Is the Church of Christ a cult?

It wasn't like this was the first time I had heard of or read someone attempting to make the claim that the Church of Christ is a cult, however this time was very different, this time it was personal. I, like most of you probably, have ran across some websites making this claim using erroneous, second and third hand knowledge about the Church of Christ and our beliefs or more times than not confusing us with the International Church of Christ. This time, however, a young person from my congregation was asking me why her friends would be saying that we are a cult. As I dug deeper into the situation, I learned that this young member of our congregation was told directly by one of her friends who attends one of the more charismatic denominations in our town that her Pastor was "teaching and warning" them about the Church of Christ "because they are nothing more than a cult."

    At first, I thought about just letting it pass, you know "just laugh it off." I know many people who have made bold claims, myself included, who later lived to regret what they said. But, the longer I thought about it, the harder I tried to come up with a logical reason as to why this man, who I once respected, would make such a statement, the more I realized how malicious the promulgation of this kind of statement can be. It is on the same level as if I walked up to this man in a crowded room and said, "So, do you still beat your wife?" How does one respond to such statements? To remain silent only reinforces the belief of some that it must be true or else why can't they refute it. To make too big of a deal about it only brings more attention to the situation and those disseminating the false information, which is exactly what they want, attention.

    When most people think of a cult, they immediately think of a group of people, religious or quasi-religious, led by one person who exerts complete control of every aspect of what his or her devotees practice. The cult is usually identified by the name of its leader, for example: David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, or Jim Jones. We know who these men are and what they are responsible for but their names overrode their respective groups. (Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and The People's Temple) The second thing that people think of in cultish behavior is brain washing. Brain washing takes place as the cult leaders begin to isolate their members from society, thereby gaining the ability to control what information they can receive as well as what they are taught. Third, cultists usually have some sort of "mystery" in their teaching which is only revealed to those in the group. Often this mystery teaching is claimed to be some sort of "special revelation" given to the leader directly by God and usually this teaching is in direct opposition to the teaching of the bible itself.

    Just so you can have all the information you need to make your own decision, let me give you a brief description of what the Waynesboro church of Christ believes as well as some of the ministries we engage in as a response to our salvation. Concerning salvation we believe that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Yes, we believe baptism is part of the salvational process; it is a faith response to God's grace. We don't believe in baptismal regeneration. There is nothing special about water and water doesn't take our sin away, that is the work of the blood of Christ. "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." (Romans 6:3-5).

Our congregational 'mission statement' is very pointed and simple; Serving God, Sharing Christ, Strengthening Families. We serve God by caring for our community in ways that are tangible. Among other things, we operate a food pantry that is available to anyone in need of basic food and supplies; this ministry also helps people in certain monetary need situations. We also partner with Second Harvest Food Bank to offer a mobile pantry to our community 5-6 times a year, at our last mobile pantry we distributed over 18,000 lbs. of food to over 400 people. Each Wednesday after school, we open the doors of our fellowship center to over 70 students who receive help with homework, a hot meal, fun and games, and a message from God's word. Our ministers as well as each of our members are active in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, he is the reason for our existence, and we will share his love with anyone who will listen. Finally, we believe that the family is the backbone of the church as well as our country; therefore, we focus on strengthening marriages, aiding people in becoming better parents, and creating a family aspect for those members who don't have family of their own.

    As I stated earlier, I don't really know how to respond to the charge that we are a cult. There just simply is no evidence whatsoever to validate the claims and much evidence right before his eyes to the contrary. So, what is it that motivated this man to call the Church of Christ a cult? I can only surmise that this man just does not like the Church of Christ and has chosen this path to discredit the glory brought to God. In an era where most congregations are in decline ours is on the rise; perhaps this bothers some people as they see their own congregation in decline and feel they must justify others growth by claiming it to be specious.

    Let me just say that this situation is an aberration of the normal relationship between congregations in our area, at least as far as I know. I have a very good relationship with most all of the other ministers in town. (And, as far as I know, I have never done or said anything against our outspoken critic.) We work with the understanding that while we may have a few differences in belief, we share common enemies. Drugs and alcohol are devastating our community. Many parents are losing their children to drugs and alcohol while numerous children are losing their parents to the same. Families are crumbling under the stress of financial as well as personal hardship and more often than not, they seek answers in divorce court. Satan has the upper hand and will continue his prosperity in our community until people of faith understand this important fact: It's not about me, it's all about God!



Mitchell