Re: Struthers Memorial Independent Pentecostal Church
Date: March 16, 2022 09:43AM
Hello everyone. Another Thankyou to escapedtofrance, for the link to the beliefnet article which I also found to be very apt when thinking of Struthers. The “5 signs of a Cult masked as a Church” all apply to SMC, as Chesterk55 has outlined above. These signs are definitely the attributes of a cult or a cult-like church. I know that the Struthers teaching is gospel and orthodox, as you say AlDuff, but the leadership do also add on to the Bible with their own approved prophecies and visions, and we are instructed by God not to add to the Scriptures. Many people in Struthers lean on these prophecies and visions and on whatever the leaders say, more than they rely on reading the Word of God. In my view, this is dangerous and strays into the behaviour seen in many obvious cults. But there are definitely some Christian-based cults in existence and perhaps SMC could be in that category.
Welcome to regtree1234 and shar80x. It’s good to hear about what’s going on in the Neath branch in Wales because we don’t often get people posting about it here. I am glad that you’ve both got out of Struthers and that you’ve found this Forum helpful. It sounds as though the Neath leader is not a very caring or good pastor. I believe that when the branch started up, Mr Hugh Black said to the group to talk amongst themselves and appoint someone to be the leader/minister. So this is how he was appointed. The group is of course under the oversight of Diana Rutherford and they all come up to Camps and Conferences, so they’re just following the same Struthers teaching and ethos as is present in SMC in Scotland, including belief that Struthers is better than and superior to every other denomination. Not caring about older people is very remiss, but Struthers always had a huge focus on youth. Favouritism has always been evident in SMC, with some people chosen for special attention and many others basically ignored for no reason or even shunned. Chesterk55 has described the results or lack which are evident in the lives of people who have been stuck in Struthers for many years. I hope that more members will see the light and realise what kind of church they are in and will get out.