The experience of two young members of the group demonstrates that deprogrammers are still very much active.
Jesus Christians
The Jesus Christians. 9. The Human Trafficking Case in Argentina
A moral panic about “cults” practicing “human trafficking” also hit the Argentine branch of the group. But they won the court case.
The Jesus Christians. 8. “Kidneys for Jesus”
The group is primarily famous for its altruistic donations of kidneys to patients whom donors do not know.
The Jesus Christians. 7. The Whipping Trials
In an idiosyncratic application of the Christian theology of “vicarious atonement,” group members agreed to be whipped in three cases for the sins of others.
The Jesus Christians. 6. Accusations of “Kidnapping”
Like other religious movements, the group was accused by its opponents of luring and “brainwashing” prospective converts.
The Jesus Christians. 5. Answering the “Left Behind” Book Series
By publishing novels of their own, challenging the famous end-of-the-world franchise, the group presented its post-tribulationist millennialism.
The Jesus Christians. 4. The Nullarbor Walkers
Walking through a treeless desert for 1,600 kilometers without food, water, or money was an attempt to wake up a dormant country for God.
The Jesus Christians. 3. A Passage to India
Cleaning Chennai’s Pondy Bazaar sewer, 1993.
The Jesus Christians. 2. Criticizing “Churchianity”
A radical proposal: to follow Jesus rather than the institutional churches, the group experimented with living in poverty and limiting the use of money to a minimum.
The Jesus Christians. 1. African, Quaker, and Other Connections
New series: an in-depth analysis of a little-known and often unjustly maligned movement.