The Students for the Truth - The Local Church on Campus

The Cult Question

Given the profound effect upon some of its members, and some of the unconventional practices of Students for the Truth, the cult question is a pertinent one.  Each different theological and academic organization has its own definition of a cult, while some prefer not to use the term at all because of its connotations.

"The term has been used for any group you don't like," Melton said.  "There is no consensus on what it means, and it is primarily a term of derision."

The term "new religions" was coined by Jacob Needleman, a professor of philosophy at the University of San Francisco, and this term is now the one popularly used in academia.

"Most of these new groups offer a fairly immediate experience of transcendence rather than working at it for a lifetime," Melton said.

The Local Church was included in Melton's Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, but he expressly noted that he felt the group did not belong in the book.  Melton decided to include them because of the extensive legal battles and controversies surrounding the group.

The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) focuses on what it terms "destructive cults" rather than on cults in general.  The group works to provide information to those who are concerned about a particular religious group, although they do also determine whether a specific group is a cult.

Cynthia Kisser, the director of CAN's main office in Chicago, defined a destructive cult as having two critical components.

"First, the group uses unethical or deceptive recruitment tactics," Kisser said.  "Second, they use influencing techniques unethically.  This can include diet control and sleep manipulation, as well as controlling the people and information (the recruits) have access to."

Moran, one of the critics of the group, accuses the Local Church in Chicago of using deceptive recruitment methods.

"They would draw people in through a bookstore that was owned by Living Streams, the publishing branch of the Local Church," Moran said.  "The stuff they were telling me set an alarm off in my head, so I went to check it out."

"They are not completely honest about themselves or their group, and they draw you in slowly," Moran continued.  "They also use a technique known as love bombing.  They show a lot of love and attention and draw in students who are lonely and away from home for the first time."

In response to this criticism, Jacobson said that "we like to talk about Christ, the one that we love, and if people like what they hear they may get saved and become part of the church.  People who oppose us call that recruitment."

Hon added, "The U.S.  Army recruits people.  Universities recruit athletes.  Recruitment is only bad if you are not doing good for the person being recruited."

"Also, Jesus taught us to love people and give them what they need, and when people need love and care that is what we give them."

Moran has posted his numerous criticisms of the Local Church and its affiliated clubs on the Internet, but recently had his access cut when his Internet provider received a strongly worded letter from a representative of the Local Church.

This type of action is not uncommon for the Local Church, which is "very aggressive" with their critics, said Kisser.

Criticism began in the 1970s and peaked with a number of legal battles in the mid-1980s.  A number of books, such as "The Mind Benders" and Larson's "Book of Cults," were discontinued or altered, and apologies were issued as a result of legal action.

One of the more spectacular confrontations took place between the Local Church and the Spiritual Counterfeits Project (SCP).  The project was located in Berkeley and was dedicated to the study of cults in the United States.

Witness Lee, representing the Local Church, took the group to court for libel over an SCP-authored book known as "The God-Men," and eventually was awarded an $11.9 million settlement.

The SCP filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and was unable to contest the case in court due to legal fees totalling $400,000.  Although the case was uncontested, the judge listened to all of the information and testimony provided by the Local Church.

Melton was a key speaker for the Local Church, and his testimony aided the judge's decision.

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