This commentary was first published in The Coronado News, a media partner of The Coast News, following the media outlet’s multi-part examination of the politically active religious group. Awaken Church has North County locations in San Marcos and Carlsbad.
By John Pottridge
Your recent piece on the Awaken Church raised the question whether it is properly considered a “cult.”
Comparing Awaken to the Wikipedia definition is instructive: A cult is a relatively small group typically led by a charismatic and self-appointed leader, who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering devotion to a set of beliefs and practices which are considered outside the norms of society.
Awaken, formerly C3, is led by a charismatic, self-appointed leader, Jurgen Matthesius, who has imposed all sorts of peculiar beliefs on his flock.
Just a couple of examples: He claims to have cured illnesses (e.g. shrinking large tumors) by laying on hands and speaking in tongues, and even more bizarre, to have stopped the tanks in Tiananmen Square “dead in their tracks” from thousands of miles away by speaking in Asian tongues.
‘Prosperity Church’
Awaken is a “Prosperity Church” that manipulates its trusting members with a seductive tithing scheme — tax-free money for miracles.
Matthesius has said “God is the most perfect accountant. He knows everything you give and he makes sure it comes back to you with interest.” He promises that if you tithe 10% of your income to God you will be rewarded by God with a return greater than your tithe.
Awaken encourages political extremism and election denial: “The left murder, whether it’s in the womb, aged care homes, school children.” “They are satanic murderers.” “Right now it’s only the liars and the IDIOTS who believe Biden won legitimately.” “Start screaming child groomer, pedophilia every chance you get, especially at school boards on camera.”
Awaken sponsors militaristic activities.
An Annual Emerge Men’s Conference can be seen on YouTube calling the men to arms chanting, “It’s wartime.”
Matthesius calls moving his church into communities “taking territory” and calls his opponents “demoniacs” who should face torture, hanging at public executions, or at the very least, run out of town. A YouTube episode of the tactical training during the Men’s Conference speaks for itself.
Some excerpts should cause concern
Some of Leanne Matthesius’s (Jurgen’s wife) Instagram excerpts should cause great concern: One reads, “Proclaim this amongst the nations, prepare for war — beat your plowshares into swords. And prune your hooks into spears.”
Under an image of a woman dressed in battle gear holding a large warrior’s knife, the caption reads, “Blessed be the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.”
Awaken exploits in the name of Jesus — but its seemingly greedy, militaristic, vitriolic exploitations are in every way a contradiction of Jesus’ preaching of charity, peace, love, and humility.
Awaken has been described as a cult, a Christofascist cult, a military theocracy and a money-for-miracles extremist church. If something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
Awaken looks, talks, and acts much more like a politically extremist, power-hungry cult than a church.
John Pottridge is a Coronado resident.
Editor’s note: Religious scholars, social scientists and other experts told The Coronado News that while cults do exist, the term is so subjective that it should be avoided. They more commonly speak of “new religious movements.”
