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Out of Control: The Earl's Testimony

It was January of 1995 and Jason and Karen Earl had a terrible marriage. Jason was driving a tow-truck, while Karen was at home with their two small children. Jason was rarely home and Karen was very lonely, so when a friend invited her to the Birmingham Church (International Church of Christ), she jumped at the opportunity to make new friends. She had little knowledge of Jesus Christ at that time.

Karen started visiting the church regularly and Jason eventually started going too. They were both very attracted to the apparent close-knit and loving congregation. They agreed to study the Bible with some leaders of the church and we were baptized into the church in May of 1995.

They were then assigned discipling partners who were supposed to help them rebuild their marriage, telling them how to raise their kids as well as teaching them more about the Bible. Jason and Karen became so busy with the church that they had little time for anything else. "Our marriage appeared to be getting better," said Karen, but now she and Jason understand that all of their problems were just buried because they didn't have time to deal with them.

They started having doubts about the church six months after being baptized. "When we questioned our discipling partners about our concerns we were told we were being rebellious and divisive …We were told to fast and pray until 'our hearts were right'." They eventually left the church but only stayed away for four months. "We went back because we were scared of an eternity in hell." They were then "restored" to Christ by leaders in the church. Karen stated, "By then, everything we thought, did or said was dictated by the authority of the church."

Jason and Karen stayed an additional one and one half years and the church went under "reconstruction." Karen points out the devastation of this dangerous cult when she states; "We were so afraid to make a mistake and were overwhelmed by guilt …We thought we could never work hard enough to please God, or to fulfill all the church's quotas and expectations." As a result of these feeling, they chose to leave the church again.

After leaving the church, a friend referred the Earls to Craig Branch at Watchman Fellowship. Craig used the Bible to show Jason and Karen that Christianity is not about guilt or works, but about grace. They were finally able to rejoice in the truth and are now living Christian lives. According to Karen, "We are now involved in a healthy church and have a beautiful marriage." "We will be eternally grateful to those at Watchman Fellowship for helping us leave this destructive cult for good."

This article was excerpted from the July 1998 Vantage Point.

For more information on these topics, please visit the Apologetics or the Other Religious Movements sections of our web catalog; or click here to order a free information packet.