Torrence, California, August 4, 2010 - Christian Newswire
When Lynn’s son Bryce went to the annual Harvest
Crusade, a Christian music and evangelism event, she had
no way of knowing he would be lured into a cultic group known as the
Twelve
Tribes. Before she knew it, Bryce abandoned his
studies at Christian college and disowned his
family.
The Twelve Tribes regularly field teams of proselytizers
to intercept new converts and their friends as they leave
the Crusade. Dancing and distributing literature around
their brightly painted “hippie bus” in the
Angel Stadium parking lot, Twelve Tribes members invite
passerby’s to commit themselves to a more authentic
Christian lifestyle in their “messianic
communities.”
But as Lynn discovered to her dismay, behind the quaint
“freepapers” and homespun clothing is a
religious system marked by exclusivism, racism,
manipulation, and the spiritual domination of a man who
calls himself “Yoneq.”
Seventh-day Adventists are among the other groups that
chase down Crusade attendees. These followers of the
prophetess Ellen G. White emphasize end-time themes,
especially the observance of Saturday as the true day of
worship, in order to avoid the coming wrath of
God.
“Churches need to inoculate their members against
‘love bombing’ by predatory groups at crusades
and concerts,” says Gretchen Goldsmith, CEO of Rose
Publishing. “Christians need help in discerning
truth from error so they can recognize and resist
counterfeits–and this is especially true of new
believers who have just responded to an invitation to
trust in Jesus.”
Goldsmith recommends that churches educate their attendees
on a regular basis on key beliefs and doctrines, and be
familiar with the way these are twisted or denied by
groups claiming to be Christian but actually rejecting the
2000-year-old message.
To help bridge the gap for Christians, Rose Publishing has just released a new 6-session DVD-based course called Christianity, Cults & Religions. It covers the key Christian beliefs and why Christians hold them. It also goes into detail on the beliefs of six groups that aggressively proselytize today and how to answer them.
A new pamphlet, 10 Questions and Answers on Seventh-Day
Adventism will release in October. It directly
evaluates the Seventh-Day Adventist cultic background
and beliefs, while comparing them to Christianity.
(ISBN: 9781596364226 Rose Publishing)
Lynn grieves for her son, who now refuses even to receive
visits from her at the sect’s rural compound in
Vista, California. Alienation from family and friends is
common for converts to the Twelve Tribes, who support
themselves through their “Yellow Deli” cafes
and other businesses.
She prays that God will rescue Bryce and reconcile him to
his parents and to the Body of Christ. “I
don’t know if I’ll ever know why God is
allowing this to happen to my family, but I’ll still
praise His holy name and believe that He will make all
thing work together for good,” said Lynn.
For fact sheets on the Twelve Tribes and Seventh-day
Adventism, go to:
www.rosepublishing.com/harvest
