Paul's Passing Thoughts

“I paid good money for my children to be brainwashed and for my marriage to be ruined”

~Michelle Freeman

Let’s take a test: Mormonism, cult or denomination? Cult. Correct. Methodist, cult or denomination? Denomination. Correct. Jehovah’s Witnesses, cult or denomination? Cult. Correct. Pentecostalism, cult or denomination? Denomination. Correct, but like the other denominations listed here, not always. Enter Calvary Temple of Sterling, Va. Clearly a cult by anybody’s standards. You can read the newspaper article here: Doctrine of Divisiveness: Authoritarian pastor’s church builds legacy of broken families.

The reality of the matter is this, any denominational church can become a cult. The following is a dictionary definition of a cult: “A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.” The article link above is a fascinating study in regard to recognizing cults who don’t identify themselves by commonly known names such as “latter Day Saints.”

1. Most of these ministries start out as solid churches that honor God: “They had joined eagerly, drawn to Scott’s energy as a new religious broadcaster and his commitment to living by the literal word of the Bible.  ‘What started out as a Christian organization  has turned into a cult where people are controlled,’ said Jonathan Ernst, a Calvary pastor until he was blacklisted by Scott in 1994.”‘

2. The church may have the appearance of vitality complete with building programs and growing numbers: “Under the leadership of longtime pastor Star R. Scott, Calvary opened a school, television and radio ministries, and satellite churches around the globe. The local congregation at one point numbered 2,000.”

3. Watch out for niche doctrines that seem to indicate that the church leaders want to stand out as unique among other Churches: “In his sermons, Scott teaches that his church is scripturally superior to others and views keeping people in the fold as a matter of their salvation.”

4. Watch out for a movement by the leaders to disassociate themselves with church organizations within the denomination that offer accountability. This is a big one: “Scott’s decision to dissociate Calvary Temple from the Assemblies of God organization removed a level of financial oversight, and he eliminated boards and public votes, former members said.”

5. Look for movements by the leaders toward control issues in two areas: administration (such as self perpetuating elder bodies) and the personal lives of members: “Former members contend that much about their lives, from how they spent their money to how they raised their children, was dictated by Scott and other church leaders.  Scott is Calvary’s ‘apostle’ and presiding elder, and in 1996, he named himself the sole trustee, putting him in charge of virtually all of the church’s operations, its theology and finances”

6. Look for the use of fear to control people, especially in the area of church discipline and excommunication. If you sense fear of the leaders among the congregation, grab your family and run for the exit doors: “Scott describes those who decide to leave the church as ‘depraved,’ and Calvary’s practice is to cut them off.”

7. Watch for aloofness among the leaders when you try to nail them down on doctrinal issues. If their answers are nebulous and have disclaimers attached, hit the road running: “Calvary leaders are careful never to explicitly tell people what to do, she said. We just say: ‘This is what the Bible says. You make a decision.’” Ya, right.

8. Watch for the division of families, especially over doctrinal issues.  This is one of the major hallmarks of a cult: “When parents have left the church, some young children have been urged to stay; a few have been taken in by pastors. Scott’s family has been divided, too: Scott is estranged from his 36-year-old son, Star Scott Jr.  After 12 years at Calvary, Freeman is furious. ‘I paid good money for my children to be brainwashed and for my marriage to be ruined,’ said Freeman, a U.S. Postal Service secretary.”

9. Watch for exaggerated or extreme confidence on the part of the leaders. Their unwavering pre-canned answers to your tuff questions does not make what they are teaching true: “Most current members declined to talk to the Washington Post, although Scott and three other leaders spoke at length. ‘I’m at perfect peace with them being gone,’ he said. ‘We’re happy with what we believe, so why aren’t they happy?”’

10. Never judge your interpretation based on the congregational following. People in today’s churches are all but completely mindless: “In 2002, three weeks after the death of his wife, Scott, who was then 55, stood before the congregation and announced that the Bible instructed him as a high priest to take a virgin bride from the faithful. A week later, he did – a pretty 20-year-old who a couple of years earlier had been a star basketball player on the church high school team.” This incident did not lead to a mass exodus in this church. Unbelievable. Remember, this is an affluent church in America full of business professionals.

11. Watch for an over emphasis on love and community at the expense of truth. This is the major mode of operation for the cults: “Kim Heglund, Scott’s daughter and the wife of a Calvary pastor, said members feel strongly loyal to Calvary because they believe they are living out the Bible. ‘This is Christianity, people being a family.  Bitter feelings and divided families are the exception and caused by people who ‘pretended to be Christians.”’

12. Watch out for counsel that undermines self confidence and encourages over dependence on the leaders or the church in all areas of life, especially discernment. This is another mark of a cult: “Former members contend that much about their lives, from how they spent their money to how they raised their children, was dictated by Scott and other church leaders.”

13. Watch out for a  we are the only sound church within a hundred square miles of here mentality. This way of thinking lays a dangerous foundation: “Scott’s followers see him as an inspiring interpreter of God’s word. Members pack the church most nights, united in their desire to live as the Bible intended and reject what they view as society’s moral ambivalence. ‘Church isn’t for everyone who wants to just show up,’ Scott said in an interview.  ‘It’s not a community club. We’re not looking to build moral, successful children. We’re looking to build Christians.”’ Sounds good, doesn’t it?

14. Watch for what looks like difficulty in leaving the church. Have persons leaving membership been put under undue stress? Do the leaders seem defensive about people leaving? This one is big. Are persons who have left the church been maligned?:  “But for hundreds of members who have left the church during the past decade, Calvary is a place of spiritual warfare, where ministers urged them to divorce spouses and shun children who resisted the teachings. ‘Scott is twisting the Bible’s message,’ they say, and members who challenged the theology were accused of hating God.”‘

Pay attention. The longer your family is in a church that ends up like this, the more trauma there will be for your family when you leave .  The most telling sign is a developing pattern among the leaders that shuns outside accountability. Another major question is this: does the teaching divide families or bring them closer together? Teach your family that this could happen to any church and agree together in regard to discerning these signs; that way, a smooth exit strategy can be planned. Your departure must not be a protracted event. Leaders of “churches” like this will use this time to drive a wedge between you and your family. Keep this in mind; more than likely, other Christians or ministries are not going to take a stand. Per the usual, it is a secular newspaper that sounds the alarm, as in this case. Try to avoid a war because you will probably fight it by yourself,  so practice preventative medicine.

Always lay the burden of scriptural correctness on the leaders regardless of the troubled people they are dealing with. As the pastor of this church said himself: “When asked about the divided families, Scott answered, ‘That happens.  They accepted Calvary’s theology until it affected them,’  he said.’They were ready to see it apply to others  lives for years and served many times in the orchestration of it.’”

Remember also, we live in a time when independent autonomous churches loosely associated with fellowship (fellowship, not accountability) groups are very popular. These churches are especially susceptible to becoming cults. Truth from scripture is the bottom line, that must guide you:

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8;32

Be a good berean: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily {to see} whether these things were so”  (Acts 17:11).