David Diga Hernandez - Is Your CHURCH Actually a CULT?

People love to bash the church, but we have to recognize that the church is the bride of Christ. I want you to side with Christ. I want you to publicly declare that you love the church. Write it in the comment section right now: «I love the church!» This doesn’t mean that the church is perfect, nor that it hasn’t made mistakes, or that some so-called churches aren’t misrepresenting what it means to be a church. It simply means that you love the true church—the true body, the collective of genuine believers who all love Jesus. Write in the comment section. Don’t be ashamed. Don’t echo the voice of worldly culture. Instead, resist that; come against that lie right now and write those simple words: «I love the church.»

Now, we all know that as believers, we should be planted in a local body of like-minded fellow Christians, but many believers struggle to find that place to call their church home. Whether it’s due to past hurts or theological differences, there is a struggle. Sometimes, we have to acknowledge this when it comes to trying to find your church home. What I want to do is take a very balanced, biblical, and grace-filled look at this particular topic: signs that you may be in more of a cult than a church. I’m going to share some points that may open your eyes to how the church operates. Remember, pastors are there for spiritual guidance, not for spiritual dictatorship. Your pastor is a covering, not a lid.

Here are some signs that your church may raise red flags. Keep in mind that some churches may have issues they are working through; maybe there are unhealthy dynamics they’re trying to fix, so give some grace regarding these, but do be aware of them. The first sign I’ll give you is that righteousness is equated with an extra-biblical adherence to a specific set of rules and expectations. Colossians 2:16 says, «Don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.» Be careful when they try to impose extra-biblical restrictions on you and then condemn you for not keeping what they say you need to do to be spiritual when the Bible doesn’t. For example, «Oh, I didn’t see you at Bible study on Friday. Are you a true disciple of Jesus?» Who says they get to set the schedule for your spiritual life? Again, this isn’t a complete red flag, but be watchful.

Here’s another red flag: right standing with God is connected to right standing with a certain man or woman of God. In other words, if you disagree with the pastor, you disagree with God. That is not the case. Be careful of language like that. Here’s a major red flag: leadership constantly over-emphasizes ideas like submission to leadership. Submission to spiritual headship is biblical, but if there is an overemphasis on this, such as every guest speaker talking about honor and respect for the pastor, it’s probably because the pastor is instructing them to say that. If the pastor mentions this in every sermon and ties your spiritual well-being to your relationship with them, that is very dangerous.

Another red flag: leadership is above healthy, respectful questioning. I’m not talking about Facebook theologians, YouTube apostles, or keyboard warriors. I’m talking about people with genuine concerns and questions who approach leadership respectfully. If they just shut you down and rebuke you for bringing up concerns that were respectful, sincere, and in love, they should actually address those questions.

Here’s another one: members are kept tired, overworked, and unable to do much else besides church and ministry. You feel guilty for taking a family vacation, for taking a night out with your wife, for attending your child’s graduation, or for participating in something important in your child’s life. You feel guilty for not adhering to the program one hundred percent. This is dangerous because cults like to keep members overworked; if they can keep you exhausted, they can keep you susceptible. If they can keep you compliant by constantly filling your schedule, that’s a red flag. They condemn rest—that’s significant.

The next red flag is that members are afraid to make life decisions without the permission of leadership. Oh my goodness, this is major. If you want to marry someone, pursue a degree, or get a job, leadership should counsel you, not permit you. You are not a child. You don’t need to ask permission. If you didn’t tell me you’re going after that degree or changing jobs, or if you didn’t inform me that you started dating a person who meets godly standards, that’s dangerous. Leadership is there to counsel and guide, not control. If members are afraid to make life decisions without permission, that is very different from receiving counsel.

Another red flag: members who leave, no matter the surrounding circumstances, are labeled as…