Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No, it may have happened to some individuals as any church will have some members who rub people the wrong way or come on too strong for their personality. Getting back to the original poster's question, "Is Buckhead Church a Cult?" I still disagree. First of all, there is a difference between a church and a cult.
1. A Christian Church has a mission of leading people into a relationship with Christ. That is a given and is true for all Christain Churches. Newsflash to the original poster: Your Roman Catholic Church has that same mission. If they didn't they wouldn't be building new churches and Christ the King wouldn't be doing an expansion.
2. A "cult" calls itself a church but is not necessarily up front about it's mission or beliefs. Often the stranger beliefs are not exposed until after some time. Buckhead Church is not a cult. DeaconJ, you know the Mission of Buckhead Church without ever even stepping in the door.
My point about Buckhead not being "coercive" was in the comparative to other evangelical churches. Everyone who attends Buckhead and North Point knows the Church's mission statement as it is stated on the website and said every Sunday. If they have a problem with that, no problem, don't attend. But on the other hand, no one can say they were tricked into something in a "bait and switch fashion" more associated with cults.
As far as people inviting people to a church. Sure, the majority of people at Buckhead are probably there because someone invited them. So, there's nothing wrong with that. If someone is invited to a church, the Sierra Club or whatever organization and they are not interested in attending - all they have to say is "I'm not interested." We are all adults and there is nothing wrong in asking.
Yep...I can read the mission right off of the website, thank you very much. Don't worry, I will definitely never step foot in the door of that mess.
The thing is, people that don't go to your "church" or "cult" or whatever is it...don't go for reason - because they choose not to, and they don't want to be pressured into switching. That's what this type of church thrives on...you can deny until doomsday, but it will still be a fact.
I thought everyone that has had any history in Atlanta would realize that Andy Stanley is Charles Stanley's son (long time pastor of First Baptist, Atlanta). While Andy founded North Pointe as a non denominational church, its primary difference from a Southern Baptist Church is style and presentation, with some difference in church governmental structure.
However, his theology is not much different from tried and true Southern Baptist doctrine. Southern Baptists are historically a group with strong evangelical leanings. Billy Graham is a Southern Baptist. Southern Baptists evangelize. They heavily lean on Jesus' command to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). As this was one of Jesus last recorded words before his ascension, evangelical Christians of all stripes consider this passage as final marching orders, so to speak.
There was no Catholic church in my hometown of Hogansville. Most other small southern towns still do not have a sizable Catholic presence. That still did not keep me from knowing about Catholicism and its tenets and beliefs.
For the OP to move to the south and not understand at least an inkling of evangelical protestant beliefs and then when coming in contact with such, labeling it as a cult is at the least sadly myopic and at the worst personally offensive to many.
And for other posters to equate teenagers exhuberantly inviting other teens to Christian events as something inherently evil, would you prefer they be pressured into party atmospheres where alcohol, drugs and casual sex are rampant? As a parent of teens, I personally prefer the former to the latter, as there is not much of a middle ground between the two with teens these days.
Here in America you have the right to worship the way you want or not at all. Some claim all religions are a private matter. Evangelical protestant practice does not allow for one's belief to remain private, it is to be shared. That is not cultish. It might be offensive to some, but that is not going to stop it, especially in light of the verse mentioned from Matthew.
Not here to start an argument, but to shed light on what is a primary focus of any Evangelical church that is alive and growing.
Last edited by Saintmarks; 02-27-2009 at 10:43 PM..
I agree Saintmarks. We had no experience with this type of Evangelism, coming from the north. But, from the Bible prominently displayed in my son's 8th grade classroom, to the sports coaches introducing their teams by noting which players were members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we had a pretty fast introduction. When my son was invited on a ski trip by a member of the North Point youth group, I figured he could certainly find worse company to hang out with.
I do have to say, and this is coming from a native Southerner, that this is one phenomenon that irks me about living in the South. I would not call these churches "cults" quite yet, but some do get very close to the line .. they are simply non denominational protestant churches.. and they do seem to infer that you must go to "their church" to be saved (which does sound sort of cultish to me). The odd thing is that they try to proselytize to other Christians... as though you are not a real Christian unless you go to their church. I know this happens all over the country, but it is by far most prevalent in the south.
I agree Saintmarks. We had no experience with this type of Evangelism, coming from the north. But, from the Bible prominently displayed in my son's 8th grade classroom, to the sports coaches introducing their teams by noting which players were members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we had a pretty fast introduction. When my son was invited on a ski trip by a member of the North Point youth group, I figured he could certainly find worse company to hang out with.
Bible in a classroom? You're talking private school I assume...public schools aren't allowed to do such things.
And for other posters to equate teenagers exhuberantly inviting other teens to Christian events as something inherently evil, would you prefer they be pressured into party atmospheres where alcohol, drugs and casual sex are rampant? As a parent of teens, I personally prefer the former to the latter, as there is not much of a middle ground between the two with teens these days.
I hope you are wrong because I personally would prefer the middle ground when my child grows up.
I am a Northern transplant to the South... and I seriously feel so bad for native Southerners and what transplants like you are trying to do. They have a vibrant native culture that has allowed them to avoid the cultural death that the North is facing, and a large part of that is evangelical Christianity.
How would you feel if the situation had ben reversed and thousands of "Buckhead Church" members started moving up North, flooding your neighborhoods, enjoying the society you worked hard to build, and then criticizing Catholicism constantly and calling it a "cult"???
Why did you move to the South if you are that against their native culture? Aren't there jobs in the Pacific Northwest?
Some of us moved to the South, not because we were losers back in our home towns and couldn't find jobs, but because we wanted to move to a part of America where family, God, hard-work, and limited government are important and the freedom-destroying influences of Democratic socialists and big-government Papists are marginalized.
I realize the tone of my post is extreme, but so is your assertion that these honest, Bible-believing Christians are some sort of "cult" just because they don't follow the same methods as your dying, passionless church up North.
Bible in a classroom? You're talking private school I assume...public schools aren't allowed to do such things.
You don't think? This was a public school, and the Bible was right on a lectern stand as we walked into the classroom for an open house night. According to my son, it was there "in case anyone wanted to read it". It didn't bother him, so I let it go. It bothered me, but "when in the south...".
I am a Northern transplant to the South... and I seriously feel so bad for native Southerners and what transplants like you are trying to do. They have a vibrant native culture that has allowed them to avoid the cultural death that the North is facing, and a large part of that is evangelical Christianity.
How would you feel if the situation had ben reversed and thousands of "Buckhead Church" members started moving up North, flooding your neighborhoods, enjoying the society you worked hard to build, and then criticizing Catholicism constantly and calling it a "cult"???
Why did you move to the South if you are that against their native culture? Aren't there jobs in the Pacific Northwest?
Some of us moved to the South, not because we were losers back in our home towns and couldn't find jobs, but because we wanted to move to a part of America where family, God, hard-work, and limited government are important and the freedom-destroying influences of Democratic socialists and big-government Papists are marginalized.
I realize the tone of my post is extreme, but so is your assertion that these honest, Bible-believing Christians are some sort of "cult" just because they don't follow the same methods as your dying, passionless church up North.
Go home.
Wow, it seems that you have some greater issues at hand that you are dealing with, and possibly some mental problems. Also, your post portrays the possibility of a low educational level.
I would like to respond to the phrases in bold:
1. What transplants like us are trying to do? We are not trying to do anything. I just find it odd and somewhat scary that my neighbors keep trying to convert me to whatever religion the Buckhead Church is, eventhough I am already Christian, so I can be "saved." The fact that they are trying to convert a Christian to another form of Christianity makes me seem weary of them, and makes them appear cultish.
2. We do not ciriticize the Buckhead Church constantly, and I am not sure where this comes from. I do not criticize protestanitsm constantly either. Since you do not even know anything about me besides my two previous posts, I am not sure where you get this assumption. Sounds like you harbor some inner hate towards Catholics.
3. Native culture? Buckhead Church is not part of the "native culture." Evangelical Protestantism is, but so is Catholicism. Its not like Catholics have never lived in the South. Ever read Gone With the Wind? In this portrayal of southern culture, Scarlett O'hara is a Catholic. I can still like the southern culture as a whole and dislike some aspects of it at the same time.
4. Losers? Wow. you do not know me. Where do you get off? If you knew anything about the world around you, you would know that the midwestern cities economies have been declining for years. My husband could get a job, but it made more sense to move south where all the companies were moving in order to get a decent one.
5. Big-government Papists? Again, sounds like you harbor some extreme hate for Catholicism. I have not heard/seen the term Papist since reading late 19th century works where Protestant feared of a Catholic takeover of the U.S. That term is extremely offensive, and I am not sure why you feel the need to use that term.
In addition, we do not support big government, and although I hate to pull politics in, we vote Republican.
6. The Catholic Church is not a dying, passionless church. On the contrary, it is the fastest growing Christian denomination in the U.S., and the world. Please get your facts straight!
It sounds like you may need some professional help, and I am stunned by the aggressiveness of your post. I am entitled to my own opinion, and youll notice that i did not say it was a cult, i was simply asking if it was, because the methods they use seem startlingly familiar to a cult. If you do not agree with me, you can say so, but your personal attack on me and my religion was unfounded, ignorant, and immature.
Last edited by WonderingSomething1974; 02-28-2009 at 11:12 AM..
You don't think? This was a public school, and the Bible was right on a lectern stand as we walked into the classroom for an open house night. According to my son, it was there "in case anyone wanted to read it". It didn't bother him, so I let it go. It bothered me, but "when in the south...".
No, I certainly don't believe it. That would be easy grounds for a big lawsuit. That just isn't true...sorry.
You are taking this "when in the south" thing a little too far for your own amusement. Stop making things up, please.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Don't worry, I will definitely never step foot in the door of that mess.
