Red Flags

Members of my family and I attended Calvary Temple for many years. During that time the Holy Spirit brought to our attention many things that were troubling. They were either scriptures that were misused or misapplied or events that were disturbing. Unfortunately, we often overlooked them. In retrospect, I see the great sin in turning away from the warning of the Holy Spirit. We allowed our admiration for Star Scott to override the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Our prayer is that current members of Calvary Temple would not ignore these red flags.

I was recently reminded of Star Scott once saying: "The Bible I read says that {your sin} is cast into the sea of God's forgetfulness, amen?" (There is Yet One Man Pt 12 December 9, 2012). In reality, the scripture he was referring to do says something quite different. It actually says You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. I was struck by how forcefully he mis-quoted a scripture and pulled the congregation into agreement by saying "amen?" and waiting for the "amen!" response.

This should have been a  concern to me, but I ignored the red flag. I began to think of other red flags that I or my family had allowed to go by without challenge. Many of the following can be found in other groups when studying abusive churches and cults but the following list should especially be taken note of as they are particular to Calvary Temple.

• families or marriages breaking up when one member stops attending Calvary Temple 
• misquoting and twisting scripture to say something other than its actual meaning (as in the above example or the now infamous "high priest" being required to marry a virgin)
• encouragement to read only those books in the church bookstore  (that have been pre-approved by leadership)
• being encouraged to follow Star Scott and leadership rather than the Holy Spirit (because they hear from God more than us)
• bible studies or book clubs requiring approval by leadership
• discouragement of marriage counseling or marriage-related events (such as cruises) outside of Calvary Temple
• complete lack of financial transparency or accountability
• marriages taking place within a few short weeks without the time of getting to know each other
• directing children to find other families to live with in the event parents stop attending CT
• separation from and even isolation from natural family
• continual criticism of other churches and pastors
• maligning of character from the pulpit (especially of those who have stopped attending CT)
• the respect of persons, those in the "inner circle"
• unwritten rules - we all knew what we could say or ask and what we couldn't
• constant adulation of Star Scott ("propping him up")
• fear of losing salvation if you leave CT
• warnings of bad things happening if you leave CT
• elitism (see previous post) 
• encouraging members to recruit from other churches
• lack of accountability for the leaders
• being told we might have to move to the property
• being told we might have to bring our resources to the feet of the apostles
• the cutting off from the Assemblies of God
• insults (and false witness) directed at former members 
• father's authority in home being weakened and even removed (I remember  Star Scott telling fathers that their only job is to enforce what is being said from the pulpit)
• unscriptural marking
• our children hearing intimate details of Star Scott's sex life
• telling kids to miss college exams when young adult retreat was rescheduled to another weekend
• daily bible reading being controlled along with assigned prayer lists rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to direct reading and prayer
• being told that we should be studying only what Star Scott is teaching during our own study time
• statements such as "...we can't go into the details but...."  or "I can't remember exactly but...." and saying enough that everyone in the congregation knew exactly who was being talked about 
• statements such as "that's the kind of woman I would like to punch in the face", or they are "daughters of satan"
• extreme corporal punishment - sometimes leaving severe bruising and causing parents and teachers to be very concerned
• a wife being put into a hotel room for 91 days to "break" her
• rumors of child abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse
• rumors of the above being covered up
• being told God had placed us here and therefore could not accept a job transfer
• being told we could not date someone we met somewhere other than inside Calvary Temple
• the exodus of many long-time members (even those in leadership) 
• being told to avoid or not talk to those who have left ("we have it under control")  ("if we can't convince them to do the right thing, why do you think you can?")
• learning that our pastor had covered his sin and then misrepresented the nature of the sin when it was revealed

I have not elaborated on these Red Flags; those of us that attended or currently attend Calvary Temple are familiar with these incidents and characteristics. Calvary Temple is a dangerous place; on the surface it is biblical but underneath it is depraved and abhorrent. When your eyes are opened to the control and abuse, you find yourself sickened that you never saw it before and thankful that you see it now.