The Teachings of Ruth Rieder / Ruth Harvey

This page has been added to address the teachings found within the ministry of Ruth Esther Hope Rieder, a member and licensed minister of the United Pentecostal Church (UPC). This section is not addressing the character of Ruth Rieder, now Ruth Harvey, but is here to examine the errors of her non-biblical teachings that have unfortunately been accepted by many Apostolics and some others. (Some mistakenly spelled her name as Ruth Reider.)

Through the years, Ruth has spoken at many UPC churches and special functions on the issue of what some term holiness standards, though it appears her speaking engagements are less as compared to the earlier 2000's. She began writing in 1998, after being encouraged to do so by others who heard her speak. The first book, Power Before The Throne, was published with money she gained through an inheritance. (All of her books have been self-published.) She is the niece of the late Nathaniel Urshan, a long time General Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church.

Ruth Schmidt is the youngest child of former UPC ministers Faith E. Urshan and Leopold William Schmidt, who used to pastor in Indiana. He was the pastor of Calvary Apostolic Church in Greenwood, now Triumph Church and no longer affiliated with the organization. His son, Stephen Andrew Schmidt, became the pastor after he left in 1971 to pastor First Pentecostal Church in Marion. L. William Schmidt held office in the Indiana District and passed away in 1990. Faith later married UPC minister Ray St. Clair Sr., who formerly was pastor of The United Pentecostal Church Of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ruth married Michael Rieder, a UPC minister and pastor, who pioneered Living Word United Pentecostal Church. They lived in New Mexico at the time of her writings and had two children together, Angelica (Angel) and Miriam.

She later divorced Michael, who no longer holds license with the UPC. On May 14, 2005, she married Steven Eugene Harvey, who was part of Palace of Praise in Portland, Oregon. They later moved to Connecticut, where they currently reside. Since her re-marriage, she obtained a ministerial license with the same organization. It appears her and Steven both obtained a local license in Oregon in 2005. (The 2006 Church Directory is the first mention of either being licensed. It would have been compiled in 2005.) Michael Rieder stopped appearing in the UPCI Church Directory as of the 2004 edition, which would have been compiled in 2003. Between the printing of her first four children's books in 2002 and the final two in 2003, she stopped the mention of Michael and no longer included a picture with him on the back covers.

From 1997 until 2005 she was the Ladies Ministries President of the Texico District of the UPC and from 1997 until 2011 served as the National Coordinator for Daughters of Zion (appears to no longer be a ministry). She has been the Ladies Secretary of the Connecticut District and since 2009 has served as their President. Since 2013, she has been studying at the Urshan Graduate School of Theology, with an anticipated 2017 graduation. Her husband, Steven Harvey, was pastor of Life United Pentecostal Church in Simsbury, Connecticut and is currently (2019) pastor of Destiny Church in Bloomfield. Life merged with Destiny Church.

One of her daughters, Miriam Rieder, has a dessert business in Avon, Connecticut and has also sold headbands (This blog hasn't been active since 2013 and has since been removed). According to the Hartford article, "Her dream is to fuse food, fashion and furnishings to create a lifestyle company—to be the Martha Stewart of her generation." Miriam Hope Rieder became a "Guess Girl" for Guess watches (also now removed). She has a website, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page for her business, Taste by Spellbound LLC, that started in 2011. (Also known as Spellbound Girl.) This Facebook video shows her helping three men to decorate cakes. Miriam appears to be very fashion conscious, taking after her mother, and Ruth helps with her business. She appears to be quite talented and a beautiful young woman and I wish her well.

In videos and elaborate photo shoots found on her website, Miriam is clearly seen wearing make-up and in one video it shows some being applied. It also shows this in the Guess video. (This is pointed out solely because Miriam's mother has written and taught for years against wearing make-up, likening it to deception & veiling God's glory. "The glory of God can only reflect in a face free of deception. We do not need cosmetics to enhance our appearance. ...Don't ever veil the glory!" - from 'Reflecting The Glory.' She has also been heard to link one of the ten commandments, about not bearing false witness, to wearing make-up. See my review of "Marble Palaces Or Painted Barns" below for further explanation of why I bring this up.)

Ruth has authored several books which cover holiness standards teachings: Power Before the Throne, Reflecting the Glory, Desired by the King and more. She has written a series of children's books that teach standards and has teacher/student test packs and a study guide for some of her writings, as well as a DVD of her teaching. There have been audio tapes on prayer and fasting as well as a book on Abraham called "Covenant by Sacrifice." Much of her material has been translated to Spanish.

If you are interested in obtaining any of Ruth's materials, they may be purchased from the UPC's Pentecostal Publishing House (PPH) or Ruth's web site, The Positive Power of Holiness or Abiding Words: Ruth Harvey Ministries (they are essentially the same). She proclaims herself to be an "anointed speaker" and "gifted author" on the sites. She still sells all of her books, with the exception of the first four children's ones, so she must still stand by and believe what she has written in them.

Not surprisingly, UPC evangelist Lee Stoneking endorsed Ruth Rieder's first book, Power Before The Throne and wrote, "A must for every woman of God who wishes to make her calling and election sure in His Great Kingdom. For herein is the revelatory privilege of women made known. What great confidence God has placed in the woman rather than burden as many purport. New converts will thrill to the treasures of understanding disclosed from these pages...I am most delighted to endorse this lovely and all important work for such a time as this."

"Reflecting The Glory"- A review by Lois E. Gibson. Prior to reading this book, I had never seen such twisting and distortion used to attempt to persuade people, particularly women, to follow outward standard teachings. I had definitely heard the basic teachings, but never with the thought thrown in that we are protectors and guardians of God's glory and have the role Lucifer once had. It takes these teachings to an entirely different level, with much more at stake should one fail to follow.

"Kingdom Clothing"- A review by Lois E. Gibson of the second Ruth Harvey children's book, featuring her daughter, Angel Rieder, who is also a co-author. This one teaches about girls not wearing pants. Miriam asks what an abomination is and mom says it is "something extremely disgusting to God and makes him feel very sick, almost like throwing up." When Angel inquires as to if it makes his stomach hurt, Ruth shares it hurts his stomach and heart and he feels very sad. The girls decide that since they love Jesus, they "don't ever want to make him feel sick or sad."

"Marble Palaces Or Painted Barns"- A review by Lois E. Gibson of the third Ruth Harvey children's book, featuring her daughter, Miriam Rieder. This one teaches about make-up on Miriam's birthday. Having given her an art set, Ruth asks how Miriam would feel if she drew all over the pictures Miriam painted for her. Miriam responds that she would be hurt and think that her mom didn't like them. Mom then explains that this is how God feels when we paint ourselves (referring to using any make-up).

The Four Children's Books- A review by Justine Fischbach. "Then comes the issue of men's hair, has to be short as Corinthians says. Rieder's daughter admits she always has to laugh at men with long hair and thinks they are silly (not the hair, but the men themselves!). Mom explains that "God makes her feel that way". Once again we see Christ's love shining through. That a small child can mock adults in this way is such a great testimony for God and His Word wouldn't you agree?"

Power Before The Throne- A review by Todd K. Weber, a UPC pastor. "I am very disturbed by the author’s views noted above, and by the broad uncritical acceptance of them by many sincere spirit-filled believers, including many pastors and teachers who ought to know better and should speak out against such error. Such doctrines turn our attention away from the efficacy and sufficiency of the blood and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and salvation by grace through faith, and instead move us toward superstition and cultic fanaticism."

Power Before The Throne- A review by a former UPC minister. "The next story she tells brought me to tears by its sheer meanness. She told of the wife of a promising young preacher who trimmed her hair. Shortly thereafter her husband had an affair and Rieder attributes this sin of her husband to the lady cutting her hair. "Can the Lord depend on you to guard the glory faithfully and diligently?" she then asks. What a diabolical crock!!! A man cheats on his wife and it's his wifes fault? Come on! Give me break! That's like blaming the rape on the rape victim. It's diabolical, cruel, and heartless."

Power Before The Throne- A brief review by Lynne Johnson-Yohnk. "So let’s look at this a little closer. The idea behind uncut hair is supposed to be submission but what it ends up being is about control. The message is this: Women can control whether evil spirits come into their homes with uncut hair. Women can keep their husbands from committing adultery with uncut hair. If evil spirits enter your home and you have cut hair, it’s your fault. You can control all these things, simply by having uncut hair."

Power Before The Throne- by Roxanne Murphy. This is a review in PDF format by a conservative Oneness Pentecostal which shows some of the error in Ruth Rieder-Harvey's teachings. The author believes a woman is not to cut her hair, etc., but recognizes other error in this book. "This whole created doctrine of ‘guardians of the glory’ is, in my opinion, nigh to idolatry. It wrongly tells women that they have special power if they don’t cut their hair, that their uncut hair brings special protection to them and their family, that it gives them a special place in ministry, and that it gives them the position before God’s throne that Lucifer once held. It creates a sense of spiritual pride and superiority, and does damage to the true teaching of the Bible regarding authority, headship, the leadership of the home and family. Plainly put, to believe this doctrine is to do damage to other parts of scripture."

If you wish to see videos of studies related to some of Ruth's books that are affirming her writings (there are many hours of them from Lighthouse United Pentecostal Church), you may watch below:

Page Added September 18, 2002 & updated January 14, 2024

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