Ronald Enroth
Encyclopedia
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 "cult
s" and "new religious movements".
, the son of Swedish immigrants. His family attended an independent evangelical church in West New York in New Jersey. He met his future wife Ruth-Anne Johnson at high school, and she went on to a career in nursing. They were married in 1960 and have two daughters Kara and Rebecca.
Enroth majored in sociology
and French
in his undergraduate studies and in 1960 was awarded the B.A. degree from Houghton College, Houghton
, New York
. He was encouraged by his teacher at Houghton College J. Whitney Shea (brother of the gospel singer George Beverley Shea) to study the social sciences.
He proceeded to post-graduate studies in sociology at the University of Kentucky
where he obtained both an M.A. in 1963, and in 1967 the Ph.D. in medical sociology. His doctoral dissertation examined the health care systems in rural eastern Kentucky, where small impoverished communities of snake-handling Pentecostal churches existed.
and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky
. He began his career in teaching sociology during his doctoral studies, and held the post of an instructor at Westmont College
from 1965-67. He was appointed as an assistant professor (1967–71), and then associate professor (1971–76) at Westmont. He became a full professor in 1976.
Although Enroth's doctoral work was in the field of medical sociology, he has pursued research and teaching in the sociology of religion
, new religious movements, social problems, and the sociology of deviant behavior. He holds memberships within four professional organizations: American Sociological Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, American Academy of Religion
, and the Association for the Sociology of Religion.
He was the Social Science editor for the periodical the Christian Scholar's Review (1987–1990). He has also served on the editorial advisory board of the secular anti-cult movement
periodical the Cultic Studies Journal. He also served for a number of years on the board of reference for the ministry the Spiritual Counterfeits Project
in Berkeley
, California. In 1987 he delivered the Tanner Annual Lecture at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
, Deerfield
, Illinois
.
He was an early chronicler of the countercultural movement within evangelicalism
that was known in the 1970s as the Jesus People movement or the Jesus revolution movement. His co-written book The Jesus People covered para-church organizations that held to Christian orthodox doctrines, and also examined controversial groups whose orthodoxy was open to dispute among evangelicals (such as the Children of God
.)
Another early work of his examined the emergence, sociology and theology
of gay churches within Protestantism.
In the late 1970s he wrote Youth, Brainwashing and the Extremist Cults, where he explored the dynamics of conversion and member participation through some case studies of various controversial minority religious groups such as: Hare Krishna
(ISKCON), Children of God
, Alamo Christian Foundation
, the Love Family
, the Unification Church
, the Way International, and the Divine Light Mission
. Enroth argued there were characteristics to cult commitment that were aberrant, such as the separation of youth from their families, intensive and manipulative activities of instruction and recruitment, and tests of loyalty to the group. He argued that the sociological and psychological processes of recruitment and indoctrination
involved some form of brainwashing or mind control
. The final part of his study explored the spiritual problems he discerned with cults from the standpoint of evangelical Christianity.
Although Enroth argued in support of the brainwashing theory of cult conversions, he was nonetheless very critical of the tactics of secular anti-cult individuals who engaged in deprogramming
. In the early 1980s Enroth criticized the views of the deprogrammer Ted Patrick. In an interview with Neil Duddy, Enroth rejected deprogramming as a remedy for dealing with cults. J. Gordon Melton
also reported Enroth’s views about opposing deprogramming in Christianity Today
magazine.
During the mid-1980s Enroth had a formal and frank exchange of views with J. Gordon Melton
on a range of questions and methodological approaches to studying cults. This dialogue first appeared in an abridged version in Christianity Today in March 1984, and was then expanded into a book Why Cults Succeed Where The Church Fails. One of the important outcomes of this dialogue was an agreement between Enroth and Melton that a technically precise demarcation was needed to differentiate the Christian countercult movement
from the secular anti-cult movement
.
Enroth complained that Melton, together with co-author Robert Moore, had lumped Christians in with secularists in their 1982 book The Cult Experience. Enroth also accused David Bromley, Anson Shupe
, and Lowell Streiker, of committing the same error in their writings. Enroth stated: "I recognize the distinction Gordon was mentioning between the Christian and the secular anticult movement, but he doesn’t, unfortunately, make the distinction in his published writing. We’re all painted with the same brush." (p. 30). Melton, who acknowledged the distinct differences between the two movements, promised to rectify this point in his writings. In the 1986 edition of his Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America Melton introduced religious studies scholars to the neologism Christian countercult as a means of demarcating it from the secular anti-cult movement.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s Enroth turned his attention on to the subject of marginal or fringe churches. In his studies Enroth has pinpointed church groups that operate outside mainstream denominations that promote a legalist understanding of the gospel, and operate with manipulative processes of membership. He discusses these problems in Churches That Abuse
and Recovering from Churches That Abuse
.
In his recent text A Guide to New Religious Movements, Enroth reiterates many of these points. However he also suggests that Christians follow the example set in Christian missions’ literature of understanding the customs, culture and beliefs of groups and adopting a less confrontational attitude in evangelism and apologetics
.
made special mention of Enroth as an important figure in the Christian countercult movement
. Unlike most of the apologists who concentrate on doctrinal questions, Enroth is distinguished as one of the few writers in the movement to both hold credentials in sociology and to apply sociological tools in his analyses. Melton stated that Enroth was "the single most widely read of the Evangelical Christian counter-cult writers." (Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, p. 336).
which included several stories of alleged abuse within the group.
James Richardson
, former president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion
and currently Professor of Sociology
and Judicial Studies (University of Nevada, Reno
), criticized Enroth's book and research methods in an issue of JPUSA's Cornerstone
magazine, writing in part:
JPUSA elders, who attempted to convince Enroth to remove the chapter prior to the release of the book, referred to the chapter as "poison in the well." Ruth Tucker, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
also defended JPUSA saying Enroth was "sadly misdirected and his research methods seriously flawed."
In defense of Enroth's work, Paul R. Martin
, the director of Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center
, one of the few residential treatment centers in the world for former members of cults
and "abusive groups," supported Enroth's findings, saying that his facility had seen a flood of requests for help from former members and that JPUSA "displays virtually every sign that I watch for in overly authoritarian and totalistic groups."
Ronald Enroth himself responded to the controversy (some of which had occurred prior to the release of the book) in the book itself, in part with:
As a result of the book's chapter on JPUSA, according to a later newspaper article, "scores" of members read it and decided to leave the group.
Westmont College
Westmont offers 26 majors, including: alternative major, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, education program, engineering physics, English, history, European studies, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages , music,...
, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, California
California
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 a prominent 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:...
Christian author of books concerning what he defines as "cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s" and "new religious movements".
Early life and education
Enroth was born in Weehawken, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, the son of Swedish immigrants. His family attended an independent evangelical church in West New York in New Jersey. He met his future wife Ruth-Anne Johnson at high school, and she went on to a career in nursing. They were married in 1960 and have two daughters Kara and Rebecca.
Enroth majored in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in his undergraduate studies and in 1960 was awarded the B.A. degree from Houghton College, Houghton
Houghton, New York
Houghton is a hamlet located in the Town of Caneadea in Allegany County, New York. The population was 1,748 at the 2000 census.Houghton College is a private, coeducational college next to the hamlet.-Geography:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was encouraged by his teacher at Houghton College J. Whitney Shea (brother of the gospel singer George Beverley Shea) to study the social sciences.
He proceeded to post-graduate studies in sociology at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
where he obtained both an M.A. in 1963, and in 1967 the Ph.D. in medical sociology. His doctoral dissertation examined the health care systems in rural eastern Kentucky, where small impoverished communities of snake-handling Pentecostal churches existed.
Academic career
Enroth is a graduate of Houghton CollegeHoughton College
Houghton College is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. The college is a member of both the Christian College Consortium and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities...
and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. He began his career in teaching sociology during his doctoral studies, and held the post of an instructor at Westmont College
Westmont College
Westmont offers 26 majors, including: alternative major, art, biology, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, economics and business, education program, engineering physics, English, history, European studies, kinesiology, liberal studies, mathematics, modern languages , music,...
from 1965-67. He was appointed as an assistant professor (1967–71), and then associate professor (1971–76) at Westmont. He became a full professor in 1976.
Although Enroth's doctoral work was in the field of medical sociology, he has pursued research and teaching in the sociology of religion
Sociology of religion
The sociology of religion concerns the role of religion in society: practices, historical backgrounds, developments and universal themes. There is particular emphasis on the recurring role of religion in all societies and throughout recorded history...
, new religious movements, social problems, and the sociology of deviant behavior. He holds memberships within four professional organizations: American Sociological Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
, and the Association for the Sociology of Religion.
He was the Social Science editor for the periodical the Christian Scholar's Review (1987–1990). He has also served on the editorial advisory board of the secular anti-cult movement
Anti-cult movement
The anti-cult movement is a term used by academics and others to refer to groups and individuals who oppose cults and new religious movements. Sociologists David G...
periodical the Cultic Studies Journal. He also served for a number of years on the board of reference for the ministry the Spiritual Counterfeits Project
Spiritual Counterfeits Project
The Spiritual Counterfeits Project is a Christian evangelical parachurch organisation located in Berkeley, California. Since its inception in the early 1970s it has been involved in the fields of Christian apologetics and the Christian countercult movement. Its current president is Tal Brooke...
in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California. In 1987 he delivered the Tanner Annual Lecture at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is an evangelical Christian seminary located in Deerfield, Illinois. TEDS is one of the largest seminaries in the world, enrolling more than 1,200 graduate students in professional and academic programs, including more than 150 in its PhD programs...
, Deerfield
Deerfield, Illinois
Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and is located approximately 25 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. A portion of the village is in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Writings
Enroth has written, co-written and edited a number of books and essays where he presents an evangelical interpretation of the sociology of cults and new religious movements. He has also written and edited works specifically concerned with the evangelization of adherents of cults.He was an early chronicler of the countercultural movement within evangelicalism
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:...
that was known in the 1970s as the Jesus People movement or the Jesus revolution movement. His co-written book The Jesus People covered para-church organizations that held to Christian orthodox doctrines, and also examined controversial groups whose orthodoxy was open to dispute among evangelicals (such as the Children of God
Children of God
The Family International , formed as as the Children of God and later named Family of Love and the Family, is a new religious movement, started in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, United States. It began in the late 1960s, with many of its early converts drawn from the hippie movement...
.)
Another early work of his examined the emergence, sociology and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
of gay churches within Protestantism.
In the late 1970s he wrote Youth, Brainwashing and the Extremist Cults, where he explored the dynamics of conversion and member participation through some case studies of various controversial minority religious groups such as: 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...
(ISKCON), Children of God
Children of God
The Family International , formed as as the Children of God and later named Family of Love and the Family, is a new religious movement, started in 1968 in Huntington Beach, California, United States. It began in the late 1960s, with many of its early converts drawn from the hippie movement...
, Alamo Christian Foundation
Tony Alamo
Tony Alamo is an American religious leader and convicted child sex offender. He and his late wife Susan are best known as the founders of an organization currently known as Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. The organization is based in and around Fouke and Alma, Arkansas, United States, and has...
, the Love Family
Love Family
The Love Family, or the Church of Jesus Christ at Armageddon, was a U.S. communal religious movement led by Paul Erdman, who named himself Love Israel. The Love Family began in 1968 as one small communal household on Seattle's Queen Anne Hill, and within the first ten years expanded to a network of...
, the 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...
, the Way International, and the Divine Light Mission
Divine Light Mission
The Divine Light Mission was an organization founded in 1960 by guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj for his following in northern India. During the 1970s, the DLM gained prominence in the West under the leadership of his fourth and youngest son, Guru Maharaj Ji...
. Enroth argued there were characteristics to cult commitment that were aberrant, such as the separation of youth from their families, intensive and manipulative activities of instruction and recruitment, and tests of loyalty to the group. He argued that the sociological and psychological processes of recruitment and indoctrination
Indoctrination
Indoctrination is the process of inculcating ideas, attitudes, cognitive strategies or a professional methodology . It is often distinguished from education by the fact that the indoctrinated person is expected not to question or critically examine the doctrine they have learned...
involved some form of brainwashing or mind control
Mind control
Mind 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"...
. The final part of his study explored the spiritual problems he discerned with cults from the standpoint of evangelical Christianity.
Although Enroth argued in support of the brainwashing theory of cult conversions, he was nonetheless very critical of the tactics of secular anti-cult individuals who engaged in deprogramming
Deprogramming
Deprogramming refers to actions that attempt to force a person to abandon allegiance to a religious, political, economic, or social group. Methods and practices may involve kidnapping and coercion...
. In the early 1980s Enroth criticized the views of the deprogrammer Ted Patrick. In an interview with Neil Duddy, Enroth rejected deprogramming as a remedy for dealing with cults. J. Gordon Melton
J. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
also reported Enroth’s views about opposing deprogramming in Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
magazine.
During the mid-1980s Enroth had a formal and frank exchange of views with J. Gordon Melton
J. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
on a range of questions and methodological approaches to studying cults. This dialogue first appeared in an abridged version in Christianity Today in March 1984, and was then expanded into a book Why Cults Succeed Where The Church Fails. One of the important outcomes of this dialogue was an agreement between Enroth and Melton that a technically precise demarcation was needed to differentiate 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...
from the secular anti-cult movement
Anti-cult movement
The anti-cult movement is a term used by academics and others to refer to groups and individuals who oppose cults and new religious movements. Sociologists David G...
.
Enroth complained that Melton, together with co-author Robert Moore, had lumped Christians in with secularists in their 1982 book The Cult Experience. Enroth also accused David Bromley, Anson Shupe
Anson Shupe
Anson D. Shupe is an American sociologist noted for his studies of religious groups and their countermovements, family violence and clergy misconduct.-Work:...
, and Lowell Streiker, of committing the same error in their writings. Enroth stated: "I recognize the distinction Gordon was mentioning between the Christian and the secular anticult movement, but he doesn’t, unfortunately, make the distinction in his published writing. We’re all painted with the same brush." (p. 30). Melton, who acknowledged the distinct differences between the two movements, promised to rectify this point in his writings. In the 1986 edition of his Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America Melton introduced religious studies scholars to the neologism Christian countercult as a means of demarcating it from the secular anti-cult movement.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s Enroth turned his attention on to the subject of marginal or fringe churches. In his studies Enroth has pinpointed church groups that operate outside mainstream denominations that promote a legalist understanding of the gospel, and operate with manipulative processes of membership. He discusses these problems in Churches That Abuse
Churches That Abuse
Churches That Abuse, first published in 1991, is a best-selling counterculture apologetic book written by Ronald M. Enroth. The book presents real-life stories of pseudo-Christian churches and organizations deemed spiritually abusive and the effects these groups have had on their members...
and Recovering from Churches That Abuse
Churches That Abuse
Churches That Abuse, first published in 1991, is a best-selling counterculture apologetic book written by Ronald M. Enroth. The book presents real-life stories of pseudo-Christian churches and organizations deemed spiritually abusive and the effects these groups have had on their members...
.
Cults and evangelism
Although Enroth has explored sociological questions in many of his books, he has also been an advocate of Christian evangelism toward members of so-called cults and new religious movements. In his book Evangelizing the Cults he recommends that Christians explain the gospel message to adherents. He emphasizes the role of prayer in this activity. Enroth urges Christians to adopt the style of evangelism used by St.Paul in his Areopagus speech in affirming the search while unwavering from the gospel.In his recent text A Guide to New Religious Movements, Enroth reiterates many of these points. However he also suggests that Christians follow the example set in Christian missions’ literature of understanding the customs, culture and beliefs of groups and adopting a less confrontational attitude in evangelism and apologetics
Apologetics
Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers...
.
Praise
In general, Enroth's writings have been acknowledged in Christian circles as significant contributions on the subject of cults. In 1992 J. Gordon MeltonJ. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
made special mention of Enroth as an important figure in 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...
. Unlike most of the apologists who concentrate on doctrinal questions, Enroth is distinguished as one of the few writers in the movement to both hold credentials in sociology and to apply sociological tools in his analyses. Melton stated that Enroth was "the single most widely read of the Evangelical Christian counter-cult writers." (Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America, p. 336).
JPUSA Controversy
In 1993, Enroth's book Recovering from Churches That Abuse set off a "firestorm of debate among religious scholars," centered around a chapter on the group Jesus People USAJesus People USA
Jesus People USA is a Christian intentional community in Uptown, on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1972, coming out of Jesus People Milwaukee in the Jesus Movement, and is the largest of the few remaining communes from that movement...
which included several stories of alleged abuse within the group.
James Richardson
James Richardson
James Richardson may refer to:*James Richardson , Canadian businessman, Chief Marketing Officer of Cisco Systems*James Richardson , British...
, former president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion
Association for the Sociology of Religion
The Association for the Sociology of Religion is an academic association with more than 700 members worldwide. It publishes a journal, the Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review and holds meetings at the same venues and times as the American Sociological Association.-History:The ASR was founded...
and currently Professor of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and Judicial Studies (University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
), criticized Enroth's book and research methods in an issue of JPUSA's Cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
magazine, writing in part:
"Enroth's book can be viewed as another in a long line of popular books that teach people how to become good victims by reinterpreting their past. Ironically, this thoroughly non-sociological book makes use of a sociological truth--that people are constantly reinterpreting their past to make their view of that past more functional for their present--as he delivers the message that people's problems are not really their fault. Someone else is always to blame. This line of thought is controversial from several perspectives, of course, including the theological and the therapeutic. ... Enroth reminds the reader several times that he is a sociologist, thus implying that he is doing sociology in the book, but this slim volume is not sociological. There is no attempt to sample properly, or to limit generalizations in any explicit way. There is no effort to discuss the issue of self-serving accounts that plague all such books of this 'anticult' bent, and there is a glossing over of the writer's own particular religious persuasion. Furthermore, there is virtually no recognition of the considerable scholarly research that might be used to counter the apparent thesis of Enroth, who seems to believe that religious groups that require heavy discipline and commitment should be avoided in favor of less demanding mainstream groups."
JPUSA elders, who attempted to convince Enroth to remove the chapter prior to the release of the book, referred to the chapter as "poison in the well." Ruth Tucker, a professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is an evangelical Christian seminary located in Deerfield, Illinois. TEDS is one of the largest seminaries in the world, enrolling more than 1,200 graduate students in professional and academic programs, including more than 150 in its PhD programs...
also defended JPUSA saying Enroth was "sadly misdirected and his research methods seriously flawed."
In defense of Enroth's work, Paul R. Martin
Paul R. Martin
Paul R. Martin was a psychotherapist, licensed clinical psychologist, and director of the Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center in Ohio. He also worked in private practice in Athens, Ohio...
, the director of Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center
Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center
Wellspring Retreat and Resource Center is a residential counseling center specializing in the treatment of individuals who they evaluate as having suffered in abusive religious groups, cults, domestic violence, clergy and therapist abuse, and manipulative relationships involving mind-control,...
, one of the few residential treatment centers in the world for former members of cults
Cults
Cults is a suburb on the western edge of Aberdeen, Scotland. It lies on the banks of the River Dee and marks the eastern boundary of Royal Deeside.Cults, known for its historic granite housing, sits approximately six miles from the coast of the North Sea...
and "abusive groups," supported Enroth's findings, saying that his facility had seen a flood of requests for help from former members and that JPUSA "displays virtually every sign that I watch for in overly authoritarian and totalistic groups."
Ronald Enroth himself responded to the controversy (some of which had occurred prior to the release of the book) in the book itself, in part with:
"There has been much correspondence between leaders of the Covenant Church and JPUSA and me since I began to do the research for this book. They have questioned the integrity of my reports, the reliability of my respondents, and my sociological methodology, but I have conducted more than seventy hours of in-depth interviews and telephone conversations with more than forty former members of JPUSA. They have also largely discounted the reports of abusive conditions past and present in the JPUSA community. ... Unwilling to admit serious deficiencies and insensitivity in their pastoral style, the leaders of JPUSA have instead sought to discredit the former members who have cooperated with my research efforts."
As a result of the book's chapter on JPUSA, according to a later newspaper article, "scores" of members read it and decided to leave the group.
Biographical sources
- Ronald Enroth's curriculum vitae at Westmont College http://www.westmont.edu/_academics/pages/provost/Faculty_C_V/Enroth,%20Ron%20F2005.pdf
- Leslie R. Keylock, "What It Takes To Tackle the Cults," Moody monthly (July–August 1988), pp. 64, 66-68. (Biographical story on Enroth).
Interview articles
- "Dimensions of the Cult Conspiracy: An Interview with Ronald Enroth," Christianity Today (October 23, 1981), pp. 26–27.
- "Interview: Dr. Ronald M. Enroth," by Neil T. Duddy, Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements, 6/3 (September 1982), pp. 55–66.
- Jordan Bonfante, " 'Apologist' versus 'Alarmist'," Time magazine, Vol. 149, no. 4 (January 27, 1997). (Profiles the differences in approach between Enroth and Melton) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/1997/int/970127/religion.apologist.html
Books
- The Jesus People: Old-Time Religion in the Age of Aquarius (with Edward E. Ericson and C. Breckinridge Peters) (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1972) ISBN 0-8028-1443-3 (Also released in England as The Story of the Jesus People: A Factual Survey, Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1972) ISBN 0-85364-131-5
- The Gay Church (with Gerald E. Jamison) (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1974). ISBN 0-8028-1543-X
- Youth, Brainwashing, and the Extremist Cults (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977) ISBN 0-310-24271-1
- The Lure of the Cults (Chappaqua: Christian Herald, 1979). ISBN 0-915684-51-9
- A Guide to Cults and New Religions (ed.) (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1983). ISBN 0-87784-837-8
- Why Cults Succeed Where The Church Fails (with J. Gordon Melton) (Elgin: Brethren Press, 1985). ISBN 0-87178-931-0
- The Lure of the Cults and New Religions, revised ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1987). ISBN 0-87784-994-3
- Evangelizing the Cults, (ed.) (Ann Arbor: Servant, 1990) ISBN 0-89283-671-7 (Also released in England by Word Publishing, 1991 ISBN 0-85009-231-0)
- Churches That Abuse (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992). ISBN 0-310-53290-6
- Recovering from Churches That Abuse (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994). ISBN 0-310-39870-3
- A Guide to New Religious Movements (ed.) (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005) ISBN 0-8308-2381-6
Selected essays
- "Cult/Countercult," Eternity, (November 1977), pp. 18–22 and 32-35.
- "Any Preventive for the Cults?" Christian Herald, (March 1979), pp. 13–15.
- "The Power Abusers," Eternity, (October 1979), pp. 23–27.
- "Fantasy Games: Is there An Occult Connection?" Eternity, (December 1981), pp. 34–37.
- "Legitimation Processes in Some New Religions," (with Neil T. Duddy), Update: A Quarterly Journal on New Religious Movements 7, 3 (September 1983), pp. 42–54.
- "Why Cults Succeed Where The Church Fails," (with J. Gordon Melton) Christianity Today (March 16, 1984), pp. 14–21.
- "A Self-styled Evangelist Stretches God’s Truth," Christianity Today, (September 21, 1984): 73-75.
- "Reverend Terry: All Things to All People," SCP Newsletter 11, 1 (Spring 1985), pp. 15–17.
- "Brainwashing" and "Cults," in Baker Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. David G. Benner. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1985), pp. 141–142 and 268-272.
- "How Can You Reach a Cultist?" Moody Monthly 88, 3 (November 1987), pp. 66–68.
- "Voices From the Fringe," Moody Monthly 90, 2 (October 1989), pp. 94–98, 100, 104.
- "Friend of the Court or Friend of the Cult?" Christian Research Journal 13, 4 (Spring 1991), p. 39. http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0086a.html
- "Ethical Problems in Exit Counseling," (with William M. Alnor) Christian Research Journal 14, 3 (Winter 1992), pp. 14–19.
- "In the Wake of Waco," Christian Research Journal 16, 1 (Summer 1993), pp. 46.
- "Cults, Cultism," in Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions. Ed. A. Scott Moreau. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000) pp. 249–251.
Assessment and criticism
- Review of A Guide to New Religious Movements http://www.culticstudiesreview.org/csr_bkreviews/bkrev_aguidetonewreligiousmovements.htm
- Frank MacHovec, Review of Recovering from Churches That Abuse, Cultic Studies Journal, 13/1 (1996), pp. 119–120.
- Douglas LeBlanc, "Conflict Divides Countercult Leaders," Christianity Today, (July 18, 1994), pp. 56–57. http://www.christianitytoday.com.au/ct/2001/114/25.0.html LeBlanc reports on the controversy between Enroth and JPUSA.
- JPUSA/Cornerstone magazine number 103 special issue devoted to defending JPUSA and challenging Enroth's interpretation of the community http://www.cornerstonemag.com/archives/iss103.htm
- Jon Trott, "Is Abuse About Truth or Story: Or Both?" in Bad Pastors: Clergy Misconduct in Modern America, Anson Shupe, William A. Stacey, Susan E. Darnell, eds. (New York: New York University Press, 2000), pp. 155–185. ISBN ISBN 0-8147-8147-0 (Trott from JPUSA criticizes Enroth's work). Trott's chapter is online: http://www.cornerstonemag.com/features/web01/truthorstory01.html
- Enroth's reply to the special edition magazine produced by Cornerstone/JPUSA http://cultlink.com/ar/enroth.html
- Apologetics Index profile on JPUSA (highly critical of JPUSA, provides link to Enroth's reply to Trott's essay "Is Abuse About Truth or Story", and argues JPUSA's case is dubious because of reliance on alleged cult apologists).http://www.apologeticsindex.org/j18.html