Theological Institute of Nîmes
Encyclopedia
The Theological Institute of Nîmes (also named ITN) is a Baptist
-oriented college and seminary created in Uchaud
, Gard
, in 1989 by Louis DeMeo, a Baptist
pastor of the American Greater Grace World Outreach
Church. Thereafter, the institute moved to Montpellier. This institute was mainly known for its inclusion on the list of dangerous cult
s established by the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France in the 1995 report, which led to a public controversy involving the American Department of State and several international associations which disapproved the decision.
Church, whose heartquarters are located in Baltimore
, Maryland
. However, in spite of the ties of its founder with the American church, the ITN was organized as "an independent Baptist group", as noted by Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne
. Expert of evangelical
Protestantism
Sébastien Fath
said that the ITN was "originally characterized by voluntary isolation from all French evangelical existing networks", a "very pronounced anti-social speech, almost self-sufficient practices". He also said that it was in "considerable out of phase with its environment, coupled with a propensity for a victimizing reading of its situation (though more due to its wanted isolation than its religious identity)", but he also said that the situation would have changed since. After several years of existence, the college was closed on the ground of "illegal operation of a private school", and moved to Montpellier
where it took another name.
in the 1995 parliamentary reports. Following this classification, pastor Louis DeMeo who directed the Institute testified before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
, in Washington, DC, arguing violations of religious freedom by the French government. DeMeo said that his Institute underwent an alleged "persecution" just after the publication of the parliamentary report. He mentioned as examples an explosion and four burned cars by a stranger, problems of bank accounts for several ITN students, refusal of a building permit for a church, the fact that two members were fired from their jobs, accusations of brainwashing on children, and denial of access to a public hall. He said that the inclusion of ITN on the cults list was "extremely unjust, given the fact [they] have never been given an official hearing or explanation for [their] inclusion on this list", and generated discriminatory behaviors.
As the ITN is Baptist-oriented, which is one of the main religions in United States, its inclusion in the list of dangerous cults received much attention from the US Department of State which strongly criticized this decision and devoted to this four paragraphs in its 1999 Annual Report on Religious Freedom. The Institute received support from several organizations through their officials who defended it. For example, the Rutherford Institute
, an international civil liberties and human rights legal defense organization, wrote to Alain Vivien
, then member of the Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les sectes, to ask him to remove the ITN from the list of cults. Willy Fautré, a member of Human Rights Without Frontiers
, criticized the fact that the ITN was presented in the media as "a disturbing tentacular organisation" and the pastor as a "guru". Member of the United States Department of State's Commission of International Religious Freedom Jeremy T. Gunn met the MILS on 6 April 1999 and discussed about the Institute, reiterating DeMeo's claims to the anti-cult organization.
According to its critics, DeMeo's parent church, the Greater Grace World Outreach, would be "a fellow traveler of the Church of Scientology
". The MILS pointed out that complaints for the cars destroyed were the subject of police investigations which were unable to attribute the origin of this incident to external responsibilities, because of a lack of evidence. In the press, former ITN followers criticized the institute for important calls for donation, pressures exerted on the followers, interventions in private life, family breakdowns and demonization of the external world.
On 27 May 2005, the 1995 annex of the French report and cult classifications in which the Institute was listed, were officially cancelled and invalidated by Jean-Pierre Raffarin
's circulaire.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-oriented college and seminary created in Uchaud
Uchaud
Uchaud is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
, in 1989 by Louis DeMeo, a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
pastor of the American Greater Grace World Outreach
Greater Grace World Outreach
Greater Grace World Outreach is an affiliation of nondenominational. evangelical Christian churches that emphasize grace, the finished work, and missions. The headquarters of Greater Grace World Outreach is currently located at its megachurch in Baltimore, Maryland. GGWO was founded by Carl H....
Church. Thereafter, the institute moved to Montpellier. This institute was mainly known for its inclusion on the list of dangerous cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s established by the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France in the 1995 report, which led to a public controversy involving the American Department of State and several international associations which disapproved the decision.
History
Established in 1989, the institute was directed by Louis DeMeo, a pastor of the American Greater Grace World OutreachGreater Grace World Outreach
Greater Grace World Outreach is an affiliation of nondenominational. evangelical Christian churches that emphasize grace, the finished work, and missions. The headquarters of Greater Grace World Outreach is currently located at its megachurch in Baltimore, Maryland. GGWO was founded by Carl H....
Church, whose heartquarters are located in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. However, in spite of the ties of its founder with the American church, the ITN was organized as "an independent Baptist group", as noted by Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist and intellectual property consultant. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions , an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of tens of books and articles in...
. Expert of evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Sébastien Fath
Sébastien Fath
Sebastien Fath is a French professional historian and a Ph.D at the Sorbonne University. Also trained in Sociology, he is the main French specialist in the study of Evangelical Protestantism. Author of fourteen books, he is a permanent researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research...
said that the ITN was "originally characterized by voluntary isolation from all French evangelical existing networks", a "very pronounced anti-social speech, almost self-sufficient practices". He also said that it was in "considerable out of phase with its environment, coupled with a propensity for a victimizing reading of its situation (though more due to its wanted isolation than its religious identity)", but he also said that the situation would have changed since. After several years of existence, the college was closed on the ground of "illegal operation of a private school", and moved to Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
where it took another name.
Reception
In France, the Institute was classified as a cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
in the 1995 parliamentary reports. Following this classification, pastor Louis DeMeo who directed the Institute testified before the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate...
, in Washington, DC, arguing violations of religious freedom by the French government. DeMeo said that his Institute underwent an alleged "persecution" just after the publication of the parliamentary report. He mentioned as examples an explosion and four burned cars by a stranger, problems of bank accounts for several ITN students, refusal of a building permit for a church, the fact that two members were fired from their jobs, accusations of brainwashing on children, and denial of access to a public hall. He said that the inclusion of ITN on the cults list was "extremely unjust, given the fact [they] have never been given an official hearing or explanation for [their] inclusion on this list", and generated discriminatory behaviors.
As the ITN is Baptist-oriented, which is one of the main religions in United States, its inclusion in the list of dangerous cults received much attention from the US Department of State which strongly criticized this decision and devoted to this four paragraphs in its 1999 Annual Report on Religious Freedom. The Institute received support from several organizations through their officials who defended it. For example, the Rutherford Institute
Rutherford Institute
The Rutherford Institute is a non-profit group based in Charlottesville, Virginia dedicated to the defense of civil liberties, human rights, and religious liberty. It was founded in 1982 by John W. Whitehead...
, an international civil liberties and human rights legal defense organization, wrote to Alain Vivien
Alain Vivien
Alain Vivien is a French Socialist Party politician, best known for chairing the French Mission Interministérielle pour la Lutte contre les Sectes, MILS, a ministerial organism designed to observe the activities of various religious organizations defined as "Sectes" .-Early career:He was mayor of...
, then member of the Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les sectes, to ask him to remove the ITN from the list of cults. Willy Fautré, a member of Human Rights Without Frontiers
Human Rights Without Frontiers
Human Rights Without Frontiers is a non-profit organization based out of Brussels, Belgium, that promotes human rights around the world. It has offices in Belgium, Nepal, and China.- History :...
, criticized the fact that the ITN was presented in the media as "a disturbing tentacular organisation" and the pastor as a "guru". Member of the United States Department of State's Commission of International Religious Freedom Jeremy T. Gunn met the MILS on 6 April 1999 and discussed about the Institute, reiterating DeMeo's claims to the anti-cult organization.
According to its critics, DeMeo's parent church, the Greater Grace World Outreach, would be "a fellow traveler of the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
". The MILS pointed out that complaints for the cars destroyed were the subject of police investigations which were unable to attribute the origin of this incident to external responsibilities, because of a lack of evidence. In the press, former ITN followers criticized the institute for important calls for donation, pressures exerted on the followers, interventions in private life, family breakdowns and demonization of the external world.
On 27 May 2005, the 1995 annex of the French report and cult classifications in which the Institute was listed, were officially cancelled and invalidated by Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Jean-Pierre Raffarin is a French conservative politician and senator for Vienne.Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as the Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005, resigning after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. However, after Raffarin...
's circulaire.