Currently, celebrity-based religious groups have been proliferating and upending the foundations of Christian orthodoxy. Some have even engaged in bizarre practices such as eating grass, rats and snakes (Resane 2017:3). Such incomprehensible behaviours often gain sensational media headlines (Arweck 2005:1).

In recent months, some media sources have alleged that the KwaSizabantu Mission in South Africa, one of the largest and most respected Protestant missions on the continent, is a cult. The media trial started on 22 September 2019 in a Rapport newspaper article, in which a former member of the Mission criticised its practices (Eybers 2019). The views and judgements expressed within this secular newspaper were soon echoed by the German evangelical news agency Idea (14 October 2019) and the Dutch Reformatorisch Dagblad (15 October 2019). Moreover, the former member continued publishing allegations, ranging from money laundering to bizarre activities involving Zulu nobility connected to KwaSizabantu (Botha 2019).

These allegations were subsequently republished on various overseas internet platforms as truth claims, further feeding the KwaSizabantu cult narrative. The Mission took no legal action against the former member at the time.

A year later, during the week of 19 September 2020, News24 began to broadcast claims about abusive practices at KwaSizabantu through a film, podcasts and articles. Adriaan Basson (2020), editor of News24, also called for a boycott against aQuellé, the Mission’s bottling plant. In order to avoid attracting negative publicity, major retailers, such as Game, Food Lovers, Macro, Massmart, Pick ‘n Pay, Spar and Woolworths, swiftly withdrew aQuellé products. A boycott against the Mission’s Emseni farming produce followed soon afterwards.

The question arises if this trial by media was an effort to curb cult activities, or whether it was a case of disgruntled former members seeking to paint an entire organisation with the same brush. Should the latter be true, the Mission’s true character could easily be misrepresented globally, and could result in the ostracism of its members and their children. Conversely, as some outwardly impressive ministries have, in the past, fallen into serious errors or scandal, it remains important for Christians to take such charges seriously rather than ‘circling the wagons’ and blindly defending a ministry.

The KwaSizabantu case led to the realisation of the importance of having a tool to evaluate adherence to orthodox Christianity, both in dogma and in practice. Protestant Christians should have a clear set of criteria to evaluate and recommend adjustments to the teachings and practices of Christian groups within their circle. In this article, we use ‘Protestant Christianity’ to refer to Christians who maintain belief in the classic ‘solas’ of the Protestant Reformation: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fides, solus Christus and soli Deo gloria. We seek to develop a two-tier Protestant evaluative framework (2TPEF) as an evaluative tool. The tool is then applied to the current KwaSizabantu Mission controversy in order to determine possible ‘cultic’ or aberrant tendencies relative to traditional Christianity. The 2TPEF not only serves as a tool for identifying cults but also helps religious groups to evaluate their beliefs relative to Protestant Christianity.

This qualitative study consists of two phases. During phase 1, the literature from various databases, such as EBSCOhost, JStor, Google Scholar and Scopus, was searched using terms such as ‘cult’, ‘evaluation’, ‘Christian’ and ‘protestant’. From these searches, prominent scholars within the cult research field were identified, such as Martin (1955), McDowell and Stewart (1982), Melton (2014), Roberts (2015) and Stoker (2020). After a review of typical characteristics of cults, characteristics proven to be a consensus of multiple sources were selected for the 2TPEF (see Table 1). The synthesised 2TPEF was then checked at face value by two independent scholars on cults. After some minor adjustments, this framework was applied to the KwaSizabantu Mission within an evaluative case study.

During phase 2, both key informant sampling (Patton 2015:284) and snowball sampling (Patton 2015:270; Yin 2016:95) methods with insiders were applied to select as interviewees, individuals who could offer rich cultural and historic information on the ministry of KwaSizabantu, and its founder and director, Erlo Stegen. A combination of these sampling methods identified various key informants who were not on the initial list. The interviewees included individuals who worked with Erlo Stegen during most of his ministry’s time span, traditional and community leaders, members of the Zulu nobility and ministers of the gospel.

Further data were gleaned from the Exodus film (a News24 documentary on KwaSizabantu), newspaper articles, several academic writings and reports on KwaSizabantu, 50 transcribed sermons, 20 interviews and 20 newsletters. Moreover, the writings and allegations of critics, such as Botha (2019), Greeff (2003) and Pilon (2016), as well as the News24 Exodus film and reviews of it, were analysed. Data obtained from these sources provided a ‘thick description’ of the nature, structure, leadership and members of the KwaSizabantu Mission and criticisms thereof. The use of multiple sources of data enhanced source (data) triangulation (Flick 2018:191) and promoted internal validity (Merriam & Tisdell 2016:244, 245, 252; Yin 2016:87).

Data obtained from these various sources were merged, condensed and analysed (Miles, Huberman & Saldana 2014:12). The corresponding codes were allocated to data pertaining to descriptors contained within the 2TPEF. Further rigour was ensured by continuously moving back and forth between data and descriptors within the TPEF (Merriam & Tisdell 2016:202).

In search of an adequate yardstick to evaluate the errant beliefs and practices of cults, we collected commonly cited principles from various esteemed authors on the topic. Table 1 describes the resulting set of criteria.

Table 1 displays 12 main groupings of characteristics listed by scholars in two different domains: doctrinal and practical or psychological. The evaluation of any group that claims to be Christian should begin with key doctrines, such as the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the authority of the Bible and the nature of sin and salvation, comparing the group’s statements with orthodox positions to identify differences, if any (Melton 2014). However, as groups may appear to affirm orthodox Christian doctrine, yet act in ethical or abusive ways, doctrinal criteria must be accompanied by practical and psychological criteria.

In order to consider the effectiveness of the 2PTEF as an evaluative tool, we applied it to the KwaSizabantu case. We obtained doctrinal information on the Mission from KwaSizabantu’s website, services conducted by Rev Erlo Stegen and research studies of Hugo (1988), Van Rooy (1986), Kitshoff and Basson (1985), Oosthuizen (1985) and (Kim 2011). Because of the controversy and sharp difference in opinions concerning KwaSizabantu’s actual practices and the accusations of serious abuse, for the practical or psychological criteria, we relied, in part, on the findings of an independent panel that recently investigated the Mission’s practices.

The following prime allegations were levelled against the Mission within the media:

Each of these allegations were investigated by an independent panel and will be dealt with within the broader framework of 2TPEF.

As a result of the seriousness of the charges lodged against KwaSizabantu and reported in the media, the Mission created an external committee, who, in turn, appointed an independent panel of two well-respected individuals who had no prior contact with the Mission and mandated them to conduct their own investigation and publish their findings independently. KwaSizabantu Mission covered the panel’s costs but had no role in the selection of its members. The panel members include Peter Le Mottee, an attorney with a bachelor’s degree in Theology, and advocate Khumbu Shazi, who previously assisted the Scorpions¹ in prosecuting cases of organised crime, money laundering and sexual offences. After their investigation, the panel reported the following findings:

Thus, the main allegations of former members against the Mission, as reported by News24 and other media organisations, were unfounded.

After an in-depth evaluation of KwaSizabantu, using the criteria listed in Table 1, the following inferences are displayed in Table 2.

There is substantial evidence that KwaSizabantu upholds doctrinal and practical essentials in Protestant Christianity. This section focuses on practical essentials, which seem to have been misrepresented by the media and critics of KwaSizabantu.

Table 2 summarises the assessment of KwaSizabantu on each of the criteria presented in the 2PTEF. The following two inferences can be drawn:

The application of 2TPEF indicates that KwaSizabantu is theologically orthodox, and that the practical and psychological charges against it are unfounded.

The proposed evaluative framework developed in this study has potential for two applications. It can enable Protestant communities to monitor the periphery of their religious circle against cultic activities, whilst enabling groups facing criticism to provide suitable evidence of the legitimacy of their religious stance.

When accusations are made against any religious group, there can be two unfortunate results: legitimate concerns can be dismissed, or false allegations may be believed or amplified in such a way as to harm the work of a valuable organisation. The 2PTEF does not address all possible forms of inappropriate teaching or behaviour by an ostensibly Christian entity, but it offers useful guidance for a usually achievable investigation of key matters of doctrine and practice. A reasonably thorough enquiry into the matters presented in the 2PTEF should provide enough information to determine whether involvement with any specific organisation should be endorsed or discouraged, or if further investigation is needed.

Within any denomination or ministry, disgruntled persons and ex-members may be found. Sometimes there is an honest difference in opinion on important matters, which Christians may disagree on; in other cases, the criticisms allege behaviour, such as sexual or psychological abuse, that no Christians would knowingly support. In the latter type of situation, any allegation should be taken seriously and not ignored, even if the organisation being targeted has had a good reputation up to that point. However, it is unjust towards any Christian ministry to accept the word of the disgruntled and then apply generalisations and sweeping criticisms to the entire ministry.

The recent News24 exposé of KwaSizabantu appears to be an example of such a reaction. Relying only on reports by ex-members, some of whom had left more than 25 years ago, reporters failed to gain in-depth insights into the holistic work carried out by the Mission. In addition, there remains a forensic disconnect between the presumed serious but vague allegations and the lack of corroborated evidence. For example, failure to file a police complaint against the Mission by the aggrieved over the presumed serious allegations obscured the validity and reliability of the claims, making cross-examination impossible. Not surprisingly, a number of these allegations were proved by the independent panel to be incorrect, and evidence of cultic or improper behaviour remains lacking.

The KwaSizabantu case highlights the importance of proper investigation that responsibly examines the credibility of informants and their statements, rather than rushing to a conclusion. Media sources with an incentive to attract viewers or readers may sometimes fall short of appropriate rigour in their evaluation of evidence and their preparation of sensationalistic reports, but Christians who care about treating others with integrity and respect must not do so.

In the evaluation of any ministry, careful discernment and scriptural guidance are required, along with humble recognition that the exclusive ownership of all truth ultimately belongs to God. We, therefore, urge all fellow Christians to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12), as all will be judged through His Word (Jn 12:48) and by Him in the light of eternity. May none of his workers be found wanting on that great day.

The vague use of the term ‘cult’ in popular media has the potential to cause ambiguity, thus damaging the trust in Christ. The objective of this study was to provide a viable 2TPEF to identify cultic characteristics in a religious group. The proposed framework was applied to South Africa’s KwaSizabantu Mission as a case study. Applying the 2TPEF in the case study demonstrates how it operates as a workable tool; in this case, it explained why the KwaSizabantu Mission cannot be viewed as a cult. In addition, the 2TPEF may serve for comparative purposes or used by religious groups themselves to demonstrate their position relative to Protestant Christianity.

The insider position of one of the authors provided a ‘thick-description’ of insider information, which is essential for qualitative research. As this strength may also pose a limitation of subjectivity of this one author, the limitation was offset by incorporating multiple authors with no connection to the Mission. Although time and resources limited opportunity for further research, the amount of material collected led to data saturation.