Book Review of Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults
Several years ago, I watched an episode of the series “People Magazine Investigates: Cults” about a church in Spindale, North Carolina called “Word of Faith.” I was astonished at what I learned, and could see why the church is being considered called a cult by former members and other people who learn about it.
The church was founded in 1979 by Sam and Jane Whaley. While Sam had formal training as a minister, Jane, who went to college to study education and eventually worked as a high school math teacher, did not. It didn’t take long before Jane declared herself a prophet and took over as the leader of the Word of Faith. Sam remains largely in the background. Jane Whaley is now 84 years old but from what I can tell, her iron-fisted grip over her 750+ North Carolina followers remains strong, and they have congregants from churches in Brazil and Ghana as well.
Why Didn’t They Just Leave?
When I first read stories about the church, and their alleged abuses, I, like many others, wondered to myself, “why didn’t people just leave?” People who join the Word of Faith Fellowship do so only by invitation, and many of them are recruited by friends, family members, and employers. They are treated respectfully at first, given jobs and gifts by members of the church, and feel a sense of security. But that doesn’t last long.
The book “Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults,” published by investigative journalists Holbrook Mohr and Mitch Weiss, shares the stories of several survivors who have left the church. They detail their experiences, and you’ll find that many of the survivors were brought up in the church from a very young age. It’s difficult to leave if your entire family is still obligated to the church. If you leave the church without your family, prepare to be shunned by anyone still left in the church. The more affluent members of Word of Faith own many of the businesses in the town of Spindale. Word of Faith members are encouraged to take jobs at these companies, essentially putting their livelihood in the church’s hands, and in fact, church members were involved in an unemployment scandal several years back during the pandemic.
Families Torn Apart
Families are separated and children are placed with other families, so that if a parent tries to leave the church it’s impossible to take their children with them. Children are indoctrinated to believe that their parents will go to hell if they leave the church. Members are tormented both physically and psychologically, according to the numerous interviews conducted by Mohr and Weiss. Ministers assigned to families are put in charge of “disciplining the children” when “they get out of line.” I think I was most astonished by the fact that the Word of Faith Fellowship sued the Rutherford County Department of Social Services, and won, resulting in the following information I found in “Broken Faith” as well as an article published by news outlet WLOS:
The settlement resulted from a federal lawsuit filed against the county agency in 2003 by 12 church families who contended they were being targeted because of their religious beliefs.
Carroll (the Rutherford County Child Protection Agency director) has repeatedly declined to discuss why he settled the suit, but he said the agreement “does not prevent us from fulfilling our statutory obligation to protect children.”
As part of the compromise, the agency agreed to pay the church $300,000 and guaranteed that abuse inquiries could no longer be solely based on objections to such core sect practices as “blasting,” when congregants surround a church member and shriek, sometimes for hours, in an attempt to expel demons.
“Blasting” is described in great length in the book, and it’s horrifying. You can also find clips online of this technique being used in the actual church. Even the youngest infants in the congregation are screamed at by other congregants in order to “get their demons out.”
They Look Like Everyone Else, Maybe Even Better
Members of the church hold positions as physicians, attorneys, politicians, etc. and their money and influence has worn down the local prosecutor’s office to the point where they don’t want to try any cases accusing the church of assault and battery, child abuse, extortion, and much more. But, only the people Jane Whaley approves of are allowed to continue their education. The church has a private school where the children of members attend. If they want to go to college, most of them are encouraged to go to the local community college, and they must go in pairs so they can keep an eye on one another. The same goes if members are accepted to four-year institutions. You’ll also find’s Jane’s influence over married couples and what they can or cannot do in their own bedrooms, eye-opening.
Inside Edition
In 1995, the television show “Inside Edition” ran a series focused on the church. This only emboldened Jane Whaley and the Word of Faith Fellowship to explain why members cannot read newspapers, watch television, read books, or view any other materials where people can “print lies about them and make false accusations.” There is a whole section of the church’s website titled “Response to Media Lies,” featuring very scripted and polished videos and statements of members proclaiming how wonderful their church is. Also, no one is allowed to just walk in an attend a service. You must be invited. This is not how most churches operate.
The church continues to categorically deny any and all accusations about them. I encourage you to read this book and hear the survivor stories yourself—although if you’re like me, you’ll feel nothing but anger and frustration by the end because nothing has been done to stop an egregious abuse of power by one organization and their “prophet.” Even the state of North Carolina seems to have washed their hands of responsibility.