A scholar's twelve-year journey inside a secretive Catholic group.
When the Catholic charismatic renewal emerged in the late 1960s, it inspired dreams of authentic Christian community. From this movement emerged tightly organized "covenant communities"—most notably People of Praise and The Word of God/Sword of the Spirit—that promised to restore unity to a Church they saw as weak, confused, and divided.
Drawing on twelve years as an insider and decades of theological scholarship, Adrian J. Reimers reveals how these communities were not spontaneous works of the Holy Spirit but carefully planned structures designed by leaders who believed they could rebuild Christianity through "emergent leadership" and strict hierarchical control.
This groundbreaking analysis exposes how these groups, while claiming to renew the Church, actually function as separate denominations with their own pastoral systems, mandatory tithing, and authoritarian governance. Reimers reveals how their organizational structures represent a profound departure from orthodox Catholic teaching on personal religious freedom and ecclesiastical authority, demonstrating how their treatment of women, marriage, and spiritual life violates fundamental Catholic teaching and human dignity.
As contemporary movements revive similar approaches to gender roles and religious authority, Not Reliable Guides offers essential insight into communities that have shaped thousands of American Catholics while operating largely outside Church oversight.
A work of rigorous scholarship and painful honesty, this book serves as both historical record and pastoral warning about movements that promise renewal but deliver spiritual bondage.
- 200 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Not Reliable Guides
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Information
Topic
Theology & ReligionSubtopic
Christian DenominationsTable of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: The Beginnings
- Chapter 2: Some Key Terms
- Chapter 3: The Common Root –Building Christian Communities
- Chapter 4: Covenant and Illegitimate Ecclesial Claims
- Chapter 5: Pastoral Care
- Chapter 6: Ecumenism
- Chapter 7: Women, Men, and the Marriage Relationship
- Chapter 8: Conclusions
- Afterword: A Personal Note to Former Members
- About the Author
- Endnotes
- Bibliography
- Index
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Not Reliable Guides by Adrian J Reimers in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Christian Denominations. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.