From a Home Church Leader in Indianapolis

Hi all: It seemed to me that I have a rather unique perspective to bring to bear on this discussion, so I thought I'd jump in. I have not been hurt by the group, so I have no axe to grind. While I haven't been a part of the group, I have some first-hand experience, and I know folks who have similar contact as I do.

Last summer, my son's employer gave him a book he'd received from one of Mike Peters' people who walked up to him in a restaurant and gave it to him. It was the book _The Day of Small Beginnings_. He'd liked it, so he passed it on to my son who shared it with our family. He wrote to Mike Peters group and they sent a large box full of more literature - probably the same as what's available at their website. So, we began investigating what sounded very interesting. We liked a lot of what we read and saw on "the video."

There were, however, a few yellow flags as we read on and listened. What concerned me first was their stance toward non-believing family members. It just didn't seem to me they were rightly dividing the Scriptures. So, I posted a message on a local [meetups] forum to get input from some other folks. A fellow named Tim D., who was not a member of that forum, replied to me that the group was a cult. I looked at his website and thought that perhaps he was a bit biased against them because he'd been badly hurt. One person who's been hurt shouldn't be grounds for condemning a whole group. At the same time, he asked some good questions of Mike[Peters]. So, I decided to look further.

He referenced Dan and Agusta Harting of Indiana Families Against Cults (IFAC). We've known the Hartings for years. We've been impressed with their ministry and the fruit of the Spirit they evidently bear. So, I contacted Agusta directly to get her first-hand opinion. I won't repeat all of it here, but suffice it to say she confirmed what Tim had said and added a fair amount herself. She also affirmed that the concerns expressed in[FactNet] represent her concerns. The most disturbing thing to me was that she heard Mike himself give his group a command from Jesus that is at best an issue of conscience per Romans 14. IFAC will soon post some information about Mike's group themselves.

There's more. Mike's son and some of the boys of the group were part of a high school, home school basketball team years ago. One of the fathers, a friend of mine, whose son was part of the team at that time had some conversations with Mike. The boys that were part of the team were a clique that remained aloof from the other boys and dropped off the team mid season, apparently because of bad attitudes on the team. My older kids witnessed their behavior first hand. The kids describe Mike's son as the leader of the group. They looked to him for what to do in "an odd way." That boy had - in the opinion expressed to us - too much sway in their lives. They did nothing without that boy's approval and nothing was done alone. The father who talked with Mike said he was "too popish" for his liking.

Then, my son was working as an electrician's assistant at one home and discussing with his boss some of what we were learning about Mike - he never mentioned Mike's last name. The woman of the house overheard the conversation and asked, "Are you talking about Mike Peters?" She continued that her husband, a professing Christian, had worked with some folks that are part of Mike's group. They refused to eat with him and held him at arm's length. She summed it up that, from his contact with the group, "They're a cult."

My son and my wife had some communication with Mike himself via e-mail. We queried him as to why the group seemed so secret - hard to get information on folks - as though they were hiding. Mike acted surprised as to how we would even get that idea. I've read on FactNet that Mike, even before we communicated with him, had been asked essentially that same question. Why did he act surprised in our correspondence? An honest answer would have been, "Yeah, we get that question sometimes, but ..." His response contributed to my concerns.

Here's what's really odd. I stepped into the conversation with some questions of my own - actually still very positive toward the group, though a bit concerned about some things. Even so, I was just asking honest questions in a positive tone - I had no reason to be negative. I never received an answer. He was willing to talk with my son and wife but not me. That was suspicious. It seems from my reading that his pattern is to work with wives and children to separate them from questioning husbands who might be a threat, so in my own experience, there's some evidence that this is true. Agusta said Mike wanted to meet with her alone, without Dan being present. He refused to meet with both of them together - more evidence I'd say.

Lastly, I like very much the stated style of walking together with Christ that I've read for myself in their own words. But there is also a twisting of the Scriptures on other important points - just a wee bit of a twist. The end result, in my opinion, is false doctrine. My rejection of Mike's group as a cult is not because of what any one person has said. It is because there is way too much evidence from my own experience and that of people I know and respect - and have known for many years - to conclude otherwise.

Chris O. found my message on [meetups.com] where I posted and responded. He and I have had a couple of polite interchanges. Now, apparently, Mike himself is trying to contact me for some reason - before posting here. I did tell Chris I would be posting, so perhaps Mike's interest has to do with his anticipation of this post. That's all I have for now.

I hope some find this helpful.

Rob Contact Me