Abstract
The vague use of the term ‘cult’ in popular media to describe religious groups has in the past unjustly exposed various committed Christian communities to libel and dehumanisation. However, celebrity-based cults masquerading as Christians are damaging the trust in Christ. The objective of this research study was to provide a viable two-tier Protestant evaluative framework (2TPEF) in order to identify cultic characteristics in a religious group. The proposed framework was applied to South Africa’s KwaSizabantu Mission as a case study. A theoretical framework was synthesised from a variety of sources. For the case study, information was collected from multiple sources, including interviews, documents, sermons, newsletters, observations and research reports. Applying the 2TPEF in the case study demonstrates how it operates as a workable tool. In this case, it explains why the KwaSizabantu Mission cannot be viewed as a cult. In addition, the 2TPEF may serve for comparative purposes or be used by religious groups themselves to demonstrate their position relative to Protestant Christianity.Contribution: This study not only focuses on Reformed Theology exclusively but provides insights in critically applying the 2TPEF within Protestant religious circles using a current case study within an African context.
Highlights
Celebrity-based religious groups have been proliferating and upending the foundations of Christian orthodoxy
It can enable Protestant communities to monitor the periphery of their religious circle against cultic activities, whilst enabling groups facing criticism to provide suitable evidence of the legitimacy of their religious stance
When accusations are made against any religious group, there can be two unfortunate results: legitimate concerns can http://www.indieskriflig.org.za be dismissed, or false allegations may be believed or amplified in such a way as to harm the work of a valuable organisation
Summary
Celebrity-based religious groups have been proliferating and upending the foundations of Christian orthodoxy. Some have even engaged in bizarre practices such as eating grass, rats and snakes (Resane 2017:3). Such incomprehensible behaviours often gain sensational media headlines (Arweck 2005:1). The views and judgements expressed within this secular newspaper were soon echoed by the German evangelical news agency Idea (14 October 2019) and the Dutch Reformatorisch Dagblad (15 October 2019). The former member continued publishing allegations, ranging from money laundering to bizarre activities involving Zulu nobility connected to KwaSizabantu (Botha 2019)
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