Group has its eye on Destiny

One of the most prominent critics of Destiny Church's move to a more insular faith has been the group Cultwatch.

It is a charitable trust made up of Christians of all denominations and staffed by volunteers. Director Mark Vrankovich was inspired to found Cultwatch in 1990 after witnessing a friend's difficulty in leaving the International Church of Christ.

"There was a lot of yelling and screaming when he wanted to find a new church. Being there, and seeing that Jekyll-and-Hyde change by its leaders, was a turning point for me. I thought, 'Let's warn people about this'." Mr Vrankovich said he had observed a shift in Destiny leader Brian Tamaki's rhetoric. He believed Mr Tamaki was isolating his congregation, indoctrinating them, and accentuating his position as their "king".

Cultwatch rarely targeted specific churches. It focused on raising awareness of cult techniques - such as mind control - and helping people get out of cults.

"We can explain how these groups work upfront, before people are recruited. People can spend 10 or 20 years of their life in these groups. So we want to be the fence at the top of the cliff rather than the ambulance at the bottom."

At least two-thirds of inquiries to Cultwatch came from overseas. But Mr Vrankovich said he was observing an apostolic movement in New Zealand - in which Destiny was the most visible group. He said such movements singled out individuals to rule the church, and matched their message with a multi-level marketing campaign. "Christ only got angry with two lots of people - those selling in the temple, and Pharisees putting themselves between God and man. These groups are guilty of both."