"In Oct. 2008 Self-proclaimed ‘bishop’ Brian Tamaki told supporters Destiny Church is planning to create a ‘holy city’ for its followers in the heart of South Auckland.
Back then 3 News, New Zealand, wrote that
Mark Vrankovich from Cultwatch says Tamaki’s plans are dangerous, because his followers will be isolated from society.
“There is a danger there that the people will focus on Brian as their only source of reality,” he says, “and then if Brian becomes deranged or goes extremely strange we could end up with a Waco.”
At the church’s annual conference in Rotorua on Friday night, Tamaki spent his entire two-hour sermon talking about how God had told him to build the city and why his followers had to lose their “parochialism” towards their home areas, even if it meant leaving behind loved ones.
Cult expert Mark Vrankovich said the speech was designed to “soften up” Tamaki’s followers and the real pressure to move to South Auckland would come with one-on-one sessions with local pastors.
“Saying that the church family is more important than your physical family, that you must go with the spiritual family, is a classic cult idea. This will put great pressure on families and break up families.”
Vrankovich was also concerned that Tamaki appeared to be encouraging people to sell their homes. “They’ll be pressured to give the money from the house sale to the church, and they’ll never see it again. He’s extracting money from people for his dream, and something that he will effectively own. He wants to be mayor or king of this ‘city’ so he’s softening them up to get them to move [to Auckland] so he’s guaranteed not to be losing money on the deal.” AucklandNow
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:Galatians 1:6
