Lessons From Waco - A Sociological Analysis

8/20/2019 Lessons From Waco - A Sociological Analysis

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Lessons From Waco: A Sociological

Analysis of the Branch Davidians

By Caleb Rosado

Humboldt State University

Published in two parts in Ministry

July 1993 and August 1993


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Lessons From Waco: A Sociological

Analysis of the Branch Davidians

By Cal eb Rosado*

The wor l d wat ched i n hor r or as a f at al i nf er no endedt he st andof f bet ween an armed cul t and U. S. l aw enf orcementof f i cers. The 51- day dr ama out si de Waco, Texas, began onSunday morni ng, Febr uar y 28, 1993, when some 100 f ederalagent s of t he Bur eau of Al cohol , Tobacco and Fi r ear msst or med t he Br anch Davi di an t o conf i scat e i l l egal weapons.Cul t member s r esponded wi t h gunf i r e t hat ki l l ed f our l awmen. The ensui ng si ege cl i maxed i n t he f i er y dest r uct i on of t hecul t ’ s compound and scores of i t s members.

Shocki ngl y t hose who f i r ed back on t he f eder al agent s

bel onged t o areligious

organi zat i on. Whatever happened t o" t ur n t he ot her cheek" and "bl essed are t he peacemakers" ?News r epor t er s r ef er r ed t o t he gr oups as “t he Br anchDavi di ans of Sevent h- day Advent i st s. That pr eposi t i on "of" r ai sed gr eat concern among Sevent h- day Advent i st s. Concernsnot onl y wi t h possi bl e connect i ons t o t he gr oup by themedi a, but mor e i mpor t ant l y concer ns t hat t he maj or i t y oft he members of t hi s gr oup came out of Sevent h- day Advent i stchur ches. Why? Was t he at t r act i on of Advent i st s t o t heBr anch Davi di ans uni que? What can t he chur ch do t o pr ot ecti t sel f f r om t he bad pr ess t hat f or mer member s br i ng ont hemsel ves? 1 What can t he chur ch do t o pr event gi vi ng r i se

t o pot ent i al cul t and sect ar i an member s? What i s a cul t ?2

How does i t di f f er f r om a sect ? What gi ves ri se t o sect sand cul t s? I s t he pr ocess of t hi s r i se i nevi t abl e?

Thi s ar t i cl e seeks t o answer t hese and ot her quest i onsby addr essi ng t he t wo concer ns ment i oned: t he r el at i on oft he Br anch Davi di ans t o Sevent h- day Advent i st s and avoi di ngt he pai n of separ at i on. Fi r st , I need t o cl ar i f y t heconf usi on between t he t erms cul t and sect . I f one exami nest he newspaper and magazi ne repor t s of t he i nci dent i n Waco,

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one di scover s t hat some r eport s r egard t he Br anch Davi di ansas a cul t and ot her s as a sect . The conf usi on can becl ar i f i ed i f one under st ands t hei r r el at i onshi p t o t he

pr ocess of secul ar i zat i on.

Religion and the Process of Secularization:

When t he Foundi ng Fat her s dr af t ed t he const i t ut i on oft he Uni t ed St at es of Amer i ca, t hey pr ohi bi t ed congr ess f r ompassi ng a l aw t hat woul d est abl i sh r el i gi on or pr event i t sf r ee exer ci se. Lear ni ng f r om t he exper i ence of Eur ope, t heydi d not desi r e t he est abl i shment of a st at e r el i gi on or a


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The Chur ch and Cul t s—Pr event i ng Chaos, 2

st at e chur ch. The r esul t , whi ch makes Amer i ca uni que i n t hewor l d, i s what Rodney St ar k cal l s a " r el i gi ous economy"—t hevast mar ket of di ver se rel i gi ous groups compet i ng wi t h eachot her t o at t r act conver t s or cl i ent el e. 4 Thi s r el i gi ouseconomy gi ves r i se t o religious pluralism, a l arge number ofcompet i ng r el i gi ous gr oups seeki ng t o meet t he spi r i t ualneeds of a di ver se popul at i on. No one gr oup domi nates,si nce t he mar ket i s unr egul at ed. 5 Thi s st ands i n shar pcont r ast t o what i s f ound i n ot her count r i es, a r el i gi ousmonopol y, wher e t he st at e t ends t o pr i mar i l y suppor t onegr oup.

I n soci ol ogy t he wor d church is most of t en used i n at echni cal sense t o ref er t o the one domi nant r el i gi ousi nst i t ut i on i n a rel i gi ous monopol y, such as t he RomanCat hol i c Chur ch i n I t al y, Spai n or Pol and. I n a r el i gi ousl ypl ur al i st i c mar ket , such as t he Uni t ed St at es, what onef i nds i s not chur ches, i n a t echni cal sense, but

denominations, compet i ng wi t h each ot her , wi t h no one gr oupas domi nant . 6 Whi l e al most al l r el i gi ous f ai t hs begi n as ot her wor l dl y

gr oups, conser vat i ve i n bot h bel i ef and behavi or , i n t i met hese same gr oups adapt t o t he wor l d, l ose t hei r r el i gi ousf er vor , and accommodat e themsel ves t o thei r soci et alenvi r onment . Thi s move t owar ds wor l dl i ness gr eat l yconcer ned J ohn Wesl ey as he di scover ed t hat a rel i gi ousr evi val coul d not be sust ai ned.

I f ear , wher ever r i ches have i ncr eased, t he essenceof r el i gi on has decr eased i n t he same pr opor t i on.

Ther ef or e I do not see how i t i s possi bl e, i n t henat ur e of t hi ngs, f or any r evi val of t r ue r el i gi on t ocont i nue l ong. For r el i gi on must necessar i l y pr oducebot h i ndust r y and f r ugal i t y, and t hese cannot butpr oduce r i ches. But as r i ches i ncrease, so wi l l pr i de,anger , and l ove of t he wor l d i n al l i t s br anches. Howt hen i s i t possi bl e t hat Met hodi sm, t hat i s, a r el i gi onof t he hear t , t hough i t f l our i shes now as a gr een bayt r ee, shoul d cont i nue i n t hi s st at e? For t heMet hodi st s i n ever y pl ace gr ow di l i gent and f r ugal ;consequent l y t hey i ncr ease i n goods. Hence t heypr opor t i onat el y i ncrease i n pr i de, i n anger , i n t he

desi r e of t he f l esh, t he desi r e of t he eyes, and t hepr i de of l i f e. So, al t hough t he f or m of r el i gi onr emai ns, t he spi r i t i s swi f t l y vani shi ng away. I st her e no way t o pr event t hi s—t hi s cont i nual decay ofpur e r el i gi on?7

What Wesl ey i s descr i bi ng her e i s t he pr ocess ofsecul ar i zat i on, t he pr ocess wher eby the super nat ur al


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decl i nes i n si gni f i cance i n gi vi ng meani ng t o l i f e.Secul ar i zat i on gi ves r i se t o secul ar i sm, a way of l i f e t hatnegat es t he i nf l uence of t he super nat ur al i n bot h bel i ef andbehavi or . However , t hi s gr adual pr ocess f r om sacr ed t osecul ar i s sel f - l i mi t i ng i n t hat t he i ncr eased spi r i t ualdecl i ne of t en wi l l al so gi ve r i se t o r evi val and cul t

f or mat i on. 8 Dur i ng t he 1960s t he decl i ne of r el i gi on i n mai nl i ne

chur ches, as measur ed by t he dr op i n at t endance andmember shi p, 9 and what appeared t o many t o be a l oss ofi nt er est i n r el i gi on i n soci et y, gave bi r t h t o t he God- I s-Dead movement , whi ch i t sel f i s now dead. What peopl e f ai l edt o r eal i ze i s t hat r el i gi ous i nt er est had not di ed, butshi f t ed over t o conservat i ve chur ches, whi ch cont i nued t ogr ow.

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What happened was t hat God, as St ark and Bai nbr i dgesuggest , mer el y "changed r esi dences, " al l of whi ch was par tof t he pr ocess of secul ar i zat i on.

The schol ar s i n t he hear t of Chr i st endom whopr ocl ai m t he deat h of God have been f ool ed by a si mpl echange of r esi dence. Fai t h l i ves i n t he sect s andsect - l i ke denomi nat i ons, and i n t he hear t s of t heover whel mi ng maj or i t y of i ndi vi dual per sons. New hopesent er t he mar ket pl ace of r el i gi on wi t h ever y new cul tmovement . . . Far f r om mar ki ng a r adi cal depar t ur e i nhi st or y and an er a of f ai t hl essness; secul ar i zat i on i san age- ol d pr ocess of t r ansf or mat i on. I n an endl esscycl e, f ai t h i s r evi ved and new f ai t hs bor n t o t ake t hepl aces of t hose wi t her ed denomi nat i ons t hat l ost t hei r

sense of t he super nat ur al . Thr ough secul ar i zat i on,chur ches r educe thei r t ensi on wi t h the sur r oundi ngsoci ocul t ur al envi r onment , openi ng f i el ds f or sect s andcul t s t o gr ow and, i n t ur n, t hemsel ves t o bet r ansf ormed.

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What St ar k and Bai nbr i dge ar e sayi ng i s t hatsecul ar i zat i on "does not end t he human need f or r el i gi on, "on t he cont r ar y, i t encour ages r el i gi ous exper i ment at i on.

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And t hi s i s wher e sect s and cul t s come i n, because"secul ar i zat i on means t he t r ansf or mat i on of r el i gi on, noti t s destr uct i on. "

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When r el i gi on becomes t oo secul ar , t oo

wor l dl y, r evi val wi l l per i odi cal l y br eak out i n sectf or mat i on or i n novel r el i gi ous i nnovat i on such as i n t heemer gence of cul t s. The t wo ar e di f f er ent r esponses t osecul ar i zat i on. A sect is a religious group which claims tobe the true expression of a traditional religious faith, and

whose beliefs and behaviors place it in tension with

society. Sect s ar e t hus br eakaway, schi smat i c gr oups t hat"pr esent t hemsel ves t o t he wor l d as somethi ng ol d. They


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l ef t t he par ent body not t o f or m a new f ai t h but t or eest abl i sh the ol d one, f r om whi ch t he par ent body had' dr i f t ed' ( usual l y by becomi ng mor e chur chl i ke) . Sect scl ai m t o be t he aut hent i c, pur ged, r ef ur bi shed ver si on oft he f ai t h f r om whi ch t hey spl i t . Lut her , f or exampl e, di dnot cl ai m t o be l eadi ng a new chur ch, but t he t r ue chur ch,

f r ee of wor l dl y encrust at i ons. " 14 The same i s t r ue of most r el i gi ous or gani zat i ons. Take

Sevent h- day Advent i st s, f or exampl e. They began as a gr oupof i ndi vi dual s t hat br oke away f r om Met hodi st , Bapt i st andot her mai nl i ne denomi nat i ons t o j oi n t he Mi l l er i t e Movement ,and, af t er t he Gr eat Di sappoi nt ment of Oct ober 22, 1844,separ at ed t hemsel ves as a resul t of r ecover i ng bi bl i calt eachi ngs, such as t he second comi ng of Chr i st , t he Sabbat h,t he j udgment , et c. , whi ch t hey f el t ot her chur ches wer e noti ncl udi ng i n t hei r bel i ef s and pr acti ces. I n f act,Chr i st i ani t y i t sel f began as a sect of J udai sm. Ther e i snot hi ng i nnat el y negat i ve about t he ter m sect , as t he medi aand many Chr i st i ans t end t o r egar d t he t er m. For H. Ri char dNi ebuhr , t he denomi nat i onal aspect of a r el i gi ousor gani zat i on r epr esent s an accomodat i on t o t he wor l d, " t hechur ch' s conf essi on of def eat and t he symbol of i t ssur r ender . " 15 But God' s t r ue peopl e ar e never t ot al l y athome on t hi s ear t h. Why? Because t he gospel i s never i nhar mony wi t h t hi s wor l d, but chal l enges i t ( 1 Cor i nt hi ans1: 18- 31) . Thus, a sect t ends t o be t he pur er f or m ofr el i gi ous expr essi on, di vor ced f r om t he wor l d, so t hat i nsome cases, because of t he bel i ef s t hat a sect r ecover s, i tmay repr esent t he genui ne expr essi on of t he t r ue f ai t h.

Such i s how t he Sevent h- day Advent i st chur ch, or "sect " , i fyou pl ease, vi ews i t sel f . Obvi ousl y, t hey ar e not t he onl yones t o hol d such a si mi l ar vi ew.

A Cult, on the other hand, is a new religiousmovement, which represents a radical break from existing

religious traditions. I t i s t hus " t he begi nni ng phase ofan ent i r el y new r el i gi on. "

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For exampl e, whi l e f i r st -cent ur y Chr i st i ani t y was a sect of J udai sm, i t was a cul t oft he var i ous r el i gi ons i n pagan Roman, such as Mi t hr ai sm,whi ch i t r epl aced by t he 4t h cent ur y. Whet her a cul t i sdomest i c or i mpor t ed, i t r epr esent s a new and different f or m of r el i gi ous expr essi on i n soci et y.

Four addi t i onal poi nt s about sects and cul t s need t o bemade. Fi r st , t hough sect s and cul t s di f f er , t hey ar e not"f unct i onal al t er nat i ves" t o secul ar i zat i on. Rat her t heyar e di f f er ent r esponses t o secul ar i zat i on at di f f er entst ages of t he pr ocess. "Sect f or mat i on i s, i n par t , ar esponse t o early st ages of weakness i n t he [ r el i gi on]pr ovi ded by t he convent i onal chur ches. Cul t f or mat i on t endst o er upt i n later st ages of chur ch [ or denomi nat i onal ]


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weakness, when l ar ge sect or s of t he popul at i on have dr i f t edaway f r om al l or gani zat i onal t i es t o t he pr evai l i ng f ai t hs" 17 ( see Fi g. 1) .

Fig. 1

Sect

Cult

Secularization, Revival and Cult Formation

Other-Worldly Worldly

PROCESS OF SECULARIZATION

Cult

Stages in the ProcessEarly Late

[Source: Adapted from Rodney Stark and Williams Sims Bainbridge,

Future of Religon, 1985 by Caleb Rosado]

Revival Revival

Second, because sect s are concerned wi t h r evi val , t heyt end t o pr ol i f er at e i n ar eas wher e conser vat i ve rel i gi onsar e st r ongest . Wher eas cul t s, as a r esponse t osecul ar i zat i on i n i t s advanced st ages, t end t o emer ge wher esecul ar i zat i on has had t he st r ongest ef f ect on r el i gi on,ar eas weak i n t r adi t i onal r el i gi on. 18

Thi r d, not al l r evi val s r esul t i n sect f or mat i on.

Ther e may be occasi onal per i ods of spi r i t ual r enewal i n anor gani zat i on, t o move i t back f r om t he br i nk of spi r i t ualdecl i ne and secul ar i sm. Sevent h- day Advent i st s haveexper i enced sever al of t hese epi sodi cal r evi val s i n over seasf i el ds such as Af r i ca, Asi a and Lat i n Amer i ca, and oncol l ege campuses i n t he Uni t ed St at es. The f act t hat t hesehave t aken pl ace i n l ess devel oped soci et i es and on col l egecampuses i s not coi nci dent al , si nce change usual l y st ar t swi t h gr oups t hat have t he l east i nvest ed i n t he pr evai l i ngsystem and t her ef or e have l i t t l e t o l ose but much t o gai nwi t h spi r i t ual change.

Four t h, i t i s al so possi bl e f or a sectar i an gr oup t o

evol ve i nt o a cul t . Thi s i s t he si gni f i cance of t he br okenar r ow i n the above gr aphi c, showi ng that a sect cansomet i mes become a cul t . Thi s t akes pl ace when a sect ' st eachi ng ceases t o be a r et ur n t o "ol d t r ut hs, " and becomes"new l i ght , " so t hat i t moves t he gr oup compl et el y away f r ompast connect i ons, r esul t i ng i n t he emer gence of a "newrel i gi on. " 19 Thi s was t he case of t he Peopl es Templ e and J i m J ones. I t began as an emot i onal l y char ged Chr i st i an sect ,af f i l i at ed wi t h t he Di sci pl es of Chr i st denomi nat i on, t hat


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evol ved i nt o a cul t when J i m J ones began t o r egar d hi msel fas God and moved i nto ext r emes of doct r i ne and behavi or . 20 The same i s t r ue of t he Br anch Davi di ans. I t began as asect under Vi ct or Hout ef f and evol ved i nt o a cul t under t hel eadershi p Ben Roden and then Davi d Koresh.

Who Are the Branch Davidians? As argued pr evi ousl y, Sevent h- day Advent i st s are a

sect , t hough i t i s becomi ng mor e and mor e accommodat ed t ot hi s wor l d, i n ot her wor ds, mor e denomi nat i on- l i ke,especi al l y i n ar eas wher e SDA i nst i t ut i ons such as hospi t al sand col l eges domi nat e. Thi s i s al so wher e r evi val s usual l ybr eak out , as ment i oned ear l i er . Bl ack and Lat i no Advent i stchur ches t end t o be more sect ar i an—i n t ensi on wi t h t he wor l dand separ at i st —t han our whi t e, Eur o- Amer i can chur ches. Thi si s al so par t l y due t o t he r eal i t y t hat soci et y, wi t h i t sr aci al and cl ass host i l i t y, i s i n t ensi on wi t h per sons of

col or , who i n t ur n seek ref uge i n t he chur ch.

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To say t hatt he SDA chur ch i s a sect , i s not t o say somet hi ng negat i ve,but one ref l ect i ve of i t s emer gence on t he Amer i can scene,i t s gr owt h and devel opment , and i t s doct r i nal bel i ef s. Anumber of t hese doct r i nes pl aces t he gr oup at odds wi t hot her Chr i st i an chur ches, pr i mar i l y: t he Sabbat h, t he St at eof t he Dead, t he Sanct uary and t he J udgment , Di etaryPr i nci pl es, bel i ef i n an i nspi r ed pr ophet , et c. Advent i st s,usi ng pr i nci pl es of bi bl i cal i nt er pr et at i on, bel i eve t hatt hei r posi t i on on t hese and ot her doct r i nes i s t he cor r ectone. Thus, not onl y soci ol ogi cal l y but al so t heol ogi cal l y,Sevent h- day Advent i st s r epr esent a br eak wi t h cont emporary

Chr i st endom and regar d t hemsel ves as a " r emnant , " f ai t hf ult o the teachi ngs of J esus, t he pr ophet s and apost l es.Because of t hei r numer i cal gr owt h, i nst i t ut i onal

pr esence and gl obal or gani zat i on, Sevent h- day Advent i st smor e speci f i cal l y r ef l ect t he soci ol ogi cal t ypol ogy ofEstablished Sect. Thi s cat egor y best descr i bes Advent i sm,because t he ver y name i t sel f , "establ i shed sect , " r ef l ect s adual i t y, a dynami c t ensi on. Wi l l i am H. Swat os, J r .descri bes t hi s as a "seemi ng cont r adi ctor i ness. . . , ' sect 'i ndi cat i ng wor l d- r ej ect i on yet ' est abl i shed' connot i ngwor l d- accept ance. " 22

Fi gur e 2 shows t hat t her e ar e degr ees of sect ar i an

t ensi on. Sect and Chur ch/ Denomi nat i on ar e pol ar opposi t es.Between t hemare degr ees of sect ar i an and denomi nat i onaldevel opment .


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SECT-CHURCH AXIS

Sect

STATE OF TENSIONLowHigh

Persecution

Church/

Denomination

Integration

Established Sect

Fig. 2

St ar k and Bai nbr i dge t el l us t hat : "The i deal sectf al l s at one pol e, wher e t he sur r oundi ng t ensi on i s so gr eatt hat sect member s are hunt ed f ugi t i ves. " 23 Such was t he caseof t he Ear l y Church under J udai sm and t he Roman Empi r e, and

t hen under t he Spani sh I nqui si t i on. "The i deal chur ch [ ordenomi nat i on] anchors t he other end of t he cont i nuum andvi r t ual l y i s t he soci ocul t ur al envi r onment —t he two ar e somer ged t hat i t i s i mpossi bl e t o post ul at e a basi s f ort ensi on. " 24 Such was t he posi t i on of t he Roman Cathol i cChur ch dur i ng t he mi ddl e ages, and t he si t uat i on of manymai nl i ne denomi nat i ons t oday i n Uni t ed St at es, and st at echur ches i n Eur ope.

I n t i me as an ot her - wor l dl y gr oup pr ogr esses andbecomes an est abl i shed sect , on i t s way t o becomi ng adenomi nat i on, schi smat i c gr oups wi l l appear , or whatAdvent i st s cal l "of f shoot or gani zat i ons" or " apost at emovement s. " These are sect s t hat br eak away f r om t he mai nsect , i n t hi s case t he Sevent h- day Advent i st chur ch.

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Si ncet he chur ch' s begi nni ngs, sever al of f shoot or ot her sect ar i angr oups have emerged. Besi des key i ndi vi dual s such as Dr . J ohn Har vey Kel l ogg, A. T. J ones, D. M. Canr i ght , A. F.Bal l enger and Desmond Ford, t here have been spl i nt er gr oupssuch as: The Messenger Par t y ( 1853- 1855) , t he Hope ofI sr ael and Mar i on Par t y ( 1858- 1863) , t he SDA Ref or mMovement—Ger man ( 1915) , t he Ref or med SDA' s—Roweni t e ( 1916) ,t he Uni t ed Sabbath Day Advent i st s ( 1930) , and t he Shepherd' sRod movement , or Davi di an SDA' s ( 1929) .

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As can be noted f r omt he names of t hese var i ous groups,and si mi l ar t o Mar t i n Lut her ' s at t i t ude t owar ds Cat hol i ci smand Wi l l i am Mi l l er ' s at t i t ude t owar ds Pr ot est ant chur ches i nt he 1830s and 40s, t hese gr oups were not i nt erest ed i nnecessar i l y br eaki ng wi t h t he chur ch, but i n r ef or mi ng i t .Each bel i eved t hey had "new l i ght , " and wer e t he "aut hent i c,pur ged, r ef ur bi shed ver si on of t he f ai t h. " 27 But becauset hey were f ound t o be want i ng both t heol ogi cal l y and


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soci ol ogi cal l y ( i n t er ms of behavi or and at t i t ude) ,r el at i ons wer e sever ed.

The Davi di ans emer ged wi t h t he per son of Vi ct orHout ef f , a Bul gar i a and a member of a Sevent h- day Advent i stchur ch i n Los Angel es. I n 1929 he began t o espouse hi st eachi ngs i n a Sabbat h School cl ass he t aught . I n 1930 he

publ i shed hi s t eachi ngs i n a book ent i t l ed, The Shepherd'sRod, f r om whi ch he t ook t he i ni t i al name of t he gr oup. Ther e i s no space i n t hi s br i ef ar t i cl e t o go i nto hi st eachi ngs, 28 but al l of i t had t o do wi t h pr opheci es: t hoseof Ezeki el , t he ki ngdom of Davi d ( f r om whi ch he dr ew t hename Davi di an) , t he end- t i me har vest , t he seal i ng, t he144, 000 and t he second comi ng of Chr i st , al l of whi ch ar ei mpor t ant t hemes i n Sevent h- day Advent i st t heol ogy.Essent i al l y t he gr oup bel i eved t hat God woul d r est or e theki ngdom of Davi d of whi ch the Davi di ans wer e t he cor e gr oup,af t er God had sl aught er ed Sevent h- day Advent i st s f orr ej ect i ng t he Shepherd' s Rod message. "The 144, 000 woul d beSevent h- day Advent i st s l ef t over f r om t he sl aught er ofEzeki el 9. "

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Di sf el l owshi ped i n 1930, Hout ef f , hi s wi f e and 11

chi l dren moved t o Waco, Texas,30

a rel i gi ousl y conser vat i vearea, wi t h at pr esent some 200 chur ches, most of t hemf undament al i st s. ( Keep i n mi nd what was sai d ear l i er aboutsects f l our i shi ng i n ar eas wher e t r adi t i onal r el i gi on i sst r ong. ) They bought pr oper t y near t he ci t y and cal l edt hei r pl ace Mount Car mel , af t er t he bi bl i cal pl ace wher eEl i j ah conf r ont ed t he f al se pr ophet s of Baal and wasvi ctor i ous. 31

I n 1942 t he gr oup t ook on t he of f i ci al name of Davi di anSevent h- day Advent i st s, because of gover nment r egul at i onsdur i ng wor l d War I I . Hout ef f di ed i n 1955, l eavi ng nosuccessor as pr esi dent of t he Davi di ans, si nce he di d notexpect t o see deat h. But al r eady pr i or t o hi s deat h, as i scommon wi t h new sect s, spl i nter groups were emergi ng becauseof di sagr eement s wi t h Hout ef f ' s t eachi ngs. 32

Af t er hi s deat h, hi s wi f e, Fl or ence Hout ef f , t ook overt he l eader shi p of t he gr oup. I n 1959 she pr edi ct ed t hat Godwoul d i nt er vene i n hi st or y and est abl i sh t he ki ngdom ofDavi d. Some 1000 peopl e sol d everyt hi ng and gathered atMount Car mel t o awai t t he rest or at i on of t he ki ngdom, but

t he pr ophecy f ai l ed. 33 Af t er t he gr eat di sappoi nt ment , mor espl i nt er gr oups emerged, but t he one f ounded by Benj ami nRoden, t he Br anch Davi di an became the l argest and mosti mpor t ant one. I n 1962, Fl or ence Hout ef f of f i ci al l ydi sbanded t he Davi di an Sevent h- day Advent i st s,

34

t hough anumber of Davi di an gr oups cont i nue t o operate, who havenothi ng t o do wi t h t he Br anch Davi di ans i n Waco, TX. Theycont i nue t o i nf i l t r at e Angl o and Lat i no Sevent h- day


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Advent i st chur ches i n an at t empt t o gai n conver t s. Thei rbel i ef i s t hat t hei r mi ssi on i s t o cl eanse t he Sevent h- dayAdvent i st chur ch.

I t i s at t hi s t i me i n t he pr ocess of sectt r ansf or mat i on t hat t he sect , t he Davi di ans, not onl y br eaksup, but shi f t s over t o become a cul t , t he Br anch Davi di ans

[ t he si gni f i cance of t he br oken ar r ow i n Fi gur e 1] . Thepr ocess of sect - t o- cul t shi f t t akes pl ace wi t h t he emer genceof spl i nt er gr oups t hat begi n t o espouse, not new/ ol dt eachi ngs, as sect s do, but r adi cal l y new t eachi ngs, whi chf undament al l y br eak wi t h t he Bi bl e, basi c Chr i st i ani t y, andSevent h- day Advent i sm. These are t eachi ngs t hat t he l eadernow r egar ds hi msel f as Ki ng Davi d, J esus Chr i st , or bot h, or Yahweh ( t he Hebr ew name f or God) pl us ot her ext r eme demandsand behavi or al expect at i ons of t he f ol l ower s, as Davi dKor esh hol ds.

Roden r el ocat ed t he Mount Carmel cent er t o i t s presentl ocat i on, not f ar f r om t he or i gi nal si t e. He cl ai med t o bet he ant i t ypi cal Davi d, but i n 1978 he di ed. Hi s wi f e, Loi sI . Roden t ook over t he gr oup, and now st r onger t han everespoused t he teachi ng, whi ch her husband had not suppor t ed,t hat t he Hol y Spi r i t was t he f emi ni ne par t of t he Godhead.She began publ i shi ng a magazi ne cal l ed SHEKI NAH, wi t hemphasi s on t he SHE, where she al so promoted t he or di nat i onof women.

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An ar t i cl e wr i t t en by a Los Angeles Times s ta f fwr i t er , and publ i shed i n t he Dallas Times Herald, decl ar es:"When Loi s Roden st ar t ed pr eachi ng t hat t he Hol y Spi r i t i s awoman, she near l y l ost hal f her f ol k of Sevent h- DayAdvent i st s—t he mal e hal f . "

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I n 1981 Vernon Howel l , a f ormer Sevent h- day Advent i st , j oi ned t he group, and soon ar r est ed l eader shi p of t he groupf r omGeor ge Roden, son of Loi s and Ben Roden, af t er an openconf r ont at i on whi ch i nvol ved gun f i r e. Howel l changed hi sname t o Davi d Kor esh, as a resul t of hi s bel i ef t hat he t oowas t he ant i t ypi cal Davi d of t he Bi bl e, and Kor esh f or Ki ngCyrus of Per si a, of whom t he Bi bl e says, God woul d "di r ectal l hi s ways, " and he woul d r ebui l d t he ci t y of J er usal emand l et t he capt i ves f r ee" ( I sai ah 45: 13) . Al l of whi chDavi d Kor esh appl i ed t o hi msel f . These and ot her t eachi ngs,such as: t hat he was a si nf ul i ncar nat i on of J esus Chr i st ;t hat because he was Chr i st , onl y he coul d have sexual

r el at i ons wi t h t he women i n the compound; t hat because hewas Chr i st , onl y he coul d open t he Seven Seal s of t he Bookof Revel at i on, and many ot her t eachi ngs Davi d Koresh appl i edst r i ct l y t o hi msel f . He expl oi t ed hi s pr of ound knowl edge oft he Bi bl e t o sui t hi s own i nt er est s and t o mani pul at e hi sf ol l ower s i nt o submi ssi on t o hi s wi l l and pur poses.

The Lust of Power:


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More can be sai d about Koresh, but t here are f ourt hi ngs wi t h whi ch he was obsessed, t hat r ai se i mpor t antquest i ons. Why t he obsessi on wi t h t he Seven Seal s and t hebel i ef t hat he al one coul d open t hem? Why t he cent r al i zi ngof possessi ons and cont r ol l i ng t he money? Why t he obsess i onwi t h gr aphi c, pr omi scuous sex, whi ch he al one coul d engage

i n? Why t he obsessi on wi t h guns and hi gh- powered weapons?Whi l e al l f our f act or s ar e on t he sur f ace vast l y

di f f erent , t hey al l have one i mport ant common denomi nator— power! Davi d Kor esh, l i ke most cul t l eader s, t he l i kes of J i m J ones, Char l es Manson and ot her s, was obsessed wi t hpower . Al l of us desi r e power , f or wi t hout power we ar ehel pl ess, and t her e i s not hi ng meani ngf ul about a power l essexi st ence. But t he r i ght use of power i s based on choice, not coer ci on. That i s how God uses power , wi t hout vi ol at i ngf r ee mor al choi ce.

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So why t hese f our ar eas?I n an age of r api d soci al and cul t ur al change, wher e

al l soci al val ues ar e f or sal e, r esul t i ng i n spi r i t ualconf usi on, t o be abl e t o st and up and pr ocl ai m t hat oneal one hol ds t he key t o unl ock t he f ut ur e and gi ve meani ng t ohi st or y and t o peopl e' s l i ves i s a r ar e but at t r act i vecommodi t y. And t hen t o do i t wi t h char i sma, persuasi on anda pr of ound knowl edge of t he Bi bl e, i s a t r emendous sour ce ofpersonal power, generat i ng much adul at i on and personalest eem f r om f ol l ower s, many of whom ar e neophytes i nBi bl i cal under st andi ng. Such i s t he si gni f i cance behi nd t hecl ai m t o be the onl y one t o open t he Seven Seal s of t he Bookof Revel at i on, a compl ex ser i es of pr opheci es not al lChr i st i ans under st and. 38

We l i ve i n a soci et y where money i s r egarded as one oft he gr eat est sour ces of power . Accor di ng t o t he Apost l ePaul , i t i s t he l ove of money t hat l i es at t he r oot of al lki nds of evi l ( 1 Ti mot hy 6: 10) . By extensi on, weal t h andpossessi ons become a sour ce of i ndependence and amani f est at i on of sel f - wi l l . When member s j oi n t he gr oup al lf or ms of i ndependence must be r el i nqui shed, i ncl udi ngpossessi ons and any f unds or account s peopl e may have, so ast o depr i ve peopl e of out si de i nf l uences. I n t hi s way t hel eader not onl y cent r al i zes weal t h t o hi msel f , but al socont r ol s t he gr oup, maki ng i t compl etel y dependent on hi m.By cent r al i zi ng r esour ces t o hi msel f he has compl et e cont r ol

and power over t he group.Sex has al ways been one of t he st r ongest of humandr i ves. But i t has al so been one of t he most vi ol entweapons used agai nst women. One onl y needs t o r ef l ect ont he use of r ape as a weapon of war , wi t h t he most r ecentexampl e bei ng i t s use agai nst t he women of Bosni a-Her zegovi na by t he Ser bi ans. Coupl e t hi s sour ce of powerwi t h a bi bl i cal t eachi ng t hat women must be submi ss i ve t omen i n al l t hi ngs, especi al l y t o a human Chr i st who needs t o


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exper i ence si n i n or der t o save si nf ul human bei ngs ( one ofKor esh' s t eachi ngs) , and t hat i f t hey do t he women wi l l be"queens i n heaven, " 39 and one has one of t he most power f uluses or abuses of power , t o mani pul ate and cont r ol .

I n a vi ol ent soci et y such as our s, t he ul t i mat e sour ceof power l i es i n t he gun. Ext r eme cul t l eader s, l i keManson, J ones and Koresh have bought i nto Mao Tse Tung' ssayi ng: "Pol i t i cal power gr ows out of t he bar r el of a gun. "Koresh' s obsessi on wi t h weapons was nothi ng more t han al at chi ng on t o t he f i nal f or m of power —t he abi l i t y t oi nf l i ct deat h. For J i m J ones i t was t he power t o convi ncepeopl e ( assumi ng t hey al l di d i t vol unt ar i l y) t o wi l l i ngi nf l i ct deat h on t hemsel ves. That ' s power ! For Davi dKoresh, openi ng t he Seven Seal s, cont r ol l i ng t he money andpossessi ons, havi ng unr i val ed use of t he women f or sexualpur poses, and possessi ng a weapons ar senal , compr i sed f ourl evel s of power , t he ul t i mat e f or m of whi ch was t he abi l i t yt o cont r ol l i f e and deat h. Thus, i t i s not who di es, butwho determi nes t he t i me, pl ace and manner of deat h, t hat i st he one wi t h t he power . To have al l t hat wi t hi n one' s gr aspi s most seduct i ve. Thi s i s because t he most seduct i ve f or cei n t he wor l d i s power . I t i s t he one t hi ng human bei ngscr ave t he most , and i n or der t o possess i t t he most hei nouscr i mes ar e commi t t ed.

Thi s ul t i mat e f or m of power was dramat i cal l y di spl ayedon Monday, Apr i l 19, when f i r e burned down the compound andal l owed Davi d Kor esh t o go out i n a bl aze of gl or y. Whi l et hi s may not have been the way he want ed t o end t hi ngs,si nce i t l ooked l i ke t he FBI f or ced hi s hand, i t di d al l ow

hi m t o cont r ol how t he si ege—hi s own apocal ypt i cconf l agr at i on—woul d end. I n t he end, Kor esh’ s thi r st f orpower determi ned t he f i nal out come, t hereby pr eempt i ng t heFBI f r om havi ng t he f i nal say. Thi s i s t aki ng power t o t heul t i mat e l i mi t .

So why woul d anyone f ol l ow a per son l i ke t hat ? To t hi sI now t ur n.

Who Joins Cults: As l aw enf or cement i nvest i gat or s si f t ed t hr ough t he

r ubbl e of Davi d Kor esh’ s char r ed ki ngdom Chr i st i ans—Advent i st s i n part i cul ar —began t hei r own aut opsy of t he

t r agedy. Al t hough t he Sevent h- day Advent i st Chur ch had noconnect i on what ever wi t h t he f anat i cal Davi di an cul t , t hei nescapabl e r eal i t y i s t hat most of t he member s of t he gr oupcame f r om an Advent i st backgr ound, i ncl udi ng Kor esh hi msel f .

What made these Advent i st s vul ner abl e to the f at al f i r eof f anat i ci sm? Ar e t her e l essons peopl e need t o l ear n t o bepr ot ect ed f r om f ut ur e decept i ons? Let us sear ch f oranswers.


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The Br anch Davi di ans ar e a uni que group among cul t s, i nt hat t hey emer ged f r om a sect , pr evi ousl y emer ged f r omanot her sect . Ther e ar e aspect s of t he gr oup whi ch ar esect - l i ke: st r ong Bi bl e t eachi ng, a sense t hat t hey al onehave t he " t r ut h, " and t he bel i ef t hat onl y they ar e t het r ue f ol l ower s of God. Ot her aspect s, l i ke Kor esh bel i evi ng

hi msel f t o be J esus, havi ng mul t i pl e wi ves, hi s obsessi onwi t h sex and weapons, ar e cul t - l i ke.

Because sect s and cul t s are di f f er ent r esponses t o t hepr ocess of secul ar i zat i on at di f f er ent st ages of t hepr ocess, peopl e who ar e at t r act ed t o sect s are not al wayst he same as t hose at t r act ed t o cul t s. Sect s t end t o dr awpeopl e di spr opor t i onat el y f r om t he l ower soci oeconomi ccl asses, f r om among t he power l ess, t he soci al l y andspi r i t ual l y depr i ved, and new conver t s. Successf ul cul t s,on t he ot her hand, dr aw t hei r members f r om t he morepr i vi l eged members of soci et y, t he educat ed, t he unchur ched,t hose uni nt er est ed i n or gani zed r el i gi on.

The Br anch Davi di ans, because of i t s sect - cul t st at us,seems t o dr aw f r om both gr oups. Most of t he members ar edr awn f r om Sevent h- day Advent i st chur ches, i ncl udi ngAdvent i st col l eges. Why Advent i st s? Who j oi ns? Evi dencef r om f or mer member s and resear ch i nt o cul t s pr ovi des ani nt er est i ng pi ct ur e. Ther e ar e sever al r easons why Sevent h-day Advent i st s ar e suscept i bl e to a gr oup l i ke t he Br anchDavi di ans.

1. Previous connections to Adventism. The Br anchDavi di ans ar e an of f shoot of t he or i gi nal Davi di ans, whocame out of t he Sevent h- day Advent i st chur ch i n 1930. Thi shi st or i cal connect i on i s i mpor t ant , because t he mi ssi on oft he gr oup i s not t o save t he wor l d, but t o r ef or m t heSevent h- day Advent i st chur ch, whi ch they per cei ve t o beBabyl on, and agai nst whommuch of t hei r pr opheci es ar eaddr essed, such as the sl aught er of Ezeki el 9. Thus, t heconcer n wi t h goi ng af t er Sevent h- day Advent i st s.

2. A strong focus on apocalyptic prophecies. Sevent h-day Advent i st s, f r om t hei r ver y begi nni ng, have had a st r ongpr ophet i c emphasi s t o thei r message, not onl y i n t he per sonof a pr ophet i c messenger , El l en G. Whi t e, but mor ei mpor t ant l y, t hey per cei ve t hemsel ves t o be a pr ophet i cmovement—a movement t hat emer ges i n hi st or y out of an

under st andi ng of pr ophecy to cal l t o t he at t ent i on of t hewor l d t he message of t he end- t i me pr opheci es of t he books ofDani el and Revel at i on. When t hi s pr ophet i c message i s notgi ven enough at t ent i on or emphasi s i n the pr eachi ng andwr i t i ngs of t he chur ch, because or gani zat i onal or mundanemat t ers end up t aki ng more of t he t i me of chur ch l eaders andt hei r pr eachi ng, r ef or mer s wi l l ar i se seeki ng t o get t hechur ch back on t r ack. Thei r desi r e i s t o r et ur n i t t o i t s" f i r st l ove" exper i ence. Cur r ent l y t he Sevent h- day


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Advent i st chur ch i s bei ng pl agued by an i ncr easi ng number of" i ndependent mi ni st r i es, " not al l devi ant , si nce some ar ebenef i ci al . But many see t hei r sol e mi ssi on as one of" r ef or mi ng" t he chur ch. 40 The f ocus of most of t hese gr oupst ends t o be on what t hey percei ve t o be a cor r ecti nt er pr et at i on of t he pr opheci es. Si nce Sevent h- dayAdvent i st s are one of t he f ew chur ches i n Chr i st endom t hatemphasi zes pr ophecy, especi al l y t he pr opheci es of Dani el andRevel at i on, vi r t ual l y al l t he peopl e t hat ar e dr awn t ogr oups l i ke t hi s, i ncl udi ng t he Br anch Davi di ans, ar eSevent h- day Advent i st s or per sons wi t h Advent i stbackgr ounds.

3. Persons marginal to the church and to society. Al arge number of persons t hat are at t r acted new sect s andcul t s ar e f r om t he di sgr unt l ed and mal cont ent , t hose t hathave a gr i pe wi t h "syst em, " t hose whose vi ew of t he chur chand i t s l eader shi p t ends t o be negat i ve and host i l e. Manyof t hese mar gi nal per sons ar e i ndi vi dual s who i n t hei r l i vesexper i ence a sense of soci al and spi r i t ual power l essness.Si nce t hey of t en ar e t he ones wi t h t he l east i nvest ed i n t heor gani zat i on, t hey can be most cr i t i cal of i t , as t hey havet he l east t o l ose by l eavi ng i t , si nce al so t he syst em hasi nvest ed l i t t l e i n t hem. Thi s i s why f emal es, young peopl e,per sons of col or and r ecent conver t s ar e of t en t he ones mostat t r act ed t o new sect s and cul t s, because t hey have ver yl i t t l e i nvest ed i n t he ol d, whi ch t hey f eel does not meett hei r needs nor has i nvest ed much i n t hem. Those t hat havet he l east i nvest ed i n soci et y' s r ewar ds t end t o be dr awn t ot hose f or ms of r el i gi on, whi ch have t he l east i nvest ed i n

t hi s ear t h.However , t he at t r act i on i s not j ust l i mi t ed t o t hem.Most sect f ol l ower s come f r om ul t r a- conser vat i ve,di sgrunt l ed persons i n chur ch who are upset by thecompl acent , wor l dl i ness and l i ber al vi ews and l i f est yl est hey see i n t he chur ch, whi ch as f ar as t hey ar e concer ned,has t ur ned t he chur ch i nt o Babyl on. Thi s secul ar i zat i onpr ocess has t o be rever sed, because t he st andar ds of t hechur ch have been l owered. Whi l e Chr i st i ans shoul d beconcerned t hat t he Gospel demands not be l owered, whatdi f f er ent i at es t hese per sons mor e t han anythi ng el se f r omgenui ne Chr i st i ans i s t hei r r ecal ci t r ant , i nf l exi bl e

at t i t ude t hat t hey ar e r i ght and al l who do not agr ee wi t ht hem ar e wr ong. Thus, t hei r f ocus i s not on l ove, but onsi n and i t s exposur e. Thei r spi r i t ual and soci al l ymar gi nal st at us i n t he chur ch of t en r esul t s i n a negat i veaur a whi ch usual l y engul f s t hese per sons, because t hey ar ef ocused on per f ect i oni sm. When a new sect f orms, suchper f ect i oni sm l eads t o addi t i onal schi sms, si nce per f ectpeopl e cannot t ol er at e peopl e who ar e not per f ect l i ke t hem.I n t hi s manner t hey ar e much l i ke new conver t s, who i n t hei r


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spi r i t ual and mor al gr owt h ar e l i ke chi l dr en, st uck i n anar r est ed st age of spi r i t ual devel opment , i mmat ur e andsuscept i bl e t o "ever y wi nd of doct r i ne" ( Ephesi ans 4: 14) .

4. Persons who lack strong personal attachments intheir lives. Soci ol ogi cal r esear ch on cul t s i s pr et t yconcl usi ve t hat , " t he cr uci al f act or l eadi ng t o member shi p

i n a novel r el i gi on i s t he devel opment of soci al bonds wi t hperson who al r eady ar e members" of t he novel r el i gi on. 41 Peopl e of t en t hi nk t hat what at t r act s peopl e to a gr oup ar ei t s doct r i nes. And whi l e t her e have been cases of suchconver si ons, r esear ch shows t hat mor e of t en t han not i t i snot doct r i nes t hat l i es at t he pr i mar y basi s of conver si on,but at t achment s. 42 "Rather t han bei ng dr awn t o the gr oupmai nl y because of t he appeal of i t s doct r i nes, peopl e [ ar e]dr awn t o t he doct r i nes because of t hei r t i es t o t he gr oup. " 43 Per sons who l ack st r ong f r i endshi ps and bonds ofi nt er per sonal af f ect i on wi t h member s of a r el i gi ous

organi zat i on are the ones most open t o r ecrui t ment byper sons f r om a devi ant gr oup. These ar e not per sonsbel i eved t o be abnormal . The "br ai nwashi ng t heor y" behi ndcul t r ecr ui t ment , whi ch t ur ns peopl e i nt o zombi es, does nothol d up under obj ect i ve r esear ch.

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Peopl e who j oi n cul t s,as wel l as sect s, do so pr i mar i l y because of spi r i t ual needswhi ch ar e not bei ng met by exi st i ng or gani zat i ons, who f i ndt he warmt h and f r i endshi p of sect and cul t members mostat t r act i ve t o t hei r soci al and spi r i t ual needs.

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Accordi ngt o St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, br ai nwashi ng st or i es ar e popul ar i nt he medi a because t hey excuse peopl e of havi ng made bad j udgment s i n j oi ni ng a devi ant group.

46

Peopl e who don' t

r ecei ve suppor t f or t hei r i deas, and who especi al l y ar el acki ng i n st r ong i nt erpersonal bonds can be dr awn away bydevi ant at t achment s.

5. Persons who suspend critical thinking by turningauthority over to a single person, usually a charismatic

figure. We l i ve i n a hi ghl y conf usi ng age, whi ch i s al sohi ghl y bi bl i cal l y i l l i t er at e. Whi l e t her e may be mor eBi bl es i n exi st ence and pur chased t han ever bef or e, t hi sdoes not t r ansl ate i nt o a pr of ound knowl edge of t heScr i pt ur es. Than t oo peopl e’ s under st andi ng of t he Bi bl eand pr opheci es i s of t en mi sal i gned by di st or t ed Hol l ywoodci nemat i c por t r ayal s. I n such a per i od of gr eat soci al

change, wi t h most spi r i t ual and mor al val ues up f or gr abs,peopl e ar e sear chi ng f or st abi l i t y i n t hei r l i ves. But i nt i mes of soci al and mor al upheaval , not onl y i s l i f econf usi ng, so al so i s thinking. The one t hi ng t he medi umof t el evi si on, movi es, vi deos and adver t i sement hel p us t odo i s t o st op t hi nki ng—ot her s have t he answer s f or us, si ncel i f e i s t oo compl ex f or us t o per sonal l y sol ve.


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I n t i mes of gr eat conf usi on and change, peopl e have aneed f or st r ong mor al l eader shi p t o gi ve di r ect i on t o t hei rl i ves. Thi s i s t he mai n r eason why dur i ng such per i ods i ti s the conservative chur ches and not t he l i ber al ones t hatgr ow. Dean Kel l y says that “st r ong or gani zat i ons ar e st r i ct. . . t he str i ct er t he str onger . ”47 Thi s i s because i n amar ket economy, l i ke i n anythi ng el se, peopl e val ue r el i gi oni n t er ms of how much i t cost s—t hat whi ch cost s l i t t l e i sl i t t l e val ued, whi l e t hat whi ch cost s a gr eat deal ( i n t er msof t i me, ef f or t , i nvest ment , sacri f i ce) i s gr eat l y val ued.Roger Fi nke and Rodney St ar k spel l i t out cl ear l y i n t hef ol l owi ng pr oposi t i on. “Religious organizations arestronger to the degree that they impose significant costs in

terms of sacrifice and even stigma upon their members.”48

Then t hey add:

Peopl e tend t o val ue rel i gi on on t he basi s of howcost l y i t i s t o bel ong—t he mor e one must sacr i f i ce i nor der t o be i n good st andi ng, t he mor e val uabl e t her el i gi on. A maj or r eason peopl e r at e r el i gi on t hi s wayi s t hat as r el i gi ous bodi es ask l ess of t hei r member st hei r abi l i t y t o r ewar d t hei r member s decl i nespr opor t i onat el y. Thus i n t er ms of r eal cost s andbenef i t s, t he mor e “mai nl i ne” t he chur ch ( i n t he senseof bei ng r egar ded as “r espect abl e” and “r easonabl e”) ,t he l ower t he val ue of bel ongi ng t o i t , and t hi sevent ual l y resul t s i n wi despr ead def ect i on. 49

What t hi s means i s t hat i n t i mes of gr eat conf usi on,peopl e want ot hers t o do t he t hi nki ng f or t hem. Why? I tspar es t hem t he pai n of havi ng t o make the wr ong deci si ons.I t t akes away per sonal r esponsi bi l i t y f or t hei r act i ons,t hey mer el y do what t hey ar e t ol d. Thi s i s al so t he r easonwhy, when peopl e def ect f r om a cul t , t hey cl ai mbr ai nwashi ng, because agai n t he sense of r esponsi bi l i t y f orone’ s act i ons i s removed. Peopl e don’ t l i ke t o admi t t heymade mi st akes. I n t he movi e, The Wave, a f i l med exper i mentof how t o make a f asci st soci et y, t he l eader decl ar es t o af r i end: “I t ’ s amazi ng how much t hey l i ke you when you makedeci si ons f or t hem. ” When a st r ong, per suasi ve l eader , t he

l i kes of Adol f Hi t l er , J i m J ones or Davi d Kor esh comesal ong, t he gul l i bl e, t he non- t hi nker s, t hose sear chi ng f oreasy sol ut i ons t o compl ex pr obl ems, t hose desi r i ng qui ckf i xes ar e easi l y seduced. Thei r deci si on i s r ei nf or ced,when by j oi ni ng they ar e l ed t o bel i eve t hat t hey now bel ongt o a movement t hat wi l l make a t r emendous si gni f i cance i nwor l d hi st or y. To bel ong t o t hat whi ch t r anscends t hemundane i s a most seduct i ve f or ce. Peopl e ar e wi l l i ng t o


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di e f or t hat ! Thi s i s wi t nessed i n mar t yr dom, not onl y i nt he hi st or y of Chr i st i ani t y, but al so i n t he f i nalconf l agr at i on of t he Br anch Davi di ans.

6. Level of education. Most persons t hat j oi n newsect s t end t o have l ow l evel s of educat i on, and l owsoci oeconomi c st atus, and tend to come out of a worki ng

cl ass backgr ound. These persons bel i eve one does not needmuch educat i on, especi al l y f r om wor l dl y school s, t ounder st and t he Lor d' s message. I n f act , t he l ess one i si nf l uenced by wor l dl y phi l osophi es and t hei r humani st i cvi ews, t he bet t er one i s, f or t r ue educat i on i s t he oner ecei ved di r ectl y f r om t he Hol y Spi r i t .

Those t hat j oi n cul t s t r end t o be di f f er ent , however .Si nce cul t s espouse a new r el i gi on and r el i gi ous vi ew, i tt ends t o at t r act peopl e t hat ar e mar gi nal t o or gani zedr el i gi on, peopl e who have gi ven up on t he chur ch. Many oft hese persons ar e ones who are educat ed, f r omst r ongpr of essi onal backgr ounds, and many ar e f i nanci al l y wel l of f .Peopl e t ur n t o r el i gi on because sci ence cannot answer t hebasi c and ul t i mat e needs of l i f e, t he most basi c of whi ch i si mmor t al i t y, t he pur sui t of l i f e et er nal . As Rodney St ar ksays, "I n t he f ace of some l i f e' s gr eat est quest i ons, al lhuman bei ngs are depr i ved. " 50 Thi s i s why bot h r i ch and poorneed r el i gi on, t o f i nd a meani ngf ul exi st ence. When peopl egi ve up on t he chur ch, r el i gi ous i nnovat i on t hr ough cul tf or mat i on st eps on t he st age of opport uni t y to meet peopl e' sspi r i t ual needs. Thus, t he soci al l y comf or t abl e who needsomet hi ng mor e i n l i f e than mat er i al abundance, t ur n t ocul t s f or new and i nnovat i ve i deas t o expl ai n t he myst er i es

of l i f e. Pr opheci es and pr ophet s ar e of t en exchanged f orpr of i t . To f i nd someone who can speci f i cal l y gi ve you t i meand dat e f or t he end of t he wor l d wi t h sol i d scr i pt ur albacki ng, when most peopl e don' t even know what t omor r ow wi l lbr i ng, i s somet hi ng wor t h goi ng f or . I t i s not sur pr i si ng,t her ef or e, some f i nanci al l y wel l - of f per sons, a Har var d l awschool gr aduate, a l awyer , comput er pr ogr ammer and medi calpersonnel were among Koresh' s f ol l owers. 51 Al l t hi s i s i nl i ne wi t h t he t ypes of per sons t hat ar e at t r act ed t o cul t s.

7. An appeal to authority other than Scripture. Per sons concer ned wi t h r ef ormi ng t he chur ch andst r ai ght eni ng out t he l i ves of ot her s want a cl ear "Thus

says t he Lor d" voi ce of aut hor i t y i n t hei r l i ves. What i si nt er est i ng her e i s t hat t he st r ai ght t est i mony of t he Wor dof God, t he Bi bl e, won' t do. Thi s i s because t he Bi bl e i snot speci f i c enough, i t i s too open t o i nt er pr et at i on. Theyt hus want somethi ng more speci f i c, more detai l ed, moreunambi guous, cl ear l y spel l ed out , and l ess conf usi ng t o t hepossi bl e mi sunder st andi ngs. For t he J ews i n J esus' day i twas The Mi shnah, f or t he Mormons i t i s t he book of Mormon,and f or Sevent h- day Advent i st s i t i s t he wr i t i ng of El l en G.


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Whi t e. Peopl e who f i nd t he t eachi ngs of sect s andi ndependent mi ni st r i es appeal i ng ar e mor e comf or t abl e wi t ht he wr i t i ngs of El l en G. Whi t e t han wi t h t he Bi bl e. Herwr i t i ngs ar e l ess open t o mi si nt er pr et at i on and easi er t ounder st and. But i t i s a sel ect i ve r eadi ng of her wr i t i ngs,t hose t hat go al ong wi t h t hei r i nt er pr et at i ons.

When a sect evol ves i nt o a cul t , as has happened t o t heBr anch Davi di ans, even t hese wr i t i ngs become t oo open t omi sunderst andi ng and conf usi on. What i s now needed i s t helive wor d of a t r ue pr ophet , t he cul t l eader , whose wordsand t eachi ngs ar e now hel d t o be of equal , i f not gr eat erval ue t han t hose of t he Bi bl e. And hi s i nt er pr et at i on oft he Bi bl e, whi ch i s not hi ng more t han hi s own word, becomesnow t he new st andar d of behavi or and doct r i ne. Al l ot hersar e di scour aged f r om i nvest i gat i ng t he Scr i pt ur es on t hei rown.

52

The same was t r ue of Cat hol i ci sm dur i ng t he Mi ddl eAges, unt i l Mar t i n Lut her t r ansl at ed t he Bi bl e i nt o t heGerman ver nacul ar .

8. A desire for power. Per sons who l ack soci al andmor al power i n a respect abl e or gani zat i on, of t en see i n asect or cul t t he oppor t uni t y t o expl oi t t he spi r i t ualnaï vet é and hunger of peopl e f or per sonal mat er i al andsoci al gai n. These per sons ar e t he f ut ur e pot ent i al l eader st hat uni t e t hemsel ves wi t h a cul t and seek t o t ake advant ageof ever y oppor t uni t y to shi f t t he l eader shi p of gr oup overt o t hemsel ves. These ar e t he spi r i t ual hust l er s andr el i gi ous conper sons, t he l i kes of J i m J ones, Benj ami n, Loi sand Geor ge Roden and Davi d Koresh, who l ack much recogni t i onand r espect abi l i t y i n soci et y and i n t he or gani zat i on out of

whi ch t hey came, and t ur n t o cul t s f or t hei r f i f t een mi nut esof ear t hl y gl or y.9. Small groups with no official leadership. An

i nt erest i ng phenomenon obser ved i s t hat many of t he pl aceswher e subver si ve doct r i nes and teachi ngs f i nd a r ecept i veaudi ence ar e smal l chur ches wi t h no of f i ci al spi r i t uall eader , or i f a l eader i s pr esent , t her e i s l i t t l econf i dence i n hi s l eader shi p. Long ago Sol omon decl ar edt hat wher e ther e i s no vi si on, a peopl e per i sh ( Pr over bs29: 18) . The phenomenon of no of f i ci al l eader r esul t s i nspi r i t ual oppor t uni st s and r el i gi ous con ar t i st s st eppi ngi nt o t he gap t o f i l l t he spi r i t ual voi d. Wher e t her e i s no

st r ong spi r i t ual l eader shi p, t he r esul t i s what Paul speaksof i n Ephesi ans 4: 14, a crop of spi r i t ual "chi l dr en, t ossedt o and f r o and bl own about by ever y wi nd of doct r i ne, bypeopl e' s t r i cker y, by t hei r craf t i ness i n decei t f ulschemi ng. "

I n vi ew of t hese ki nd of dynami cs pr esent i n peopl e' sl i ves, whi ch make t hem suscept i bl e t o r el i gi ous i nnovat i on,what can chur ches do t o ar r est t he seduct i ve i nf l uence of


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cul t s and di ssuade per sons f r om bl i ndl y f ol l owi ng spi r i t ualpi ed pi per s? Let s r ef l ect on t hi s.

Preventing Chaos—What Can Churches Do?

A cl ear st at ement of t he pr obl em as di scussed abovemakes i t easy t o f i nd t he st eps of act i on t hat a chur ch must

t ake t o pr event spi r i t ual chaos. Unf or t unat el y, i t i s mucheasi er t o t al k about t hese st eps t han t o t ake t hem. But t hest eps ar e si mpl e; i t i s we who make t hem di f f i cul t . Somesuggest i ons.

1. Turn up the heat in the local congregation. Ourchur ches ar e f ar t oo col d. H. M. S. Ri char d, f ounder of t heVoi ce of Prophecy, used t o say t hat t oo many of our chur chesar e so col d t hat one coul d skat e down t he cent er ai sl e. Andt hat was qui t e some t i me ago. Ar e our chur ches any warmert oday? I don' t mean heat i ng up t he physi cal pl ant . I meanheat i ng up t he human hear t s, so t hat f r om t he moment aper son, seeker or member , dr i ves i nt o t he par ki ng l ot , t heyare wel comed by a parki ng at t endant , a door gr eet er , abul l et i n/ r egi st er per son, a past or ( s) and chur ch member shi pt hat ar e so war m and l ovi ng, and si ncer e about i t , t hat i tmakes one r emi ni scent of t he ki nd of wel come home r ecept i ont he Wai t i ng Fat her gave t he ret ur ni ng pr odi gal i n Luke 15. Thi s i s what Wal t er Dougl as, my f or mer Fi r st El der at t heAl l Nat i ons Chur ch and now i t s past or , cal l s, "r i ot ousl ovi ng! "

Among cul t gr oups i t i s cal l ed " l ove bombi ng. " Ther ei s not hi ng wr ong wi t h t hat , as l ong as i t i s si ncer e,genui ne and f r om t he hear t . When was the l ast t i me i n your

l ocal chur ch you l i t er al l y t hr ew a par t y f or r et ur ni ngpr odi gal s? You say never . Maybe t hat i s why so f ew r et ur n.I n t hi s year of r ecl ai mi ng f or mer member s, l et s make i t apar t y- year , f or my God l oves t o par t y. He i s a par t y-t hr owi ng God, and t he bi ggest one i s yet t o come. Thei nvi t at i ons have al r eady been sent out . You can r ead t henot i ce i n Revel at i on 22: 17.

2. Teach members how to form strong socialattachments. I f t he most cr uci al f act or i n t he conver si onpr ocess, f r om a human per spect i ve, i s t he devel opment ofsoci al bonds and st r ong at t achment s t hat dr aw peopl e i n, whyshoul d we l et t he cul t s become mor e adr oi t at t hi s t han us?

Was not t hi s t he met hod of Chr i st , and t he onl y one thatwi l l succeed? "Chr i st ' s met hod alone wi l l gi ve t r uesuccess i n r eachi ng t he peopl e. The Savi our mingled wi t h[ peopl e] as one who desi r ed t hei r good. He showed Hi ssympathy f or t hem, ministered t o thei r needs, and wont hei r confidence. Then He bade t hem, 'Follow Me'." 53 The" f or mul a f or success" i s a si mpl e f our - st ep one.

1. Soci al i ze - "The Savi our mi ngl ed wi t h [ peopl e] "2. Sympat hi ze - "He showed Hi s sympat hy f or t hem"


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3. Ser ve - He "mi ni st er ed t o t hei r needs"Soci al i ze + Sympathi ze + Ser ve = Conf i dence

4. Sal vat i on - " t hen He bade t hem, ' Fol l ow' . " The combi nat i on of t he f i r st t hree st eps r esul t s i nconf i dence. Conf i dence i s not a st ep, but a r esul t . Oncet he r esul t has been obt ai ned, t han sal vat i on can be

extended. Our probl em i s t hat we usual l y begi n wi t h St ep.No. 4, wi t hout bui l di ng f r i endshi ps and bonds of at t achment ,and t hen wonder why peopl e don' t r espond t o us. Peopl er espond mor e t o our met hods t han t o our message. Once t hemet hod has ar r est ed t hei r at t ent i on and af f ect i on wi t hf r i endshi p, t hen t hey ar e r eady t o l i st en t o what we have t osay. I f we conf use t hi s and t ur n i t ar ound, we f ai l . I sn' tt hi s what El l en Whi t e meant by bei ng t ender hear t ed,cour t eous and ki nd?

Many peopl e si t i n our chur ches who ar e l onel y,mar gi nal , hungr y f or af f ect i on and per sonal at t ent i on. I nan age of hi gh t ech, peopl e need hi gh t ouch! Who sai d AT&Tshoul d cont r ol t he market on " r eachi ng out and t ouchi ngsomeone"? We need to go out and make t he wor l d a war merpl ace.

3. Preach a strong, spiritually balanced message. Preach t he ent i r e Gospel message. And especi al l y i n t hesel ast days, t he chur ch needs st r ong Chr i st - cent er ed pr ophet i cpr eachi ng. We must r emember i n our pr ophet i c pr eachi ng,however , t hat t he Book of Revel at i on, i s t he Revel at i on ofJesus Christ. Not of t he "Beast , " not of t he "Mar k, " noteven of t he "Sabbat h, " but of J esus Chr i st ! Peopl e mustwal k away f r om our pr ophet i c preachi ng wi t h an under st andi ng

of Chr i st at t he cent er of t he message, and not somenegat i ve, depr ess i ng i mager y, whi ch l eaves t hem hopel ess anddi scour aged.

4. Preach the Bible. We don' t have t wo aut hor i t i esi n t he chur ch, onl y one—t he Bi bl e. The wr i t i ngs of El l en G.Whi t e ar e t her e t o gui de us t o t he Bi bl e, but not t o t aket he pl ace of t he Bi bl e. I n many Advent i st pul pi t s andSabbath School cl asses, vi si t ors on any gi ven Sabbath mayhear more of t en t he name of El l en G. Whi t e t han t he name ofChr i st , and her wr i t i ngs ar e of t en mor e ci t ed t han t heBi bl e. Thi s i s not r i ght . We ar e t o be f or emost preacher sof Chr i st , not El l en! Her wr i t i ngs ar e t her e t o l ead us to

Chr i st . On Sabbat h mor ni ngs make Chr i st t he cent r al f ocusof al l t hat t he chur ch does. Dur i ng t he mi dweek servi ceshol d cl asses t o under st and t he Spi r i t of Pr ophecy and i t si mpor t ance t o t he wel l - bei ng of t he chur ch, but not onSabbath. When we make El l en G. Whi t e t he mai n aut hor i t y i nt he chur ch, not by what we say, but by how we use her , wear e gui l t y of abusi ng her aut hor i t y. Our young peopl e don' tknow t hei r Bi bl e, t hey don' t even br i ng i t t o chur ch wi t ht hem. Why shoul d t hey, i t i s sel dom used, nor i t s use


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encour aged! We have got t en away f r omsol i d, r el evant ,t i mel y, exposi t or y pr eachi ng, t hat exposes peopl e t o t hebeaut y of t he Gospel . The cent r al i t y of t he Wor d mustr et ur n t o our pul pi t s. I f we don' t , t her e ar e numer ousot her Davi d Kor eshes wai t i ng i n t he wi ngs of our chur chf oyer s, r eady t o ent i ce t he next gener at i on of young peopl e

wi t h t hei r under st andi ng of t he Bi bl e.5. Teach people, especially the youth, to think for

themselves. The changi ng, conf usi ng t i mes i n whi ch we l i venot onl y cal l f or peopl e “who wi l l not be bought or sol d, ”54 but al so f or peopl e who ar e t hi nker s. Long ago El l en Whi t egave t he f ol l owi ng char ge. “Ever y human bei ng, cr eat ed i nt he i mage of God, i s endowed wi t h a power aki n to t hat oft he Cr eat or —i ndi vi dual i t y, power t o t hi nk and t o do. . . I ti s t he wor k of t r ue educat i on t o devel op t hi s power , t ot r ai n t he yout h to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors ofother men's thought.” 55 Unf or t unat el y, t hi s counsel has not

al ways been f ol l owed. Cr eat or - power , “power t o t hi nk and t odo, ” i s not a pr i or i t y i n t he cur r i cul um. Mor e of t en t hannot , pr oduct s of Chr i st i an school s have been more pr ogr ammedi n cr uci al r egur gi t at i on t han i n cr i t i cal r ef l ect i on. Yout hare most of t en not t aught t o t hi nk f or t hemsel ves and makei ndependent choi ces, but t o f ol l ow car ef ul l y pr escr i bedr ul es and r egul at i ons. Thus, mer el y by obeyi ng and goi ngal ong wi t h al l t he rul es, a young man and woman, i spercei ved t o be a decent Chr i st i an, when al l al ong t hey may j ust be af r ai d t o st ep out of l i ne and not be a non-conf or mi st , l i ke t he el der br ot her i n Luke 15. Bl i ndconf or mi t y does not necessar i l y l ead t o st r ong l eader shi p.

What i t does l ead t o i s t o st r ong f ol l ower s f ol l owi ng bl i ndl eader shi p. Thi s i s why so many of Davi d Kor esh’ sf ol l ower s wer e Advent i st yout h, r ecr ui t ed f r om Advent i stcol l eges. What ar e we doi ng i n our academi c i nst i t ut i onst hat cr eat e mi nds r ecept i ve t o decept i on? To be f ai r , i tmust be made ver y cl ear t hat t he maj or i t y of our youngpeopl e ar e not bei ng l ed ast r ay, but ar e sol i d i n t hei rcommi t ment t o Chr i st and t o t he chur ch. Never t hel ess, i st he potent i al t her e? Do we dam up t he ocean or do we t eachour young peopl e how t o swi m?

Our young peopl e need t o be t aught t o be i ndi vi dualt hi nker s, t r ai ned i n pr i nci pl es of genui ne spi r i t ual i t y and

const r uct i ve cri t i cal r ef l ect i on, who can assess t hesi t uat i on i n t he wor l d t oday, and choose wi sel y. 6. Develop a strong Mission Statement. Every chur ch

must devel op t oget her a st r ong Mi ssi on St at ement t hat ar i sesout of t he needs of t he communi t y t he chur ch seeks t o serve,bot h wi t hi n and wi t hout t he chur ch. Thi s pr ocess must bet he wor k of t he ent i r e congr egat i on, not t hat of t he past oror of t he chur ch boar d. Peopl e wi l l onl y t ake owner shi p oft hat t o whi ch t hey have gi ven i nput . Thi s st at ement must


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become a wor ki ng document and not a museum pi ece, mer el y t obe di spl ayed. Al l aspect s of t he chur ch pr ogr am must be ar ef l ect i on of a wor ki ng out of t he Mi ssi on St at ement i n t hemi ni st r y of t he chur ch.

The i mpor t ance of devel opi ng a Mi ssi on Stat ement l i esi n t he r eal i t y t hat chur ches, whi ch ar e gr eat i ncubat or s f or

di sgr unt l ed, pot ent i al cul t member s, ar e chur ches wi t hout ami ssi on, wi t hout a pur pose f or exi st ence. They have nost r ong pr ogr am of wi t ness, evangel i sm and mi ni st r y i n t hei rcommuni t y. Wi t h a r udder l ess exi st ence and no sense ofdi r ect i on t o t he spi r i t ual ener gy of t he congr egat i on, t hi sspi r i t ual vi t al i t y wi l l spend i t sel f i n one of t hr eedi r ecti ons: di ssi pat e i nt o t he spi r i t ual bl ahs ofi nact i vi t y and non- commi t ment ; t ur n i nwar d i n cr i t i ci sm,di vi si on and f act i ons; or wor se yet , l eave t he member shi pwi de open t o t he i nf l uences of per suasi ve, out si de agi t at or swi t h t hei r own sense of mi ssi on, pr omot i ng doct r i nal er r orand "new l i ght . " The best way t o avoi d such der ai l i ngi nf l uences i s f or a chur ch t o engage i n a hol i st i c mi ni st r yt hat emer ges f r om a gr asp of i t s mi ssi on.

7. Create a worship style that arises out of the needsof the church. Most Advent i st s wor shi p st yl es, whet her"t r adi t i onal " or " cel ebr at i on, " are mer el y bor r owi ngs ofwhat peopl e l i ke f r om ot her chur ches or denomi nat i ons. Thi si s an ecl ect i c appr oach t hat i s not i ncl usi ve of t he needsof al l member s. The wor shi p st yl e f or each l ocalcongr egat i on must be uni que t o t hat congr egat i on and i t smi ss i on, and not somethi ng bor r owed because somebody l i kessomet hi ng t hat was done i n anot her chur ch. Somewher e I r ead

t hat we need t o become t hi nker s and doer s, and not morer ef l ect or s of ot her s.8. Develop an inclusive model of ministry. For t oo

l ong t he chur ch has been operat i ng wi t h excl usi ve model s ofmi ni st r y. Excl usi ve model s di vi de, separ at e and move peopl eaway f r om t he cent er whi ch i s Chr i st . When our f ocus i smor e on excl usi on t han i ncl usi on, we dr i ve peopl e t owar dst he wai t i ng ar ms of spi r i t ual devi ant s, who ar e mor ei nt er est ed i n separ at i ng t han i n uni t i ng. An i ncl usi vemodel uni t es, bui l ds on di ver si t y, moves peopl e t owar ds t hecent er —Chr i st . Our goal i s not uni f or mi t y, f or not even Godaspi r es t o t hat ; but uni t y i n di ver si t y i n Chr i st .

Col l ect i vel y, l ear ni ng f r om what each can cont r i but e, wegr ow i n under st andi ng t he r i chness of God' s char act er , t her ef l ect i on of whi ch i s our goal , i n al l t hat we do.

The church l i ves and f unct i ons i n r api dl y changi ng butdanger ous, yet chal l engi ng t i mes. Li ke t he sons ofI ssachar , we need t o have an "under st andi ng of t he t i mes, t oknow what I sr ael ought t o do" ( 1 Chr oni cl es 12: 32) . J esuspr edi ct ed t hat f al se pr ophet s woul d ar i se cl ai mi ng t o beChr i st . For t hi s reason we must under st and t he pr ocess of


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change i n soci et y, and r evi val and spi r i t ual gr owt h i n t hechur ch, usi ng al l t he gi f t s avai l abl e t o t he chur ch, i ncl udi ng t he soci al sci ences.

Ar ound t he tur n of t he cent ur y, a per i od al so marked bydynami c change, t he gr eat Spani sh- Amer i can phi l osopher ,Geor ge Santayana, wr ot e about how peopl e shoul d r espond to

change. “Pr ogr ess, ” wr ot e Sant ayana, “f ar f r om consi st i ngi n change, depends on r et ent i veness. . . . and whenexper i ence i s not r et ai ned, . . . i nf ancy i s per pet ual . ”56 I nf ant s and chi l dr en have no memory of t he past si nce theyhave no past t o remember . Thi s i s why t hey make so manymi st akes because they cannot cal l on memory, on“r et ent i veness, ” t o avoi d maki ng t he same bl under s. Onl ymat ur e adul t s can pul l f r om t he past t hat whi ch al l ows t hemt o avoi d t he same er r or s i n t he f ut ur e. Sant ayana t hen goeson t o decl ar e perhaps hi s most f amous l i nes, t he di ct um:“Those who cannot r emember t he past ar e condemned t o r epeati t . ” The same i s not onl y t r ue of i ndi vi dual s, but al so ofi nst i t ut i ons. Why shoul d t he same mi st akes be cont i nual l ymade, over and over agai n? Can we not l ear n f r omt he past ,so as t o have an unf ogged f ut ur e? El l en G. Whi t e sai d wecan, usi ng wor ds si mi l ar t o Sant ayana’ s. “We have not hi ngt o f ear f or t he f ut ur e, except as we shal l f or get t he wayt he Lor d has l ed us, and Hi s t eachi ng i n our past hi st or y. ”57

The church as an i nst i t ut i on, as wel l as Chr i st i ansi ndi vi dual l y, must move away f r om t hat st age of per pet ualspi r i t ual i nf ancy, because “exper i ence i s not r et ai ned, ” t oone of spi r i t ual mat ur i t y, wher e we ar e no l onger chi l dr en,t ossed about by ever y i l l wi nd of spi r i t ual decei t f ul ness,

but adul t s i n Chr i st ( Ephesi ans 4: 13, 14) . The cl oser we gett o t he year 2000 t he mor e apocal ypt i c cul t s wi l l we seeemer ge i n soci et y, cl ai mi ng t o be spi r i t ual anchor s i n t hemi dst of soci al st orms. Davi d Koresh was si mpl y t he 1993model . What wi l l t he 1994 model l ook l i ke? Wi l l i t t oohave Advent i st connect i ons? I f i t does, i t mi ght ser ve t hechur ch bet t er i n i t s mi ssi on t o t ake t he pr oact i ve post ur eof ser vi ng as i nt er medi ar y and assi st i n t he negot i at i ons,t han mer el y cr eat i ng di st ance bet ween i t sel f and t hegr oup( s) . Our f ut ur e as a chur ch can be ver y cl ear i f wenot f orget t he l essons f r omWaco and how t o pr event chaos.I t r ust t hat t hi s excur si on i nt o an under st andi ng of t he

f or ce of r el i gi on i n soci et y has gi ven us a cl ear er vi si onof t he chur ch and i t s mi ssi on at t he end of t he 20t hcent ur y.

* Cal eb Rosado i s Prof essor of Soci ol ogy at Humbol dt St at e Uni ver si t ywher e he speci al i zes i n t he Soci ol ogy of Rel i gi on, as wel l as i n i ssues


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of di ver si t y. He has a doct or at e f r om Nor t hwest er n Uni ver si t y and i s af r equent cont r i but or t o Ministry. 1 Thi s quest i on wi l l not be addr essed i n t hi s ar t i cl e si nce i t i s t het opi c of r esear ch I am cur r ent l y engaged i n f or a paper , "The Soci ol ogyof Damage Cont r ol —The Sevent h- day Advent i st Chur ch and t he Br anchDavi di ans of Waco, TX, " I wi l l be pr esent i ng at t he annual meet i ng oft he Soci et y f or t he Sci ent i f i c St udy of Rel i gi on, Oct ober 29- 31, 1993,i n Ral ei gh, NC.2Because the ter m cul t s has such a negat i ve connotat i on i n popul art hi nki ng, soci ol ogi st s of t en pr ef er t he t er m "New Rel i gi ous Movement s. "But Ei l een Bar ker , one of Engl and' s l eadi ng soci ol ogi st s on NRMs, andaut hor of t he book, New Religious Movements: a Practical Introduction, says: "Some are not new, some are not r el i gi ous, and some are notmovi ng at al l . " Quot ed by Andr ew Br own, "Over t he Edge I nt o Col l ect i veLunacy. " March 4, 1993, Independent ( a London, Engl and newspaper ) .3 " Secret s of t he Cul t , " Newsweek March 15, 1993, " I n t he Name of God, "Time March 15, 1993, "The Evi l Messi ah, " People March 15, 1993. Thenewspaper st or i es ar e t oo numer ous t o l i st , si nce vi r t ual l y al lnewspapers car r i ed t he st ory dur i ng t he f i r st t wo weeks of March 1993and beyond. The pr i nci pal newspaper t hat publ i shed an i mport ant ser i es

on t he group was t he Waco Tribune-Herald. The f our - par t seri es was r unon Febr uar y 27- March 2, 1993.4Rodney St ark, Sociology, 4t h Edi t i on. ( Bel mont , CA: Wadswor t hPubl i shi ng Company, 1992) , p. 410. For a f ul l er el abor at i on of t her el i gi ous economy par adi gm see Roger Fi nke and Rodney St ark, TheChurching of America, 1776-1990. ( New Br unswi ck, NJ : Rut gersUni ver si t y Pr ess, 1992) , and R. Stephen Warner, "Work i n Progr ess

Towar ds a New Par adi gm f or t he Soci ol ogi cal St udy of Rel i gi on i n t heUni t ed St at es. " American Journal of Sociology 99 ( March, 1993) .5 The mass sui ci de of t he members of t he Peopl es Templ e i n Guyana, t heWor l d Trade Cent er bombi ng wi t h connect i ons t o Musl i m ext r emi st s, andt he Br anch Davi di ans st andof f i n Waco, i s agai n r ai si ng quest i onswhet her r el i gi on ought t o be r egul at ed. For a di scussi on of t hi s i ssue,see Thomas Robbi ns, Wi l l i amC. Shepherd, and J ames McBr i de, Cults,

Culture, and the Law: Perspectives on New Religious Movements. Chi co,CA: Schol ar s Press, 1985.6See H. Ri char d Ni ebuhr , The Social Sources of Denominationalism. New

York: Henry Hol t , 1929, f or how denomi nat i ons devel op i n r esponse t ot hei r envi r onment .7Ni ebuhr , p. 70.8See Rodney St ark and Wi l l i amSi ms Bai nbri dge, The Future of Religion:Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation. Ber kel ey, CA: Uni ver si t yof Cal i f or ni a, 1985.9See Wade Cl ark Roof and Wi l l i amMcKi nney, American Mainline Religion:Its Changing Shape and Future. New Br unswi ck, NJ : Rut ger s Uni ver si t yPr ess, 1987.10See Dean Kel l y, Why Conservative Churches Are Growing? New York:Harper & Row, 1972.11

St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, p. 529.12Ibid., p. 304.13Rodney St ar k and Wi l l i am Si ms Bai nbr i dge, A Theory of Religion. ( New

York: Pet er Lang, 1987) , p. 279.14St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, The Future of Religion, p. 25.15Ni ebuhr , p. 265.16Kei t h A. Rober t s, Religion In a Sociological Perspective. ( Bel mont ,CA: Wadswor t h Publ i shi ng Company, 1990) , p. 196.17St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, The Future of Religion, pp. 444- 445.


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18See bot h works of St ark and Bai nbr i dge, The Future of Religion ( 1985)and A Theory of Religion ( 1987) , as wel l Fi nke and St ar k, The Churchingof America, 1776-1990. 19St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, 1987, pp. 186, 187.20See. J eanni e Mi l l s, Six Years With God: Life Inside Rev. Jim JonesPeoples Temple. New Yor k: A&W Publ i sher s, I nc. , 1979. See al so Mel

Whi t e, Deceived. Ol d Tappan, NJ : Fl emi ng H. Revel l Company, 1979.21For t he exper i ence of t he Bl ack chur ch, see C. Er i c Li ncol n, The BlackExperience in Religion. New Yor k: Anchor Books, 1974; and, C. Er i cLi ncol n and Lawr ence H. Mami ya, The Black Church in the AfricanAmerican Experience. Durham, NC: Duke Uni ver si t y Press, 1990. Nocompar abl e st udy has been wr i t t en about t he Lat i no chur ch. Work,however , i s under way.22Wi l l i am H. Swat os, J r . , Intro Denominationalism: The AnglicanMetamorphosis. Monogr aph Seri es Number 2. ( St orr s, CT: Soci et y f ort he Sci ent i f i c St udy of Rel i gi on, 1979) , p. 12. For an excel l ent st udyof t hi s dual i t y i n Advent i sm see Gar y Schwar t z, Sect Ideologies andSocial Status. Chi cago: Uni ver si t y of Chi cago Press, 1970, and t hemost r ecent st udy by Mal col m Bul l & Kei t h Lockhar t , Seeking a Sanctuary:Seventh-day Adventism & the American Dream. New Yor k: Har per & Row,

1989. 23St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, 1985, p. 23.24Ibid.

25"Chur ch" used here i n i t s more popul ar and non- soci ol ogi cal sense, asa r el i gi ous or gani zat i on.26For i nf ormat i on on al l t hese gr oups see t he Seventh-day AdventistEncyclopedia. Vol ume 10 of t he Comment ary Ref erence Ser i es.Washi ngt on, D. C. : Revi ew and Her al d Publ i shi ng Associ at i on, 1966.27See def i ni t i on of a sect gi ven pr evi ousl y.28Sever al documents wer e publ i shed by The Commi t t ee on Def enseLi t er at ur e of t he Gener al Conf er ence of Sevent h- day Advent i st s bri ef l ydel i neat i ng t he t eachi ngs of t he Davi di ans: The History and Teachingsof "The Shepherd's Rod": the Story of the "Shepherd's Rod" ( 1955) ;Some Teachings of the Shepherd's Rod Examined ( 1956) ; Report of a

Meeting Between a Group of "Shepherd's Rod" Leaders and a Group ofGeneral Conference Ministers ( 1959) .29Marc Br eaul t , "Some Background on t he Br anch Davi di an Sevent h- dayAdvent i st Movement From 1955 t o t he Ear l y Par t of 1991. " Unpubl i shedmanuscr i pt , Apr i l 17, 1991, r evi sed May 27, 1991.30 The name Waco i s an Angl i ci zat i on of t he Spani sh wor d hueco, meani ng"hol e. "311 Ki ngs 18: 20- 40.32See The History and Teachings of "The Shepherd's Rod": the Story ofthe "Shepherd's Rod" ( The Commi t t ee on Def ense Li t erat ur e of t heGeneral Conf erence of Sevent h- day Advent i st s, 1955)33Br eaul t , 1991. For a di scussi on of how r el i gi ous gr oups r espond whenpr ophecy f ai l s see Leon Fest i nger , Henr y W. Ri ecken and Stanl eySchacht er , When Prophecy Fails. New York: Har per & Row, 1956.34

"Davi di an SDA' s—Shepher d' s Rod, " Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia. Vol ume 10 of t he Comment ary Ref erence Ser i es. Washi ngt on, D. C. : Revi ewand Her al d Publ i shi ng Associ at i on, 1966.35See SHE KINAH, Vol . 1: 1, Dec. 1980. The magazi ne, an 8 and a hal f by11 newspaper f or mat publ i cat i on, consi st s, not onl y of ar t i cl es by cul tmember s, but al so repr oduct i ons of ar t i cl es on t he t eachi ngs of t hegr oup f r om nat i onal and area newspapers.36Mary Barr i neau, "Femal e Dei t y: Sect Says Hol y Spi r i t i s a Woman, "Dallas Times Herald, Oct ober 27, 1980, publ i shed i n SHE KINAH, Vol .1: 1, Dec. 1980.


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37See Cal eb Rosado, "The St ewardshi p of Power , " Ministry: InternationalJournal for Clergy, Apr i l 1989.38For an underst andi ng of Davi d Koresh' s t eachi ngs on t he Seven Seal s,see Marc A. Br eaul t , "Vernon Howel l and the Seven Seal s, " phot ocopi eddocument , n. d.39Br eaul t , 1991, p. 15.40Issues: The Seventh-day Adventist Church and Certain PrivateMinistries. Si l ver Spr i ngs, MD: Nort h Amer i can Di vi si on, 1992.41St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, p. 424.42 J ohn Lof l and and Rodney St ark, "Becomi ng a Wor l d- Saver : A Theor y ofConver si on t o a Devi ant Per spect i ve. " American Sociology Review 30: 862-875, 1965.43St ark, Sociology, p. 86.44Ei l een Bar ker , New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction. London: Her Maj est y' s St at i onar y Of f i ce, 1989, and St ar k andBai nbr i dge, The Future of Religion. 45See t he experi ence of J eanni e Mi l l s, who was a f ormer Sevent h- dayAdvent i st , and how she was l ed t o j oi n wi t h t he Peopl es Templ e, J eanni eMi l l s, Six Years With God: Life Inside Jim Jones's Peoples Temple. New

York: A&W Publ i sher s, I nc. , 1979. Her st or y i s r et ol d i n t he book by

Cal eb Rosado, Broken Walls. Boi se, I D: Paci f i c Pr ess Publ i shi ngAssoci at i on, 1990.46St ar k and Bai nbr i dge, The Future of Religion, pp. 417- 423.47See Kel l y, 1972, p. 95.48Fi nke and St ar k, 1992. , p. 238, emphasi s i s t he aut hors .49Ibid.

50St ark, Sociology, p. 430.51Marc Br eaul t , "Some Background on t he Br anch Davi di an Sevent h- dayAdvent i st Movement From 1955 t o t he Ear l y Par t of 1991. " Unpubl i shedmanuscr i pt , Apri l 17, 1991, r evi sed May 27, 1991, pp. 14 & 22,52See Marc Br eaul t f or a di scussi on of t hi s prof ess among t he Br anchDavi di ans.53El l en G. Whi t e, Ministry of Healing. ( Mount ai n, Vi ew: Paci f i c Pr ess,p. 143) , emphasi s suppl i ed.54

El l en G. whi t e, Education. ( Mount ai n Vi ew, CA: Paci f i c Pr ess, 1903) ,p. 57.55Ibid., p. 17, emphasi s suppl i ed.

56George Sant ayana, The Life of Reason, Vol . 1. ( New Yor k: DoverPubl i cat i ons, I nc. , 1980 [ f i r st publ i shed i n 1905] ) , p. 284.57El l en G. Whi t e, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White. ( Mount ai n Vi ew, CA:Paci f i c Pr ess Publ i shi ng Associ at i on, 1915) , p. 196.

Lessons From Waco - A Sociological Analysis

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