FAQs

A church or preacher that’s in serious error isn’t always easy to identify, especially because many use Christian language and the Bible. However, there are some key things you can look out for. 

First, ask yourself: What do they teach about the gospel? A biblically faithful church teaches that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone—not by belonging to a certain church, or by good works, offerings, or other “works of faith.”

Second, what do they teach about Jesus? False teachers often distort key truths about who Jesus is—for example, by denying that He is both God and man. 

Third, how do they handle the Bible? Do they believe that the Bible is sufficient —that is, the final authority and standard of truth for guidance and instruction for all Christian belief and practice? Or do they add other authoritative sources, such as new revelations, dreams, visions, prophecies, or the teachings of a special leader or a different book? 

Also, when they teach the Bible, do they explain each passage in its proper context? A faithful teacher will seek to explain what a passage really means in light of the Bible’s message overall. False or misleading teachers will often pull a verse out of its surrounding texts and use it to promote ideas of his or her own that the Bible doesn’t support. 

Fourth, what kind of spiritual fruit does their ministry produce? (This includes both character and conduct.) Is there humility, accountability, and godliness? Or is there unbiblical control, manipulation, and a lack of transparency?

Ultimately, a healthy church or fellowship will uphold the gospel, honour Christ, handle Scripture rightly, and reflect godly character in both its teaching and leadership. 

To learn more about what biblical Christians believe, see our page on Statement of Faith.

Generally speaking, a cult is a religious group that claims to be Christian but denies or seriously distorts one or more essential doctrines of the historic Christian faith (see Foundational Questions, “What Is a Cult?”).

At ACFAR, we identify and evaluate such groups based on key areas such as: 

• What they teach about God, Jesus, and salvation, and whether it aligns with what the church has historically held, based on what Scripture teaches 
• Whether they add extra requirements for salvation beyond faith in Christ 
• Whether they emphasize other authorities (such as leaders, new revelations, visions, or prophecies) in a way that replaces or competes with Scripture 
• The way they understand the church and Christian fellowship (for example, whether they claim to be the only true church or separate followers from the wider body of Christ in unhealthy ways) 

As a result, we use four “patterns” that characterize groups that can be identified as cults. In simple terms, these include: 

• Adding to the Word of God (the Bible) through new “scriptures” or revelations 
• Subtracting (taking away) from Jesus by denying or distorting His true deity 
• Multiplying requirements for salvation 
• Dividing (separating) Christians from other believers by claiming exclusive access to truth or salvation—and functionally denying Jesus as the only mediator between God and man 

We explain this more in the following article: Patterns in the Cults 

Yes, at ACFAR, training is a key part of what we do. We serve through our three key outreaches: 

• Pastors on Guard—focused on equipping pastors, chaplains, and church leaders in biblical discernment 
• Test B4U Trust—our student outreach, aimed at helping students grow as discerning believers who can understand and defend the faith 
• Project Priscilla—focused on equipping women through teaching, training, and discipleship in biblical truth and discernment 

We desire to make our resources as accessible as possible. For this reason, we aim to offer our training free of charge. 

However, as a non-profit ministry, ACFAR’s work is sustained through the support of people, churches, and partner organizations. As such, where possible, we welcome partnerships with those who invite us to carry out trainings to assist in covering related costs. Thus, enabling us to extend our reach and serve more effectively. 

If you would like to partner with us in this way or host a training, please feel free to contact us.

The word “cult” can be used in many ways, but at ACFAR we especially focus on groups that present themselves as Christian but seriously distort the gospel and other essentials.

One standard definition of cult is “A religious group originating as a heretical sect and maintaining fervent commitment to heresy.”

Heresy can be defined as “a teaching which opposes the essentials of the Christian faith, so that true Christians must divide themselves from those who hold it.” (Robert M. Bowman, Jr. Orthodoxy and Heresy)

In other words, a cultic group is one that claims to be Christian, but promotes teachings that go against the core truths of the Christian faith. 

For example, many such groups… 

• Seriously misrepresent who the biblical Jesus is 
• Add human works or other requirements for salvation 
• Hold to teachings and revelations coming from outside the Bible 
• Claim that they are the only true church (or “truest” of all churches)
• Seriously misinterpret and misapply the Bible to support strange or false beliefs 
• Claim excessive authority for their leader or founder above Scripture 

It’s also important to note that the issue is not only what these groups teach, but also how they function. Many churches that would be classified as cultic exercise harsh or deceptive control over their followers—for example, by isolating them, discouraging questions, or demanding absolute loyalty and obedience. This can create environments where spiritual abuse can easily take place and where people can be seriously harmed, as seen in tragic cases such as Shakahola (Kenya) and Kanungu (Uganda)—making such groups not only misleading, but physically and psychologically damaging.

Also, some people confuse cults (false or misleading religious movements) and the occult—sometimes incorrectly called “occults.” Generally, the occult involves using demonic powers for magical purposes, including rituals to contact or control spirits. The word “occultism” can be used to describe practices—or teachings—that focus on such activities, which God strictly forbids in Scripture. 

Also see “Research and Response”

Biblical discernment is the discipline of evaluating truth from error in light of what Scripture teaches. 

In practice, it means carefully examining religious claims to make sure they align with the Bible. God calls every believer to this kind of careful thinking. For example, we are told to “test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), to follow the example of the Bereans who examined the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), and to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). 

Because of this, discernment is not optional. It’s a responsibility for every believer that helps them remain grounded in truth and guarded against deception. 

Apologetics comes from the Greek apologia, a New Testament word originally used of a speech given in defence, or an answer given in reply (for example, see 1 Peter 3:15). 

In simple and practical terms, apologetics involves… 

• Explaining what Christians believe—and why they believe it—in order to
• Defending those beliefs against opposition and error 

Doctrinal apologetics focuses on providing a defence for key teachings of the Christian faith—such as who God is, who Jesus is, and how we are saved. 

Polemics is closely related. It involves refuting (disproving) false teachings—especially those that claim to be Christian but are not.

Thus, at ACFAR our apologetics work focuses on helping believers to… 

• Understand (discern) the teachings of the Bible clearly 
• Recognize cultic groups and false teaching 
• Respond to false teachers and false teachings with truth and grace

Cult evangelism is sharing the true gospel of Jesus Christ with people who are part of groups that teach serious error while claiming to be Christian. 

Many people in these groups are sincere and deeply committed, but they may have been taught a distorted understanding of who Jesus is, how salvation works, or what the Bible teaches. Because of this, cult evangelism involves gently and patiently correcting error with truth from Scripture. 

As such, at ACFAR, we seek to: 

• Listen carefully and understand what they believe 
• Examine what they teach against the Bible 
• Point them back to what the Bible teaches 

At the end of the day, the goal of cult evangelism is to help people see the truth of the gospel and come to a saving knowledge of Christ.