The Christian countercult movement, also known as discernment ministries is the collective designation for many mostly unrelated ministries and individual Christians who oppose non-mainstream Christian and non-Christian religious groups, which they often call cults. Motivation for this movement is usually based in doctrinal and theological reasons, and it often with a missionary or apologetic purpose. Protagonists often come from an Evangelical or fundamentalist background, although some are former members of non-mainstream groups. While a considerable proportion of those who identify with the Christian countercult are Protestant Evangelicals, there are also Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Ancient Oriental Orthodox groups critical of cults. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ... A mission literally means something that is sent, from the Latin word missum, sent. Thus we may refer to space exploration expeditions as space missions, or to a diplomatic outpost in a foreign territory as a diplomatic mission. Christian missions are movements or outposts of Christian proselytism. ... Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of Protestantism, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ... In comparative religion, fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, including literal interpretation of sacred texts such as the Bible or the Quran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions. ... Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing a split from within the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe —a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ...

The Christian countercult movement with its emphases on apologetics and evangelism does not constitute the totality of concerns which many Christians have about cult practices. Some Christians share similar concerns to those of the secular anti-cult movement. Book published by the International Cultic Studies Association (a. ...

History

Precursors & pioneers

Christians have applied theological criteria to assess the teachings of non-orthodox movements throughout church history. In the Protestant traditions some of the earliest writings opposing unorthodox groups like Swedenborg's teachings, can be traced back to John Wesley, Alexander Campbell (Restoration movement) and Princeton theologians like Charles Hodge and Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield. The first known usage of the term "cult" by a Protestant apologist to denote a group is heretical or unorthodox is in Anti-Christian Cults by A. H. Barrington, published in 1898. John Wesley (June 17, 1703–March 2, 1791) was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who founded the Methodist movement. ... Alexander Campbell (September 12, 1788 – March 4, 1866) was an early leader of a movement that began in 1800 with the goal of removing divisions between Christians, by returning believers in the New Testament to principles of Truth and Union. ... The steeple of Alexander Hall Princeton Theological Seminary is one of the worlds leading institutions for graduate theological education and home of the largest theological library in the United States. ... Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (1797-1878) was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. ... Benjamin Breckinridge (B.B.) Warfield (1851 - 1921) was the principal of Princeton Seminary from 1887 to 1921. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Quite a few of the pioneering apologists were Baptist pastors, like I. M. Haldeman, or participants in the Brethren, like William Irvine and Sydney Watson. Watson wrote a series of didactic novels like Escaped from the Snare:Christian Science, Bewitched by Spiritualism, and The Gilded Lie, as warnings of the dangers posed by cultic groups. Watson's use of fiction to counter the cults has been repeated by later novelists like Frank Peretti. A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church. ... The Brethren are any of several Christian denominations, most of which are Anabaptist-Pietist . ... Frank Peretti (b. ...

The early twentieth century apologists generally applied the words "heresy" and "sects" to groups like the Christadelphians, Mormons, Spiritualists, and Theosophy. This was reflected in several chapters contributed to the multi-volume work released in 1915 The Fundamentals, where apologists criticised the teachings of Charles Taze Russell, Mary Baker Eddy, Mormonism and Christian Science. Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... A sect is a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... The Christadelphians are a nontrinitarian Christian Britain and North America in the 19th century. ... Mormon is a colloquial term used to refer to members of most of the sects of the Latter Day Saint movement, members of a religion which was founded in the 1830s. ... It has been suggested that Spiritualist Church be merged into this article or section. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Russell in 1911 Charles Taze Russell, (February 16, 1852 - October 31, 1916), known as Pastor Russell, was an American evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who founded what is known as the Bible Student movement. ... Mary Baker Eddy Mary Morse Baker, better known as Mary Baker Eddy (July 16, 1821 - December 3, 1910) founded the Church of Christ, Scientist in 1879. ... Do you mean oxymoron? This article is in need of attention. ...

Mid-20th century apologists

Since at least the 1940s, the approach of traditional Christians was to apply the meaning of cult such that it included those religious groups who use other scriptures beside the Bible or have teachings and practices deviating from traditional Christian teachings and practices. Some examples of sources (with published dates where known) that documented this approach are: // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ...

• The Missionary Faces Isms, by John C. Mattes, pub. 1937 (Board of American Missions of the United Lutheran Church).
• Heresies Ancient and Modern, by J.Oswald Sanders, pub.1948 (Marshall Morgan & Scott, London/Zondervan, Grand Rapids).
• Cults and Isms, by J.Oswald Sanders, pub.1962, 1969, 1980 (Arrowsmith), ISBN 0551004584.
• The Chaos of Cults, by J.K.van Baalen, pub. 1938, 1944, 1960, 1962 (Eerdmans)
• Heresies Exposed, by W.C.Irvine, pub. 1921, 1975 (Loizeaux Brothers).
• Confusion of Tongues, by C.W.Ferguson, pub. 1928 (Doran & Co).
• Isms New and Old, by Julius Bodensieck.
• Some Latter-Day Religions, by G.H.Combs.

One of the first prominent countercult apologists was Jan Karel van Baalen (1890-1968), an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. His book, The Chaos of Cults, which was first published in 1938, became a classic in the field. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Official logo of the Christian Reformed Church The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA or CRC) is a Protestant Christian denomination which follows Reformed Calvinist theology. ...

Walter Martin

Historically, one of the most important protagonists of the movement was Walter Martin (1928-89), whose numerous books include the 1955 The Rise of the Cults: An Introductory Guide to the Non-Christian Cults and the 1965 The Kingdom of the Cults: An Analysis of Major Cult Systems in the Present Christian Era, which continues to be influential. He became well known in conservative Christian circles through a radio program, "The Bible Answer Man", currently hosted by Hank Hanegraaff. Walter Ralston Martin (September 10, 1928 – June 26, 1989), was an American Evangelical minister, author, and Christian apologist who founded the Christian Research Institute in 1960 as a para-church ministry specialising as a clearing-house of information in both general Christian apologetics and in countercult apologetics. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

In his 1955 book, Martin gave the following definition of a cult:

"By cultism we mean the adherence to doctrines which are pointedly contradictory to orthodox Christianity and which yet claim the distinction of either tracing their origin to orthodox sources or of being in essential harmony with those sources. Cultism, in short, is any major deviation from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith."

As Martin's definition suggests, the countercult ministries concentrate on non-traditional groups that claim to be Christian, so chief targets have been the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science and the Unification Church, but also smaller groups like the Swedenborgian Church The Salt Lake City temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The Church of Christ, Scientist, often known as The Christian Science Church or simply Christian Science, is a Christian denomination with about 2,000 branches (local churches) in over 70 countries. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Swedenborgianism is a term based on the ecclesiastical organization of certain beliefs relating to Emanuel Swedenborgs writings and, as such, is considered a religious movement by some. ...

Various other conservative Christian leaders—among them John Ankerberg and Norman Geisler—have emphasized themes similar to Martin's. Perhaps more importantly, numerous other well-known conservative Christian leaders as well as many conservative pastors have accepted Martin's definition of a cult as well as his understanding of the groups to which he gave that label. (Compare this definition with heresy.) John F. Ankerberg (born Dec 1945) is the host of a nationally syndicated evangelical Christian television talk show. ... Dr. Norman Geisler is a scholar, Christian apologist, and the author or coauthor of some sixty books defending the Christian faith. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ...

Other technical terminology

It should also be noted that since the 1980s the term "new religions" or "new religious movements" has slowly entered into Evangelical usage alongside of the word "cult", and some book titles use both terms. The acceptance of these alternative terms to the word "cult" in Evangelicalism reflects, in part, the wider usage of such language in the sociology of religion. However, there is no precision or unanimity among Evangelicals over whether these terms are synonyms. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... A new religious movement or NRM appears as a religious, ethical or spiritual grouping that has not (yet) become recognised as a standard denomination, church, or body, especially when it has a novel belief system and when it is not a sect. ...

"Countercult apologetics" as accepted term

The term "countercult apologetics" first appeared in Protestant Evangelical literature as a self-designation in the late 1970s and early 1980s in articles by Ronald Enroth and David Fetcho, and by Walter Martin in Martin Speaks Out on the Cults. A mid-1980s debate about apologetic methodology between Ronald Enroth and J. Gordon Melton, led the latter to place more emphasis in his publications on differentiating the Christian countercult from the secular anti-cult. Eric Pement urged Melton to adopt the label "Christian countercult", and since the early 1990s the terms has entered into popular usage and is recognised by sociologists such as Douglas Cowan. Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

The only existing umbrella organization within the countercult movement in the USA is the EMNR (Evangelical Ministries to New Religions) founded in 1982 which has the evangelical Lausanne Covenant as governing document and which stresses mission, scholarship, accountability and networking. The Lausanne Covenant is a 1974 Christian religious manifesto promoting active world-wide Christian evangelism. ...

Countercult outside the USA

While the greatest number of countercult ministries is found in the United States of America, ministries exist in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Russia and Sweden. A comparison between the methods employed in the USA and other nations discloses some similarities in emphasis, but also other nuances in emphasis. The similarities are that globally these ministries share a common concern about the evangelisation of people in cults and new religions. There is also often a common thread of comparing orthodox doctrines and biblical passages with the teachings of the groups under examination. However, in some of the European and southern hemisphere contexts, confrontational methods of engagement are not always relied on, and dialogical approaches are sometimes advocated. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK...

Contextual missiology

The phenomena of cults has also entered into the discourses of Christian missions and theology of religions. An initial step in this direction occurred in 1980 when the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization convened a mini-consultation in Thailand. From that consultation a position paper was produced "The Thailand Report on New Religious Movements". The issue was revisited at the Lausanne Forum in 2004 with another paper "Religious and Non-Religious Spirituality in the Western World". The latter paper adopts a different methodology to that advocated in 1980.

In the 1990s discussions in academic missions and theological journals indicate that another trajectory is emerging which reflects the influence of contextual missions theory. Advocates of this approach maintain that apologetics as a tool needs to be retained, but do not favour a confrontational style of engagement. Instead, by combining insights from missions theory, a cross-cultural approach to dialogue, proclamation and conversion is applied in outreach. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ...

Apologetic nuances and models

Countercult apologetics has several nuances and methods employed in analysing and responding to cults. The different nuances in countercult apologetics have been discussed by John Saliba and Philip Johnson.

The dominant method is the emphasis on detecting unorthodox or heretical doctrines and contrasting those with the Bible and early creedal documents. Some apologists, such as Francis J. Beckwith, have emphasised a philosophical approach, pointing out logical, epistemological and metaphysical problems within the teachings of a particular group. Another approach involves former members of cultic groups recounting their spiritual autobiographies, which highlight experiences of disenchantment with the group, unanswered questions and doubts about commitment to the group, culminating in the person's conversion to Evangelical Christianity. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Pop apologists like Dave Hunt in Peace, Prosperity and the Coming Holocaust and Hal Lindsey in The Terminal Generation have tended to interpret the phenomena of cults as part of the burgeoning evidence of signs that Christ's Second Advent is close at hand. Both Hunt, and Constance Cumbey, have applied a conspiracy model to interpreting the emergence of New Age spirituality and linking that to speculations about fulfilled prophecies heralding Christ's reappearance. Dave Hunt, born in 1926, is a Christian apologist, speaker, radio commentator and author. ... Harold Lee (Hal) Lindsey, born in Houston, Texas in 1929, is an American evangelist and Christian writer. ... Constance Elizabeth Cumbey (born 29 February 1944) was born Constance Elizabeth Butler to a family of mixed European ancestry in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, and raised as a Seventh Day Adventist. ...

Other apologists like Bob Larson blend an understanding of cults as heresies with a strongly nuanced emphasis on Satan as the energising power behind the growth of cults. This theme has been portrayed in the anti-New Age novels by Frank Peretti (This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness)where demonic forces empower practitioners of New Age groups while Christians engage in spiritual warfare tactics of prayer and exorcisms to counter the groups. Bob Larson (born 1944 - McCook, Nebraska) is a radio and television evangelist, later based in Colorado. ... Frank Peretti (b. ...

Today there exist many and very diverse countercult ministries and authors including everything between scholars and soapbox preachers and there is no overall agreement regarding which groups are part of traditional Christianity.

Some Protestants classify Catholic, Eastern-orthodox, Seventh-day Adventist or Pentecostal churches as cults, because they allegedly have non-Biblical teachings. Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ...

Others speak out mainly against current non-Christian groups or trends in society like the New Age movement, the popularity of Harry Potter books or Halloween. New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... A jack-o-lantern Halloween is an observance celebrated on the night of October 31, most notably by children dressing in costumes and going door-to-door collecting candy. ...

Some ministries, often led by former members, target single groups like Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.

Prominent protagonists in the Christian countercult movement

People

• Hank Hanegraaff is the successor to Walter Martin on the radio and in CRI. He has continued the work of Martin; he also speaks out against Oneness Pentecostalism, Word of Faith ministries, and other similar movements.
• Norman Geisler
• Douglas Groothuis
• Anton Hein [1] targets many groups from a Christian point of view. His Apologetics Index also operates a weblog, the Religion News Blog.
• J. P. Moreland, Biola University
• Richard Abanes [2]
• Walter Martin [3] was the host of the Bible Answer Man radio broadcast and the president of the Christian Research Institute. He often gave Biblical and logical arguments against Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and other cultic and occultic movements.

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Walter Ralston Martin (September 10, 1928 – June 26, 1989), was an American Evangelical minister, author, and Christian apologist who founded the Christian Research Institute in 1960 as a para-church ministry specialising as a clearing-house of information in both general Christian apologetics and in countercult apologetics. ... The Word of Faith movement or word-faith theology developed in the latter half of the 20th century in mainly Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. ... Dr. Norman Geisler is a scholar, Christian apologist, and the author or coauthor of some sixty books defending the Christian faith. ... James Porter Moreland (born 1948), commonly referred to as J.P. Moreland, is an American Christian apologist, theologian, and philosopher. ... Richard Abanes (b. ... Walter Ralston Martin (September 10, 1928 – June 26, 1989), was an American Evangelical minister, author, and Christian apologist who founded the Christian Research Institute in 1960 as a para-church ministry specialising as a clearing-house of information in both general Christian apologetics and in countercult apologetics. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name, most-often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ...

Organizations

• Answers in Action [4], Bob and Gretchen Passantino
• Apologia report [5], maintaining also a professional mailing list for apologetic resources
• Apologetics resource center [6], by Craig Branch
• Christian Apologetics Research Ministry, founded by Matt Slick.
• Christian Research Institute (CRI) founded by Walter Martin [7]
• Dialog Center [8] founded by Johannes Aagaard
• EMNR Evangelical Ministries to New Religions [9], an umbrella group for ministries to the cults and new religions
• Eternal Ministries [10] director, Dr. Ron J. Bigalke Jr.
• Institute of Religious Research [11]
• Midwest Christian Outreach {http://www.midwestoutreach.org]
• New England Institute of Religious Research (NEIRR) [12]
• Personal Freedom Outreach [13]
• Probe Ministries [14]
• Spiritual Counterfeits Project [15], president Tal Brooke
• Watchman Fellowship [16], founder David Henke, president James K. Walker

The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) is an non-profit Christian apologetics organization run and founded by Matt Slick. ... Matt Slick, whose full name is Matthew J. Slick, is the creator and webmaster of the Christian website and ministry CARM, or Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. ... The Christian Research Institute (also popularly known as CRI)is one of the largest Evangelical Christian apologetics ministries of the world. ... The Dialog Center is a Christian counter cult organization founded by the renowned Danish professor of missiology and ecumenical theology, Dr Johannes Aagaard. ... Ron J. Bigalke Jr. ... Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc. ... Personal Freedom Outreach (PFO) is a St. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

External links

• Apologetics Index; The counter-cult movement
• Douglas E. Cowan: Christian Countercult Website Profiles
• CESNUR: Overview of Christian Countercult movement by Douglas E. Cowan
• Counter Cult Movement at Religious Tolerance

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Abanes, Richard, Cults, New Religious Movements, and Your Family, Crossway Books, Wheaton, 1998.
• Ankerberg, John and John Weldon, Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions, Harvest House, Eugene, 1999.
• Enroth, Ronald (ed)., A Guide to New Religious Movements, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 2005.
• Geisler, Norman L. and Ron Rhodes, When Cultists Ask, Baker, Grand Rapids, 1997
• House, H.Wayne, Charts of Cults, Sects and Religious Movements, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2000.
• LeBar, James J. Cults, Sects, and the New Age, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, 1989.
• Martin, Walter R. The Kingdom of the Cults, edited by Ravi Zacharias, Bethany, Bloomington, 2003
• McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today's Religions, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 1992
• Rhodes, Ron, The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2001
• Sire, James W. Scripture Twisting: Twenty Ways the Cults Misread the Bible, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1980.
• Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door 4th ed., InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 2004.
• Tucker, Ruth A. Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions and the New Age Movement, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2004.
• Vatican Report on Sects, Cults and New Religious Movements, St. Paul Publications, Sydney, 1988.

History and critical assessments

• Cowan, Douglas E. Bearing False Witness? An Introduction to the Christian Countercult (Praeger Publishers, Westport, Connecticut & London, 2003).
• Enroth, Ronald M. and J. Gordon Melton, Why Cults Succeed Where The Church Fails (Brethren Press, Elgin, 1985).
• Jenkins, Philip, Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History (Oxford University Press, New York, 2000).
• Johnson, Philip, "Apologetics, Mission, and New Religious Movements: A Holistic Approach," Sacred Tribes: Journal of Christian Missions to New Religious Movements, 1 (1) (2002)
• Melton, J. Gordon., "The counter-cult monitoring movement in historical perspective," in Challenging Religion: Essays in Honour of Eileen Barker, edited by James A. Beckford & James T. Richardson, (Routledge, London, 2003), pp. 102-113.
• Saliba, John A., Understanding New Religious Movements, 2nd edition (Alta Mira Press, Walnut Creek, Lanham, New York & Oxford, 2003).