You Might Be In a Cult If…

With the escalation of control over members at The Trinity Church, the c-word is being thrown around by people who have left the church. When I think of mind control groups, I think of Steve Hassan who has made a career of studying them. Hassan’s BITE model is widely used and provides a helpful framework for evaluating the level of control an organization or leader has over an individual’s life. In this video, the model is described with lots of questions for the viewer to consider.

The BITE model invites people to consider the level of behavior, information, thought and emotional control which they experience in a group. Churches can have fine doctrine but exercise unbiblical levels of control over members. I can understand the concerns of former Trinity Church members when they describe efforts on the part of Driscoll and the pastors there to control their actions, the information they receive, their opinions and thoughts, and their feelings and loyalties toward others.

Using the term cult is of course a pejorative but might also wake someone up to harmful levels of control exercised by another person or group. True believers are often defensive about this. I invite readers and those who are venturing in from the Phoenix to listen to this video with an open mind.

Oh, and what is your Spectrum of Trust number?

10 thoughts on “You Might Be In a Cult If…”

  1. Problem is, in Christianese “Cult(TM)” has always been defined by Theology and Doctrine, not repeat NOT as BITE-Cultic behavior.

    While Christianese Cult-Watch Ministries(TM) were parsing Theology letter-by-letter under electron microscopes, abusive BITE-Cultic churches and “Fellowships” sailed right under their radar and used their Clean Bill of Theological Correctness/NOT a Cult as an additional weapon against their people. Didn’t hurt that these Not-a-Cults had the exact same Theology (Rapture Ready Bible-Believing Fundagelicalism) as the Cult Watchers.

    1. The financial details are beginning to be leaked and Prof. Throckmorton has already seen where those led in Seattle. MH 2.0 which is likely even more corrupt is starting to bubble up in all of its filth.

  2. “Doctrine over Person” – I think this is very important for all religions to avoid. (I’m not saying that there isn’t an important role for doctrine in religion, but rather as a ‘framework’ to help people relate to God and to flourish in their own right.)

    1. “Doctrine over Person” was also a trope of Communism.
      (Except they called it “Ideology” instead of “Doctrine”.)

      1. That is quite a leap. You want to discuss Communism, let’s talk about the thought police of the left, the constant censoring of speech of anyone who doesn’t buy into progressive ideology and the danger of big tech/business operating for an ideology. Doctors and nurses and many others losing their jobs because they don’t want to put an experimental technology in their body.

  3. I like seeing who comes onto Julie Roys blog to defend Mark. Mirele may find that interesting as well, along with Todd Wilhelm who both live in the Valley. A pastor Michael Ledner, apparently of Desert Stream Chapel up on Cactus came on to defend Mark. I thanked him for his honesty. A pastor who thinks Driscoll is sane and behaving righteously is someone we can all stay a long ways away from. The fact some of these guys appear to lack the common sense to avoid publicly defending the indefensible I consider a blessing. If I were an investigated reporter that is where I would start with wondering what is going on inside that Chapel?

    1. So anyone who comes on here to defend Mark Driscoll is automatically wrong. Sounds to me like you are deciding who someone can choose to associate with. By your own standards, aren’t you guilty of your own cult? We could call it the I HATE MARK DRISCOLL CULT.
      Instead of wondering what goes on in Trinity Church, why don’t you come and see for yourself? Or are you afraid you find out you were incorrect?

      I have attended The Trinity Church for four years. Not once have my friends been chosen for me. Not once have I been told what to wear, eat, where to go on vacation, how to speak, what to read (although it has been encouraged to read the Bible – duh). No one has ever told me where I should go or how I should spend my time. You people with your conspiracy theories and your hate would actually be funny if you weren’t so dangerous. As for merele, I guess she’s the looney redhead that has been picketing off and on for the past four years. That might work in Seattle, but people in Arizona have a brain and can think for themselves. They know the Word of God when they hear it. And if there is any question, they are encouraged to always check the Bible for reference.

      1. “So anyone who comes on here to defend Mark Driscoll is automatically wrong.”

        Not “automatically wrong”, just that we have yet to see anyone who comes here to defend Driscoll be right. Mostly they just come here an spew a bunch of nonsense, attempt to deflect the conversation, make unsustantiated accusations, refuse to provide any details or respond to questions, insinuate others are lying (but never really have the courage to actually say it), and generally make ridiculous excuses for Driscoll’s behaviour.

  4. Any organization that tries to tell you who your friends can be (i.e. who you are allowed to associate with) is an org. you should run (not walk) away from.

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