Cult?  What is that?  It is somewhat hard to define without pointing to particular examples.  The American Journal of Sociology defines it as a pejorative term which “refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are reasonably considered strange” (source).

But who’s doing the considering?  I suppose that in a similar way to how, as the saying goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” determining what is a cult and what’s not is in the eye of the determiner.

Of course you would be hard-pressed to find anyone or any group that would readily admit, “Yes, we are in fact a cult.  Would you like to join our cult?”

So how do we decide?  How can we be honest and truthful with ourselves and others in discerning what is cultish and what is orthodox?  Here’s something that may help.

Lisa Robinson shares five signs of a cult-like ministry over at the popular theology blog, Parchment and Pen.  Excellent and succinct list of factors to consider when distinguishing between what is the true Christian Church and what is not:

1. Time Factor—how long has it been around?
2. Doctrine Factor—does it deny essential Christian truths?
3. Leadership Factor—is the leader/founder elevated to an unbiblical level of authority?
4. Biblical Authority Factor—is there another source of writing outside of the Bible?
5. Organization Factor—does it consider itself to be the only true Church?

Robinson’s list includes several paragraphs of easy-to-read commentary and explanation.  Make sure to click through the following link and peruse the entire thing: “Five Signs You Might Be in a Cult-Like Ministry,” by Lisa Robinson.

If you’re church or organization falls underneath a positive response to any of the factors on this list then you may have some serious thinking to do.  Can you think of any organizations or ‘churches’ that are guilty of one, a few, or all of the points on this list?