Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 42
ordered that ―sisters‖ be subservient) through pay phone contacts. Roberts exhibited
paranoid behavior throughout his ministry, avoiding all publicity to the extent that most
members never have known where he is at any given time. He apparently keeps no
permanent residence and rarely meets with a complete gathering of devotees.
Members tend to comply with his goal to cut off contact with family, as one of the virtues
promoted by Roberts is ―to love the Lord more than family.‖ He promotes and the group
relies on several New Testament quotes out of context to reinforce separation from family
and old friends. His leadership style has militaristic elements transparently influenced by his
Marine training.
Dozens of former members have attested to this group‘s behavior, which resembles a
mobile force designed to avoid detection by an enemy, namely, any non-sympathetic
person who seeks contact with Roberts or a member. Members assume new names and
keep no mailing address. Roberts infuses the enemy, primarily the concerned families, with
satanic intent, Satan here taking on his primary function as an ―adversary‖ of God who
works only to bring all souls to hell. Roberts also maintains control through ―lieutenants,‖ or
brothers who report to him regularly.
Roberts‘ skewed interpretation of the Biblical record, his need to remove people from a
healthy mainstream social milieu, and his eccentric orders to eat only what others discard
have only the vaguest social relevance. The latter behavior earned the group the
unfortunate moniker, ―the garbage eaters.‖ Roberts clearly believes he is the only true
―Evangelist‖ living—never has he openly shared gratitude or recognition for a living peer in
Christian circles. His leadership encourages many eccentricities. Members obsess over
scriptures used by Roberts, writing notes and copying passages in tiny script in their
journals. Conformity in lifestyle and ideation is more the rule than the exception. Roberts
directs nearly all members away from marriage on a case by case basis, though he has held
out the possibility of conjugal love like a carrot on a stick for over two decades. Members
eventually comply with a lifestyle that includes carrying nearly all personal items in
homemade backpacks and using bicycles as their primary means of transport. Of course
there are exceptions, as some new members have cars, at least temporarily, and some cells
will move about by transporting cars to one-way destinations.
Jim Roberts‘ group has been compared to destructive cults that use ―mind control‖ or
―thought reform‖ techniques popularly called brainwashing. As a useful model to explain
thought reform Robert J. Lifton‘s (1961) ―eight themes‖ of totalistic environments have
endured for decades, and ex-members from hundreds of controversial cults have relied on
them to make sense of their experiences.
I will not go into detail about how the Jim Roberts cult follows the patterns of thought
reform Lifton described, but I will mention three themes that stand out. Milieu control
occurs as every detail of style and thought is affected by group influence. Demand for purity
exists to the extent that all members experience a continual cycle of guilt and shame as no
one can maintain the level of purity demanded—even Jim Roberts has been known to buy
sandwiches in delis, pay for travel by bus, and dye his hair. Dispensing of existence occurs
as everyone who disagrees with the group agenda lives in a condemned state. This latter
feature is graphically displayed when troublesome members are merely abandoned at some
cell without notice or further communication from the group.
The disturbed nature of Roberts‘ organization is more clearly noted when we compare his
authoritarian approach to a healthier counterpart of monks and nuns in a monastery, as his
group most resembles a nomadic sect of renunciants. For example, I am personally familiar
with the Benedictines who live at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert near Abiquiu, New
Mexico. The abbot or leader, Brother Philip, is elected on a year-by-year basis. There are
checks and balances from above and below in this peer reviewed system. In contrast, no

Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2003, Page 43
one can get rid of Jim Roberts, much less argue with him with any substance—one can
merely like what he does or quit. New recruits at the Abiquiu monastery, on the other hand,
go through extensive initiation that lasts seven years before final vows of total commitment
are made. Family contact is limited, but never labeled as evil. If someone decides to quit
the religious life, there are proper procedures of ―annulment,‖ but this lifestyle change has
no bearing on the salvation or Christian status of the former Benedictine monk. Once a
monk achieves full membership, the group is responsible within reason for that person‘s
health, welfare, and education. This means that the monastery will use accepted medical
interventions when indicated. Roberts group members eschew standard medical wisdom and
are encouraged to rely more on a magical form of prayer. There was a time, until recently,
when nearly all members including the above-mentioned Jim Guerra, would throw away
their prescription glasses, for example, to comply with a naïve, magical interpretation of the
Gospel.
References
Barta, Peggy. (1971, 26 February). ―Jesus People‖ believe Jesus is the answer to
everything. Montana Review, 72(61).
Galvan, Louis. (1980, 8 February). Penicillin could have cured dead cultist. The Fresno
Bee.
Guerra, Jim. (2000). From Dean‘s List to Dumpsters. Pittsburgh: Dorrance.
Lifton, Robert J. (1989) Thought reform and the psychology of totalism (Rev. ed.). New
York: Norton.
Martin, Rachel. (1979). Escape. Denver, CO: Accent Books.
Sneed, Michael. (1979, 11 June). ―Brother Evangelist‖: Hypnotic Shepherd of a wandering
flock. Chicago Tribune.
James Foster’s son Kraig was recruited into the Jim Roberts Cult from college in August,
1984. Despite spending years searching for his son, there have been very few family visits,
one of which was featured on ABC‘s Prime Time Live. Recently, Kraig left the cult, because
he felt the lifestyle had become too lax, and is now living what he perceives as the authentic
cult lifestyle on his own. The remaining members refer to him as ―the super brother.‖ Jim
served as Co-Chair of TRGPN from 1996 to 2001.
Ronald Loomis has been studying cults and educating others about them for over 30
years, mostly at colleges and universities. He has been featured in many media articles and
presentations about cults. He has served as an expert advisor to TRGPN since its founding.
Joseph Szimhart is a former cult member who has been exit counseling others out of cults
for some 25 years. He has written extensively regarding the thought reform techniques
used by cults and has also been featured in many media articles and presentations. He has
been assisting TRGPN as an expert advisor since its founding.
Larry Wilcox’s son Bart was recruited into the Jim Roberts Cult from college in March,
1991. There have been a few family visits however, Bart remains in the JRG. Larry served
as Co-Chair of TRGPN from 1996 to 2001.
This article is an electronic version of an article originally published in Cultic Studies Review, 2003, Volume 2,
Number 2, pages 151-168. Please keep in mind that the pagination of this electronic reprint differs from that of the
bound volume. This fact could affect how you enter bibliographic information in papers that you may write.