HBO recently produced a video special on the rise and fall of Ted Haggard's ministry. Although produced by a secular organization, the video has some fascinating insights into the perils that face Christian leaders today.

The video is available for purchase from HBO for $25, and is a worthwhile investment. You can find more information about the video here:

The Trials of Ted Haggard

You can also cut and paste this link into your browser: http://www.hbo.com/events/trialsoftedhaggard/index.html

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Some friends pointed me to a helpful series of YouTube Videos on spiritual abuse. You can find them here:

FaithandReasons Spiritual Abuse Resources

You can also cut and paste the link below into your browser if needed:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=47228481EBDF507A

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During President Barrack Obama's acceptance speech at his inauguration on January 20, 2009, he delivered both a challenge and an invitation to tyrannical governments around the world: “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

Although perhaps it wasn't his intent, Obama's statement has significant application in the spiritual realm as well as the political. Sadly, there are some Christian ministries and churches in our world that operate by the same dynamics that despotic world governments employ. Examining each element in turn, we can observe that:

* There are those in positions of spiritual leadership that cling to power as doggedly as any world dictator. They would quickly throw their mother or for that matter, any other “loved one,” under the bus if it meant that their position and influence in the ministry would be preserved.
* Corruption may take different forms in the spiritual realm, but is no less prevalent than in the world of politics. In addition to corruption in their own character, a wily spiritual leader might toss a committed follower a few bones such as access to the “great man's” inner circle, or lesser positions of power, as a “bribe” in exchange for his or her loyalty, willingness to handle whatever dirty work the leader deems necessary, etc.
* Deceitfulness is a major hallmark of corrupt spiritual leadership. An examination of recent church and ministry scandals reveals major trends of lies, prevarications, and distortions, all designed to cover up ugly messes that would bring down the leader if revealed.
* The Scriptures are loaded with examples of perverse leaders who sought to silence God's messengers who dared to challenge their corrupt practices. In addition to stifling critics, the leader is often attempting to send a strong signal to followers that any questioning of their authority will be dealt with quickly and ruthlessly, which is a strong deterrent to future “rebellion.”

After characterizing the corrupt leadership of various nations, Obama then states an undeniable fact: leaders who rely on evil to attempt to perpetuate their empires will ultimately fall. This is certainly true in the spiritual realm as well, because corrupt leaders who charge ahead heedlessly using unbiblical means are in fact challenging the authority, omniscience and omnipotence of God Himself.

Finally, Obama extends an olive branch to world leaders that are willing to change their ways. In the same way, God is willing to forgive spiritual leaders who acknowledge wrongdoing, confess their sins to Himself and to those they have wronged and misled, and make things right with those they have victimized. As leaders step out in faith to obey and repent, the Lord miraculously brings about healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. His followers can do no less: we ought always to be ready to reconcile with leaders who have harmed us. However, we must approach this type of situation prayerfully and carefully, with much reliance on the Lord. Unfortunately, not every leader in this type of scenario has God-honoring motives. They might simply be looking to press their prior victims to “let them off the hook,” or to pick their brains for information they can use in formulating a counterattack.

However, for those leaders who come to us humbly, truthfully and sincerely, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, God expects nothing less than for us to reconcile at the foot of the cross. Furthermore, we should be open to the Lord's direction to come alongside them to assist in the healing process.

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I recently came across a great resource on the Web for those who are or have been involved in unbiblical and/or abusive church or ministry situations. I think it will also prove to be a great help in ministering to others who might be caught in such a group.

The web site was created by John Engler, who was formerly involved in the Denver Church of Christ, which was related to the Boston Church of Christ. The site includes articles about John's own experiences, sharing from Scripture, and pointers to helpful resources for those who are or have been in spiritually abusive situations. One particularly helpful section is his reviews of a number of books that deal with unbiblical churches and organizations.

Here is the link to Engler's web site:
Barnabas Ministry

(In case you have problems accessing the link above, you can cut and paste this into your browser: www.barnabasministry.com)

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Irving Janis, a social psychologist, coined the term “groupthink” back in the 1970's to describe the phenomenon where groups make poor decisions because of overt or subtle pressures within the group. He identified eight symptoms of groupthink, summarized here by researchers at Northern Illinois University: (http://www.cedu.niu.edu/~fulmer/groupthink.htm):

1.Illusion of Invulnerability: Members ignore obvious danger, take extreme risk, and are overly optimistic.
2.Collective Rationalization: Members discredit and explain away warnings contrary to group thinking.
3.Illusion of Morality: Members believe their decisions are morally correct, ignoring the ethical consequences of their decisions.
4.Excessive Stereotyping:The group constructs negative stereotypes of rivals outside the group.
5.Pressure for Conformity: Members pressure any in the group who express arguments against the group's stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, viewing such opposition as disloyalty.
6.Self-Censorship: Members withhold their dissenting views and counter-arguments.
7.Illusion of Unanimity: Members perceive falsely that everyone agrees with the group's decision; silence is seen as consent.
8.Mindguards: Some members appoint themselves to the role of protecting the group from adverse information that might threaten group complacency.

It's easy for Christians to believe that they are somehow inoculated against groupthink in their churches, groups, and ministries. Unfortunately, I have not found this to be the case either in my own life, or in my experience in a variety of Christian group settings. With rose-colored glasses firmly in place, I have sometimes chosen to ignore or minimize serious distortions of God's truth in group settings, to the detriment of myself and others in the group.

Groupthinking is a specific manifestation of Satan's bewitching influence in the lives of individual Christians, and their relationships with other believers. If not recognized and dealt with, it can have devastating consequences, and can cause otherwise solid churches and groups to gradually become spiritually abusive cults.

What can make the groupthink dynamic even more dangerous and powerful is when it is combined with an ungodly leader who is skilled at manipulation, deception, and using groupthink to steer a group wherever they want it to go. Such a leader is typically quite charismatic, dynamic, and intelligent. These positive attributes can lull unwary followers into a false sense of security, as they trust implicitly in whatever their leader says. Like the proverbial frog who gets boiled alive in the pot as the stove temperature is gradually increased, groups can be lead by such an individual in all sorts of unbiblical directions, as members blithely follow the groupthink “guidelines” and ignore evil in their midst.

A clear example of this dynamic is found in the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Corinth. The Corinthians had succumbed to many groupthink symptoms, including illusions of invulnerability and morality, arrogantly assuming that they alone were in the true and right group. In a variety of ways, they were allowing groupthink and false leaders to guide them, instead of the Holy Spirit speaking to them through the Scriptures. The apostle Paul repeatedly warns and rebukes the Corinthian church for their arrogance and complacency, telling them at one point that “You bear with anyone if he enslaves you, if he devours you, if he takes advantage of you, if he exalts himself, if he hits you in the face.” (2 Cor. 11:20)

A “Three Monkey” Follower

The famous “three wise monkeys” (“see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”) likely originated from a Buddhist legend in Japan. Although probably intended to warn people to avoid evil of all kinds, this trio of apes might also describe Christians who give into groupthink, and disregard evil that happens right under their noses.

God has shown me many occasions in the past where I have failed to listen to His Spirit and seek His direction in situations where evil has been present in a group. Seduced by complacency, comfort, contentment, and confidence in people rather than God, I found it distressingly easy to “go with the flow” and take the easy way of letting others do my thinking and discerning for me. As a result, evil that might have been addressed went unchecked. By my unwillingness to recognize and speak out against evil, I became a “three monkey” follower.

To help me learn what was going on beneath the surface, the Lord allowed me to directly experience the consequences of other believers' unwillingness to recognize, speak against, or take action against sin. It was a very painful time in my life, and yet extremely fruitful. Seeing others who were in a position to do something positive instead turn a blind eye towards the situation, and accept another person's untruthful account of events was devastating. At the same time, it was tremendously eye-opening - I wasn't the only one who struggled with this!

As we learn to lean on the Lord and His Word, He can change us from a three monkey follower into someone who trusts in His direction, leading and empowerment. God can make us aware of ways that those He has put in leadership positions might not be honoring Him. He can also alert us to unbiblical groupthink dynamics that contribute to negative situations. When this happens, it is critically important that we take whatever time is necessary to seek the Lord's leading and direction. Does He want us to speak to an individual or a group of leaders? What does He want us to communicate? When does He want us to contact these people? The Word of God makes it clear that the Lord has promised to lead and guide us in finding the answer to such questions.

Our attitude in approaching those in leadership is vitally important. We need to ask the Lord to help us to engage leaders with a humble, gentle and respectful attitude, setting aside our personal desires, and considering other's interests as more important than our own. Only dependence on the God of the universe can help us to adopt such an attitude.

An excellent resource for how to approach others about difficult issues in a God-honoring way is Ken Sande's book, “The Peacemaker.” You can learn more about the book and related resources at the website www.peacemaker.net , which contains a number of very helpful items. In particular, the “PAUSE Principle” outlines key biblical guidelines for believers to follow as they approach others to resolve personal offenses.

As the Lord directs and helps us to approach leaders with concerns, there are a couple of key indicators to look for in how they respond to our input. First, if the leader or leaders respond positively to what we share, thanking us for bringing our concerns to them, and promising to pray and seek the Lord's direction about what we have said, this is a good start. (Prov. 9:8-9) However, we shouldn't expect them to immediately capitulate and come around to our way of thinking. Instead, the right thing for them to do is to seek the Lord's insight and direction about the situation. Of course, we should be doing the same thing ourselves. Biblical conflict resolution calls for both sides to humble themselves, confess their sins to the Lord and to one another, pray for each other and the unity of the Spirit, and ask each other to hold them accountable. As believers walk by the Spirit in this way, and meet as fellow beggars at the foot of Christ's cross, there is an excellent probability that even serious issues can be resolved in a God-honoring way.

On the other hand, if the leader or leaders respond with arrogance, anger and defensiveness, indignant that you would dare to question their authority, and refusing to admit any wrong-doing whatsoever, things will probably not go well, apart from the Lord's miraculous intervention. You will want to carefully seek God's guidance in this situation, because as we follow the Scriptural guidelines for conflict resolution (ie., Matt. 18:15-17), things may deteriorate to the point where the Lord leads us to leave the church or group. It goes without saying that this can be very difficult from many different angles.

A second indicator to look for is that an ungodly leader often will distort the truth to whatever degree he or she deems necessary to protect his power and position. Thus, it is important to keep focused on the truth of what actually has happened, rather than a leader's corrupt version of events. Furthermore, in a desperate attempt to maintain his authority and influence, the leader who has fallen under Satan's influence will often have no compunction about distorting the facts to discredit you in the eyes of others, and undermine what you are saying. Of course, this will be an extremely difficult test of your faith and trust in the Lord! Don't fall prey to the temptation to fight fire with fire, and resort to the same tactics. Instead, entrust yourself completely to the Lord of the universe, dwell in His Word, and rest on the many promises that He makes to believers who find themselves in this type of situation. The Lord loves truth and justice, and will bring it to pass in His perfect way and timing. (Psa. 37, Rom. 12:17-21)

A key tool that the Lord can use to break the vicious cycle of groupthink and manipulative leadership is the input of a trusted Christian counselor from outside of the church or group. Just as the Lord directed Paul to address the issues that the Corinthians were facing, God can use others to give us insight into what's going on in our church and group. It's ideal if this counselor has at least some familiarity with your church or organization. As you talk with them, be as humble and candid as possible, and ask them for their honest assessment. Compare their input with what the Lord has spoken to you directly. Whenever I have followed this course of action, I have heard things that I didn't want to hear... yet, many of those things turned out to be true.

As an aside, it goes without saying that any group or church that has isolated themselves from the rest of the body of Christ is at significant risk to become a dangerous religious group or cult. A telling indicator of a group's leadership is how open they are to input from the “outside.”

Perhaps you are concerned that you might be a “three monkey” follower, unwittingly caught up in overlooking evil in a church or ministry. More than anything else, I would encourage you to seek the Lord with all of your heart, asking Him for wisdom and insight, and allowing His Spirit to direct you. Study His word to learn all that you can, asking for guidance about how it might apply to your situation. Ask God directly to reveal to you if you are a “three monkey” follower.

My own experiences with coming face to face with the truth that I have fallen prey to a deceptive leader, followed groupthink principles, and have become a three monkey follower have been very painful, and at the same time, tremendous learning experiences. I am very thankful for the Lord's grace and forgiveness, as well as the reconciliation that I've experienced with those whom I have hurt in the past as I stood by. I know God wants to help everyone who is caught in this type of situation. Wherever you are at in the process, I will be praying that the Lord would sustain you and direct you in every facet of your quest to please and serve Him only!
2 Chron. 7:14

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Growing up in the sixties and seventies, one of my favorite TV shows was “Bewitched.” Samantha's supernatural abilities to extricate herself and her blundering husband Darin from sticky situations were both entertaining and hilarious.

God takes a much more serious view of the idea of being bewitched, under a spell, or deceived. The Scriptures are filled with accounts of believers who have been misled by Satan, the father of lies, and have fallen under his influence. This spiritual warfare is as real today as it was in Bible times, and it is critically important for those who follow Christ to learn to recognize and defeat the enemy's schemes. If anyone believes that they cannot be misled, it's almost a foregone conclusion that, sooner or later, they will be.

In the New Testament, many of the Apostle Paul's letters touch on this topic. A clear example is found in the book of Galatians. The apostle Paul asks the church there, “Who has bewitched you?” (Gal. 3:1) Throughout the book, Paul strongly warns the Galatians about the evil that's being perpetrated under their noses, rips the cover off the motives of both the deceivers and their followers, and outlines how to deal with the situation. Galatians is as relevant today as it was when it was written almost 2000 years ago! Although I would encourage you to embark on a thorough personal study of Galatians, I'll briefly touch on a few highlights:

* Believers face a real threat from false teachers who want us to follow their teaching rather than Christs' true gospel. (Gal. 1:6-9) It's quite easy to naively believe that every spiritual leader is teaching the truth, and has our best interest at heart. Although there are many humble, godly leaders serving the church today, there are also those who are willing to use and abuse their followers for their own ends. Recognizing the difference is a key to our spiritual survival.

* We must please and follow God, not man (1:10-2:21) By focusing on being a servant of the Lord, and trusting in the power of His Spirit, Paul had the spiritual insight and courage to speak out against a nasty heresy that could have completely derailed the early church. It's virtually guaranteed that as we seek to follow God, and speak His truth, those who are not trying to please the Lord will react strongly against us, and will attempt to discredit us and our message.

* One of the key motives of false teachers is to bring others into bondage to themselves, rather than pointing them to freedom in Christ. They will often use legalism to entrap their followers. In the Galatians' case, corrupt leaders were using the ritual of circumcision to entrap followers and make them dependent on themselves, rather than the Lord. (2:4, 4:17, 6:12-13) No one should be interposing themselves between believers and the Lord.

* Even the most committed and venerated Christian leaders can be led astray into evil, and negatively influence other believers in the process. (2:11-21) If Peter, the rock on which Jesus said He would would build His church, could fall into hypocrisy and fear of man, anyone can! The Lord used Paul, who was unwilling to “go along to get along,” to challenge Peter and help him to get back on track.

* Walking by God's Spirit is the way through and out. (5:16-6:18) The Lord wants us to pray constantly about each and every situation that arises in our lives, trusting in His Spirit and Word, and not putting any confidence in the flesh. Relying on the Lord in this way, we can discern whether or not the leaders around us are seeking to please God or themselves. Rest assured, however, that the cunning leader will be tremendously threatened when we do this. Wanting us and his other followers to trust in his wisdom and teaching rather than the Lord, he will often skillfully manipulate those who are loyal to him in order to keep everyone in line with his will and plan. But as we rely completely on Christ, we can take our stand and be victorious against the “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12)

Growing in spiritual discernment is a life-long process. I have discovered that as the Lord has worked in my life over the years, allowing me to fail and stumble in many ways, I have gradually grown in my ability to recognize Satan's schemes to bewitch myself and others. Issues in my own life that I didn't pick up on in the past, as well as in the lives of others, are often much clearer to me now. However, I still have a long way to go. My prayer for all believers is that we would continue to grow to maturity in Christ, and to practice having our “senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Heb. 5:14)

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I've had a number of fascinating discussions recently with other Christians about cults: what they are, what causes people to become involved in them, and how to help those who are entangled in such groups. Webster's dictionary defines a cult as “devoted attachment to a person or principle.” By this broad definition, Christianity itself could be described as a cult, since Christians are called to be devoted followers of Christ. However, among most believers today, the term cult carries a strong negative connotation, and generally refers to a church, ministry or organization that has gone astray from solid Biblical teaching, doctrine or practice.

There are many excellent Christian resources available today that can help in not only identifying whether or not a church or group is a cult, but also assisting those who have become entangled in them. I've referred to just a few of these in a previous blog entry, “Dangerous Religious Groups.” But as is invariably the case, the best resource is God's Word, the Bible. In the Old Testament, the word “cult” appears several times (in the NAS) in connection with the pagan religions that the Israelites encountered at various points. Although the term isn't used in the New Testament, it is evident that there were a number of cults that were highly influential during Christ's time on earth. One of the best-known example was the Pharisees, against whom the Lord delivered numerous scathing indictments throughout His ministry. Today, we use the term “Pharisee” to describe someone who is self-righteous, legalistic and hypocritical. At the time of Christ, these highly intelligent and learned men had set up a system designed to secure devoted attachment to their leadership, rather than to God.

The Pharisees were particularly dangerous not only because they were among the leaders of the Jewish people, but also because of how closely their beliefs and teachings seemed to align with Biblical principles. Jesus soundly rebuked them on many occasions, but never more throughly than in Matthew 23. By studying Jesus' teachings in this passage against the Pharisees and scribes, we can learn a tremendous amount not only about identifying a cult, but also how to deal with it by God's power.

Although it would take a great deal of time to elaborate on all the principles found in Matthew 23, it's worthwhile to touch on a few of them. First, at the beginning of the chapter (v. 2-3) , the Lord highlighted the difference between the scribes and Pharisee's words and actions: they spoke God's truth, but they personally didn't live by it. This is a very prominent feature of a cult or dangerous religious group. In our current culture, a sadly familiar example is the leader who calls his followers to sacrifice financially, encouraging or compelling them to give large amounts of their income to his church or group. However, the leader himself enjoys many luxuries, living “high on the hog” at the expense of his flock.

Jesus shares a second principle about cultic leaders in verses 5-6: they are addicted to the praises of their followers, and love the accolades and titles that go along with their leadership. This addiction drives them to be people-pleasers, doing whatever is necessary to keep the affirmations rolling in.

A third and related principle found in verses 8-10 is that the aberrant leader attempts to interject himself between his followers and God. Jesus soundly refutes this heresy, telling His disciples that they only have one true teacher and leader: God Himself. While the Christian is called to respect and appreciate the human leaders that God appoints in His church, the Lord's teaching and Spirit's guidance takes precedence over human directives. The believer's duty is to respectfully speak up when their church's or organization's leadership deviates from what the Scriptures teach.

Skipping down to the end of Matthew 23, Jesus details how the cultic leader responds when God sends people to correct and otherwise help those who have led His people astray. Rather than welcome their input with a spirit of thankfulness and humility, God's messengers are killed, crucified, scourged and persecuted. (v. 34-35) Of course, this was exactly the Pharisee's response towards the Lord, as they plotted to kill Him throughout His ministry on earth, and were finally successful, at least from a human standpoint.

A bit of research into most modern day cults will usually unearth a number of people who have shared serious concerns about the group and it's leadership. Invariably, the response to this input isn't thankfulness, but rather, anger, a spirit of vengeance, along with attempts to ostracize the critic from the group. Instead of recognizing that God has arranged life in the body of Christ such that we can learn from anyone, and that we are all simply beggars at the foot of Christ's cross, the cult leader spurns the input, directing his wrath at the person who would dare to challenge his authority.

If you are concerned that you might be involved in a cult or dangerous religious group, or if you know someone who is, I would encourage you to study the Lord's teachings about the Pharisees, scribes, and other religious leaders of the day, beginning with Matthew 23. Another fruitful place to study is the book of Galatians, where the Apostle Paul unmasks the deceptions of the so-called “circumcision party.” The tremendous truths that are taught, along with how to handle such situations, can give us hope and direction in the midst of the intense spiritual warfare that surrounds being involved in such a church or group, and in extricating oneself from satanic influence.

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Dear Friends,

From time to time we are asked about resources that might be helpful for those who are trying to assist a family member or friend who is involved in a suspected "dangerous religious group" or cult. Here are some items that might be helpful:

On-line booklet from Probe Ministries about Abusive Churches
Probe Ministries

You can also cut and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4227407/k.9467/Abusive_Churches.htm

Books (all are avilable on Amazon):
"Toxic Faith", by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton
"The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse," by David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen
"Churches that Abuse", by Ron Enroth
"Recovering from Churches That Abuse", by Ron Enroth

One last resource that seems unlikely but has proven quite helpful for those who are involved in such groups: "Animal Farm," By George Orwell. The complete book is available on-line here:
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/books/animalfarm-01.htm

Hope these resources are helpful!

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