Interview with David Henke of Watchman Fellowship   The following is an interview between David Drago (a midwestern pastor who received some training through Stevens School of the Bible in Lenox MA and later left) and David Henke of Watchman Fellowship.   "Introduction: I had the privilege of speaking with David Henke of Watchman Fellowship, an independent Christian research and apologetics ministry focusing on new religious movements, cults, the occult and the New Age. They serve the Christian and secular community as a resource for cult education, counseling, and non-coercive intervention. David Henke has been monitoring the situation on FACTNet since February and has graciously allowed me to share our conversation. 1. Dave Drago:When we use the label 'cult' what are we really saying? David Henke: There are two areas we need to consider, behavioral and theological. For instance, the Mormons have many theological heresies that labels them as a cult. And, behaviorally they are very spiritually abusive, because they teach that a husband will grant deny a wife access into heaven based upon how she serves him. The Universal/Unitarians on the other hand are theologically a cult but behaviorally they are totally benign. 2. Dave Drago:Is there a test we can apply to discern what constitutes a cult? David Henke: Yes, when I teach at local churches the question I like to ask is, "Do you know what basic math is?" Dave Drago: What does basic math have to do with cults? David Henke: Basic math is addition, subtraction,multiplication and division. You can discern a cult using these four patterns. ADDING TO THE WORD OF GOD The first pattern apparent in all cults is the habit of adding to the Bible instead of accepting it as the sole authority of one's faith. SUBTRACTING FROM THE PERSON OF CHRIST The second and most important pattern to look for is the practice of subtracting from the person of Jesus Christ, usually by denying the fact that He is God. MULTIPLICATION OF SALVATION REQUIREMENTS The Word of God plainly teaches that salvation is a gift that God offers sinful man. There is nothing anyone can do to earn it, it is gift to be accepted or rejected. DIVIDING THE LOYALTY OF THE FOLLOWER The fourth and final pattern found in the cults is the practice of dividing the loyalty of the follower between God and an organization or individual. (Author's note: David directed me to his website http://www.watchman.org/cults/sepexpo.htm for a more thorough explanation) 3. Dave Drago: Could you walk me through an evaluation of GGWO based on this four point pattern? David Henke: Yes, I would be glad to. ADDING TO THE WORD OF GOD: GGWO does not add to the Word of God, they accept it as the sole authority of one's faith. Although, the leadership's bizarre and private interpretation of delegated authority and no accountability of leadership is unbiblical, this is an interpretive difference that is problematic but does not constitute a cult. SUBTRACTING FROM THE PERSON OF CHRIST: GGWO does not do this. They teach that Jesus is fully God and fully man. This is completely orthodox. MULTIPLICATION OF SALVATION REQUIREMENTS: GGWO does not do this. They teach that salvation is a gift that God offers sinful man. There is nothing anyone can do to earn it, it is gift to be accepted or rejected. DIVIDING THE LOYALTY OF THE FOLLOWER: GGWO does practice this. This is clearly manifested in the doctrine of delegated authority, the discrediting of those who leave or who disagree, and the one pastor emphasis for every believer. 4. Dave Drago: David, based upon your expert opinion of cults and abusive churches how would you classify GGWO? David Henke: I would classify GGWO as an abusive church. I base this on their twisted interpretations of delegated authority, lack of accountability, and wake of members who have been clearly hurt by the abuses of their leadership. My advice is to leave and find a healthy church if the leadership will not address their error by repentance and stopping the teaching of delegated authority and no accountability of the leadership. 5. David Henke: Dave, may I ask you a question? What do you hope to see happen in GGWO? Dave Drago: I hope to see the leadership confess their sins before the church, repent of their sins and forsake their unhealthy teachings of delegated authority, no accountability and put in a place a servant leadership model to prevent this from happening anymore. 6. Dave Drago: David thank you for your time and help in this matter. You have a wonderful and needed ministry. Keep up the good work!"       (The following information, provided by the Watchman Fellowship, expands on the "add, substract, multiply, and divide" framework mentioned above.)   Patterns in the Cults Cults! The mere mention of the word brings to mind Jim Jones and the Jonestown tragedy, Charles Manson and the Tate-La Bianca murders, and a host of other bizarre individuals and groups. However, most cults are not that bizarre. Their followers dress like everyone else, work normal jobs, and by and large, are very sincere and honest individuals. As a matter of fact, most followers use Christian terminology very fluently thus making a cult very difficult to spot at times. The difference between the cult and true Christianity lies in belief. Though the average cult member will confess a belief in Jesus Christ, a reliance on the Bible as his authority, and devotion to God as a lifestyle, in reality, all of the terms have been redefined. What appears on the surface to be Christian deviates greatly from what the Scriptures actually teach concerning the key doctrines of the Christian faith. Due to this subtle deception, it is imperative that people know what to look for in trying to determine if a particular group is a cult or not. In light of this need, there are four basic patterns which exist in all cults who claim to be Christian. ADDING TO THE WORD OF GOD The first pattern apparent in all cults is the habit of adding to the Bible instead of accepting it as the sole authority of one's faith. Throughout Scripture, God warns against this practice. For example, in Proverbs 30:5-6, the Bible states, "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." However, the cults disregard this warning constantly. In the Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints (the Mormons), they state in the eighth article, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." Note the condition placed on the Bible, "as far as it is translated correctly" whereas the Book of Mormon is accepted as Scripture period!! Thus, the Book of Mormon takes precedence over the Bible. The Unification Church (the Moonies) take a similar stand. In the Divine Principle, the following statement is made, "The Bible, however, is not the truth itself, but a textbook teaching the truth. Naturally, the quality of teaching and the method and extent of giving the truth must vary according to each age...Therefore, we must not regard the textbook as absolute in every detail" (p. 9). In other words, the Bible is true only in a relative sense, not an absolute sense thus opening the doors for the Moonies to accept any source as their authority whether it contradicts the Bible or not! SUBTRACTING FROM THE PERSON OF CHRIST The second and most important pattern to look for is the practice of subtracting from the person of Jesus Christ, usually by denying the fact that He is God. This belief is the cornerstone of the Christian faith and supported by numerous passages of Scripture (John 1:1, John 20:27-28, Revelation 1:17 compared with Isaiah 44:6). Nevertheless, from the beginning of the Christian Church, there have been those who have distorted the person of Jesus Christ, thus creating another Jesus. In II Corinthians 11:4, Paul dealt with this problem when he scolded the Corinthian Christians for accepting another Jesus, "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached...ye might well bear with him." Of all the cults, the Jehovah's Witnesses have done one of the most thorough jobs in creating another Jesus. In The Truth Shall Make You Free, they state, "Being the only begotten Son of God and the 'firstborn of every creature', the Word would be a prince among all other creatures. In this office, he bore another name in heaven, which name is 'Michael'" (p. 49). In other words, Jesus in merely a created being not God the Creator. They further teach that after his death, God the Father disposed of his body and he was resurrected as a spirit creature (Things In Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie, pp. 211, 354). This is definitely not the Jesus of Scripture who has always existed, created all things, died for our sins and rose again bodily!! MULTIPLICATION OF SALVATION REQUIREMENTS In Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul clearly stated, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." The Word of God plainly teaches that salvation is a gift that God offers sinful man. There is nothing anyone can do to earn it, it is gift to be accepted or rejected. Though this teaching is so clear in the Scriptures, the cults constantly pervert it. A perfect example of this is found in the writings of Herbert W. Armstrong, the founder of the Worldwide Church of God which publishes the magazine, The Plain Truth. In the Ambassador College Correspondence Course, Lesson 8, page 3, the following statement is made, "Most professing Christians think they were 'BORN AGAIN' when they 'accepted Christ' and were 'baptized.' From that time, supposedly, they received the Holy Spirit and have been living a NEW LIFE in Christ." He further states in his book, Which Day Is the Christian Sabbath?, "You shall be saved by GRACE, but God does lay down conditions. You can comply, and receive glorious GRACE - or you can rebel, and pay the DEATH PENALTY - for eternity! (p. 107). Thus, while teaching salvation by grace, Armstrong has redefined grace to include conditions which one must keep in order to receive eternal life. By doing so, he has nullified the meaning of grace for grace is God's undeserving love which He pours out on mankind. DIVIDING THE LOYALTY OF THE FOLLOWER The fourth and final pattern found in the cults is the practice of dividing the loyalty of the follower between God and an organization or individual. Whereas the cult will convince its followers that they are an organization wholly devoted to God, the follower is taught to put his trust in the organization instead of God. A clear example of this can be found in two issues of the Watchtower magazine released in 1979. The cover of the May 15th issue posed the question, "Is Your Trust in God or in a Man?" By the wording and the graphics on the cover, the writers were emphasizing one putting their trust in God. However, two months earlier, in the March 1st issue, the cover read, "Put Faith in a Victorious Organization." So, as a Jehovah's Witness, in whom do you trust; God or the Watchtower Society? In all reality, the Watchtower for they are placed before the Witnesses as God's only true organization on earth (The Watchtower, July 1, 1973, p. 402). Thus, while the Witness believes he is trusting God, his loyalty has been divided between God and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Over and over again, this deceptive practice is found throughout the cults as the followers are told to put their faith in God alone but then are commanded to place their faith in the cult! The sad thing is that many cultists are so deceived that they don't see the division and feel that they are fully trusting God. AN INVITATION As you have read through this vital information on how to spot a cult, some of the patterns may have sounded similar to some of the practices in a group to which you belong. If so, you are involved in a group which is not based solidly on the Word of God. Due to that, you may have never been told to place your faith in Jesus alone who said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6). If this is the case, we invite you to trust Him alone as your Lord and Savior. On the other hand, you may have already made this important decision and are actively involved in a strong Christ-centered church. However, just because you are a believer, don't ever think that you could never be led astray and begin adopting some of these patterns in your own life. Remember, these patterns are presented in a very subtle fashion using Christian terminology and the Bible as a springboard! © Copyright 2000 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.. All rights reserved. Address all technical questions and comments to our webmaster.