Cultic Behavior In Christianity

Because so many earnest Christians still remain ignorant of the phenomenon of cultic social practices within Biblical Christianity, I hope to educate and hopefully spare others the pain and tragedy that I have endured. Most Christians have no knowledge of the techniques of thought reform and psychological manipulation employed by legalistic Christian groups, so this site purposes to inform as many people as possible of the cultic nature of these otherwise Christian schools of thought. I am a survivor of many years of Spiritual Abuse at the hands of the remnants of an aberrant Evangelical Christian group with ties to Charles Simpson of Christian Growth Ministries (a disbanded groups of Charismatic who fostered the movement in the early 1970's). Although the philosophy of the group was recounted and renounced (the most famous participant of whom was Derek Prince), many churches who ascribed to their focus on "authority and submission doctrine" continued in this false teaching. My group, of the New Covenant Churches in the DC/Baltimore corridor was also strongly affiliated with the ministry of Bill Gothard, another false teacher who focused on submission and patriarchy within the home and church. Prior to my involvement with the New Covenant Churches in Maryland, I was predisposed to manipulation by cultic tendencies in the Pentecostal and Word of Faith movements. It was an easy transition into what I later learned was called the Shepherding/Discipleship Movement. Of special interest to me is the increased interest and acceptance of "Family Integrated Churches" which promote the traditional idea of family as central to the restoration of Christianity within Western Civilization. I am deeply disturbed by this trend because groups such as Vision Forum headed by Doug Phillips promote the family but with rigid, legalistic standards of acceptable conduct. These extra-biblical standards are dangerous but are marketed and widely accepted by many unsuspecting Christians.