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Special Guest: Jessica McNulty
Special Guest: Jessica McNulty
Jessica's parents joined Xenos when she was a child, and Jessica got heavily involved as a middle-schooler. She "won" many people to the church and was dedicated to the self-declared "high commitment" organisation for years. Now she mourns the childhood that she lost to recruiting for the organisation.
EPISODE DETAILS
EPISODE DETAILS
Written and Researched by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould
Edited and Mixed by Matt Brazel
Part 1
October 18th, 2023
57 mins 21 secs
Season 6
Part 2
October 25th, 2023
1 hr 03 mins 59 secs
Season 6
Transcript available on release
Season 6 presenting partner:
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Xenos was originally set up as a leaderless group that rejected the structures and trappings of mainstream churches. Springing forth from the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, it focused on meeting in people’s homes and embracing members from the youth counter-cultures. So why does the church’s own website admit to a history that involves cult-like behaviour? And how did it come to face allegations of manipulation and control that have been made by people who joined and left in completely different decades?
For those who have left or are considering leaving Dwell, you can find support at leavingdwell.com.
If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
EPISODE LINKS
EPISODE LINKS
Members of One Another: How to Build a Biblical Ethos Into Your Church — by Dennis McCallum, Publishers Express Press, 2010
Walking in Victory: Why God’s love can change your life like legalism never could — Amazon listing for Kindle version of Dennis McCallum’s 2012 book (‘About the Author’ section referenced)
History of Dwell Community Church, Part 1 - Dwell On These Things - Episode #3 — Dwell podcast interview (Part 2 here) with Dennis McCallum and Gary DeLashmutt, 1 October 2021
History of Dwell — Dwell website, accessed September 2023
‘Fish’ promotes Christ — by Rita Shade, The Lantern, 18 February 1971
Coming Home: The Jesus People Movement In the Midwest And Their Attempts To Escape Fundamentalism — by Benjamin Williamson, Doctoral dissertation, University of Dayton, 2021
An Organic Deception: The Xenos / Dwell Heresy Briefly Examined — by Reverend Rafael D Martinez, Director, Spiritwatch Ministries, undated, accessed September 2023
Spiritwatch Response — by Dennis McCallum, Dwell website, undated, accessed September 2023
45 years ago today: Ohio State University and the Six-Hour War — by Derf Backderf, Derfblog, 30 April 2015
What really happened at Explo ‘72 — Cru (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) website, 15 October 2015
Xenos critics say church is controlling — by Danae King, The Columbus Dispatch, 26 November 2018
Dwell Community Church, Xenos Christian Fellowship: exploring how well-meaning individuals cause significant abuse through religious dogmatism — by Katie M. Reinaker, March 2022
Escape from Freedom — by Erich Fromm, Farrar & Rinehart, 1941
Love Therapy: Definitions and Strategies — by Dennis McCallum, Dwell website, accessed September 2023
Inside the Megachurch That Has Ex-Members Screaming Cult — by Emily Shugerman, The Daily Beast, 21 May 2022
Dwell's Response to The Daily Beast — by James M. Rochford, Dwell website, accessed September 2023
Suicide Ethics — Xenos is a Cult website, includes email from Dennis McCallum, 3 December 2016
All I want for Christmas is a new Xenos-bashing thread — r/Columbus Reddit thread, 20 December 2016
Stories — Leaving Dwell website, accessed September 2023
An Organic Dialogue: When Xenos / Dwell Leaders Confronted With Inconvenient Truth Bail & Demonize — by Reverend Rafael D Martinez, Director, Spiritwatch Ministries, documenting correspondence from late 2021 to early 2022, accessed September 2023
Leadership — Dwell website, accessed September 2023
Former Dwell church members buy billboard, urge clergy to leave — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 5 July 2022
Dwell Community Church is a Cult — website by former members, accessed September 2023
Living the Life of Faith — teaching by Dennis McCallum, Dwell website, 21 April 2018, accessed October 2023
Defending God’s Design for Sexuality — teaching by Bev DeLashmutt, Dwell website, 12 July 2013, accessed October 2023
2 Corinthians 2:4-11 - Insights into Healthy Church Discipline — teaching by Gary DeLashmutt, Dwell YouTube channel, 24 July 2022, accessed October 2023
Toward a Leader Rich Church (Part 2) — teaching by Dennis McCallum, Dwell website, 26 July 2002, accessed October 2023
‘It’s really tragic’: Former members speak out against Columbus church — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 21 February 2022
Former Columbus church members say mentors shared intimate sexual details — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 22 February 2022
Former Xenos church members describe dangerous living conditions — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 23 February 2022
Ex-Xenos members detail experiences leaving the church — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 24 February 2022
Leadership of Columbus church responds to allegations of abuse — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 24 February 2022
Former Xenos leader describes tactics, manipulation used by church — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 25 February 2022
Former, current Dwell church members respond to cult accusations — by Jamie Ostroff, NBC4, 28 February 2022
Ministry House Agreement — Dwell website, accessed October 2023
Ties that bind? — by Jim Carney, Beacon Journal, 8 February 2009
Ex'd from Xenos story time! — Reddit post by user Janieprint, 11 March 2018
Life after Xenos — Reddit post by user BankingOn30, 7 March 2018
Dispatch: Xenos critics call church a cult — Reddit thread, 26 November 2018
Warning and testimonial about Xenos — Reddit post by user tuckerbeans, 23 January 2018
Interview with Xenos on membership and discipline policies — Church Discipline blog, 7 March 2008
Breaking away, case study from Xenos — Church Discipline blog, 3 July 2007
Xenos changing name to Dwell, but rebranding doesn’t quiet church critics — by Maeve Walsh, The Columbus Dispatch, 10 February 2020
Xenos Changing Church Name To 'Dwell,' But Skeptics Remain — by Adora Namigadde, WOSU 89.7 NPR News, 7 February 2020
How does one join? — web archive of requirements for joining the Xenos Servant Team from the Xenos website, captured 29 September 2015
Another piece on Xenos/Dwell from NBC4 - Former Columbus church members say mentors shared intimate sexual details — r/Columbus Reddit thread, 23 February 2022
I Was In a Cult — YouTube video by Man Camp channel, 29 August 2022
The Truth about Xenos/Dwell from a former member — YouTube video, 4 March 2022
My Experiences with the Xenos/Dwell Cult — by Dylan Thomas Ludwig, Mr. HyperAware blog, 6 March 2022
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