Cult of Christianity Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Criteria In Determining Cult Groups

This evaluation is designed to expose the heretical beliefs and practices of a group that even a new or immature Christian (no doctrinal frame of references in his soul) can use, with the exemption of Set C. However, Sets A, B, D and E are enough to make an evaluation in identifying a cult. Set C requires Bible Doctrine on the part of the evaluator. You need only few Yes to be alarm and make a throughout investigation regarding your group.

For example, if we are to look a Jesus Is Lord Church base on this evaluation, we need to make a deeper research to avoid unsubstantial conclusion.

There are five sets of questions:

Set A: Questions related to leadership
Set B: Questions related to practices
Set C: Questions related to beliefs
Set D: Questions related to financial policy
Set E: Questions related to inter-personal relationship

Yes means negative, rejection and denial of the Truth. No means acceptance and application of the Bible doctrine.

Set A: Question Related To Leadership
Yes No

Are the leaders using out-context Scriptural passages from questionable translations or versions of Bible?

Do they despise the scholars and theologians who interpret the Bible from the original languages (Hebrews, Greek & Aramaic)?

Do they despise Bible doctrine as non-essential to spiritual life?

Are they always demanding respect, submission and obedience from their followers?

Are they free from questionable or unorthodox behavior and practices, or vices?

Are they free from extravagant lifestyle and enormous wealth?

Are they teaching extra-biblical or heretical doctrines?

Are there any prophecy that they made which failed to fulfill?

Are the leaders claiming personal encountered with God or angels, where they received exclusive instruction or command?

Did they claim any supernatural or weird experience in the presence of God being an exclusive recipient of especial mission or ministry?

Are there any previous record or documentation of the leader/s being involved in a crime?

Are the leaders trained academically in theology or in the Science of Biblical interpretation?

Are they boastful, conceited, domineering, manipulative and abusive?

Set B: Questions Related To Practices	Yes	No
Do they practice signs & wonders, healing, miracles, slaying of the Holy Spirit and speaking of tongues?
Do they practice prolonged prayer and fasting or mind numbing meditation?
Do they support, endorse, encourage or practice holy laughter?
Do they practice tithing, love and faith offering (seed money), pledges, or obligatory contribution under compulsion, and to give beyond their means?
Do they use humiliation, guilt building or manipulation to control human behavior?
Are they violating the independent action, the human free-will decision, privacy and freedom?
Are they using hypnosis, mind control, and guilt building?
Are they dictating in great details every behavior, ethics, moral values, and actions?
Are they using fear and pressure to effect free-will in making spiritual choices?
Are they using pattern brainwashing or intensive indoctrination in order to bring the intended result?
Are they using some 'power" over others?
Are they observing the celebration created by the Catholics such as Christmas, New Year, Valentine, Halloween, birthday, and many others?
Are they charismatically domineering but abusive toward their people?
Are they using some elements from the occults such as glass, crystal, stones, water, pyramid, voodoo, pendant and others?

Set C: Questions Related To Beliefs	Yes	No
Are they teaching and practicing prophecy, rejecting the fact that no biblical prophecy is bound for fulfillment during the Church Age?
Are they teaching and practicing para-normal, extra-biblical rituals, replacing Bible doctrine?
Are they inventing ministries that expand the church numerically but rejecting Bible doctrine, the only source of spiritual growth?
Are they teaching and practicing mystical revelation through anointing, prayer and fasting rejecting Bible doctrine?
Are they disregarding dispensations and insisting on the historical sign gifts that are obsolete in the Church Age?
Are they rejecting Bible doctrine and putting emphasis on emotional experiences?
Are they rejecting Christ and replacing Him with their leader as the new messenger or new authority of their spiritual life?
Are they rejecting the Universal Church and claiming that they alone are saved or to be saved?
Are they rejecting the absolute authority of the Bible, replacing or combining it with their other source of authority (like books or publications) written by their leaders?
Are they rejecting the perfect humanity of Christ, including His virgin birth, and the fact that His resurrection is for redemption of our body?
Are they rejecting the God-Man forever, His bodily resurrection, ascension and session at the right-hand of God the Father?
Are they rejecting the Spiritual death (from 12:00 NN to 3:00 PM) of Christ on the Cross?
Are they rejecting Bible doctrine in exchange for their church doctrine which they believed superior and accurate?
Are they rejecting spirituality by the grace provision of rebound replacing it with human good works?
Are they fully convinced that they can understand, perceive, and advance in their spiritual life apart from spirituality?
Are they mistaken that spirituality is residence, function and advancement in the divine dynasphere and not religious activity such as prolonged prayer and fasting, or praise and worship with public confession of sins?
Are they majoring on the minor doctrine such as healing, tongues, miracles, or prayer and fasting?
Are they engross with religious activities, programs, ministries and forgetting the most essential, their spiritual momentum by means of progressive, systematic, and consistent intake of Bible doctrine?
Are they going beyond the Truth of the Scripture by inventing teachings, ministries, or missions which is not mandated by the Bible?
Are they preaching salvation by good works, rejecting the salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone?
Are they preaching their own religion, setting aside God's perfect plan of grace?
Are they rejecting the finished work of Christ on the Cross for the entire human race (Unlimited Atonement) by teaching that salvation is exclusive only to their group?
Are they proclaiming vague Gospel that cannot save and where the finished work of Christ on the Cross is not explained?
Are they rejecting the doctrine of eternal security by teaching that salvation is not permanent and eternal, and can be lost by committing personal sin?

Set D: Questions Related To Financial Policy	Yes	No
Are they concentrated on fund raising and not on salvation of the souls or spiritual growth?
Are they always demanding members to give beyond their ability or until it hurts?
Are there too many church or ministry projects that most members have difficulty in coping up with their contribution?
Are there difficult to verify beneficiaries such as bogus charitable organization or ghost people?
Are they condemning those who are contributing nothing or little, accusing them as lovers of money?
Are the leaders inlove with the things of the world such as fabulous, elegant houses, expensive cars or jets?
Are they keeping the contribution records away from the public scrutiny?
Are there any ministry that contributes to social needs of few but being use only as front for raising more funds.
Are there more evidence of their concern for money than for the souls or welfare of the members?
Are the money supposed to go the ministry being diverted to personal expense of their leaders?
Are they always praying for their material needs?

Set E: Questions Related To Inter-Personal Relationship	Yes	No
Are they manipulating, threatening, humiliating to control people?
Are they playing on feelings in order to compel members to submit and obey?
Are they using intimidation or threats in recruiting or retaining members?
Are they appealing to ego in driving members to become one of the elect, elite, chose, or leader?
Are they always bombarding the groups or individuals with pleasurable encouragement that tickle the ears such "we love you", "you are love" and many flowery but non-sense phrases?
Are they advocating the public confession of sins or private recorded confession?
Are they teaching intolerance towards their critics or people whose beliefs are different from them?
Are they teaching their members to associate, do business, marry, or date only with their own members?
Are they teaching total loyalty within their group but neglecting ones responsibility to his own family?
Are they teaching that each individual member must harmonize their life within their own group only?
Are the members instructed to keep themselves secluded from the outsiders?
Are the members subjected to exploitation, manipulation, either physically, sexually or financially tagged as spiritual experience?
Are they controlling, manipulating or dictating what members wear, eat, how to conduct familial, marital, and even sexual relationship?
Are they always making the impression that the members are especially different, elite and being exclusive recipient of God's especial anointed leader?
Are members taught to abandon anyone either family, friends or anyone who opposes their beliefs?
Are the members commanded to honor or venerate highly their leader/s?
Are members restricted for personal secrecy and privacy and are mandated to seek the advice of their leaders in every decision?

12/09/06

J. R. Cherreguine Bible Doctrine Ministries