Eric Barger's
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"Discerning the Times in the Light of the Word"

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Order Special 60+ minute Video "The MOST Dangerous CULT"

Is it Mormonism? Jehovah’s Witnesses? Christian Science or New Age thought? No! The MOST Dangerous Cult is cut from the cloth of Christianity and is right in our midst!

by Eric Barger

In February of this year I celebrated my twenty-first year as a Christian, with over eighteen of those years spent in service to the Cross as a radio commentator, youth pastor, evangelist, author and teacher. In the early days of my Christian walk Melanie and I attended a local church in our neighborhood in South Seattle, Washington. Due to our coming to Christ through the diligent prayers and witness of a private marriage counselor as opposed to making our conversion in a church setting, we were somewhat oblivious about the many branches and variations of beliefs across the spectrum of Christendom. Though in our youth both Melanie and I had attended Methodist Sunday schools, vacation bible schools and church camps, we were “Christians” by name only having never accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation back then. So as newly converted adults, straight from the hippie lifestyle and rock n’ roll culture, we were completely ignorant as to what Christianity consisted of, its doctrines, practices and the many current denominational differences. Frankly, at the outset of my Christian journey I didn’t know Pentecostal from Presbyterian. It hadn’t come to my attention that there indeed large portions of “tares” among the “wheat” and I certainly had no concept of what separated a good church from a counterfeit. This ignorant naivety would quickly come to a screeching halt all due to that church in our neighborhood.

Upon my conversion, having been spectacularly delivered from a 14 year drug addiction and what we now call “The New Age Movement,” the only thing I knew was that Jesus was indeed the God of gods and that He had radically and miraculously revolutionized my life. Being hungry for all the truth my little brain could handle, I quickly became a regular listener to Christian radio. It was on the airwaves that I found a man who would become my mentor, if only vicariously. The teaching and ministry of Dr. Walter Martin, the original, real and only “Bible Answer Man” perked within me the biblical call to “defend the faith” (Jude 3) and introduced me to the need to “be ready to give every man an answer” (I Peter 3:15). To this day these verses are the very basis for my life and work.

Being discipled by our doctrinally sound marriage counselor while hearing Dr. Martin expose the cults and false doctrines around us on his program each day, it wasn’t long before I began to question the tradition, practice and beliefs (or lack of them) being embraced by the aforementioned church around the corner from our house. Many of our neighbors attended there, it had a Cross in the yard and it claimed to be a Christian church so it was, right? After all the Presbyterian Church had been a standard bearer of the faith for centuries. They had guarded and protected the faith hadn’t they? I was bound to hear the Gospel there wasn’t I?

Just as millions of unsuspecting souls do each week out of family tradition, convenience or just plain biblical ignorance, I was trusting a denomination that once preached the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ to do so unabated. It is a shock to the system when one comes to grips with the Scripture and realizes that though the shell of the church appears to be intact, the core has been rotting for some time. It was in those days that the Holy Spirit woke us up to the revelation that just because something claims to be “Christian”, does “Christian things”, is adorned with Christian décor, Bibles, hymn books and the like does not mean that it is authentically “Christian.” In reality, when we began carefully comparing the doctrines and practice in the church with the clear teaching of the Bible there was no other conclusion to make; we were sitting there each week being indoctrinated by a part of The MOST Dangerous Cult!

Now don’t get me wrong. They were not exalting Satan, endorsing orgies or sacrificing chickens in the aisle! Melanie and I loved the people there and knew that a few were indeed saved, but sadly it wasn’t the church's fault that they were. The pastor was a very sweet guy and we appreciated some parts of the fellowship there, but quickly I was deemed a trouble maker for I went from being “new convert” to “evangelist on a mission.” It was obvious that the majority of the congregation had never had a life-changing experience with Jesus, were not saved (no fruit) and hadn’t a clue that they needed to be! My newly found ministry didn’t go over very well at all. “That Barger guy…who does he think he is? He comes in here, barely off drugs and now he’s asking critical questions. Why we’re good people; been in church all our lives and now this whippersnapper is questioning our religion?” I may not have understood all doctrine back then and I surely wasn’t as tactful as I could have been but I knew that the eternity of many was in jeopardy because church membership had replaced personal relationship with Christ and good works had become the way to attain salvation instead of the finished work of the Cross.

Though I didn’t know what to call it, I knew the crux of the church didn’t line up with Scripture and before long (and too much to the relief of some there) Melanie and I found the door and never returned. Some of those reading this would never have caused a stir let alone have left the church and herein lies the problem. Though I am 100% in favor of being submitted to pastoral leadership, we must never trust anyone to be the keeper of our truth for us. Entire denominations – that once preached the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ – have slowly become social centers, spouting the fellowship of man instead of the truth that will set souls free. While many congregants sit by in silence the so-called “German Enlightenment” of Wellhausen, Graf, Bultman and Tillich has seduced many once sound bible schools and hence made its way into the bedrock of mainline pulpits worldwide. If we are going to avoid doctrinal shipwreck we must remember that it is not critical to critique doctrine and practice. In fact, we ministers must encourage parishioners to study to show themselves approved of God (I Tim 4:3)! In the Book of Acts the Bereans are praised for doing so but in today’s liberal churches and seminaries you are chastised for being radical should you question the activities and teaching, in particular the silencing of sound theology with its replacement - social insight.

In those days I collected a good number of Dr. Martin’s teaching tapes. I listened. I prayed. And I tested everything that came my way in the name of Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:21-22). I became acutely aware that once strong fountains of truth had become dried up rivers of death. The water of life that flowed from the Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and other churches hadn’t just cease to flow. In far too many pulpits the truth had been perverted into deceptive stream of poison, controlled by Satan for the express purpose of destroying souls!

Let me be quick to point out that it is thankfully not every Methodist or Presbyterian church that has abandoned historic faith and begun to practice and advocate anti-biblical activities and teaching. Praise God that there are movements afoot to fight for and restore the truth which has been abandoned by many denominations and individual churches. However, we must remain aware that liberalism – claiming to be Christianity – is the MOST destructive religious cult operating in our society today and the majority who are in its clutches have little or no idea that anything is awry!

In closing and at the cost of angering some, I must challenge the reader here concerning his or her own faith. Have you sought out the Scripture for yourself? Do you know that you are a real Believer? Are you trusting the blood of Christ to save you or have you accepted the damning doctrine of “good works” relying on your church membership, community service, water baptism or charity to win approval for you in God’s eyes and allow you entry into Heaven?

Please let me suggest that we have produced an in depth resource for you on this subject. If you or someone you know is caught in The MOST Dangerous Cult I cannot encourage you strongly enough to stop right now and order my new 60+ minute video. Complete with over 80 slides, quotes, documentation and Scripture, it is packed with information and my personal story that is intended to challenge and inspire the viewer. This video leaves no room for question about the hellish eternity in store should one follow this MOST insidious cult.

Just as it was for me many years ago, understanding and identifying The MOST Dangerous Cult may be the single MOST important thing you can do for yourself or someone else - eternally.

- Who Are They? - Which Denominations/Churches? - Liberalism’s Prophetic Rise - How it Happened - Liberalism’s Deadly Progression - Scripture’s Warning and What To Do Order this new digitally recorded and mastered Video presentation and receive the Audio soundtrack for your car, office or to give to a friend. Video and Audio Soundtrack $25

Click here to ORDER

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(c) copyright 2002, Eric Barger