near her home in St. Paul. Against her parents’ wishes, she attended Sabbath services every Saturday and Bible study every Thursday night. When she graduated from high school, she applied to Purdis Bible College in Los Angeles and was accepted within three weeks. During her four years there, she met and fell in love with Norman Greenway. As with most of the young men at the college, Norman wanted to be a minister. Shortly after their marriage, Norm was sent to a small town in Montana to be the pastor of his own church. Less than a year later, Rudy was born.
Thinking back on it now, Sophie couldn’t believe she had been so blindly acquiescent. Those years felt like a terribly remote, yet infinitely depressing dream. Still, in her gut, she knew how passionately the doctrines had held her imagination. After all, she was part of God’s
elite
. The rest of the world was filled with lies and religious error, but she was one of the chosen few who knew the truth. She must never turn her back on the Holy Spirit. There
were
unpardonable sins. The lake of fire waited for those who were weak, who yielded to Satan’s temptations. Even now the unrelenting litany of spiritual terror could be summoned at a moment’s notice. Back then, every part of her life was dictated by either church doctrine or her husband’s demands. It was a modern woman’s nightmare. Yet, believing in the righteousness of her decisions, she stuck it out until just after Rudy’s sixth birthday. She remembered the turning point vividly.
One cold November aftemoon Rudy had come home from school with a fever. Norman sent for one of the church deacons and together they prayed over the boy, anointing him with oil and asking God to heal. Howell Purdis, the founder of the church and God’s apostle to a godless nation, didn’t believe in doctors. The Bible’s way was clear. Call the elders of the church for an anointing and have faith. By evening, Rudy’s temperature had risen to one hundred four degrees. Sophie was becoming hysterical. She begged Norman to take him to the clinic in town. Instead, he left in his truck to go fetch a churchwoman known for her natural healing methods. While he was gone, Rudy lost consciousness. Sophie called a neighbor, a non-church member, and asked if she would take them into town. The woman readily agreed, pulling up to the house in her rusted Chevy van a few minutes later. She explained that the local clinic was closed, but she knew one of the doctors personally and offered to drive them to his house. Sophie was so grateful she cried.
Dr. Eli Bradly was having a late supper when they arrived. He checked Rudy over and suggested that he be admitted to the local hospital in Lewiston. Sophie knew Norman would never agree to it. But before she’d left the house, she’d packed a small bag and had taken all the cash she’d saved from her household allowance for the last four years, over five hundred dollars. An hour later, Rudy was tucked into a hospital bed, a nurse checking the IV that had been hooked up to provide him with both fluid and antibiotics.
During the night, Sophie had called Norman. She told him what she’d done. For some reason, she felt Norman was relieved. Perhaps, in his heart, he wanted his son to get medical attention, but couldn’t let the members of his flock know his faith had faltered. The fact that Sophie had done it against his will conveniently let him off the hook. She said she’d call him later and let him know how Rudy was doing.
The next morning, Rudy was well enough to leave.
Sophie phoned the same neighbor who had helped her the night before and offered to pay her for a ride to the closest airport. The woman, sensing Sophie’s desperation, agreed. Once there, Sophie booked a flight to Minneapolis. For the next few weeks, she and Rudy lived with her parents. Rudy continued to need medical care, and Sophie needed time to figure out what to do next. One thing she knew for
Thinking back on it now, Sophie couldn’t believe she had been so blindly acquiescent. Those years felt like a terribly remote, yet infinitely depressing dream. Still, in her gut, she knew how passionately the doctrines had held her imagination. After all, she was part of God’s
elite
. The rest of the world was filled with lies and religious error, but she was one of the chosen few who knew the truth. She must never turn her back on the Holy Spirit. There
were
unpardonable sins. The lake of fire waited for those who were weak, who yielded to Satan’s temptations. Even now the unrelenting litany of spiritual terror could be summoned at a moment’s notice. Back then, every part of her life was dictated by either church doctrine or her husband’s demands. It was a modern woman’s nightmare. Yet, believing in the righteousness of her decisions, she stuck it out until just after Rudy’s sixth birthday. She remembered the turning point vividly.
One cold November aftemoon Rudy had come home from school with a fever. Norman sent for one of the church deacons and together they prayed over the boy, anointing him with oil and asking God to heal. Howell Purdis, the founder of the church and God’s apostle to a godless nation, didn’t believe in doctors. The Bible’s way was clear. Call the elders of the church for an anointing and have faith. By evening, Rudy’s temperature had risen to one hundred four degrees. Sophie was becoming hysterical. She begged Norman to take him to the clinic in town. Instead, he left in his truck to go fetch a churchwoman known for her natural healing methods. While he was gone, Rudy lost consciousness. Sophie called a neighbor, a non-church member, and asked if she would take them into town. The woman readily agreed, pulling up to the house in her rusted Chevy van a few minutes later. She explained that the local clinic was closed, but she knew one of the doctors personally and offered to drive them to his house. Sophie was so grateful she cried.
Dr. Eli Bradly was having a late supper when they arrived. He checked Rudy over and suggested that he be admitted to the local hospital in Lewiston. Sophie knew Norman would never agree to it. But before she’d left the house, she’d packed a small bag and had taken all the cash she’d saved from her household allowance for the last four years, over five hundred dollars. An hour later, Rudy was tucked into a hospital bed, a nurse checking the IV that had been hooked up to provide him with both fluid and antibiotics.
During the night, Sophie had called Norman. She told him what she’d done. For some reason, she felt Norman was relieved. Perhaps, in his heart, he wanted his son to get medical attention, but couldn’t let the members of his flock know his faith had faltered. The fact that Sophie had done it against his will conveniently let him off the hook. She said she’d call him later and let him know how Rudy was doing.
The next morning, Rudy was well enough to leave.
Sophie phoned the same neighbor who had helped her the night before and offered to pay her for a ride to the closest airport. The woman, sensing Sophie’s desperation, agreed. Once there, Sophie booked a flight to Minneapolis. For the next few weeks, she and Rudy lived with her parents. Rudy continued to need medical care, and Sophie needed time to figure out what to do next. One thing she knew for
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