If you are in the crowd that has already decided Chi Alpha (XA) is a cult there is no point in reading this article. If you are in the crowd willing to listen to a measured and balanced presentation of the issues, PLEASE keep reading this article. [At the end of the PDF version is a table with timestamps and my comments in direct response to various video segments.]

My name is Al Baker. I came into XA in 1982. I am 66 yrs old and have been a Christian for almost 50 years. You can find a bullet list bio of my life.

I watched the video by UnReligiously and my heart was filled with sadness. I decided to respond for several reasons, but the first thing I want to say is: "I am sorry for any trauma suffered by anyone while in XA." Sadly, I saw signs of some of the abuse described in the video. I was near ground zero of one aberrant XA group, but was unaware of the details until the situation blew up. I will come back to this personal story further down. [Again, at the end of this article I have timestamps and my comments in direct response to various video segments.]

Here is a quick bio of my life from XA to the present:
- 14 yrs as a XA pastor - 11 yrs at the Univ. of Alabama (1986-1997)
- XA Rep for the Assemblies of God in Alabama for 7 years
- PhD in Church History (St Andrews Univ, Scotland) - finished in 2001
- 12 yrs as a pastor of two small churches (Scotland and Alabama)
- 8 yrs as mostly an adjunct at three small universities
- currently teaching at Continental Theological Seminary (Belgium)

Download a PDF version here:

My XA years were 1982-1997. I was the first full-time XA pastor for the southeast region that included North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. I witnessed several struggling XA groups over my 14 years. These groups were typically led by someone who stepped into university ministry without going through the structured internship training in XA.

Some of these complaints and stories are very real, however, some of these complaints (and the manner/tone of expression) lead me to believe that there is also some "group think" and a knee-jerk reaction happening. I want to address both sides, so take notes if you like, but keep an open mind.

Hypocrisy is Everywhere
It always amazes me how people who have an axe to grind struggle to be objective. Everything is seen through a bias as if there is NO gray area. Complaints are structured with no nuance. There is little or no acknowledgement that life is filled with gray areas and tension.

How many college football coaches (before the portal and NIL) were caught paying players, or providing alcohol/sex driven recruiting parties, or having sex with a secretary (or a cheerleader)? Yet, most people continue watching college football.
How many politicians have been caught doing stupid things like insider trading or taking PAC money from corporations (basically bribes to buy votes on legislation)? Most of the time, if such a politician is in the party a person votes for, they will NOT stop voting for that party. That is hypocrisy on the part of the politician AND the voter.
There are medical doctors who have breached the public trust by pushing certain drugs because the drug companies give them some kind of kickback. Very few people will stop going to see a doctor because SOME of them have been stupid.
There are lawyers who have bribed judges or witnesses, or withheld discovery evidence to win a court case. Many lawyers every year are disbarred for breaking the law. Lawyers are oftentimes hated for this kind of hypocrisy, yet when you need legal help you will likely still try to find a good lawyer.
How many junior high and high school teachers have abused their position by engaging in sexual activity with a student? Yet many people still send their children to a public school in spite of this kind of hypocrisy.
I could go on endlessly pointing out hypocrisy. There is hypocrisy in every single vocation...in every single organization...in every single religious group.

Yet not every football coach is guilty. Not every politician, not every lawyer or doctor, and not every school teacher is guilty.

The Majority is Almost NEVER Guilty
Most football coaches are NOT doing stupid things. Most doctors and lawyers are NOT lying or breaking the law. Most school teachers ARE NOT sexual predators.

It is far too easy to label everyone in a group for the failures, "sins" and hypocrisy of the few. It is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of wanting "justice" while failing to be objective. Think of how many people have been wrongly accused and how it ruins their lives...even after being acquitted.

We are ALL Hypocrites!
Since this issue is about Christian hypocrisy, please allow me to use a few important Jesus principles. (I am not going to quote these or cite chapter/verse.)
- before you cast judgment, remove the log from your own eye
- if you are without sin go ahead and throw the first stone
- make sure before you judge that you openly proclaim "God have mercy on ME for I am also a sinner"
- don't grab your fellow servant by the throat and have him/her thrown into prison because they owe you a debt

I have been a Christian for almost 50 years now - and I am a hypocrite.
I have served as a pastor and missionary - yet I have sins, flaws and struggles.
I do things I know I should not do.
I say things when I should keep my mouth shut.
I think thoughts that I KNOW are not honoring to God.
I KNOW that I AM a hypocrite.

Here is a paraphrase of a Jonathan Edwards statement in his book Religious Affections (this is not an exact quote, from memory)

I heard very little humility in the UnReligiously video. I heard very little nuance, almost no admission that "not everyone is guilty." I do not recall that anyone stated their own flaws or failures. I heard condemnation of ALL XA people for the failures of a minority. The complaints I am hearing about XA being a cult point at intolerance and a judgmental attitude - I believe some of these things have happened, yet the entire video and most of the comments are made with an intolerant and judgmental tone.

Congratulations!
Many of those who spoke up have qualified themselves as candidates of the very thing they condemn.
Join the club.
You are also a hypocrite.

I am not accusing anyone of lying nor have I made excuses for bad, sinful and unacceptable practices. I know that many of the accusations are real...and true. I know this because I have seen it myself. That brings me to my personal experience.

Cult-like Behavior I Know About
In my travels leading a church, being a guest speaker for XA groups, and speaking in other churches from time to time I have had XA students come to me, expressing some of the same kinds of issues that I am hearing about in this video. These were young men and women in different XA groups.

Then XA began to experience openly negative feedback, similar to and worse than what is covered on the video. This led to investigations of a few XA groups in different states. Some campus groups were shut down, with young men and women having their license or ordination credentials revoked. It has been a very difficult time for anyone involved in XA and for those like me who love XA and have served, but also have moved on into new opportunities.

Problems like what is addressed on the video and more were brought into the open. I have now read accounts and watched two more videos with complaints from students against XA leaders and groups. The complaints have common themes. I was able to contact a few of the students who had tried to tell me their story.

This article I am writing is not meant to diminish the stories of young men and women who have been hurt, intimidated or shamed. But those who are hearing or reading these accounts need to know that things are not always as clear as what you see, or think you see. Like this video, we are only hearing one side of the story. I do not want to cause more hurt to anyone: not to those who are insisting that XA is a cult, nor to the good men and women who are working to reach university students and ARE NOT LIKE those who are being held accountable.

The Possible Cause of Cultic Behavior
Many of the complaints in the video and those I have read ARE cult-like. These controlling activities are now being addressed by good XA leadership.

Around the year 2000 XA began experiencing tremendous growth.
In addition to XA groups growing into the hundreds of students, XA pastors and graduating seniors started going on the mission field. Hundreds of XA graduates have gone to the nations of unreached people groups. This growth led to an intense felt need for more workers on US campuses. In my opinion (this whole article is only MY OPINION) this explosive growth led to lowering the standards for our internship training programs.

When you take zealous young men in their mid-20's and send them out without solid training you can easily get arrogant XA pastors who use control-based techniques to grow their ministry. In the corporate world it is commonly called "young man's disease." Young men who are driven to succeed and use their students as a means to an end. Many of these young men (and women) see these students as workers rather than the sons and daughters of parents.

Wow, Dr. Baker. How do you know these things? Because I was that young man during my first 2-3 years in XA service. I never used the techniques I heard in this video, but I was too aggressive. It took a few years and having my first child, then my outlook began to change. I realized that the ministry was NOT MINE (it was God's) and these young men and women belonged to parents. They were somebody's child. It was a powerful change in my life.

Chi Alpha is NOT a Cult
For every single person you produce with a testimony of cult-like behavior and/or techniques, I can produce 100 XA students and alumni who will tell you they NEVER saw junk like this. Some would give you powerful testimonies of being saved from a self-destructive lifestyle. Some would tell you about finding a solid gathering of students who truly DID become like family. They will became lifetime friends. You would hear testimonies of TRUE miracles, not fake ones where you are urged to believe without evidence. I personally witnessed two miracles while in the Univ of Alabama XA that included evidence seen by a medical doctor. If you do not believe in miracles - Fine. Have it your way. As an expert in early Christian history I can tell you Christianity has always believed in the miraculous. Miracles do not happen very often - that is why they are called "miracles."

I have friends serving in XA and as missionaries all over the world. NONE of my XA friends used the techniques I have heard and read about in these complaints. Most of my XA friends are older now, like me. But I have former students and friends serving all over the world: Japan, Belgium, Eastern Europe, in the Middle East, all around the USA, and some serving in "closed" nations that I will not name. NONE of my XA colleagues do the stupid stuff reported in these complaints.

Conclusion - The END
So, please stop calling XA a cult. IF you want to say that SOME XA groups have used (or are using) cult-like techniques - be specific. Call them out by name and by their campus. ALL of my XA colleagues want these people held accountable.

I welcome ANYONE to send me an email. I respond to every single serious message I receive. IF you troll me I will simply ignore you. I will give you my phone number so you call me or text me. I am NOT afraid to discuss ANYTHING with you.

Just STOP calling XA a cult.
When you do this YOU are failing to be objective. You are arguing solely with your emotion and presuppositions. You are slandering all of the XA workers and students out there who have NOT done the stupid stuff you are complaining about. In fact, they condemn it. AND you become the very thing you hate...a hypocrite.

R.A. Baker
Ph.D. Ecclesiastical History

I welcome comments, questions and disagreements:
abaker@churchhistory101.com