The greatest fear of American evangelicals in the 1970s was that some young person would join a cult.
Despite their own cult-like obsession at the time over predicting the immediate return of Jesus to earth, the rise of personality-driven cults had much of evangelicals’ fearful attention.
In response, a plethora of books, films, seminars, songs and other resources arose from churches and church-related organizations to counter cultic attraction.
There wasn’t a shaggy-headed, bell-bottom-wearing young person anywhere near a church who wasn’t warned about the great dangers of being brainwashed.
These warnings were clear and strong.
Beware of any authoritarian figure who seeks to lure you with promises of specialness and false teachings that conflict with how Jesus said his followers are to live.
Beware that compete loyalty will be demanded of you and any questioning of motives unacceptable.
Beware that you could become blinded to the growing misdeeds of an autocratic leader and not even the most grotesque and destructive behavior would shake your allegiance.
Beware of how familiar religious language and concepts can be rewired to dupe you into believing they alone possess the truth.
Beware of being used for someone else’s benefit.
Beware of the lies you will be told — again and again — until you accept lying as normal.
Beware. Beware. Beware.
Then Christian nationalism came into vogue with those precise parallel characteristics about which there had been such great warnings — and churches threw open their doors.
Come on in! We’ve been waiting for you!
Hitching itself to a personality-driven movement of political idolatry — with utopian promises of greatness not yet seen — was more than could be resisted.
And all it took was pushing Jesus out the back door. And, of course, forgetting all those earlier warnings.
Unquestioned authoritarianism? Of course.
Manipulation by fear and intimidation? Bring it on.
Turn a blind eye to the evils we long preached against? Sure, we’ll find an excuse.
Accept one lie after another lie after another lie? Well, yes, as long as those lies make us feel more comfortable than hearing the truth.
So white Americanized Christians in large numbers fell for it hook, line and sinker. Providing the political power to bring this anti-Jesus movement onto the mainstage of American life.
Far bigger and at least equally heretical to earlier cults, and certainly damaging to more people, this perversion of the gospel stumbles at times as its falsities are revealed. Yet it seems to retain its appeal.
Like with cult interventions in decades past, it takes a whole lot to get someone to ‘fess up to being snookered.
So the biggest frustration when confronting cults has long been the sense of helplessness at how those who had been sucked in will reject any rational challenge to their newfound, deeply-held loyalties.
“But it’s not the same,” many well captured minds will argue defensively. Sure, there are technical differences.
As religion professor Ben Zeller, who studies and teaches about cults, sects and religious movements, told KCRW in 2021, today’s online access and other media serve some of the techniques and purposes of “breakaway cultural movements.”
Indeed, aspects of earlier cults differ somewhat from this current religious-political ideology that is harming the most vulnerable people (with whom Jesus closely identified) and destroying the long-fought-for ideals of liberty and justice for all.
But the primary, defining characteristics of those movements and this current one are much the same.
However, the most noted difference between the religious cults of the past and the current nationalistic movement masked in religious garb is that this latest one has been warmly invited to church.
How odd that the culture converted the church instead of the other way around. We should have been warned about that.
John D. Pierce is director of the Jesus Worldview Initiative (jesusworldview.org), part of Belmont University’s Rev. Charlie Curb Center for Faith Leadership. Join us for the first Jesus Worldview Conference, October 13-15, in Nashville.