NZ Cults & Religious Groups List: E

Hot picks: Evolution vs Creation, EST, Exclusive Brethren

E

Eckankar. New Age cult founded by John Paul Twitchell in 1965. Freedom of Mind lists Eckankar as being a spin off from Radha Soami Satsang Beas (see Science of the Soul Study Centre). See The Unauthorised Eckankar(TM) Page or Eckankar - a Spritual Hoax for more information.

Eddy, Mary Baker. Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science cult. Born 1821, died 1910. In 1875 she published Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures which has become the textbook of Christian Science.

Edge, (The). 1. The former name of the Central Auckland Church of Christ Auckland University group.

Edge, (The). 2. A secular nationwide Top 40 music radio station, perhaps best known for their blind arranged marriage stunts and (in Sep 2004) their really badly misconceived UglyKids ad campaign. 3. A secular weekly show on the BBC World Service (radio station on 1476kHz AM) on Thursday mornings (NZ time), possibly repeated on Friday afternoons. 4. Acronym for Emergency Department Gossip Exchange, a newsletter of Auckland Hospital. 5. Performing Arts and Conventions Auckland. (All FYI listings.)

Edge City Church. A Christian church that meets in St Stephens Presbyterian Church, Ponsonby, Auckland. Apparently has links to Christian Community Church.

Elohim Training Institute. Front group of and training organisation for World Mission Society Church of God, a cult group from Korea.

Emerging Church. Also called Emergent Church. A church movement (and possible cult) that places an emphasis on living like Jesus did, and ignores or even denies essentials of Christian faith like the need for us to be saved, Jesus being the only way to God the Father and the virgin birth. Rob Bell is one of its main proponents. The Emerging Church has published its own version of the Bible called The Voice. Dr Norman Geisler has a short summary of the main problems with the Emerging Church.

Emotions Anonymous. Similar to Alcoholics Anonymous but for people who have serious emotional problems they can't control (eg, anger).

EST. Acronym for Erhard Seminars Training (for some reason normally written in lowercase - est). Founded by Werner Erhard, est basically went under but was relaunched in 1985 as the Forum (aka Landmark Forum), which is now called Landmark Education Corporation, which runs the Landmark Forum course.

Evangelical Friends. Christian sect. One of the three main branches of Quakers (formally known as the Religious Society of Friends), along with Conservative Friends and Liberal Friends. The Evangelical Quaker denomination Friends United Meeting claims most of the Quakers worldwide but in New Zealand the Evangelical and Conservative branches are a distinct minority of Quakers behind Liberal Friends. From an Evangelical Friends' web site: Evangelical Friends International is affiliated with the [American] National Association of Evangelicals but is not a part of the [American] National Council of Churches nor the World Council of Churches. They thus probably qualify as a sect, as they are separated somewhat from the wider Christian church.

Every Nation (Christian) Church. A Christian denomination with branches in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, formerly known as Morning Star Church. It is linked to the New Apostolic Reformation, although part of the reason for its name change was apparently to distance itself from Rick Joyner's similarly named MorningStar Ministries. (Rick Joyner is a prominant leader of the New Apostolic Reformation.) It runs a campus ministry called Victory Campus Ministries at Auckland University for evangelism (good idea) and apparently also for the purpose of getting more people specifically into Every Nation Church (not-so-good idea - for the hint of exclusivity, not because there's necessarily anything wrong with Every Nation).

Evolution vs Creation. For information about this topic see the site Creation on the Web.

Exclusive Brethren. Cult. Severe relationship and information control. Strict authoritarian standards, ruthless shunning of former members. Many families have been broken up due to this group. Example, read this address to the New Zealand parliament by Nick Smith, MP. More articles are available on the same site. Since members often work in Exclusive Brethren companies, people leaving the group are likely to lose their family, friends, and job all at once. The BBC provides a good Exclusive Brethren overview (a group which it classes as a sect). Exclusive Brethren are quite different from Open Brethren.

Note from the Editor: The New Zealand Cult List does not in any way agree with the relationship control practiced by the Exclusive Brethrens as as organisation, but we point out that they have as much right as any other New Zealanders to have their say regarding political issues, even if they choose not to vote.

Exclusivism. A mind control mechanism. See the exclusivism entry in the Cult FAQ.

Extreme Phophetic. New Zealand branch of a Unites States organisation founded by Patricia King, led in this country by Rob and Lyn Packer.