Cult or real Christianity

We are living in days where it is becoming less and less easy to distinguish in the UK between healthy faith and cult type faith - and at this point, I'm not yet talking Christianity. Post modernism or relativism, has essentially taken - at least in the eyes of the non-religious, the uniqueness out of Christianity. To them, it is just another possible religious choice and well, "each to his own!" Christians don't agree on this of course, and would strongly argue for the uniqueness of Christianity, but for the unchurched, there is this mish-mash of faith. And we as Christians would say "Beware of the cults!" Cults are bad news because they hide the truth, and they are not of the truth. In the 60's and 70's there were an outbreak of cults across the globe and some were notorious in there stealing away of young people, or in other cases of mass suicide calls by their overall leaders.
But talking about Christian churches from this point onwards, in other words "within the Christian family of churches" we are now seeing in my view the beginnings of unhealthy churches where there is a high tendency towards cult like behaviour. If I remember my "other religions studies" of 20 years ago at Spurgeon's, there are a number of clear marks of a cult: 1)Strong control type behaviour from the overal leader: in other words, what he or she says, goes. And if you don't like it, you have a choice - comply or leave. In the worst case situations, the words of the leader are deemed literally to be the word of God. 2)Dress and behaviour code: there is a sense that there is only one way to behave and indeed dress. This is it, and if you don't conform you again have a choice - comply or leave. 3)A disconnection with all outsiders: there is a clear command set by the leadership to not connect in unity with any other groupings, because this group has the only clear truth, and to do so would infect the group itself. So any sense of Christian unity beyond the walls of that Christian grouping is straightaway shut down or discouraged or advised against. Again, in worst cases, its comply or leave again. 4) Worship style is narrow, and all the same all the time. This is the way that we worship and no other way is right. 5) A lack of overall accountability or indeed desire to be accountable to larger networks, tribes or denominations. Especially within leadership. Again, to do so simply allows the warped truth to be challenged.
I could go on - and there are other aspects worth considering. Some years ago (30+) within the Baptist Union a grouping was ejected from the Union for showing these kinds of marks. They were the Jesus Army at Bugbrooke in Northants. In the end, they returned as a changed, accountable and healthy grouping. And this goes to show that any grouping that, seemingly at first seemed healthy and mainstream can, very easily trip up over a few hurdles and become extreme.
Sadly then these cultic like behaviours are all to often seen in Christian settings. They shouldn't be, but they are occasionally displayed. And yes, I think I am seeing them in Christian settings and it is scary. I've seen them in traditional church settings where too much power is given to a single individual or where a leader is de=frocked or expelled and he goes off then to start off how own kind of religion on his own, with no one to answer to. And some of the so called new church streams can fall very easily into some of these cult like behaviours. Heavy shepherding and heavy leadership are ovbious signs. Frankly some of these situations are covers for spiritual abuse, and then thats a matter for the law. If we're honest, every individual or grouping can be prone to this. As my old theology lecturer used to say, we all have a tendency to over emphasise the argument. And where the original idea was good, it rapidly goes off the rails.
So scary days. Lets make healthy churches places where indidividuals can express themselves freely in the Christian faith and lets come across as transparent places with freedom to be the people God wants us to be. After all "it was for freedom that Christ has set us free!"