss Guru" (in eng). The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  19. ^ "Gwen Shamblin's Weigh Down Workshop". skinnyondiets.com. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
  20. ^ Griffith, Marie (2004). Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity. Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 337.
  21. ^ Allen, Patricia (2005-01-27). "Religion professor examines 'salvation by diet' phenomenon" (in eng). News@Princeton. Retrieved 2007-05-23. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  22. ^ Veenker, Jody (September 1, 2000). "The Weigh Is Narrow" (in eng). Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  23. ^ Burch, Bonnie (2005-04-21). "Remnant founder says church not politically involved" (in eng). The Tennessean. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
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