When most people think of cults, they think of the most infamous ones like, The People’s Temple led by Jim Jones or the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh. In both of these cults, members experienced being the targets of serious brainwashing tactics and believed that their charismatic leaders were either hearing directly from God or had become the voice of God.
Many cults are also often characterized by sexual abuse, dysfunctional relationships, and even death. While some of them are not that extreme, they can still be very dangerous.
Last year during a TED Talk, ex-cult member Dawn Smith discussed how she had escaped from an evangelical cult called The Assembly that her parents and grandparents had started. Growing up, Smith stated things like science, loud clapping, and dancing were not permitted. Some would say this sounds like the Hutterites or the Amish, which some would call cultish.
But what exactly defines a religious organization as being a cult? According to Smith, “Cults don’t want to be defined as a cult because it empowers its members to take a critical look at it. Language in cults is controlled because language is powerful.”
Even while in the cult, Smith knew that something wasn’t right and, looking back, she came to realize that The Assembly had all the classic signs of being a cult. Some of these signs included being paranoid about the outside world, using shame as a way to impose abnormally strict codes of conduct, and having a leader who claimed to be the ultimate authority.
In a Christian context, cults are defined as religious groups that deny one or more of the truths that are found in the Bible. This is why young people who don’t know the Bible very well can more easily end up in cults. While religious organizations like the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and Christian Science are obvious “Christian” cults, others are more subtle but can still have cult-like characteristics. A church that is not exactly a full-blown cult might still operate like one in some ways.
For instance, if churches dismiss certain doctrines, and replace Biblical truths with experiences, personal interpretations, and emotionalism, they could be well on their way to becoming cults. One reason for this is that truth starts becoming subjective. Many cult-like churches place an emphasis on honoring one another, especially the leadership. This leads to the idea that church leaders are never to be questioned, and when they are, it usually doesn’t go over well.
Bethel Church in Redding, California
Unfortunately, a few popular churches are exhibiting some of this cult-like behavior. One example is the hyper charismatic church, Bethel Church in Redding, California, pastored by Bill Johnson. This church is heavily influencing churches around the world.
People who end up leaving a church that has been influenced by Bethel say they left because it was becoming “Bethelized.” Young people especially are flocking to Bethel, mainly to become students of the Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry (BSSM), where students are taught to prophesy and heal the sick.
Last year, Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries interviewed the parents of a young woman who went to Bethel Church to become a BSSM student. Before moving, those at Bethel had told her that, the spirit of the Lord had left Jerusalem and had come to Redding, California. They told her to come there in order to “witness a true move of God.”
The parents claim that Bethel is a cult and that while at the church, their daughter engaged in new age practices that were supposed to induce inner healing. Instead their daughter became convinced she had been abused by her parents. She had also been persuaded by the staff at Bethel to cut off all contact with her family.
International House of Prayer in Kansas City
Another church with cult-like characteristics is the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOP KC), a 24-hour prayer and worship ministry. Not surprisingly, this is yet another ministry that attracts mostly young adults. IHOP KC is led by Mike Bickle who claims to have visited heaven and has said, “God intends us to be like gods. God has conceived in his heart of a plan to make a race of men that would live like gods on Earth.”
Some are concerned that IHOP leans too heavily on extra-biblical revelation. According to John Park of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM), “When people from IHOP make decisions, they do not use the Bible as the final revelation from God because they supposedly still get direct revelations from Him. They deny this very doctrine that defines the protestant and evangelical faith. Sadly, this is rampant at IHOP.”
He goes on to say, “IHOP has been labeled dangerous, cultic, false, and heretical by many ministries, former members, apologetic groups, and Godly men.”
Are Bethel Church and IHOP really cults? Maybe, maybe not. But Christians need to be aware of these tactics so they and those they love are not led astray.
