The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

Cults and cult-like behavior

In most of orthodox Christendom, we know the cults. Some are questionable (seventh-day adventists) and some are obviously cults (mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses. We reject their claims, point out their divergence with orthodox Christianity, seek to witness and evangelize to win them to Christ. But sometimes false teachers are harder to spot. Some of them are even brothers in Christ.

There are some groups and movements within the church who would affirm the basic and most important tenets of Christianity: infallibility of the Scripture, the deity of Christ, justification by faith alone. Yet they still exhibit signs of a cult. How to deal with Christians who affirm thee truth but by their actions and attitudes seem to be somewhat amiss?

- Taking doctrines to extremes

Movements with cultic tendencies tend to be highly extremist, to the point that their extremism becomes a badge of honor (this is not the same sort of extremism that Barry Goldwater was speaking of). If there are problems in the church, find the most radical, most extreme reaction to problems, both real and perceived. There is a difference between reform and overreaction. That extremism makes radical separatism easier.

- Overly separatist

A similar issue is one of extreme, radical separatism. Our movement is the only true remnant of the true faith left. Everyone else falls into three camps: unbelievers, heretics or deceived. While I have many disagreements over various doctrines with other Christians (charismatics and tongues, Presbyterians and infant baptism, Lutherans and sacramentalism) I also recognize them as fellow believers with whom I have disagreements. Many people look at Together for the Gospel as a terrible thing because someone must be compromising. You have Baptists, Presbyterians and Charismatics all on the same stage sharing a microphone. Someone must have compromised! The reality is that the T4G brethren recognize and acknowledge that they have serious and substantive differences with one another in doctrine and practice, but that doesn’t lead inexorably towards forced separatism. In other words, we can still sing together, pray together and sit under the preaching of the Word together, even if we wouldn’t be members of each others church. What helps out radical separatism is when you get the volatile mixture of spiritually immature people and a forceful leader.

- Led by individuals with forceful characters

Men (typically) with forceful and strong personalities are normally at the forefront of these movements. These men often can lead others and bring them under conviction by sheer will power and confidence. I have a knack for being able to make even a really outlandish statement or something I know nothing about sound convincing by saying it confidently and forcefully. Not everyone who is forceful and certain is a cult leader, but I would say that every cult leader has a forceful personality.

My intent is not to name names or peg certain groups because it is hard to pin down. Is every church that holds to King James Onlyism bordering on cultic? Certainly not! But are there many KJVO churches and many individuals who are, holding to a double inspiration doctrine? Absolutely! The same is true with house church people. Some are just honestly unable to find a Bible believing church, or perhaps can’t make it to church during normal church hours. But others look askance and even sneer at anyone who goes to the “steeple house” as being a false convert or woefully deceived. And the same is true of charismatics. Not everyone in the charismatic movement is a moonbat, but there are plenty who are charmin’ snakes, barkin’ like dogs and rolling around on the floor. Heck there are people who hold to Reformed theology that act cultic at times, normally by so narrowly defining who is or is not Reformed that they make a pretty small island of the true followers of John Calvin.

It is a fine line between fervent belief and cultic behavior sometimes.