(4 / 5)
“The Devil Next Door” takes a look at Spindale, North Carolina. It appears to be an average American town but hidden inside lies a church that is steeped in scandal. The Word of Faith Fellowship, led by Jane Whaley, proclaims to be a devout Christian church, but former members tell a different story: one of violence and exploitation. It’s the mission of these former members to convince those still inside, including their own loved ones and children, to break away from the Church. Is Jane’s power finally about to come to an end?
As sort of a cross between a documentary and a reality television show, “The Devil Next Door” graphically frames the exploits of an ostensibly Christian organization gone off the deep end – in this case, the North Carolina-based “Word of Faith Fellowship Church” run by Jane Whaley. As becomes apparent in the course of the series, indiscriminant and unilateral rules made by Whaley run roughshod over its cowed membership.
Prior to viewing the documentary, I confess to ignorance regarding the term “blasting,” which apparently employs screams and physical abuse to drive some imagined devil demon out of an infant’s body. Former members describe the church as a cult, and audiences will not find this description an exaggeration.
Produced by Collins Avenue, Elaine Frontain Bryant, the A&E executive vice president and head of programming brings this disturbing story to the cable network. The filmmakers interview several former church members who have managed to break away from the possessive, cult-like organization.
Obsessed not only with demons, but also money and sex, the church orchestrates every aspect of its member’s lives – where they work, what they wear, where they go to school, and the mechanics of sexual relationships. Word of Faith prohibits television or magazines and makes members financially dependent.
The nature of the collective reminded me at several points of comments by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges about how religious fundamentalists often retreat into a world of magical thinking. Logic and rational thought are simply cast aside in the process.The A&E series focuses on families that managed to break from Word of Faith. Most are divorced parents living in Charlotte, a one-hour, twenty-minute drive from Spindale, North Carolina, where the church is located. One of these former members, Sarah Anderson, shares custody of her son, Aden with her ex-husband, still a church member.
Sarah and her ex-husband continue to battle for custody of Aden. Despite a court order prohibiting “blasting,” Sarah remains convinced that it still occurs. During the exchanges of Aden, both sides make video recordings of the interactions with each other for possible use in court.
Perhaps most distressing is the degree to which Aden has been affected. In one particularly unsettling scene, Aden sits alone in an empty living room, screaming or “blasting” at no one in particular.
Church leaders systematically create a divide between parent and child relationships in order to break the power of those natural bonds. One former member describes the approach as Cult 101. Over time, Word of Faith separates older children from their parents by sending them to live with church ministers, who ramp up the indoctrination.
Word of Faith members and administrators declined requests for interviews. They instead directed the film’s producers to the church’s website where their lawyer and member, Mark Morris, forcibly denies the claims. Nonetheless, hidden recordings by former members strongly suggest otherwise.
“The Devil Next Door” demonstrates how delusional behavior by religious groups, under whatever banner, invariably morphs into a bizarre departure from reality. As dogmatic fervor supplants reason and fact, the resulting social dysfunction harms everyone within reach of its tentacles.
Premieres on A&E Tuesday, November 27th at 10 PM ET/PT
I thank all those involved in A & E. The shows are informative, honest, open-minded, fair, and exceptional. I do hope the 6 part series ‘The Devil Next Door’ will be aired as the November 27th original date did not happen. My thanks again for all that you do. P.S. the ‘Live PD’ is excellent in helping the ordinary everyday kind of person see police in a much better way!