FAQs:
About Reachout
1. Who is Reachout Trust?
2. What is your Statement of Faith
3. Where is Reachout Trust?
4. How is Reachout Trust Funded?
5. What is a Cult?
6. How Many Cults Are There?
7. Why do You Have to Tear Down Other Faiths?
8. What is the History of This Type of Ministry?
9. How Does Reachout Trust fit into the Wider Church Scene?
Reachout Trust is an international evangelical Christian ministry dedicated to equipping the Christian Church, upholding evangelical biblical truth, and building bridges to people in the cults, the occult and new age. We aim to:
1. Examine in the light of the evangelical Christian gospel the beliefs and spirituality of people within the cults, occult and new age and all not upholding biblical truth.
2. Train and equip Christians to explain and share the evangelical Christian gospel in a relevant way.
3. Provide a complete service of advice and help to all enquirers.
4. Teach and share the evangelical Christian gospel.
5. Work with other organisations dedicated to these same aims.
We achieve these aims through several means:
1. Training Christians to be effective witnesses and advisors to people involved.
2. Providing relevant teaching and resource material for use in training and witnessing.
3. Providing advisors for people wishing to leave the group they are involved with.
4.Providing a generalinformation service on the cults, occult, new age and all groups holding to non-biblical teaching.
Ours is a ministry of discernment and apologetics and our primary role is 'truth-telling'. We achieve this by producing and providing information and materials, including our quarterly newsletter, books, tracts, as well as video and audio tapes. We also speak regularly at churches, Bible colleges, seminars and conferences, as well as broadcasting periodically on Television and Radio. And, of course, we have a strong presence on the World Wide Web. However, we have developed beyond simply publishing and distributing information. One area in which we have been particularly successful and effective is in recruiting people, many from cult backgrounds themselves, to represent Reachout 'on the ground', to be Reachout in their location. These people who represent Reachout in their locality are a help to the local church and a first point of contact for those seeking the help Reachout provides. Through their different talents and experiences Assosciates are able to provide training for the local church, specialised insights into the world of the cults, and sympathetic support for those seeking freedom and truth. Where possible our Associates are encouraged to work closely together in their regions under a regional leader who co-ordinates their efforts and is responsible for training etc. Praying together, sharing problems and ideas, and encouraging one another builds strength, encourages commitment and makes Reachout a real local resource. Reachout continues to evolve and we face new challenges almost daily. Managing and training a growing number of people, and maintaining and enhancing the reputation of Reachout in an increasingly demanding ministry, means finding new, more efficient ways forward. In these challenging times we seek to define more clearly what we do and how we do it. To help in this work a 'ministry team' is being developed to look at all aspects of the ministry, from literature to training to how we should respond to developments in the constantly changing world of the cults. Read the Reachout Story. Back to top
1. Examine in the light of the evangelical Christian gospel the beliefs and spirituality of people within the cults, occult and new age and all not upholding biblical truth.
2. Train and equip Christians to explain and share the evangelical Christian gospel in a relevant way.
3. Provide a complete service of advice and help to all enquirers.
4. Teach and share the evangelical Christian gospel.
5. Work with other organisations dedicated to these same aims.
We achieve these aims through several means:
1. Training Christians to be effective witnesses and advisors to people involved.
2. Providing relevant teaching and resource material for use in training and witnessing.
3. Providing advisors for people wishing to leave the group they are involved with.
4.Providing a generalinformation service on the cults, occult, new age and all groups holding to non-biblical teaching.
Ours is a ministry of discernment and apologetics and our primary role is 'truth-telling'. We achieve this by producing and providing information and materials, including our quarterly newsletter, books, tracts, as well as video and audio tapes. We also speak regularly at churches, Bible colleges, seminars and conferences, as well as broadcasting periodically on Television and Radio. And, of course, we have a strong presence on the World Wide Web. However, we have developed beyond simply publishing and distributing information. One area in which we have been particularly successful and effective is in recruiting people, many from cult backgrounds themselves, to represent Reachout 'on the ground', to be Reachout in their location. These people who represent Reachout in their locality are a help to the local church and a first point of contact for those seeking the help Reachout provides. Through their different talents and experiences Assosciates are able to provide training for the local church, specialised insights into the world of the cults, and sympathetic support for those seeking freedom and truth. Where possible our Associates are encouraged to work closely together in their regions under a regional leader who co-ordinates their efforts and is responsible for training etc. Praying together, sharing problems and ideas, and encouraging one another builds strength, encourages commitment and makes Reachout a real local resource. Reachout continues to evolve and we face new challenges almost daily. Managing and training a growing number of people, and maintaining and enhancing the reputation of Reachout in an increasingly demanding ministry, means finding new, more efficient ways forward. In these challenging times we seek to define more clearly what we do and how we do it. To help in this work a 'ministry team' is being developed to look at all aspects of the ministry, from literature to training to how we should respond to developments in the constantly changing world of the cults. Read the Reachout Story. Back to top
The unity, equality and individual personality of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in the Godhead.
God is the Father of all those who fully believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only bettegon, not created,
Son of God. Redeemer for all mankind, and the one Mediator between God
and man. He is also coming again to earth.
The vital need for the Holy Spirit to dwell in every
believer and lead him or her into the reality of Christ's completed
work.
The sinful state all men and the necessity for everyone
to experience New Birth.
The whole Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God
and it has absolute authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
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Reachout Trust Head Office is
in Richmond, Surrey, England. The address is:
Reachout Trust
24 Ormond Road
Richmond
Surrey
England
TW10 6TH
Map
Phone: 0845 241 2158
Fax: 0845 241 2158
E-Mail: rt@reachouttrust.org or click here to email
Don't forget to bookmark this site before you leave. Back to top
Reachout Trust
24 Ormond Road
Richmond
Surrey
England
TW10 6TH
Map
Phone: 0845 241 2158
Fax: 0845 241 2158
E-Mail: rt@reachouttrust.org or click here to email
Don't forget to bookmark this site before you leave. Back to top
The funds for Reachout Trust come from two main sources. First the profit
from the sale of resources. Second the oftensacrificiall giving of many
Christians and churches around Britain. If you might be interested in
the various giving schemes of Reachout Trust please press giving
now.
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Cult is a loaded word and is sometimes
used by people to describe something they simply don't like. In his
book A History of Heresy (another loaded word) David Christie-Murray
wrote:
Heresy, a cynic might say, is the opinion held by a minority
of men which the majority declares unacceptable and is strong enough
to punish.
One dictionary definition of cult is "great or
excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, or thing".
While to some cult is a derogatory term, given this definition, it needn't
be seen as such. Some adherents to the Catholic faith are not uncomfortable
about referring to the cult of Mary. Indeed devotion to the Lord Jesus
Christ may, in this manner, be seen as cult like. What are we to think,
however, when this devotion is directed to another human being, or to
someone other than the true and living God? Protestants would put devotion
to Mary into this category and thus define cult again in a derogatory
fashion. What of the Mormon devotion to Joseph Smith? Or the devotion
of Moonies to Sun Myung Moon? What about the devotion of the followers
of Rajneesh? Then, of course, there are those who give their devotion
to organisations, such as the devotion of Jehovah's Witnesses to the
Watchtower Society. Can such devotion, and even worship, be compatible
with devotion to the God of the Bible? These questions bring us to the
definition of cult most relevant to the work of Reachout Trust.
"A religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious"
Another word we often use to clarify what we mean
when we use the word "cult" is "counterfeit". This squares very well
with the dictionary definition of "unorthodox or spurious". A counterfeit
can be said to be something that is made to look like genuine currency,
with the full market value of genuine currency, but that is baseless
in that it does not have the "spending power" it appears to have. In
examining in the light of the evangelical Christian gospel the beliefs
and spirituality of people within the cults, occult and new age and
all not upholding biblical truth, we are working to sort out the genuine
from the counterfeit. In training and equipping Christians to explain
and share the evangelical Christian gospel in a relevant way, we are
helping spread the evangelical Christian message amongst those people
who are victims of the counterfeiters so that they can enjoy the genuine
wealth of God's kingdom.
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Worldwide there are probably something
around 3,000 cults with 300 or more active in Britain.
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There are some misconceptions about the work we do. Reachout Trust might be commonly known as an "anti-cult
group" but this is something of a misnomer. The term is very negative
and makes us sound as though we are thoroughly against something or
another but not for anything in particular. It is a common mistake that
suggests that cults are our whole motivation and reason for being. It
is telling that to people in the cults others are viewed according to
their attitude to the particular cult or group whereas to a Christian
people are viewed according to their attitude to Jesus. There is in
fact no such thing as an anti-Mormon or an anti-JW, and certainly not
in Reachout. The way these terms are used by our critics is quite derogatory
and negative and does not reflect the very positive nature of the work
in which we are engaged.
We are described first and foremost as An International
Christian Ministry. We are evangelical Christians then and not anti-cultists
and, like all Christians we have a very positive message. The description
goes on that upholds biblical truth. This is very important because
our role is to stand in defence of our faith rather than simply in contention
with the faith of others. The case of Mormonism
illustrates this point very well. The primary and most important claim
that Joseph Smith
ever made in this respect is that "all churches are corrupt and an abomination"
in the sight of God. Systematically the LDS Church has attacked Christianity
from that time.
LDS Apostle Orson Pratt declared:
…all other churches are entirely destitute of all authority
from God…Both the Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the
'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the
Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and
wickednesses. (The Seer, pg.255)
Today that same message is brought to the doors of
millions of people by more than sixty thousand LDS missionaries, who
clearly teach that Joseph restored the gospel which was lost after the
apostles were killed. Since which time, it is claimed, "the Christians"
have twisted, corrupted, added to and taken from the word of God. It
is a message in which the Book of Mormon is presented as the book of
the restoration,
the most correct book of any book on earth - Joseph Smith,
History of the Church.
But a message in which the Bible is presented as
the book of the apostasy, into which many errors have crept and whose
dependability is confined to those parts that agree with the "restored
gospel" of Mormonism.
In the face of this blatant attack on "the faith
that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3) we stand as
watchmen on the towers, sounding a clear warning (Ezekiel 33: 7-9),
"upholding biblical truth", and snatching from error those confused
by deception (Jude: 22-23). This is a positive activity and one for
which we do not apologise.
Finally we describe our work as one of building
bridges to those in the cults. We appreciate that people are more
apt to build walls and so we teach and practice bridge building. Of
course anything approaching the challenging of other faiths in the course
of our work leaves us open to the accusation of being destructive rather
than constructive. A word that is bandied about a great deal in this
respect is "polemical". So-called anti-cult writings are labelled polemical
with the clear intention of representing them as altogether negative,
ill meant, and mischievous. The noun polemic is defined in the Merriam-Webster
Dictionary, and in Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary, as the
art or practice of disputation. The New Fowler's Modern English
Usage defines a controversial discussion, argument, or controversy,
esp. over a doctrine, policy, etc.
Following the injunction of scripture the Apostle
Paul reasoned in the synagogues, earnestly attempting to convince people
of the truthfulness of his message, "contending for the faith". Those
who heard did not always receive him well either, accusing him of being
a troublemaker (Acts 17:1-10). It has ever been so because bridge building
is not conceding the other person's viewpoint, and contending for the
faith involves contention. That's why it is called contending for the
faith.
Reachout Trust was founded, and is run by, evangelical
Christians whose devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel has
led them to this work. We take seriously the injunction of Scripture
to Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you (Matt.28:19). In Christian
love we reach out to those whose walk of faith, we believe, is leading
them away from the true and living God who, through Christians everywhere,
is calling them to follow Him as their Creator and Saviour.
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From the beginning the church
has had to combat error. Paul combated the cult of Gnosticism in his
day (Colossians 2: 8,18,19) as did the apostle John (1 John). Church
leaders frequently fought against the doctrines of salvation by works
and by faith in religious systems and secret initiation. In the first
few centuries of church history the work of firming up and of clearly
defining the faith once delivered happened largely in response to the
threat of error both from outside and inside the church. Classic examples
include:
EBIONISM - A second century form of Unitarianism, that denied the deity of Christ, taught law keeping, and often practised circumcision. This was a Judaistic heresy that sought to go back to the law and preserve monotheism by denying the trinity. Men and women are naturally drawn to a religious system that promises salvation by good works. A mixture of grace and works is a primary characteristic of the cults.
MONTANISM - A charismatic heresy that, like the Mormons, taught continuing revelation which carried equal weight with scripture, practised a form of blood atonement which assigned sin-atoning power to martyrdom, and encouraged a spiritual elitism, claiming to be a new breed of super-Christians (the only true church).
ARIANISM - a Fourth century heresy that, like Jehovah's Witnesses, taught that Jesus was a created being, different in essence from the Father, and therefore not God. We are living in a post-christian era in which the seeker is faced with a smorgasbord of new ideas and spiritual concepts. It is also an era in which people are not so confident in the answers offered by science. People are spiritually thirsty and willing to consider any remedy that is different from the same old formula. Our society is much like the one into which the early church was born. It is international, pluralistic, where all sorts of alternative spiritual realities are made available to the seeker. With the advent of the New Age movement and the rise of home-made religion, spiritual deception is no longer something that happens to someone else somewhere else. Our neighbours, our friends and work colleagues are looking to luck, fortune tellers, Mystic Meg, crystals, tarots, totems, the god within, the new age to come. Many are, like most Christians, regretting the growth of liberalism and the onslaught of uncertainty, the overwhelming cynicism and growing despair that this world offers. They are looking for certainty and assurance, hope and comfort and they are finding them in the dogmatism of a conservative Mormonism, or in the doom laden message of Jehovah's Witnesses that confirms their fears and offers escape. It is the role of the Christian church to be a light bearer in the darkness and confusion. It is the calling of the Christian to "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." Church history is replete with stories of those who contended for the faith. Our spiritual forebears fought hard for eternal truths cherished by today's believers. Tomorrows believers will inherit what we contend for today. Back to top
EBIONISM - A second century form of Unitarianism, that denied the deity of Christ, taught law keeping, and often practised circumcision. This was a Judaistic heresy that sought to go back to the law and preserve monotheism by denying the trinity. Men and women are naturally drawn to a religious system that promises salvation by good works. A mixture of grace and works is a primary characteristic of the cults.
MONTANISM - A charismatic heresy that, like the Mormons, taught continuing revelation which carried equal weight with scripture, practised a form of blood atonement which assigned sin-atoning power to martyrdom, and encouraged a spiritual elitism, claiming to be a new breed of super-Christians (the only true church).
ARIANISM - a Fourth century heresy that, like Jehovah's Witnesses, taught that Jesus was a created being, different in essence from the Father, and therefore not God. We are living in a post-christian era in which the seeker is faced with a smorgasbord of new ideas and spiritual concepts. It is also an era in which people are not so confident in the answers offered by science. People are spiritually thirsty and willing to consider any remedy that is different from the same old formula. Our society is much like the one into which the early church was born. It is international, pluralistic, where all sorts of alternative spiritual realities are made available to the seeker. With the advent of the New Age movement and the rise of home-made religion, spiritual deception is no longer something that happens to someone else somewhere else. Our neighbours, our friends and work colleagues are looking to luck, fortune tellers, Mystic Meg, crystals, tarots, totems, the god within, the new age to come. Many are, like most Christians, regretting the growth of liberalism and the onslaught of uncertainty, the overwhelming cynicism and growing despair that this world offers. They are looking for certainty and assurance, hope and comfort and they are finding them in the dogmatism of a conservative Mormonism, or in the doom laden message of Jehovah's Witnesses that confirms their fears and offers escape. It is the role of the Christian church to be a light bearer in the darkness and confusion. It is the calling of the Christian to "contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." Church history is replete with stories of those who contended for the faith. Our spiritual forebears fought hard for eternal truths cherished by today's believers. Tomorrows believers will inherit what we contend for today. Back to top
We are sometimes referred to as a para-church organisation. As an organisation, of course, that is what
we are. Reachout is not a church, but neither are we separate from,
or in addition to the Christian community. We are Christians first and
foremost who see our role in the body as that of watchmen. The way we
fulfil that role is in organisations like Reachout, just as those called
to mission form missionary societies.
People who escape the cults need a new spiritual
home. God's provision for all new Christians is the church. Members
of Reachout Trust are members of the local church and Reachout always
seeks to work closely with local church leaders. From the beginning
it has been very important to have a network of church contacts across
the country. As people have come to Reachout for help we have in turn
sought to 'plant' them in an appropriate fellowship. Reachout is often
simply a first point of contact leading to more appropriate ministry
within the church and even professional help in a counselling setting.
