Janis Hutchinson, Out of the Cults and into the Church (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1994) 222 pages, ISBN 0-825428-85-8.
Imagine growing up in a culture where virtually all your
family, friends, neighbors, school teachers, policemen
and everyone you love and trust adheres to a certain
religious faith that claims to be the “one true church.”
Then one day you start to entertain the possibility that
what you had been taught all your life may not really be
the truth. Gut-wrenching? Overwhelming? Anguishing?
Bewildering? These are just some of the words used to
describe the feelings of people who have actually lived
through the above imagined scenario.
Janis Hutchinson was a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for 34 years.
During those years she held many LDS Church positions.
She also wrote articles published in the LDS Church’s
Marriage Manual and The Improvement Era (now entitled,
The Ensign), excerpts of which were used in LDS radio
commercials. After over three decades of LDS Church
membership, she concluded it is not the one true church
it claims to be. Unfortunately, she then sequentially
joined two radical religious groups. First, the Bryanites (Church of Christ, Patriarchal), and then
Mormon Fundamentalism (radical offshoot group of the
LDS Church). It took her almost eight years to recover
to the point where she felt somewhat normal again.
Hutchinson knows what it is like to face her fears of
leaving the familiar in search of finding spiritual
truth, and allowing herself to begin questioning the
religious beliefs she held for over three decades. Her
life experiences, Bible knowledge, and spiritual
maturity have helped her become a godly lady who is
compassionate and understanding towards those who are
struggling with similar circumstances. Over several
years, she has displayed wisdom with helping people make
discerning spiritual decisions.
Out of the Cults and into the Church by Janis Hutchinson
paints a clear picture of the tumultuous and painful
rollercoaster ride experienced by many people who leave
a religious group that claims to be the one true faith.
The problems presented in this book are the more severe
ones experienced by many ex-members of such groups. This
book refers to only three of the many that make this
claim: the LDS Church (Mormon), Unification Church (Rev.
Moon), and Hare Krishna. Hutchinson states that her
reason for using the word “cult” is because it is the
word used by “Christians at large” when referring to a
“religious group which deviates doctrinally from the
traditional norm” (p. 13).
The book has a two-fold purpose. It seeks to help mature
Christians understand the spiritual and psychological
problems these ex-members can experience after becoming
new Christians, so they can minister to them with
spiritual sensitivity and compassion. All ten chapters
end with a section entitled, “How Can Christians Help.”
The book also seeks to encourage these ex-members by
first giving them a heads-up on what kinds of problems
they may experience during their transition into the
Christian church and then some advice on how to best
navigate through those problems.
After leaving Mormonism, Hutchinson struggled with
giving up Mormon doctrines she had believed in for
years. She also struggled with Christians who didn’t
understand the years-long transition she was
experiencing. She went on to increase her Bible
knowledge by earning a B.Th and M.A. degree in theology.
Out of the Cults and into the Church is the culmination
of Hutchinson’s master’s thesis, as well as a product of
the many lessons she learned first-hand during her years
of struggling to replace her formerly held Mormon
worldview with a biblical one. Her writing reflects one
who is mature in her Christian faith, and knowledgeable
of Mormonism.
In the book, Hutchinson creates five interesting
characters whose life experiences illustrate the various
problems encountered by many people leaving churches
that claim to be the one true church. Three of the
five characters are ex-Mormon (Judy, Melanie, and Myra),
one is an ex-Hare Krishna (Richard), and one is an
ex-Moonie (Elizabeth). The author included more
ex-Mormon characters simply because as a former Mormon
herself she has more experience counseling them.
However, her research shows that problems experienced by
ex-Mormons are typical of other such groups (p. 13).
Throughout the book, the author also frequently cites
secular researchers who are knowledgeable about the
mental conditions of members from similar religious
groups.
The content of the book essentially consists of the
author detailing numerous friendly, compassionate, and
culturally sensitive talks between her and one or more
of the five characters. Most of the dialogues consist of
impromptu talks between the author and a character who
is struggling with a particular religious issue, but
also included are numerous talks involving all the
characters in a formally structured support group
setting. All the dialogues begin by identifying some
problem(s) experienced by the character(s), and then
proceed toward helping them better understand and
biblically resolve the problem(s).
In one formally structured support group setting, the
characters agreed that when people leave a church that
claims to be the one and only true church, they must
also eventually give up many cherished practices and
beliefs. In chapter three, the group listed the
following 13 practices and beliefs, and then discussed
some Christian substitutes for them.
- loss of extra-biblical revelation
- loss of a leader’s supernatural contact with God
- loss of a divinely called leader
- loss of friends and community ties
- loss of believing one is right
- loss of belonging to the “only” true church
- loss of absolute answers
- loss of sacred myths
- loss of elite status
- loss of respect
- loss of being called to positions by revelation
- loss of goals
- loss of self-esteem
The author’s introduction to the various talks sets a
stage that makes you feel like you are sitting right
there with them. Here’s how Hutchinson describes one of
the settings: “We sat at a round, glass-topped table
shaded by a lavender umbrella on the patio outside my
Texas home. Lush foliage and beds of yellow and pink
roses offered a serene setting. It was just what she
needed.” (p. 17-18). A reader could conceivable close
their eyes and get a picture of the various physical
settings in which the talks occur.
More important than physical setting is the practical
life-changing advice Hutchinson gives her reader. Her
compassion, sensitivity, Bible knowledge, and life experiences
enabled her to successfully write a book that helps Christians
understand ex-members of such religious groups and encourages
these ex-members in their transition into the Christian church.
As an ethical, caring person who is willing to listen to the
concerns of Mormons in transition and share with them struggles
she had from her own life experiences and faith, Janis
Hutchinson volunteers her time to serve as a Former Mormon
Mentor with the Institute for Religious Research
http://www.irr.org/mit/mentor.html.
In addition to Out of the Cults and into the Church, Hutchinson has authored one other book entitled, The Mormon Missionaries: an inside look at their real message and methods.