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dougr777
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Joined: 2009/1/16
Posts: 319


 Cult Charasteristics in a local church

What are "unhealthy" and unBiblical traits of a local church that could have "cult" characteristics and traits without being one of the "mainline" cults one might be familiar with. Thanks.


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Doug R

 2015/4/22 8:03Profile
Sree
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Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re: Cult Charasteristics in a local church

I was born again in a Mega Church but was then baptized and part of a local Church ever since. The following are risks that local Church can run into,

1. Legalism, is the prime thing that can easily creep into a local church. They may be legalistic about the dress code or method of worship etc. I define Legalism as any restriction that is unbiblical and non beneficial to spiritual progress.

2. Ritualism:- By this I mean, they will do many things as rituals. For example having holy communion every sunday as a ritual. There is nothing wrong in having it every week, but to believe that they are accepted because they have it every week while other Churches have it only once a month etc is ritualistic.

3. Looking down on Mega Churches and considering them as useless. Mega Churches still play a major role as an evangelical meeting, though not a real Church (due to lack of fellowship), they are still valuable in God's kingdom.

4. Holding certain nonessential theology, frequently emphasizing it in their meeting so that everyone in that local Church will believe in it. For example preaching on Pre or Post tribulation, and making it a necessity for all members to believe in the same.

5. Giving false report on those who have left their Church. A Church should give freedom to its members to leave if they do not agree with its direction of progress.

6. Giving too much freedom to members and having no clear leadership or authority. Believing that everyone is a leader of themselves hence no leadership enforced etc. A Church should definitely have a shepherd.


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Sreeram

 2015/4/22 8:50Profile
dolfan
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Joined: 2011/8/23
Posts: 1727
Tennessee, but my home's in Alabama

 Re:

Don't know if Sree's list is a list of coltishness, per se, but it is a useful checkup on how we're thinking of where we fellowship.


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Tim

 2015/4/22 8:55Profile
Lysa
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Joined: 2008/10/25
Posts: 3699
East TN for now!

 Re: Cult Charasteristics in a local church


characteristics:

Liars... but you won't be able to prove it.

The word of the pastor is more important than the word of the Bible.

Unspoken rules... They have a set of rules that they won't tell you about but you find yourself breaking them!!

Secretive

Volunteerism - the church I was in, if you wasn't a consistent volunteer, the pastor was always too busy to talk to you.

These are just a few from my experience.


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Lisa

 2015/4/22 8:55Profile
iceman9
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Joined: 2008/2/15
Posts: 205
New York

 Re: Cult Charasteristics in a local church

One of the key things is when a church does things that they cannot back up with Scripture. The church should be focusing on what is said in Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”, as well as “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)

I was curious why a small local church did things the way they did and inoffensively asked them why; I was expecting to be given chapter and verse, but instead received “It just works for us…”.

Like cults, the entire world, does “what works for them…” The true Church needs to be doing things God’s way, not “what works for them”. Churches should go to the Scriptures (not the world) for how to do all things in the church. Church leadership needs to be guided and designed according to Scriptures; not the business world.

I have seen on many occasions leaders who said "I feel we should do..." with no scripture to back up their "feeling" and God was not in it and it failed. It was a waste of God's resources. Churches should be saying "we need to continue in the apostle’s doctrine, because the Scriptures say so". We need to “go” and “teach all nations” because the Bible says so. We need to have regular prayer meetings, because the Word says so.

Leadership needs to be filled and led by Holy Spirit, but always be able to back it up with God's Word; as He does not contradict Himself.

My two cents.

 2015/4/22 9:02Profile
Sree
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Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re:

Quote:

Don't know if Sree's list is a list of coltishness, per se, but it is a useful checkup on how we're thinking of where we fellowship.



I thought he wanted to know Cultish characters not exactly how a Church can be Cult. To blame a Church as Cult, it needs to believe strongly in a point that is not biblically supported. They should hold the teachings and books of the Church leader equal or higher than God's word.


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Sreeram

 2015/4/22 9:08Profile
lovejt
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Joined: 2005/11/5
Posts: 124


 Re: Cult Charasteristics in a local church

When i think of 'Cult', i think of 'control'. Its not just wrong doctrines. Also not balanced as mentioned. Some places may be obvious but it can also be more subtle and mixture. The early church was known as a cult, i believe, but it is not because of the way we are thinking.

If you do your best to be humble and respectful of the leaders and everyone, they will blackball you and speak secretively against you (Like Jesus). There is a level of 'condemnation' (not accepted). The blood of Christ is not enough. There is a partiality. If you don't feel the freedom, then you know there is something wrong in Spirit.

Read books like, Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Toxic Faith, Healing Spiritual Abuse. It goes into it more deeper.


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james thorpe

 2015/4/22 10:04Profile
sermonindex
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Online!
 Re:

Some great thoughts in this thread.

Cults at times are very close to the truth, they are a deviation from it. So they will take good healthy characteristics from what a local church should be and go to an extreme at times. Here are some basic signs of a cult. We have to be careful not to label strong missions, churches as cults just because they are more devoted then the normal church or organization.

Here are just some of my thoughts saints:


1. Leader - Leader controls every decision not just in normal activities (which can be fine for a strong leader) but in the lives of all the followers, though that can seem healthy as people can ask counsel on life-situations, but what becomes cultish is when people are forced by the leader, by strong words and long talks to do everything he wants in the private life to a level where the followers do not have to think about life-decisions at all anymore. We are not talking about a few larger decisions that the leader would make for someone but a consistent daily control of all aspects of one's life. In some cases leaders claim to have special revelation that they only can have and therefore people want to hear them more readily and if they say "thus saith the Lord" it is almost impossible to disagree with them.

2. Christ - Replacing Christ with men and their church or group. So you have to be baptized in their specific church to be saved, or you have to belief their version of the gospel exactly to be saved. When the Church replaces Christ then this is cultish. Though some churches can have more of a standard or seriousness in areas, once they say all other churches are not valid and we are on the only valid church or the few churches we are part of are the only good churches then that thinking becomes cultish.

3. Ungodly - When a group is very holy and good but acts ungodly against its opposition, even swearing or cursing at enemies or other christians they deem false that is a giveaway that group is cultish and does not have jesus christ as the core of its group. Many cults look good on the outside but when their back is against the way instead of being meek and christ-like they respond with great evil exposing their true heart. A leader(s) also of a cult will respond in the same way, because their control is being lost they will get angry and evil things will come out of them.

4. Doctrine - Cults will disagree with fundamental doctrines that have been believed by the church for 2000 years. 1-2 differences in doctrine does not make a church a cult, but when there are many strong turnings from the truth then we can know that group is on the wrong road or can be even labeled a cult. Most modern cults began and started by stating all the churches were apostate and they were reviving the true apostolic church. Such cults do not agree with common creeds such as Apostles Creed which all true churches consented to throughout Church History.


5. Isolation - Though in the Bible there is a clear doctrine that speaks of how Jesus Christ will cause us to separate from the world and even others including family at times as part of accepting the Gospel. But we should always seek to reach out to family and honour them as the Bible commands. When a group becomes cultish they on purpose enjoy separating people from family, friends and other things because they can have greater control on them. Some good christian groups operate in a christian community or bible college campus, etc. But what makes a group unhealthy is the total cutting off of communication with family and that communication is done through the leaders. It is fine for people to make commitments to a mission or church even in a sense of missionary call for life. But everyone is free in the end to leave a mission or go to another group or life-style.


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2015/4/22 11:43Profile
iceman9
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Joined: 2008/2/15
Posts: 205
New York

 Re:

Well said Greg.

 2015/4/22 14:09Profile









 Re:

How about those who abuse their position of authority to prey on weaker
members of the congregation in immoral behaviour. And if the other elders
defend the propagator of such actions even when it witnessed by 2 or more?
What kind of church is that?

 2015/4/22 15:30





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