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  This is an unsafe place. It destroys people.

  Added September 08, 2024 by C.S.
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  Yeah, “cult” is a pretty good way to describe this place. I was a member there for a few years. Before you’re a member you have to sign a document. I think it stated I wouldn’t hold the church liable for anything. Sad that I can’t remember, but before signing I do remember thinking, and to echo what others have said, “Wow, from the few weeks that I’ve observed here, this place is amazing! How can people who are so in tune with God do anything wrong?”
  
  As the years went by I tried to be like everyone who was in leadership at CCK, and to think and live as suggested in the books written by the Sovereign Grace Ministries leaders. I attended evey Singles event, and took part in an accountability group, despite my personally not being a morning person.
  
  While there it felt like my thoughts were being policed by the CCK leadership, and if I said anything that “had no evidence of grace” I would’ve been disciplined. So, kept my head down, kept quiet, and when I had to say something or give an answer I spoke and acted in a manner I thought would be acceptable, if noticed.
  
  And belive me, they are watching. Before landing in the caregroup I was in I hopped around several to check them out. Were there any with singles my age? ‘Cause, contrary to the attitudes of Christian singles subculture, and especially at CCK, this here guy likes attractive girls.
  
  After a few weeks of caregroup shopping, one of the caregroup leaders, soon after I saw him having a conversation with one of the pastors, pulls me aside and asked why I was caregroup hopping, and mentoned that if I wanted to be a member I’d have to stick with one.
  
  After I left the cult I was able to look back with an outside perspective at everything I heard and observed there, and a lot of it confirmed all the little splinters in my mind’s eye:
  
  Every testimony by a member on a Sunday morning or members-only “family meeting” was never about how great God was, it was about how amazing Cornerstone was.
  
  Every book in the bookstore and song played a chruch event was pre-approved by the leadership.
  
  The #1 reason for excommunicating a family is when the husband “fails to lead his family.” What does is mean to fail to lead your family? I have no idea. Singles/married/men/women had a lot of segregation there, caregroups excluded. But I do know on Father’s day they’d have a husband stand up on a Sunday and be applauded by the congregation for taking his daughter on daddy dates, romancing his wife, having well behaved disciplined children, being a role model, etc.
  
  95% of Sunday messages (they don’t call them sermons) have no main point when analyzed with basic writing deconstruction.
  
  Everyone within the church would marry each other with reasoning of that their spouse was the one who they were —supposed- to marry. How did you know if they were the right one? From what I saw, it was when most of the caregroup leaders and pastors approved of it. Even if they didn’t, they’d still marry you, but with much warnings about how it wasn’t going to last.
  
  Before the message, the people at the front doors were the greeters. During the message, they were the security to keep out undesirables, and those who have been forbidden from attending. I kid you not.
  
  And if what all said here on this site isn’t enough, go check out the Sovereign Grace Ministries Survivors blog. CCK is not an isolated incident.

  Added August 02, 2018 by Dan
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  Lmao this bitch a cult

  Added July 01, 2018 by Anon
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  I have attended this church for about ten years now. The people in this church have constantly cared for my family over the years. They have pointed us to the Gospel over and over again. The pastors proclaim the Word of God every week and don't shy away from difficult passages. Relationships are real and deep. God has used this church to reveal his grace over and over!

  Added May 19, 2017 by Jonathan Bradshaw
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  I'm familiar with people there and people who have left. I spent 5 and 1/2 years there. I had a mixed experience at this church that I largely got over while there. I had a lot of growth and a lot to "unlearn" and baggage after leaving. This aspect is what makes it different from just another imperfect church... and dangerous in my opinion.
  
  I would be aware of these topics "love bombing", "the shepherding movement", "gaslighting" (often hidden under total depravity), "sovereign grace ministries", "I kissed dating goodbye" critiques, and ask CCK about their outreach in community. They tend to be strictly traditional/patriarchal as well where unfortunately unreasonable expectations are asked of women and also marriages. (And women are policed.) This community over- involvement in private matters pushes it into almost cult territory on occasion.
  
  I think you may see that they operate on the funnel principle for outreach where they weed out a lot of people through their homeschooling and college ministries while not being truly caring, active, and compassionate in their greater community as other churches. They also have an authoritarian bent whether intentional or not; Their polity is not always followed in practice as a result of their elders.
  
  Also, I felt like critical thinking is not encouraged there. Conformity is holiness. "Thought crime" exists within their view of total depravity which muddies many discussions with pastors. (One should always read beyond the church bookstore.) There is a very real "indoctrination" here that occurs on many levels... including unhealthy ones. (This leaves no room for personal interpretation or Christian freedom in practice.) Some words simply don't mean the same thing there (like "slander" and "fear of man") which is cause for alarm. Members will paint an overly rosy picture without seeing faults, out of fear, as I once did.
  
  Also, the church does not interact often with other Christians in the west Knox area or at UT. The hands feed themselves and the feet circle the wagons (and the various cliques) here. Read the other reviews and ask the right questions.
  
  They are gifted in administration so execute events well... so things will always look good on the surface. Look beneath it.

  Added April 28, 2017 by Dave Mac
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  As someone who attended this Church for 11 years and a brother in Christ, I will not discourage you from visiting or attending Cornerstone, but, I warn you: be very careful.
  
  There is more than meets the eye here. This church is not what it seems to be at first glance and is extremely misleading.
  
  Cornerstone Church of Knoxville is a part of a religious organization named Sovereign Grace Churches (which recently changed its name from Sovereign Grace Ministries in order to restructure). This religious organization is officially registered and recognized as a cult by the Cult Education Institute (CEI). The CEI is a not for profit organization (who are long-standing members of the American Library Association) and are the forefront academic American authority of cult related news and activities.
  
  As expected of a cult, the leadership of the church (and the organization that it is affiliated with) practices intentional organized abuse and manipulation on a daily basis and carefully crafted a culture that does the same.
  
  For example: This organization carefully prunes information it perceives as negative or dissenting. It's social media profile on Facebook is carefully scrubbed of perceived negative information and at this time has 65 reviews at a 4.8 of 5 rating. This is in stark contrast with Google reviews. The only reviews allowed on their Facebook page by the church that are not 5 or 4 stars are those which are void of content. They routinely delete or report anything perceived as negative.
  
  As Garry Kasparov stated: “The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.”
  
  Though what they do may seem wonderful and even miraculous in the beginning, do not be fooled. Their agenda is very secretive and in the long term, they will brainwash you through a slippery slope of slowly violating your conscience through various means of manipulation. Cornerstone then creates a desire to remain through the sunken cost fallacy and enforced through gas lighting and double binding. The cult then sports their truth claims through various testimonial fallacies of authoritative figures and liberal love bombing in order to create an unending hype train of distraction and propaganda of ever shifting "critical issues."
  
  Cornerstone does all of this while intentionally hiding behind the Gospel and routinely weaponizes​ theology to produce feelings of loathing, self-doubt, and learned helplessness both individually and corporately.
  
  Additionally, this church formally and theologically views women as inferior to men and is intensely mysogininstic. It refuses to let women participate in any role that has any authority over any man. They are not even allowed to lead Bible studies that have any men in them. Women are not even allowed to head the church's women's ministry. This is a great example of intentionally annihilating truth. The scriptural precedent is clear:
  
  Pheobe - Romans 16 (Deacon)
  Junia - Romans 16 (Apostle)
  The Office of Widow Eldership - Timothy 5
  The Office of Women Elders - Titus 2 (referred to as presbyters - ie Elders)
  
  There are many more examples throughout scripture, but, I encourage you to do your own study.
  
  As in any cult, you must conform or you will be ostracised. In this, Cornerstone calls the Gospel "the main thing" and you need to keep it as they see fit or you will be publically shamed and formally weeded out through shunning and church discipline. They practice formal excommunication on 3-4 people/families per year.
  
  Cornerstone is at the confluence of cult and Christianity, but, that is why it is so dangerous. This organization is a cult. Do not be fooled.
  
  In the end, this church ends up being about church purity and and it's leadership as opposed to God or the Gospel. This fact is simply heartbreaking.
  
  My heart goes out to the members of this church. There are many kind hearted and well meaning people there. Please keep them in your prayers.

  Added March 07, 2017 by Jonathan Kelfer
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  People are very nice, but the organization this church is apart of is a cult. Run...don't walk...away. It'll take the rest of my life to sort through all the false teaching. If you're apart of CCK, and you see red flags, that creepy feeling in your gut is not "indwelling sin." It's your God-given conscience trying to tell you something! If it walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and smells like a duck...it's a DUCK! Get out and don't look back.
  
  PS: Notice that the positive reviews use a lot of the same language. Members parrot each other's phrases and they don't mean what they seem to mean. Example: "No church is perfect" = "Dig a hole in the sand and insert your head.....nothing to see here...if I say things are great long enough, maybe I'll eventually believe it." How do I know? Because I spent 7 years of my life spouting off the same catch phrases. Be very careful and read between the lines.

  Added September 21, 2016 by Katie Mitchell
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  My wife and I have been attending this church for over 10 years and we love this place! You will never find more caring or inviting people.

  Added August 09, 2016 by Adam Slack