Cultic Groups Stalk Harvest Crusade Attendees

TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ — When Lynn’s son Bryce went to the annual Harvest Crusade, a Christian music and evangelism event, she had no way of knowing he would be lured into a cultic group known as the Twelve Tribes.

Before she knew it, Bryce abandoned his studies at Christian college and disowned his family.

The Twelve Tribes regularly field teams of proselytizers to intercept new converts and their friends as they leave the Crusade. Dancing and distributing literature around their brightly painted “hippie bus” in the Angel Stadium parking lot, Twelve Tribes members invite passerby’s to commit themselves to a more authentic Christian lifestyle in their “messianic communities.”

Cult of Christianity

The term ‘cult of Christianity’ is used of a group, church or organization whose central teachings and/or practices are claimed to be biblical or representative of biblical Christianity, but which are in fact unbiblical and un-Christian.

The term can also be applied to groups, organizations or churches whose statement of faith may sound orthodox, but who add aberrant, heterodox, sub-orthodox and/or heretical teachings to such an extend that the essential doctrines of the Christian faith are negatively affected.

Sociologically such groups may have cultic aspects as well.

Note the differences between sociological and theological definitions of the term ‘cult’

Research resources on Cults of Christianity. See also: Abusive Churches / Spiritual Abuse

Commentary/resources by ReligionNewsBlog.com

But as Lynn discovered to her dismay, behind the quaint “freepapers” and homespun clothing is a religious system marked by exclusivism, racism, manipulation, and the spiritual domination of a man who calls himself “Yoneq.”

Seventh-day Adventists are among the other groups that chase down Crusade attendees. These followers of the prophetess Ellen G. White emphasize end-time themes, especially the observance of Saturday as the true day of worship, in order to avoid the coming wrath of God.

“Churches need to inoculate their members against ‘love bombing’ by predatory groups at crusades and concerts,” says Gretchen Goldsmith, CEO of Rose Publishing. “Christians need help in discerning truth from error so they can recognize and resist counterfeits–and this is especially true of new believers who have just responded to an invitation to trust in Jesus.”

Goldsmith recommends that churches educate their attendees on a regular basis on key beliefs and doctrines, and be familiar with the way these are twisted or denied by groups claiming to be Christian but actually rejecting the 2000-year-old message.

To help bridge the gap for Christians, Rose Publishing has just released a new 6-session DVD-based course called Christianity, Cults & Religions. It covers the key Christian beliefs and why Christians hold them. It also goes into detail on the beliefs of six groups that aggressively proselytize today and how to answer them.

A new pamphlet, 10 Questions and Answers on Seventh-Day Adventism will release in October. It directly evaluates the Seventh-Day Adventist cultic background and beliefs, while comparing them to Christianity. (ISBN: 9781596364226 Rose Publishing)

Lynn grieves for her son, who now refuses even to receive visits from her at the sect’s rural compound in Vista, California. Alienation from family and friends is common for converts to the Twelve Tribes, who support themselves through their “Yellow Deli” cafes and other businesses.

She prays that God will rescue Bryce and reconcile him to his parents and to the Body of Christ. “I don’t know if I’ll ever know why God is allowing this to happen to my family, but I’ll still praise His holy name and believe that He will make all thing work together for good,” said Lynn.

For fact sheets on the Twelve Tribes and Seventh-day Adventism, go to:
www.rosepublishing.com/harvest
[...more...]

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