Cults and Aberrant Religious Groups Archives

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Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Sex Cults and Killer Cults: Now and Then

Mar 1, 2019

There is not much new under the sun as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, and a basic knowledge of the past 2000 years of church history can help us quite a lot, especially to help us avoid past mistakes.

A Review of The Saints of Zion. By Travis Kerns.

Jan 7, 2019

B&H, 2018.

Theology matters, and it matters greatly. In the past many believers were willing to even give their own lives in the defence of biblical orthodoxy. Today few believers would be willing to do so. Indeed, few would know

The King James Only Controversy, Part 1

May 7, 2018

I had a rather strange thing happen to me some years ago. I was invited to be a key speaker at a Christian conference in another state, and details were being finalised. But at the end of one email to

The King James Only Controversy, Part 2

May 7, 2018

Various introductory matters were laid out in Part 1 of this article. If you have not yet read it, I urge you to do so before proceeding any further. Here I will offer a somewhat brief and outline-ish look at

The King James Only Controversy, Part 3

May 7, 2018

In this third of a four-part article I look further at issues of textual criticism, translation theory, pros and cons about manuscript types and translations, and so on.

Objections raised against the Alexandrian texts and translators

Some critics claim that

The King James Only Controversy, Part 4

May 7, 2018

I have covered quite a bit of territory in the first three parts of this article. Now I seek to wrap things up, and offer some further reading to those who are interested if they want to learn much more

Answering Objections to the Divinity of Christ

Dec 18, 2017

The cornerstone of Christian belief is the deity of Jesus Christ. If he is not fully God and fully man, he cannot save us. Nor would he be an object of worship, or seen as equal to God the Father.

The Deity of Jesus Affirmed

Dec 17, 2017

There are various ways heretical and cultic groups seek to deny the doctrine of the deity of Christ. To cover all of them here would require quite a few articles. So I wish to look at just two English phrases

In Defence of My Protestantism (A Response to My Catholic Friends)

Jun 17, 2017

I am an evangelical Protestant, and I make no apologies for that. I feel that the full range of biblical truth is best found in evangelical Protestantism. Sure, no one church or denomination (or Christian for that matter) has all

Three Easy Steps to Become a Cultist or Heretic

Jun 16, 2017

I am always ready to be of assistance, so I am happy to come to your aid if you are looking to become a cultist, or slip into rank heresy. Thanks, you can pay me later. But I also write

William Paul Young is a Heretic, Part One

Apr 20, 2017

Let me say at the outset that there are two things I quite dislike. I very much dislike having to shell out my hard-earned money on really lousy books. And I also dislike the habit of some who accuse everyone

William Paul Young is a Heretic, Part Two

Apr 20, 2017

In Part One of this review of Young’s new book, I mentioned the general theological and ideological space he is in. It is part of the broader recent trendy fad known as the emergent church movement. I have written dozens

On Cultic Christian Trolls

Dec 28, 2016

Yep, we have all encountered them. They are a real worry, and they seem to be everywhere of late. They are utterly convinced of their various pet beliefs, and will challenge everyone about them. These are folks who just love

A Teachable Spirit

Jun 20, 2016

I am becoming increasingly convinced that one real indication of genuine salvation – of a person really being a true follower of Jesus Christ – is having a teachable spirit. The willingness to admit that we don’t know it all,

On Biblical Balance: Avoiding Unbiblical Extremes

Jun 11, 2016

Anyone who knows a bit about Christian theology and church history knows that any biblical truth can be distorted, twisted or pushed to an unbiblical extreme. Heretical groups and cults both routinely operate this way: they will take one biblical

Dealing with Cults

Jan 6, 2016

Just this morning a Christian friend in another country contacted me, greatly worried about family members who had obviously gotten themselves involved in a deceptive and nutty cult. She was terribly concerned – and rightly so – about all this

The World is Coming to an End – Now!

Oct 9, 2015

Well, at least it was supposed to. But it seems another nutjob Christian outfit was caught out with yet another false prediction of the end of the world. Will these folks never learn? Not only do they make a laughing

You Can Visit But Not Stay: Avoiding Theological Excess

Sep 18, 2015

There are plenty of things in life that may be worth visiting, but you really would not want to stay there for too long. When I pass a Krispy Kreme donut shop I am often enticed to pay a brief

Hermeneutics and Blood Transfusions

Apr 9, 2015

If this seems to be yet another rather bizarre or opaque title, just hold onto your hats: all is about to be revealed. Let me start with hermeneutics. For the uninitiated, this simply is about the practice or discipline of

Jehovah’s Witnesses: When Cultists Come To Town

Oct 17, 2014

This weekend some 70,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses from around the world are expected to converge upon Etihad Stadium in Melbourne for an international conference. Since so many JWs will be in town you may well come across some, so it is

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Sex Cults and Killer Cults: Now and Then

A Review of The Saints of Zion. By Travis Kerns.

The King James Only Controversy, Part 1

The King James Only Controversy, Part 2

The King James Only Controversy, Part 3

The King James Only Controversy, Part 4

Answering Objections to the Divinity of Christ

The Deity of Jesus Affirmed

In Defence of My Protestantism (A Response to My Catholic Friends)

Three Easy Steps to Become a Cultist or Heretic

William Paul Young is a Heretic, Part One

William Paul Young is a Heretic, Part Two

On Cultic Christian Trolls

A Teachable Spirit

On Biblical Balance: Avoiding Unbiblical Extremes

Dealing with Cults

The World is Coming to an End – Now!

You Can Visit But Not Stay: Avoiding Theological Excess

Hermeneutics and Blood Transfusions

Jehovah’s Witnesses: When Cultists Come To Town

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