(This is Part 2 of the Xenos-Cult Controversy – read Part 1 here.)
Ok, I promised to reveal the secret “insider information” that explains the Xenos-Cult controversy, since it keeps burbling in the background…
But first! Consider some other ways to explain the Xenos-Cult phenomena.
Strict Doctrines?
I ran across this “Church Discipline” Web site where the owner/moderator is trying his best to figure it out. He’s a critical thinker, and objective, but he’s working in the dark without any firsthand experience with Xenos. He ran into some bizarre stories which led him to research Xenos, and he initially finds Xenos has “a rather strict doctrine on right and wrong,” and then says:
[Xenos] publishes on its website heavily on the issue of church discipline. They make use of shunning and excommunication and are fairly strict for a mega-church. (Source: CD-Host, Breaking Away Case Study)
Naturally, I’m surprised that Xenos “publishes heavily on church discipline,” so I lookup the links he gives: one is from the Christian Principles Class (CPC), and the other is a policy paper on leadership and authority. Although he reached a more positive conclusion later (in Part 1), I just couldn’t believe Xenos was starting to get “strict” …
“CD-Host” probably didn’t realize the CPC handout is one of hundreds given to leaders-in-training enrolled in those courses, so it’s a rather miniscule part of the coursework (maybe 1%). The paper simply reviews what the Bible says about church discipline. (If a church can’t even study the Bible’s view of church discipline for 1% of its leadership training without being too “strict” these days, what’s happening with Christianity?)
The “Leadership and Authority” paper also is a rather minor blip on the fat Xenos.org Web of hundreds (?) of gigs. It addresses a specific problem in a specific ministry (students), which seems like a responsible way to prevent abuse. But the paper contains some ominous-sounding language which I think raises some concerns:
The elders have reviewed the paper, and have affirmed these findings as accurately reflecting Xenos policy. This paper can be freely disseminated as members see fit. (Source: on leadership and authority, Xenos Web.)

Kids--these Xenos clowns need more rules, I say!
It reads like a dictum of monumental portent (i.e. important): they “affirmed these findings,” so judgment was pronounced with solemn consideration, to be “disseminated as members see fit.” I glanced askance and immediately recognized the ugly, mismatched colors used on the Web page: it was the work of my colorblind brother, Dennis.
As his wiser-but-younger-brother, I know Den is a pretty nice feller lots of the time, but he’s also rather humorless (Den got all the brains, and I got all the fun-loving traits). Den gets all portentous sometimes when he’s alone in the office, late at night (with his little pet: a 30-year-old turtle he takes out of the aquarium occasionally to exercise across his desk).
And then I understand why CD said Xenos sounds “rather strict” – Den needs to revisit that page in the daylight when he isn’t alone with his turtle, and lighten up a little!
Hello, Den? You listening?
Actually, we get in trouble at Xenos with other churches because we’re too damn loose! Xenoids will cuss, drink, party, go to bars (even raves!), dance, smoke, and carry-on like heathens sometimes—they don’t seem strict in the least. Now that I’m 50+ years old, it’s a little embarrassing when they act that way, and I catch myself chiding them, “Now children, settle down there…” (They laugh.)

I wouldn't describe Xenos as "strict"...
But I think CD could easily get the “strictness” impression from Den’s paper—I would say on Den’s behalf, if you consider 30 years of publishing, that paper seems fairly insignificant. The overwhelming repository of Bible teachings are focused on a very unusual (and refreshing) emphasis on God’s grace and forgiveness at Xenos. You’ll find Xenos isn’t rule-driven at all, and instead teaches a love-oriented, principle-driven ethic which isn’t so black-and-white.
Read all about Love Ethics, which I’ve been publishing over at the NeoZine, and especially Building a Love Ethic which demonstrates a very non-strict ethic operative at Xenos, I think.
Shunning?
CD used the term “shunning” to describe church discipline. I laughed, because I pictured the Amish ritual where everyone turns their backs on someone they kick out.

The "Lost Art of Shunning"
But now I see the term is now applied to any “excommunication” by various religions, and I’m a little surprised by that: it was a spooky ritual once. But as I read the Wikipedia article, I’m amazed at how the Postmodern world gets away with putting all religions in the same basket.
The original practice of Shunning – and the term still carries that taint – arises from an irrational fear of the real world (i.e. modern world) by separatists and cultish-groups. I wouldn’t want to be called a “Shunner” by anyone—it means you’re close-minded, scared, uptight, and very coercive.
Why does the U.S. Constitution guarantee the right to “Shun” then? It’s the First Amendment—it gives right to practice “Freedom of association” as you see fit. The freedom to associate means “I prefer this group, not that group.” It means groups have the right to determine their own distinctive character, without harassment.

To "associate" or not? Its a basic right--for good reasons, too!
Why are religious groups singled-out as “Shunners”, but not the Democrats and Republicans? You can’t join both parties, you know, they won’t let you—Republicans can’t infiltrate Democrat headquarters (except at night, with White House approval, of course!).
I’ve seen lots of people get kicked out of bars over the years—far more roughly and hurtful than anything I’ve seen at Xenos! Why doesn’t someone open a blog about Bar-Discipline?
I’m being facetious, of course, but the point is obvious: When someone is disturbing the peace, Xenos like any other group on the planet has the right to take steps to ensure the peace and safety of the assembly. When someone wants to redefine your group, they should leave peacefully and go start their own group somewhere.
Secular culture has no room to criticize church discipline—from Xenos or anyone, even cults! The violent rejection practiced across the world makes almost any Christian discipline look like child’s play.
Here’s an example of church discipline at Xenos:
I have seen Xenos discipline first hand. We had a married lady in our group who was cheating on her husband. She was open about it but refused to stop. She was asked to leave the group. (From the Church Discipline Web site.)

I've never seen this at Xenos--yet!
But Shunning? I know I’m not afraid to see, talk with, greet, or whatever with anyone who got “kicked out”—I’ll ask them if they’ve resolved their “issue” maybe, I’ll ask how it’s going, but I won’t be an idiot and pretend there’s no reason for our broken fellowship. There are significant differences which make it impossible to resume the “old association” and all the trust and shared worlds we once enjoyed.
Well, it happens: people go their separate ways. Is this bad?
What’s bad is when someone wants to go their “separate way” and also demand that everyone else go that way too! That’s when we peacefully, lovingly, gently and patiently start exercising excommunication (in stages, of course, with lots of warnings) as the Bible instructs us—it’s actually beneficial for the person who wants to leave to quit causing trouble and move on.
(And let’s be clear: it’s not an everyday occurrence—not hardly! In the past 15 years at NeoXenos, we’ve excommunicated, I think, two people.)
Mind Control?

Mind Control exercises: their arms were raised like this for 5 hours.
This is one of my favorites, because it’s the Big One. You can really scare people with the “Mind Control” or “Brainwashing” scheme.
It’s also a great way to trash whatever defense we might offer: “You’re talking like someone else is controlling you,” so there’s no need to listen or dialog rationally (nobody can reason with The Brainwashed, after all).

Conspiracy-hunters lead rough lives--nobody believes them.
Plus, we all love a good conspiracy, don’t we? Fox “Spooky” Mulder and Scully have been cashing-in on our penchant for conspiracy since 1990… (“I want to believe!”) So “The Truth is Out There,” for some to find – namely, the “Giant Brain” that ties all the Xenoids together, like the famous Borg in Star Trek.
Normally Dennis is “The Great OZ” behind the curtain (with his ancient turtle), but I’ve recently surpassed Den in Mind-Control fame. (Don’t I get a raise, or a medal?) Read about Den’s astonishing ability to “poison minds” which made it on our Web in northern Ohio! But that’s nothing: I made front-page news as a child-manipulating Mind-Controller (read the hype here).

Thats me--and Im the nice brother!
The most glaring problem with the Mind Control theory is the selection of characters: Den is too is simply too morose and turtle-absorbed to care, and although I’m much warmer and more relational than Den, I’m just too ungifted and goofballish to pull it off. Really, Den is like this aloof intellectual playing with his turtle, and he gets very irritated when people don’t think for themselves (he’s brilliant, you know—and he doesn’t understand why everyone else won’t make the effort to be brilliant too).
Besides, if Xenos has been Mind-Controlling for 30 years now (as one blogger claimed), you’d think the CIA and others would be very jealous and very interested in how it’s done: Xenos is the best! (We’re so damn good, we’ve never been caught, and “they” still don’t know our secret ways after 30 years!)

Manipulating children's minds the secret Xenos way.
The Cult’s Secret
Which brings me back to my original point: I’ve been in Xenos since before the beginning, and if anyone knows the secret reason for the Xenos-Cult phenomena, I would. (Others were there too, of course, but they aren’t telling, and I’ve got a head-start.)

The real Mind-Controller behind it all: Neil Brooks.
But unfortunately, I’ve run out of time! We’ll pick this up next time, I promise!