Very few Christians ever step inside a Church of Scientology, much less receive permission to walk through its doors with cameras rolling.
But that is exactly what happened when Christian apologist Sean McDowell and his son, Scottie McDowell, were given access to a Scientology facility in Los Angeles. What Scottie encountered wasn’t merely a different religious worldview. For him, the experience carried a spiritual dimension that required serious prayer and biblical discernment.
“We baked this in prayer,” McDowell said. “We’re going into—I hate to say it—but like enemy territory.”
McDowell said he was conscious of what he believed were spiritual forces surrounding the experience, even though he did not describe the same level of spiritual heaviness he said he previously experienced while visiting a Mormon temple. Still, he said entering the Scientology building did not feel spiritually neutral.
“There was a spiritual presence that was there,” he said.
McDowell said multiple Scientologists he spoke with identified themselves as Christians, with some insisting the two belief systems were compatible. One person told him Scientology had helped him appreciate God’s blessings, while others said Scientology had given them tools to “love Jesus better.”
McDowell strongly disagreed.
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Pointing to Jesus Christ’s exclusivity in John 14:6 and Paul’s teaching on Christ’s resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, McDowell argued that Christianity and Scientology ultimately collide on foundational questions about truth, sin and humanity’s need for salvation.
That collision became particularly clear when McDowell repeatedly encountered the Scientology concept that “what is true for you is true for you.”
McDowell challenged that thinking by asking one Scientologist whether someone would be objectively wrong if that person’s individual “truth” led them to hurt others. The man struggled to answer.
McDowell’s experience also carried a sobering challenge for the church.
“As a church we need to continue to do a good job of going out there and telling people about Jesus,” he said.
That may be the most important warning to come from his experience. Christians are called not only to recognize teachings that contradict Scripture, but also to reach people who are desperately searching for truth before another worldview offers them an answer.
“If you have the truth,” McDowell said, “you should not be afraid to share it.”
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
