Is this the same group? [
www.somaaustin.org]
They are using my favorite coffeehouse as a meeting place. I went to one of their meetings and it was typical Bible-cult/machismo stuff. Lots of scripture preaching that no one could argue with, no big deal there, but a casual atmosphere and no cult there, just boring and to me a little too self-consciously fake-blue-collar (but you see a lot of that in Austin). I went to the service just trying to figure out why this coffeehouse is allowing them to use the theatre but it can be rented by anyone, I guess.
The cult part was that they presented themselves as building a church here in austin so you can get in on the ground floor of a "church planting" but they immediately showed this video of a mission project in Africa to sink a well.
You know, if you are just starting a new church and the leader in his jeans and shirt is looking like a local guy with a regular job, you don't go off to Africa on mission. Only mature churches do that. And the mission presentation itself looked very fake. I thought they looked like they were planning to feed off the local college population who might see joining that mission as a peace-corps style summer adventure only to find themselves in a far-away intensive mind-control setting. Also it was a sure guilt-money-sucking program: water for the poorest of the poor, etc..
But anyway this all just started up last year. I have not gone back but I have seen the sign up for their continued meetings at that coffeehouse.
There may be something happening in Texas with this cult? Austin is the capital, so any church that intends to have a state impact will want its foot in Austin. Austin also is a big college town.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/09/2010 08:04AM by dsm.