Robert Passantino
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Passantino was an American Christian author and journalist who wrote on subjects related to Christian apologetics
, philosophy
, and the Christian countercult movement
.
and received instruction in Christian teaching and practiced as a professing member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He emerged as an apologist for faith in Evangelical
Christianity during the 1970s. He and his soon-to-be wife, Gretchen, had already begun to collaborate in a ministry of Christian evangelism toward adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses
when they became acquainted with the Baptist pastor and countercult writer Walter Martin. Martin was the founder of the apologetics ministry Christian Research Institute
. In 1974 Martin relocated the Institute from New Jersey to southern California where he re-established his ministry in association with the Melodyland School of Theology. Martin officiated as the minister at the marriage ceremony of the Passantinos.
The Passantinos assisted Martin in the ministry of the Christian Research Institute for approximately five years from 1974-79. In that context Martin privately taught them the rudiments of the discipline of apologetics and of investigative reporting in countercult ministry. During the 1970s and 1980s Gretchen served as an editorial assistant in preparing revised editions of some of Martin's books such as The Rise of the Cults, The Kingdom of the Cults and The Maze of Mormonism. As a couple Bob and Gretchen began to develop their profile as speakers in evangelical churches delivering presentations about cults and general apologetics questions concerning the existence of God and the historicity of the Bible. Together they then branched out from working at Christian Research Institute and began to operate their own apologetics and countercult ministry known as Christian Apologetics: Research and Information Service (CARIS). This ministry subsequently was renamed as Answers in Action.
They founded Answers In Action with the intent to help both Christians and non-Christians apply logic and reason to religious inquiry and to assist in answering questions about apologetics, religion, philosophy, evangelism, and theology. Bob's approach to religion was to "represent their belief system as accurately as you would have them represent yours".
Some of their initial writing appeared as researched chapters in Martin's book The New Cults. Their first co-written book Answers to the Cultist at Your Door was designed as a popular apologetics handbook for Christians. The book consisted of brief chapters about the phenomenon of cults followed by specific chapters containing evangelical apologetic responses to the doctrines taught by the Jehovah's Witnesses
, Mormons
, Unification Church
, Hare Krishna
, and the Way International.
Bob contributed an essay on Jehovah's Witnesses in Ronald Enroth
's book Evangelising the Cults. This essay centered a basic Evangelical apologetic argument that challenged the stance taken by Jehovah's Witnesses on three doctrines: the Trinity, Christ, and Salvation. He also contributed a lengthy essay that explored the theory, techniques and application of religious research to the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions' symposium volume Contend for the Faith that was published in 1992.
During the 1990s the Passantinos emerged as critical evangelical voices on a number of questions connected to Protestant understandings about the subject of Satanism
and the Occult
. In both published essays and books they called into question what they regarded as misconceptions commonly held by Christians about the beliefs and practices of Satanist groups. This included their alarm at how Satanists were often accused in Christian literature or in popular media as being perpetrators of organized crime. They were highly skeptical about claims concerning Satanic Ritual Abuse
and they argued that the basis of these claims could be explained as a combination of folklore and moral panic
.
Robert Passantino's unflagging commitment to a libertarian concept of free-agency led to critical evaluations of theological, philosophical, and socio-psychological forms of determinism. Against a wide current of Christian and non-Christian opinion, the Passantinos published a controversial article in Cornerstone magazine in 1994, titled Overcoming The Bondage Of Victimization: A Critical Evaluation of Cult Mind Control Theorieshttp://www.answers.org/cultsandreligions/mind_control.html, in which they criticized the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of "mind control" and "exit counseling" models. The article was reprinted in a later edition of Martin's The Kingdom of the Cults, but has since been removed due to allegations that it didn't represent Martins own views.http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c174ab.html
The Passantinos were highly influential on other apologists and this is evidenced by the acknowledgements made by other apologists who refer to them concerning their input and research.
Robert died on November 17, 2003, age 52, due to heart failure. He is survived by his three children with Gretchen. He is buried at Westminster Memorial in Westminster, CA.
In October 2007, Norman Geisler
and Chad Meister published a collection of essays written in honor of Robert titled Reasons for Faith: Making a Case for the Christian Faith.
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, and the Christian countercult movement
Christian countercult movement
The Christian countercult movement is a social movement of Christian ministries and individual Christian countercult activists who oppose religious sects thought to either partially abide or do not at all abide by the teachings that are written within the Bible. These religious sects are also known...
.
Career
Passantino lived and worked for most of his adult life in Costa Mesa, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and received instruction in Christian teaching and practiced as a professing member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. He emerged as an apologist for faith in Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christianity during the 1970s. He and his soon-to-be wife, Gretchen, had already begun to collaborate in a ministry of Christian evangelism toward adherents of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
when they became acquainted with the Baptist pastor and countercult writer Walter Martin. Martin was the founder of the apologetics ministry Christian Research Institute
Christian Research Institute
The Christian Research Institute is an Evangelical Christian apologetics ministry. It was established in October 1960 in the state of New Jersey by Walter Martin . In 1974 Martin relocated the ministry to San Juan Capistrano, California. The ministry's office was relocated in the 1990s near Rancho...
. In 1974 Martin relocated the Institute from New Jersey to southern California where he re-established his ministry in association with the Melodyland School of Theology. Martin officiated as the minister at the marriage ceremony of the Passantinos.
The Passantinos assisted Martin in the ministry of the Christian Research Institute for approximately five years from 1974-79. In that context Martin privately taught them the rudiments of the discipline of apologetics and of investigative reporting in countercult ministry. During the 1970s and 1980s Gretchen served as an editorial assistant in preparing revised editions of some of Martin's books such as The Rise of the Cults, The Kingdom of the Cults and The Maze of Mormonism. As a couple Bob and Gretchen began to develop their profile as speakers in evangelical churches delivering presentations about cults and general apologetics questions concerning the existence of God and the historicity of the Bible. Together they then branched out from working at Christian Research Institute and began to operate their own apologetics and countercult ministry known as Christian Apologetics: Research and Information Service (CARIS). This ministry subsequently was renamed as Answers in Action.
They founded Answers In Action with the intent to help both Christians and non-Christians apply logic and reason to religious inquiry and to assist in answering questions about apologetics, religion, philosophy, evangelism, and theology. Bob's approach to religion was to "represent their belief system as accurately as you would have them represent yours".
Some of their initial writing appeared as researched chapters in Martin's book The New Cults. Their first co-written book Answers to the Cultist at Your Door was designed as a popular apologetics handbook for Christians. The book consisted of brief chapters about the phenomenon of cults followed by specific chapters containing evangelical apologetic responses to the doctrines taught by the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
, Unification Church
Unification Church
The Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea, as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity . In 1994, Moon gave the church...
, Hare Krishna
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
, and the Way International.
Bob contributed an essay on Jehovah's Witnesses in Ronald Enroth
Ronald Enroth
Ronald M. Enroth is Professor of Sociology at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California, and a prominent evangelical Christian author of books concerning what he defines as "cults" and "new religious movements"....
's book Evangelising the Cults. This essay centered a basic Evangelical apologetic argument that challenged the stance taken by Jehovah's Witnesses on three doctrines: the Trinity, Christ, and Salvation. He also contributed a lengthy essay that explored the theory, techniques and application of religious research to the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions' symposium volume Contend for the Faith that was published in 1992.
During the 1990s the Passantinos emerged as critical evangelical voices on a number of questions connected to Protestant understandings about the subject of Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
and the Occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
. In both published essays and books they called into question what they regarded as misconceptions commonly held by Christians about the beliefs and practices of Satanist groups. This included their alarm at how Satanists were often accused in Christian literature or in popular media as being perpetrators of organized crime. They were highly skeptical about claims concerning Satanic Ritual Abuse
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
and they argued that the basis of these claims could be explained as a combination of folklore and moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
.
Robert Passantino's unflagging commitment to a libertarian concept of free-agency led to critical evaluations of theological, philosophical, and socio-psychological forms of determinism. Against a wide current of Christian and non-Christian opinion, the Passantinos published a controversial article in Cornerstone magazine in 1994, titled Overcoming The Bondage Of Victimization: A Critical Evaluation of Cult Mind Control Theorieshttp://www.answers.org/cultsandreligions/mind_control.html, in which they criticized the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of "mind control" and "exit counseling" models. The article was reprinted in a later edition of Martin's The Kingdom of the Cults, but has since been removed due to allegations that it didn't represent Martins own views.http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c174ab.html
The Passantinos were highly influential on other apologists and this is evidenced by the acknowledgements made by other apologists who refer to them concerning their input and research.
Robert died on November 17, 2003, age 52, due to heart failure. He is survived by his three children with Gretchen. He is buried at Westminster Memorial in Westminster, CA.
In October 2007, Norman Geisler
Norman Geisler
Norman L. Geisler is a Christian apologist and the co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where he formerly taught. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University...
and Chad Meister published a collection of essays written in honor of Robert titled Reasons for Faith: Making a Case for the Christian Faith.
Obituaries
- "Robert Passantino, 52: Author, Co-Founder of Evangelical Center" Los Angeles Times, 21 November 2003. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov/21/local/me-passings21.5
- "Robert Passantino 1951-2003", Christianity Today, February 2004, p. 17.
Books
- Robert Passantino, Gretchen Passantino, & Robert Schafer, Answers to the Cultist at Your Door, Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 1981. ISBN 0-89081-275-6
- Bob Passantino & Gretchen Passantino, Witch Hunt, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1990. ISBN 0-8407-3129-9
- ___________________________________, When the Devil Dares Your Kids: Protecting Your Children from Satanism, Witchcraft, and the Occult Ann Arbor: Servant Publications/Guildford, Surrey: Eagle, 1991. ISBN 0 86347 065 3
- ___________________________________,SatanismSatanismSatanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995. ISBN 0-310-70451-0
Articles
- "The Kingdom Strikes Back", Christianity Today, 11 November, 1991, pp. 62 & 64.
- "Satanic Ritual Abuse in Popular Christian Literature: Why Christians Fall For a Lie Searching for the Truth," Journal of Psychology and Theology, Volume 20, number 3, Fall 1992, pp. 299–305.
- "Christians Criticizing Christians: Can It Be Biblical?" Christian Research Journal, Volume 15, Fall 1992, p. 39.
- "Psychology and the Church" (Part 1) Christian Research Journal, Volume 17 Winter 1995, pp. 20–23 & 35-38.
- "Psychology and the Church" (Part 2) Christian Research Journal, Volume 17 Spring 1995, pp. 24–31.
- "Psychology and the Church" (Part 3) Christian Research Journal, Volume 18 Summer 1995, pp. 16–27.
- "Psychology and the Church" (Part 4) Christian Research Journal, Volume 18 Fall 1995, pp. 18–23 & 42-43.
- "Witness Lee 1905-1997" Christian Research Journal, Volume 20 July-September 1998, pp. 6–7 & 47-48.
- "Imagine There's No Heaven: Contemporary Atheism Speaks Out in Humanist Manifesto 2000" (Part 1) Christian Research Journal, Volume 22, number 3 2000, pp. 12–21.
- "Religion, Truth and Value Without God: Contemporary Atheism Speaks Out in Humanist Manifesto 2000" (Part 2) Christian Research Journal, Volume 22, number 4 2000 pp 26–29 & 45-49.
- "Overcoming the Bondage of Victimization: A Critical Evaluation of Cult Mind Control Theories" Cornerstone Magazine, 1994. Available at www.answers.org
See also
- Christian apologeticsChristian apologeticsChristian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
- Spiritual WarfareSpiritual warfareSpiritual warfare is a range of activity by various Christian groups whereby Satanic demons are combatted, using a variety of methods depending on the group, but typically through prayer.-Range of practice, history, and methodology:...
- Mind ControlMind controlMind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
- Cult ApologistCult apologistThe term cult apologist is used by opponents of cults and new religious movements to describe social scientists, religious scholars, and other persons who write about cults and new religious movements whose writings they consider as uncritical or not sufficiently critical. Scholars have referred to...
- Christian countercult movementChristian countercult movementThe Christian countercult movement is a social movement of Christian ministries and individual Christian countercult activists who oppose religious sects thought to either partially abide or do not at all abide by the teachings that are written within the Bible. These religious sects are also known...
- Christian Research InstituteChristian Research InstituteThe Christian Research Institute is an Evangelical Christian apologetics ministry. It was established in October 1960 in the state of New Jersey by Walter Martin . In 1974 Martin relocated the ministry to San Juan Capistrano, California. The ministry's office was relocated in the 1990s near Rancho...
- Walter Martin