Ask Hank What Are the Characteristics of C-U-L-T-S? In common parlance the word cult connotes theological and/or sociological perversion. As such, cults run the gamut from theologically perverse Mormons to the sociologically deviant Heaven’s Gate cult, which ended the lives of thirty-nine people in the largest mass suicide in U.S. history. Common cultic characteristics are easily remembered using the Hankronym C-U-L-T-S. Counterfeit. Google “counterfeit money” and the first thing that pops up is a U.S. Secret Service posting titled, “Know Your Money.” The Secret Service posting states that you and I “can help guard against the threat from counterfeiters by becoming familiar with U.S. Currency.” How? “Compare a suspect note with a genuine note of the same denomination and series, paying attention to the quality of printing and paper characteristics. Look for differences, not similarities.”1 What is true with respect to counterfeit currency is likewise true with respect to counterfeit Christianity. You and I 1 “Know Your Money,” http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml, accessed April 10, 2015. 1 must be so familiar with essential Christian doctrine that when a counterfeit looms on the horizon we recognize it instantaneously.2 Unbiblical Revelations. Another common cultic characteristic is unbiblical revelations. Mormonism is a classic case in point. In 1820, two celestial personages allegedly appeared to Mormon founder Joseph Smith revealing that all existing churches were wrong, all their creeds were an abomination, and all their professors were corrupt—and that Smith had been chosen to restore a church that had disappeared from the face of the earth. In like fashion, the Church of Almighty God cult founder Zhao Weishan revealed that the incarnation of Jesus Christ was insufficient; thus, God had to finish the work of redemption through the incarnation and revelations of a female Christ named Deng. Such new revelations are common to cults and undermine the main and the plain teachings of Scripture. Linguistic Subversion. Cults are notorious for subverting biblical language by pouring their own unique meanings into key Christian words and phrases. Thus, we must prepare ourselves to scale the language barrier. Take the word Jesus, for example. Mormons render Jesus the spirit brother of Lucifer; Jehovah’s Witnesses the archangel 2 See my flipchart, “Memorable Keys to Essential Christian D-O-C-T-R-I-N-E,” available via equip.org. 2 Michael; and New Agers an avatar or enlightened messenger. In biblical vernacular, Jesus is none other than the One who spoke and the limitless galaxies leapt into existence. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15–173). Theological Perversion. From a theological perspective, cults are pseudo-Christian groups that compromise, confuse, or contradict the essentials of the historic Christian faith. Devotees become masters at taking texts out of context in order to develop pretexts for theological perversions. An apt example is Scientology. In place of resurrection, they teach devotees the unbiblical notion of reincarnation. All too often such notions are buttressed by a distortion of the biblical text. As such, John the Baptist is frequently hailed as a reincarnation of the biblical prophet Elijah. This despite the fact that John dismissed this absurdity with three short words: “I am not” (John 1:21). Sociological Deviance. From a sociological perspective, a cult is a religious or semi- religious sect whose followers are controlled in virtually every dimension of their lives. As such, devotees characteristically display displaced loyalty for the guru and the 3 All Scripture quotations are from NIV1984. 3 group and are galvanized together through physical and/or psychological intimidation tactics. Such cults display a “we/they” siege mentality and often cut off their devotees from former associations, including their immediate families. The Almighty God cult is a prime example of a socially deviant group that is diabolically dangerous and employs socially deviant behavior including sexual manipulation, kidnapping, and even murder. In sum, when imitations of authentic Christianity loom on the horizon, you can recognize them instantaneously by remembering the acronym C-U-L-T-S: counterfeit, unbiblical revelations, linguistic subversion, theological perversion, and sociological deviance. —Hank Hanegraaff Hank Hanegraaff is president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast (equip.org). Hank has authored many books, including The Complete Bible Answer Book—Collector’s Edition (Thomas Nelson, 2008). 4 .