The diverted spirituality of "False Christ cults" (original) (raw)

Socio-Spiritual Method for the Theological Study of Christian Spirituality Updated April 2018

I refer to this interdisciplinary approach as a socio-spiritual method. This method is based on the understanding of the Christian message as one that seeks to penetrate all aspects of the socio-spiritual life of the human race with God's reign. Without denying the faith and theology implicit in the study of Christian spirituality, my method relies on cultural studies and other human sciences. Spirituality is a social and anthropological reality, but for Christians it is above all the work of the Holy Spirit in the social and cultural cotidiano of the believer. Therefore, I like to think of my method as a social, faith-filled, and spiritual look at la cotidianidad divina, the place where God dwells and acts. 2

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CULT AND CHURCH - THEIR CHARACTERIZATION WITH ESSENTIAL INDICATORS

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This comparative analysis examines the distinguishing features of cults and churches, focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) that can help identify cult-like behaviors within religious organizations. Drawing on extensive experience as a pastor and theological teacher, the author argues that many contemporary churches exhibit cult-like characteristics, emphasizing control, exclusivity, and manipulation over genuine spiritual guidance. The article explores the blurred lines between cults and churches, highlighting the increasing prevalence of cult-like practices within religious institutions. It discusses the importance of critical thinking and discernment in evaluating religious organizations and avoiding the pitfalls of cult-like manipulation. By examining leadership styles, financial practices, doctrinal teachings, and member relationships, the article provides a framework for identifying the essential indicators that differentiate cults from healthy churches. It emphasizes the importance of humility, transparency, accountability, and inclusivity as core principles of a true and healthy ministry. This analysis aims to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their religious affiliations and to promote the growth and development of healthy, Christ-centered churches.

Mysticism and the Psychology of Christian Religious Experience

Journal of Psychology Research, 2012

The understanding and use of the term mysticism pose a growing challenge in world religions in general, and in Christina in particular. While some Christian denominations easily identify with the concept and practices of mysticism, others approach it at best with skepticism, as they relate it more to eastern religions than Christian traditions. Most especially, traditional Catholicism with its allies easily reckons with a long-lasting mystical tradition, while radical evangelicalism shuns mysticism both conceptually and practically. However, a closer look at the popular definitions and understandings of the term reveals that mysticism is more widely practiced than generally known. This paper compares and contrasts the basic understandings and interpretations of mysticism within the Christendom and weighs them against related biblical principle in order to find out whether mysticism provides safe Christian religious experiences or not. The paper ends with a brief focus on a specific Christian religious group that rejects all forms of mysticism but some religious thinkers ironically brand it, sometimes, as a cult and mystical group. The paper aims at winning the Christians' attention to the kind of spiritual damage the concept and practices of mysticism are causing to believers through either mere propositional truth exposition or syncretic innovations in the Christian church.

Religion and Spirituality: An Imperceptible Quandary

2020

The term Religion and Spirituality are to be sure proportional of neither one another, however neither they are unfavourably inverse nor the equivalent. Religion and Spirituality are two untethered facts of uncanny reality. Religion is set of creeds, confidence, and ceremonies laid or established on supernaturally mediating belief systems (at any rate that is what is assumed by adherents) which gather devotees into a strict network maybe continuing a moral and good exchange with Spirituality. The term Spirituality exclusively bears no weight; in any case, it flourishes deliberately on pieces and pulsates of religion on a mundane scale. Methodologically this paper depends on nonempirical investigation, different writing have been skimmed and checked on. Accordingly an endeavour by the methods for this paper has been made to figure an investigation in the terms of Religion and Spirituality. In addition this article will assist with breaking down the sociological comprehension and will...

The Conceptualization of Spiritual Communities and Its Application to The Reformed Traditions

2022

Hope and life in the eschatological time have been the main concern in the theological field for these years. But the eschatological naturalism of neo-Calvinist theology regards salvation as that of all life on earth; while Christian asceticism seems to inspire believers' withdrawal from the world. The paper first discusses the concept of spirituality and defines it as the quality of being a spiritual being guided by the doctrines, rules, or laws of the spiritual being. Second, the paper classifies spiritual communities and makes a claim, based on Biblical covenants and the exegesis of the Lord's Prayer, which teaches us to deny ourselves for the truth, keep the laws of God and quench the desires of the flesh, manifest love and justice of God and cut off hate and injustice of man, and glorify God, that the doctrine of the purus spiritual communities, spiritualizing believers by both faith in the spiritual being (Jesus) and engaging the world in Jesus, is biblical. Finally, the paper formulates a five-phase model of spiritual growth in the Christan faith.

THE STUDY OF SPIRITUALITY: THOUGHTS FROM THE CHRISTIAN EAST

This paper is offered as an example of a human science approach to the study of spirituality as a universal human experience. From the author’s perspective, spirituality is not only a universal element of human experience, but (because I equate spirituality with human freedom), spirituality is THE foundationally quality of the human. The thesis to be tested is this: Through a careful consideration of themes central to a specific spiritual tradition (in this case, the relationship of communion and asceticism in the Eastern Christian liturgical spirituality), we can come to an appreciative critical understanding not only of that tradition, but also of themes foundational to all human spiritualities.

Analysis of ―Spirituality‖ Category and Its Structure in the English Language

Central Asian Problems of Modern Science and Education, 2019

Lexico-semantic category of "spirituality" is usually analyzed by the ways of defining concepts of the term. On the one hand, it seems to us that using these concepts simultaneously makes opposed ideas towards the meaning, however, the term " spirituality" is defined in different ways by different authors and it makes the concept complicated. The main point of the article is to analyze and categorize the term "spirituality" and give full answer to the readers about the English concept "spirituality".

The Theology of Spirituality: Its Growing Importance Amid the Transformations of the Modern World and the Church

Verbum Vitae

This article raises issues surrounding the theology of spirituality as a relatively new theological focus. It argues that, faced with a changing world and numerous new (or perceived as new) phenomena, the theology of spirituality, as a scholarly area examining spiritual experience, is becoming a branch of theological research of increasing importance. The first part of this article focuses on the ever-growing areas of interest found within the theology of spirituality, a growth stemming from the core of the field itself (agere sequitur esse). The second part emphasizes the newer areas of interest within the theology of spirituality. These new horizons arise from the pluralism of theology itself and the criteria used in differentiating theological disciplines, such as ethno-geographic, doctrinal, and ascetic-practical concerns. In particular, amid a fast-changing world in which information and mutual contact have become incredibly accessible, the interpenetration of cultures and trad...

The characterisation of the Spiritual Christian: In conversation with God according to 1 Corinthians 2

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

Irrespective of the short academic history of Christian spirituality, a vast number of academic and popular publications ensued and is still dynamically growing. Many definitions have been proposed to define (Christian) spirituality. Spirituality is also no longer connected only to religion, although in this research the focus will fall on Christian spirituality. This research intends to partake in the continuing academic dialogue to define Christian spirituality. Christian spirituality is interpreted from the perspective of the divine-human conversation. This research consists of three sections. In the first section, a working definition of Christian spirituality is formulated. In the second section, various aspects that constitute spiritualities are distinguished and discussed. In the last section, the constituents of Christian spirituality are pointed out and are reviewed from a conversational perspective. The focus will be on ‘the experience of the divine’ when living a life tha...