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The group came under considerable fire during the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to its highly Authoritarian structure. Many former members reported behavior that was very similar to the Cult s that frequently recruited college students during that time. EARLY HISTORY Maranatha began in 1971 at Murray State University in Kentucky as the "Maranatha House," an outreach of a California -based ministry called "Global Missions." It was led by Bob Weiner, a former Assemblies Of God youth pastor. After a falling-out with his California partners, Weiner struck out on his own in 1972 , changing his ministry's name to "Maranatha Christian Church." The word "Maranatha" means "Oh Lord, come" in Aramaic . During the mid-1970s and early 1980s, other Maranatha chapters were established across the United States and Canada . The group was headquartered in Gainesville, Florida . Weiner and his wife, Rose, drew from a wide variety of different influences in the Charismatic movement including:
Weiner's main targets were the best and brightest on campus. Members were told to work hard, get the best grades, and look as good as you could in order to rise in the economic and political ladders of success to be next to influence decision-makers. The organization was one of the major players in the Christian Right during the 1980s. It first got involved in anti- Abortion activism in the 1970s, and this soon spread to other conservative causes. It also had an outreach to athletes, Champions for Christ. Unlike most campus ministries, Maranatha functioned as a denomination. Its campus chapters were called "churches," and its leaders "pastors." Weiner, as Maranatha's president, was considered the ministry's "apostle." CONTROVERSY Under the influences of the Shepherding and Latter Rain movements, the organization soon developed clear authoritarian characteristics. Pastors exercised strict control over members' lives. Members were not allowed to date. Instead, campus pastors frequently arranged marriages. Pastors kept records of financial contributions, and those who didn't give enough were said to have a "spirit of stinginess." Disobeying a pastor was considered the same as disobeying God. Maranatha's rapid growth brought it increased scrutiny from former members, including several pastors, and university officials. Many former members, including several former pastors, suffered nervous breakdowns when they tried to leave. Other members complained that the organization's tactics were very cultlike. In their view, Maranatha was in the same category as the numerous cults that frequently recruited college students in the 1970s and early 1980s, such as the Unification Church and the Hare Krishnas . The controversy reached a fever pitch in 1982 , when the University Of Waterloo in Canada expelled its Maranatha chapter after one member sexually maimed himself after receiving a "revelation" regarding sins in his past life. Soon after this, Weiner asked the Christian Research Institute for a letter of endorsement to "expel the lie" that Maranatha was a cult. After a meeting between several cult-watchers and Maranatha's leadership, a six-member ad hoc committee was formed to address Maranatha's problems. More than a year later, the committee issued a scathing report criticizing Maranatha's theology and practices. Among other things, it found that Maranatha's authoritarianism had "potential negative consequences for members." It concluded: Until we have clearer understanding of the changes which MCM claims are being implemented, and until we see more discernible evidence of change in the lives of people being impacted by MCM, we would not recommend this organization to anyone. As harsh as the final report turned out, committee members later said they would have used even harsher language had they not feared legal reprisals. Weiner promised to address the committee's concerns (although later attacking it for anti-Charismatic bias), but the CRI later complained that Maranatha made little or no effort to do so. Complaints of cult-like behavior continued unabated over the rest of the decade. After complaints from former members of the Kansas State University chapter, the university expelled the chapter in 1983 . Maranatha chapter members misled university officials about who was to receive money from a fundraiser and violated university policies on door-to-door solicitation. The Kansas House passed a deprogramming law in response, but it was defeated in the State Senate. BREAKUP At a June 1989 meeting, Maranatha's board decided to disband the organization. The official reason given was a dissatisfaction with the group's denomination-like structure. However, over the last two years the scrutiny from the secular and Christian press, former members and college administrators had continued unabated. For example, an article in the Chronicle Of Higher Education delved heavily into college administrators' concerns about cultlike behavior. A minor scandal had also erupted over the reigning Miss America , Debbye Turner , who was a member of the University Of Missouri 's Maranatha chapter. The decision was announced at Maranatha's world conference in November , but was not reported in the press until the spring of 1990 . Many of the former Maranatha churches and ministries (including Champions for Christ) have since reassociated in Every Nation , which was founded in 1994 and is led by former Maranatha pastors Rice Broocks, Phil Bonasso and Steve Murrell. Some former Every Nation members claim that Every Nation is actually Maranatha under a new name. Many of them claim that even though Broocks, Bonasso and Murrell have publicly disavowed Maranatha's more extreme practices, all or most of them still continue in Every Nation. At the very least, there are clear corporate links between Every Nation's various ministries and Maranatha. Every Nation was recently sued by several parents who alleged abusive behavior at one of its high school campus ministries in Nashville . The allegations are very similar to those made against Maranatha in the 1980s. As of 2006, Weiner is still active in ministry, although he does not directly oversee churches. Weiner networks very broadly and is well known within many branches of the Charismatic movement. He travels around the world regularly, mostly in reconcilliation efforts. He has since disavowed nearly all of the teachings that caused Maranatha so much controversy, largely under the ministry of Derek Prince . Notable people to emerge from Maranatha inclue:
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