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There was an episode of the CTV show "W-Five" on yesterday that I watched during the commercials of the Philly – Jacksonville football game. It was called The Pied Piper of Hamilton and dealt with a faith community called "Dominion Christian Centre". Former members as well as families of current members of being a cult have accused this community of being a cult. At first I dismissed them as a bunch of crazies but I flipped back and caught a clip showing a meeting where they were singing a favorite United songs that I’ve played many times at our Awaken community. My attention was captured. I was even more intrigued when a member was asked the cost of belonging to the community. He replied, “The cost of giving up life in the world. It has cost you friends. And it has cost us certain freedoms that, in the olden days, you could do whatever you want.”
I’m pretty convinced that Jesus taught we will be persecuted and be called to sacrifice in order to live the life he modeled. I’m also increasingly convinced this life is to be done in community. I began to think that if spending time in community and sacrificing the freedom to do whatever I want is the working definition of cult than we at Awaken might be next on the "W-Five" cross Canada tour. As I searched out the complete story I was relieved to find that there is more to the "DCC" than just the call to live in biblical community.
These are three biblical values at Awaken that make us different from cults such as the "DCC":
1) We are called to Love. We’re not about our community as an end but only as a means to the end of showing love in our neighborhoods and individual contexts where we do life.
2) Our leadership is to be Horizontal as was the Apostles’ in Acts. We’re not dependant on one super leader for all our decisions and vision. We share this as a community and question each other in order to keep us all accountable.
3) We are inclusive not exclusive. The Kingdom of Heaven is for everyone not only a select group of insiders who live together. Our mandate is to bring the reality of this radical and counter cultural Kingdom to our neighborhoods not withdraw from them.
I’m now quite content that we are not a cult. May we continue on the road we’re walking keeping the above principles central to our walk together
I’m pretty convinced that Jesus taught we will be persecuted and be called to sacrifice in order to live the life he modeled. I’m also increasingly convinced this life is to be done in community. I began to think that if spending time in community and sacrificing the freedom to do whatever I want is the working definition of cult than we at Awaken might be next on the "W-Five" cross Canada tour. As I searched out the complete story I was relieved to find that there is more to the "DCC" than just the call to live in biblical community.
These are three biblical values at Awaken that make us different from cults such as the "DCC":
1) We are called to Love. We’re not about our community as an end but only as a means to the end of showing love in our neighborhoods and individual contexts where we do life.
2) Our leadership is to be Horizontal as was the Apostles’ in Acts. We’re not dependant on one super leader for all our decisions and vision. We share this as a community and question each other in order to keep us all accountable.
3) We are inclusive not exclusive. The Kingdom of Heaven is for everyone not only a select group of insiders who live together. Our mandate is to bring the reality of this radical and counter cultural Kingdom to our neighborhoods not withdraw from them.
I’m now quite content that we are not a cult. May we continue on the road we’re walking keeping the above principles central to our walk together
posted by Luke at
3:41 PM
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