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Broken Faith: Inside One of America's Most Dangerous Cults

Review

Broken Faith: Inside One of America's Most Dangerous Cults

In a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, a little church has grown to a worldwide phenomenon, and has not escaped the attention of the press and law enforcement for its bizarre and --- in some instances --- illegal practices. Its history and the personal accounts of some of its congregants are collected here by investigative journalists Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr.

Word of Faith Fellowship was started from the inspiration of Sam Whaley, a former used car salesman. But once it gained purchase in Spindale, NC, Sam’s wife, Jane, began to feel envious. Looking at the successful lifestyles of the wives of televangelists, she remade herself, with new teeth and a more practiced accent than the one that she, a denizen of the rural south, was heir to. With expensive clothing, folksy wisdom underpinned by Biblical quotations, and a strange manner of screeching to ward off devils, Jane soon became the acknowledged leader of the church.

"Weiss and Mohr have done their investigative work thoroughly and given their book a disturbingly up close and personal feel through the words of Jane’s accusers."

A central practice of the fellowship involves “blasting” --- screaming at those who are deemed to be possessed by entities that Jane might characterize as harbingers of lust (any sex outside of marriage and all homosexuality) or, in children, “soccer” or “buddy” demons. Even Sam is not immune to her sudden accusations of possession that require the accused person to sit in a chair with a bucket next to it and get yelled at by fellow congregants until vomiting or other proof of exorcism ensues.

But the secrets of Jane’s church were worse than the public displays. Children interviewed for this harrowing account reported abuse, from sexual attacks to the almost constant harsh beatings with wooden paddles wielded by parents, the church’s private school administrators, even Jane herself. The smallest infraction could result in isolation in rooms in the church’s basement, where children sat or stood for hours at a time watching videos of Jane’s preaching. Adult church members must tithe, are restricted from almost every kind of media, and in some cases are encouraged to break laws to help maintain the fellowship.

One such case was taken to court, when, in tight economic times, church business owners “laid off” employees who received unemployment benefits, while continuing to work for the business --- so the church would not suffer from lack of tithe money. There have even been accusations of international jewel theft.

To date, though there have been numerous small legal disputes, SBI probes and many accusations from former fellowship members, Whaley’s religion carries on, even developing overseas connections. Comparisons to the cult of Jim Jones are inevitable --- and credible. Weiss and Mohr have done their investigative work thoroughly and given their book a disturbingly up close and personal feel through the words of Jane’s accusers. They believe that her perfidies are clear to any rational observer, and hope that “good people will do the right thing” and bring her to justice.

Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott on February 21, 2020

Broken Faith: Inside One of America's Most Dangerous Cults
by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr

  • Publication Date: April 6, 2021
  • Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, True Crime
  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Hanover Square Press
  • ISBN-10: 1335266755
  • ISBN-13: 9781335266750