Copyright 1992 by Ronald M. Enroth
2nd printing, 1993
Zondervan Publishing House
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CHAPTER 8 — Dissent and Discipline
Abusive Churches Discourage Questions
starts on page 157
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Virtually all authoritarian groups that I have studied imposed discipline, in one form or another, on members. A common theme that I encountered during interviews with ex-members of these groups was that the discipline was often carried out in public—and involved ridicule and humiliation.
Discipline resulting from the infraction of rules or “failure to keep with the program,” as well as “spiritual disciplines” imposed for one’s spiritual betterment, have been reported by former members of the Community of Jesus, a controversial charismatic Christian group located in the Rock Harbor section of Orleans, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. The Community of Jesus (COJ) exemplifies commitment to self-sacrifice and semi-monastic lifestyle in the context of what The Christian Century referred to as “tasteful affluence.” The COJ accommodates resident members, associate members, and nonresident members, as well as the many middle- and upper-middle-class Christians who journey to the Cape each year to participate in retreats sponsored by the organization. Some of the evangelical notables who are associated with the Community include Peter Marshall, Jr., William Kanaga, formerly Chairman of the Advisory Board of the New York firm Arthur Young, and at least one member of the Rockefeller family.
Two laypersons, Cay Andersen and Judy Sorensen, founded the Community around 1970 (Mrs. Andersen died several years ago). They soon became affectionately known as “Mother Cay” and “Mother Judy,” and were at the center of the controversy that has swirled about the organization in recent years. In addition to what one churchman called its “lack of ecclesiology,” the COJ has been accused of promoting a “theology of control” that focuses on attitudinal sins like jealousy, rebellion, willfulness, haughtiness, and idolatry. Critics and former members have argued that the Community has shifted toward an unbalanced, unbiblical, and highly structured program resulting in some people being emotionally and spiritually. There have also been reports of some form of physical abuse. Media accounts, including an extensive article in Boston magazine, have aroused suspicions. These have been denounced by the COJ leadership.
According to a lengthy article appearing in the April 19, 1985 edition of the Cape Codder, former members stated that one of the cardinal sins at the COJ is to talk against Community disciplines in public. A group of ex-members have shared their concerns with reporters. “All of them had tales of being yelled at and screamed at. All of them have said they had been disciplined in one way or another.”
I have extensively interviewed a number of former members of the Community and have no reason to believe that they were being untruthful. Independent verification from other sources has confirmed to me the questionable behaviors at the COJ, and has led me to include here a brief discussion of the problem. I do this despite repeated assertions to me by the leadership that the reports are invalid, and that they represent the complaints of only a handful of “disgruntled” ex-members. Several children of the founders have also departed the Cape and their leaving is dismissed by the leadership as a result of “family squabbles.” It would seem that since reports of abuse continue to surface, to completely discount the experiences of these former adherents is to question the motives of an increasingly large group of people who have been, from their perspective, deeply hurt as a result of their association with the COJ. Because of its proximity to elements of the mainstream evangelical subculture, the Community of Jesus represents and unusual example what many Christians, including many church leaders, see as a troublesome and unsettling phenomenon.
Since 1982, several Presbyteries have initiated studies and critical assessments of the COJ, including the Presbytery of Boston and the Presbytery of Genesee Valley (NY). These studies were undertaken because of the heavy involvement of members and pastors of certain Presbyterian churches in various COJ programs and retreats. In a report dated June 1987, the Synod of the Northeast concluded, among other things, that “There is some evidence that in the use of authority, some of the disciplines and practices of the Community of Jesus have been appropriated by individuals in less than helpful ways. The Agency [Synod Vocation Agency] is particularly conscious of the authoritarian nature of the Community of Jesus.”
The comments of Don, an ex-member, demonstrate why there is an uneasiness among many secular and Christian observers regarding the Community. “While the leaders continue to say that they don’t force anybody to do anything, there is such moral persuasion and such peer pressure that there’s no question that you would do whatever you were expected to do. The alternative would be anything ranging from a beating to being sent away from the Community, which meant, separation from Jesus. None of us wanted that, so therefore we would do what we were expected to do—not because they stood over us with a whip, but because of the psychological control they used in giving us the fear that we would miss our calling or that we would be lost to Jesus if we ever left.”
Like members of other abusive groups, Don was led to believe that he was joining an elite team. “We were often told that there was no place in the world like the Community, that it was special.” Don believes that many people who join the Community have problems beforehand, or are spiritually immature, and therefore vulnerable to manipulation. “People who were there all had reasons for joining. Perhaps life was not going well for them, or they were searching for something they couldn’t find. By clever manipulation, the leadership convinced them that they could find it at the Community. I was a new Christian, and they convinced me that I would best find Jesus at the Community. To leave the Community was to get out of God’s will.”
Don experienced firsthand the discipline that the Community administers. “I was told I talked too much. I was directed not to speak more than three sentences at any one time. And I had to wait until someone else had said something before I could say three more sentences. There were also dietary disciplines. One time we were all expected to go on a grape diet. For forty days we had grapes, grape juice, and raisins—that’s all. A few were excused for medical reasons. But the great majority of us were expected to ‘go on the grapes.’”
Don’s wife was placed on what is known as the “silence discipline.” She reports, “I was placed ‘on silence’ for six months, except for certain times when there was company in the house, or they decided I could be let off it, which wasn’t very often. Once I had been sent to pull carrots and when I brought them back, I had, unfortunately for me, pulled some small ones with the larger ones. I was verbally chastised for this and was told that I was not ‘in the Spirit’ and what did I have to say about it. They said I could speak and I fell into their trap; I began to defend myself and then I got another lambasting.”
Don pointed out that no negative criticism of the Community was tolerated, a distinguishing feature of most totalitarian groups. “No one dared to say anything negative of any kind. I was actually afraid of being beaten up physically by members of the Community if I got out of line. No, you learned not to raise questions. We learned to keep out mouths shut. If someone questioned what the Community did, they were ridiculed and humiliated. That effectively shut up everybody else.”
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Unwavering obedience to religious leadership and unquestioning loyalty to the group would be less easily achieved if analysis and feedback were available to members from the outside. It is not without reason that leaders of abusive groups react so strongly and so defensively to any media criticism of their organizations. Don recalls what happened when adverse publicity about the Community of Jesus began to appear in the media. “We were told in a meeting by Mother Cay and Mother Judy that we were not to read the article in Boston magazine and the newspaper article because we didn't need to know about it. They said it was all baloney and that we were above all that sort of thing. We would stand for the persecution in the same way Jesus did.” But then Don adds: “Some of us who were rebels did read it, and in our brainwashed state, swept under the rug a good bit of what was said. But I think it did lay some of the groundwork for later questioning.”
In response to questions submitted by The Cape Codder to the Community of Jesus, the leadership issued a statement that essentially denied the allegations made by ex-members, claiming that the Community “stands in the long and honored tradition of monastic and semimonastic communities, which have existed since the early days of Christianity.” Regarding the role of founders Cay and Judy, the statement said that members “certainly do not regard them as infallible or surrogates for God.” The statement also made reference to Jesus’ words, “By their fruits you shall know them.” “We submit that the fruit of this Community's life can be seen in the incredible abundance of creativity—music, drama, art, crafts of every description, gardening, and writing (to name a few) . . .”
Regarding the latter reference about being known by one’s fruits, a former COJ member remarked to me, “The fruit of the Spirit is well outlined in Galatians chapter five and has nothing to do with gardens, music, drama, art, and crafts.” Another ex-member, reacting to the statement, commented: “The leadership has done a beautiful job of putting together a large number of words that say nothing. They have never in any way responded directly to any of the facts which were stated as facts by various individuals in the media coverage. They always come out with a straw man that they set up and then batter down. ‘Oh, we don’t know of any of these things which the former members allege.’ But they were not allegations, they were facts. We witnessed the events, we knew they took place, and they happened to us.”
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CHAPTER 9 — Exit and Adjustment
Abusive Churches Make Leaving Painful
starts on page 181
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I have found that individuals often experience great embarrassment at being so “taken in” by the leader of the group, and for acting so foolishly during their time of membership. A Baptist pastor from Massachusetts, the Reverend James Wood, has counseled at least twenty former member of the Community of Jesus; he has noticed the same phenomenon. “There is also a sense of shame, an embarrassment for the things they allowed themselves to be manipulated into doing.” Reverend Wood also observes that ex-members have a difficult time committing themselves to anything again. “They feel betrayed. Their commitment was abused ad now they are reluctant to commit again.”
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