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Whatever the countercultural oddness of their communal sharing—in this day when privacy and individual freedoms are cultural idols—JPUSA offers a living reminder that life with others can be more than American Christians have typically experienced.

In the book Habits of the Heart, sociologist Robert Bellah and his cowriters argue, "We find ourselves not independently of other people and institutions but through them. … We never get to the bottom of our selves on our own. We discover who we are face to face and side by side with others in work, love, and learning."

What Bellah said on sociological authority, Tom Cameron would affirm personally after 20 years of sometimes gritty, usually joyous community life at JPUSA: "What happened here was that a group of people became committed to living their lives for Jesus Christ no matter what. We entered a grand adventure with God and saw that he would be there. God has met us in some desperate situations over the years. But I know that God is faithful. That's why we're all still here."

This article originally appeared in the September 14, 1992, issue of Christianity Today. At the time, Timothy Jones was associate editor for the magazine.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The Chicago Tribune's two-part series, including "Commune's iron grip tests faith of converts" and "Exodus from commune ignites battle for souls," is available online.

The 1994 Cornerstone magazine articles responding to Enroth's book are available at the Cornerstone Web site. The magazine has also reposted "Growing Together, Growing Apart | Coping with church conflict and communal controversy." Enroth's response to the Cornerstone special issue is available at several sites.

JPUSA's site offers a documents area, which includes the community's Statement of Faith, Covenant, Term Commitments, and a statement on "Making Your Departure From JPUSA."

JPUSA's John Trott revisited the 1994 controversy in a chapter of Bad Pastors: Clergy Misconduct in Modern America (New York University Press) titled "Is Abuse About Truth or Story: Or Both?" The chapter prompted a response from Enroth on the Apolgetics Index site.

jpusainfo.org calls itself "the JPUSA diaspora site for critical thinking and reflection on community life, sharing old memories, contacting old friends, and maintaining relationships." It's also pretty critical of the community.

John Bozeman examined JPUSA eleven years ago for his master's thesis in religion for the University of Florida.

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April (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45