Is it a cult?

I had a conversation this week with a friend about a mega-ministry here in KC and the question "Is it a cult?" came up. My take on cults is that there are three different aspects to religious cults:

1. Personality Cults: These groups are generally centered around a usually very charismatic person.. these folks are often very good speakers and sometimes associated with some sort of gift.. often their leader takes on the title of prophet or apostle.. or some other important designation.
   
   
2. Theological Cults: Sects that gather around a specific doctrinal system.. usually a very narrow one.. their definition of orthodoxy may not be exclusive to their doctrine but it is pretty close. Often these folks embrace an orthodoxy that is very black and white.. sometimes their beliefs embrace certain religious rites and behaviors.
   
   
3. Community Cults: Often appearing in denominational form these groups can sometimes take the form of a church.. sometimes a mega-church.. but sometimes a smaller incarnation. People have an ultra-identity with the organization and cannot see spiritual life outside of the community. Many times folks in these groups believe that their group is the only way.. to heaven.. to spirituality.. to perfection.. or to something else.
   

Given these three aspects I think that it would be safe to say that almost every religious group has some cultic element.. even the best ones. I think that unhealthy environments are created when more than one of these aspects is present.. and when the unhealthiness is publicly manifested the group is labeled as a "cult".

On a personal note I was involved in a group for many years that I think had all three cultic aspects. I followed a charismatically gifted man.. I embraced a very narrow and legalistic theology.. and I stayed in the church because I really believed that we were more spiritual than other churches. To be sure not everyone who attended thought the way that I did.. but many did. So was I part of a cult? Hard to say.. but what I can say is that the environment was toxic for me.. it fed a dark part of me.. I was an unhealthy person back then.

So tell me what you think a cult is? Have you had any experiences with any or all of these cultic aspects? Leave me a comment. I would love to hear your story.