Christian new religious movement

A Christian or Christianity-oriented new religious movement, sometimes called a "sect" or "cult", is a new religious movement with a doctrine based on Christian scripture or dogma, but deviating from mainstream Christianity by either additional elements or claims of independent revelation. These sects or denominations often imply that mainstream Christianity has fallen into a Great Apostasy.
Numerous such movements emerged during the 19th century in Russian Spiritual Christianity and in the Anglo-Saxon Great Awakenings and Restoration Movement, Christian Science. More recent generations of Christianity oriented new religious movements include the Jesus movement of later 20th century counterculture, with offshoots such as the Children of God;
Neo-evangelicalism, Charismatic Christianity and Pentecostalism such as Christ Gospel Churches International
and groups of the Independent Sacramental Movement such as The Order of Christ Sophia.
Individual movements within these groupings typically emerge surrounding a charismatic leader figure, such as
Apollo Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, 's Makuya, Vissarion's Church of the Last Testament or Uriella's Fiat Lux, and they often dissolve or fragment following the leader's death. Founders will often add to basic Christian dogma via claims of direct revelation, or in some cases even of
identity with Christ.
Opposition to cults and new religious movements
Christian countercult movement
A group whose first characteristic was nominally Christian, but not fully based on mainstream Christian dogma would be a cult as defined by the Christian countercult movement.
Secular anti-cult movement
A group whose second characteristic was organization for thought-reform ("mind control"), would be a cult as defined by the secular anti-cult movement.
A cult in this sense is a societal organization that includes the totalitarian thought-reform and life-control techniques scientifically reported as characteristics of a cult (without consideration of beneficial or harmful member outcomes).
Christian groups referred to as cults or sects in government documents
The following is a list of Christian or Christian-oriented groups that have been identified as sects or cults.
;French parliamentary commission report (1995)
*Apostolic Order - Therapeutic Healing Environment (Ordre apostolique - Therapeutic healing environment)
*Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Besançon (Église évangélique de Pentecôte de Besançon)
*Christian Life in France - Centre of Christian Life (Vie chrétienne en France - Centre de vie chrétienne)
*Community of the Little Brothers and Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart (Communauté des petits frères et des petites sœurs du Sacré-coeur)
*Community for the propagation of the universal life (Communauté pour la propagation de la vie universelle)
*Cultural office of Cluny - National Federation of Total Animation (Office culturel de Cluny - Fédération nationale d'animation globale)
*Friends of the Glorious Cross of Dozulé (Amis de la croix glorieuse de Dozulé)
*Hermitage of Christ of Peace (Ermitage du Christ de la paix)
*International Churches of Christ in France (Églises du Christ international en France)
*Invitation to Life (Invitation à la vie)
*Jehovah's Witnesses (Témoins de Jéhovah)
*New Apostolic Church (Église néo-apostolique)
*Pilgrims of Arès (Pèlerins d'Arès, listed under the name L'Œil s'Ouvre)
*Theological Institute of Nîmes (Institut théologique de Nîmes)
*Timothy Mission (Mission Timothée)
*The Way International (La Voie Internationale)
*Tradition Family Property (Tradition Famille Propriété)
*Association for Unification of Christianity Worldwide (Association pour l'unification du christianisme mondial)
*Universal Alliance (Alliance universelle)
*Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (Église universelle du Royaume de Dieu)
*Worldwide Church of God (Église universelle de Dieu)
;Berlin Senate report (1997)
* Fiat Lux
* Parish on the Road Evangelical Free Church (registered association) (Gemeinde auf dem Weg Evangelische Freikirche e.V)
* Parish of Jesus Christ (registered association) Boston Church of Christ (Gemeinde Jesu Christi e.V. (Boston Church of Christ))
* Universal Life (Re-gathering of Jesus Christ) (Universelles Leben (Heimholungswerk Jesu Christi/HHW))
* Unification Church (Moon movement) (Vereinigungskirche (Mun-Bewegung))
;Project Megiddo (October 1999)
Project Megiddo was an FBI report, released on October 20, 1999. Its analysis focused on apocalyptic religious groups, doomsday cults and conspiracy theories. The report stated that certain groups it called "biblically-driven cults" were potentially violent.<ref name="megiddo" /> Groups singled out and analyzed in the report under the heading: "Apocalyptic Cults", included the Branch Davidians, and the Concerned Christians.<ref name="megiddo" />

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