There can be very little doubt that religion and religious movements continue to be powerful forces that can have a profound influence upon their communities and especially their members. There are thousands of sects and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between them. Some sects have become targets with critics accusing them of a wide variety of spiritual and even worldly aberrations. HOPCC certainly seems to fall in this latter category.
Even a rudimentary online search quickly reveals that there is no shortage of complaints about and criticism of the House of Prayer Christian Churches. There are many critics that allege that they have become members of this church, only to be coerced into donating all their worldly possessions to the church, including their homes and cars. Some were even required to stop working at regular jobs so that they can dedicate more time to the church.
Some parents accuse the church of breaking up their families. They say that the Hope of Prayer make extravagant promises to youngsters on both a spiritual and material level. A number of parents allege that their children have been forbidden contact with their families. Other parents say that their children have stopped their studies or quit their jobs after joining the church.
Disgruntled critics have, in some instances, tried to lay formal complaints but they have not had much success. The position of the authorities is that they cannot investigate allegations unless a crime has been committed. Donating personal possessions to a church, for example, is the right of every adult. They also point out that every citizen is free to follow the religion of his or her choice and to associate with anybody they please.
It seems as if the House of Prayer Christian Church prefer to ignore the allegations made against them. The church maintains that it is Christian church that holds the core values of the gospel very dear. Their members are encouraged to spend as much time as possible attending services, prayer meetings and outreach programs. The church is also actively involved in missionary work.
The church will admit, however, that the faculty and students at their seminary are expected to avoid worldly preoccupations and to live pure, spiritual lives. It is not clear what exactly it means when by worldly preoccupations but critics maintain that this means such members must surrender their personal possessions and that they have to dedicate all their time to mission work for the church.
Meanwhile, critics continue to attack the House of Prayer Christian Church on a variety of websites. In fact, some of the comments are downright nasty, vitriolic even. Reading some of the comments may lead one to believe that the church is wholly evil. However, balanced individuals know that there are always more than one side to a story and it may be best to discard the most vicious of the attacks on the church.
Whether or not the House of Prayer is misleading its members or not is certainly not clear from the material that is available online. However, people have the right to decide for themselves and even to make choices that seem ill informed to others. Nobody can be forced to become or remain a member at any organization where they are not happy.
Even a rudimentary online search quickly reveals that there is no shortage of complaints about and criticism of the House of Prayer Christian Churches. There are many critics that allege that they have become members of this church, only to be coerced into donating all their worldly possessions to the church, including their homes and cars. Some were even required to stop working at regular jobs so that they can dedicate more time to the church.
Some parents accuse the church of breaking up their families. They say that the Hope of Prayer make extravagant promises to youngsters on both a spiritual and material level. A number of parents allege that their children have been forbidden contact with their families. Other parents say that their children have stopped their studies or quit their jobs after joining the church.
Disgruntled critics have, in some instances, tried to lay formal complaints but they have not had much success. The position of the authorities is that they cannot investigate allegations unless a crime has been committed. Donating personal possessions to a church, for example, is the right of every adult. They also point out that every citizen is free to follow the religion of his or her choice and to associate with anybody they please.
It seems as if the House of Prayer Christian Church prefer to ignore the allegations made against them. The church maintains that it is Christian church that holds the core values of the gospel very dear. Their members are encouraged to spend as much time as possible attending services, prayer meetings and outreach programs. The church is also actively involved in missionary work.
The church will admit, however, that the faculty and students at their seminary are expected to avoid worldly preoccupations and to live pure, spiritual lives. It is not clear what exactly it means when by worldly preoccupations but critics maintain that this means such members must surrender their personal possessions and that they have to dedicate all their time to mission work for the church.
Meanwhile, critics continue to attack the House of Prayer Christian Church on a variety of websites. In fact, some of the comments are downright nasty, vitriolic even. Reading some of the comments may lead one to believe that the church is wholly evil. However, balanced individuals know that there are always more than one side to a story and it may be best to discard the most vicious of the attacks on the church.
Whether or not the House of Prayer is misleading its members or not is certainly not clear from the material that is available online. However, people have the right to decide for themselves and even to make choices that seem ill informed to others. Nobody can be forced to become or remain a member at any organization where they are not happy.
