What do I do when cults or other churches come knocking?

The typical rule of thumb is that people who are actively proselytizing door to door for their church (Mormon missionaries, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc), are not going to be at a place of spiritual openness during their visit.  They may portray openness to you, but they simply want to be able to dialogue and eventually try to “sell” you on their beliefs.  I encourage you not to get into a conversation with these people in order to try and turn the tables on them – they just came from training, you just came from using the Jon and watching American Idol.  You probably aren’t in a good place to get into an intellectual/spiritual discussion with them.

The best time to engage people who claim to be “Christian” but who deny the co-equality of Jesus and God the Father is when it is a friend of yours who knows you care about them and aren’t just trying to win a debate.  When these confused friends of ours aren’t on a mission and aren’t actively out trying to convert people, they may in fact be open to hearing about your faith and hearing about the difference Jesus made in your life.  In these cases don’t worry about needing to know all about their religion before you can say anything.  It’s important to know what you believe more than needing to know all about their beliefs. 

Here’s an important point when talking with someone from a “non-evangelical” Christian church – What they believe and what the Bible teaches is dramatically different.  Usually, that’s the first thing I say to Mormon missionaries.  They will try to disagree, but they know that if I really know my Bible, they won’t be able to convince me otherwise.  So, if you ever walk away from a conversation with a Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness thinking that, “hey, we pretty much believe the same thing,” then, you either are confused about what they actually believe or you don’t really know what the Bible teaches.

If you’re in a conversation with someone of a different belief system trying to convince you they believe basically the same things as you, simply ask them some of the basic theological questions listed below. 

1. Do you believe that Jesus as the Son of God is eternal - He’s always existed and will always exist?
2. Do you believe that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are co-equal with God the Father?
3. Do you believe the Spirit of God is personal (a “He” not an “it”)?
4. In your church services, is the primary source of spiritual authority the Bible?  Ask them how much the Bible is read from and taught or if other books or traditions are emphasized instead of the Bible.
5. Do you believe that God the Father is a Spirit that we cannot actually see?  Some mistakenly believe He is a physical God that can be seen and even has sexual organs and is capable of engaging in sex – crazy I know, but they believe it.
6. Can I attend a different church than yours my whole life and never participate in a single one of your church’s ceremonies and sacraments and still be able to attain eternal life with God in heaven immediately after my death, simply through a sincere faith in Jesus as my Savior? 
7. Do you believe in a literal heaven and hell?
8. Do you talk directly to God or instead do you believe there is someone else who goes to God on your behalf (church leader, or Mary, or a prophet, saint or someone else)?

You may not be able to get someone from a different belief system to agree with you on these important theological conclusions, but they can’t argue with you that their beliefs on these questions and hundreds of others are different from what we believe.  If they will be honest, they won’t claim to believe similarly to what you and I believe.  The list of our differences is gigantic, so their missionary claims to the contrary are nothing short of deception for the goal of engaging you, influencing you and converting you.  That’s why I don’t encourage you to get into a conversation with those actively proselytizing.

We are instructed in, 2 John 10 not to invite false teachers/missionaries into the home.  They are not welcome at our church and they shouldn’t be welcome in our homes.  This teaching in 2 John is actually instructing us to be inhospitable – may sound harsh, but it’s God’s Word.  In 3 John 5-7 and 1 Peter 4:9, the Christians are encouraged to take in the traveling teachers who had no money and no place of shelter as they moved from place to place teaching about the new faith in Jesus.  The New Testament had not been compiled yet and the early church depended on these teachers to help them understand their new faith.  These teachers depended on Christian hospitality.  However, false teachers were to be rebuffed and not given food and shelter.  Well meaning Christians found it difficult (harsh) to turn away someone in need, but the spiritual damage the false teachers were causing wasn’t to be encouraged and supported by hospitality and words of welcome from the Christian community. 

When trying to reach out to your friends and family who are a part of these types of Pseudo-Christian churches, remember that it is the missionaries and teachers we are to keep our distance from not the ones who are confused and misdirected.  Many of the typical members of these churches don’t know or even buy into everything that is officially taught and may be open to the truth backed up by a lifestyle that is congruent with your beliefs.  They may even be surprised when they find out that what you are learning from the Bible and what they are being taught are so drastically different.  Love and patience and prayer will be the key because God loves them more than we can realize!  Just like the unreligious, God will show them that there is something missing in their life until they receive Jesus by faith.