This study examines the rhetorical techniques used by the International or Boston Churches of Christ to persuade and/or coerce an individual into entering and remaining in the cult. The overarching question is whether these messages are distinctive and form a rhetorical genre. / In order to answer these questions, content analysis was applied to sermons from the Boston Churches of Christ and Mainstream Churches of Christ. The coding scheme was produced through examination of literature in sociology, psychology, and religious studies. / The research question asks whether differences existed between the sermons found in the Churches of Christ and the Boston Churches of Christ based on the categories assimilated from research. The sermons from the two groups were found to be different in style, structure and situation. The elements messianic proclamation, socially deviant behavior, authoritarian structure, forced regimens, isolation, and exclusivity are clearly present in a group widely proclaimed to be a cult. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: A, page: 0031. / Major Professor: Thomas R. King. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77326 |
| Contributors | Cates, Carl Michael., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 116 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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