The "Concerned Christians"
Cult - Originally of Denver CO

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Overview:

Concerned Christians is a group of at least 78 adults and children, led by Monte Kim Miller, (b. 1954). (Some sources incorrectly call him Kim Monte Miller).  Until recently he had been a marketing executive of Proctor & Gamble. Ironically, Miller was an anti-cult activist in the 1980's. He formed Concerned Christians in the 1980's to fight the New Age movement, and what he regarded as the anti-Christian bias of the media. His newsletter, "Report from Concerned Christians" attacked feminist spirituality, the 1987 Harmonic Convergence, New Age trends in Evangelical Christianity, alternative medicine, the Coalition on Revival, Southern Baptists, Assemblies of God, the Roman Catholic Church, the World-Faith movement, and many other Christian denominations and organizations. 

He produced a radio program "Our Foundation" for a during part of 1996. In 1996-JUN, he announced that he speaks for God. Some followers were disillusioned by this and left; most remained in the group. He predicted that an earthquake would wipe Denver, CO off the map on 1998-OCT-10. This prophecy proved to be false. His followers believe that Miller is the one of the two witnesses mentioned in the Book of Revelation, chapter 11. He predicted his own death, and that of his co-prophet, in 1999-DEC in Jerusalem. He expected to be resurrected three days later. This prophecy also failed. He taught that his group are the only true Christians; salvation can only be earned by repenting and following him. ₆ Presumably the remaining 2 billion Christians and 4 billion non-Christians in the world will all go to Hell.

The Denver apocalypse didn't happen. However, about 78 of the group sold some of their possessions, emptied out their homes, and left Denver near the end of 1998-SEP. (Estimates range from fewer than 60 to up to 80). At least some relocated to Jerusalem. Many Christians believe that when Jesus returns, he will descend from the sky and make landfall on the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem. ₁

On 1999-JAN-3, Israeli police raided two suburban-style homes in the Mevasseret Zion suburb, in the western outskirts of Jerusalem. They detained eight adults and six children who belonged to the Concerned Christians. They had been living quietly, financing themselves on their savings and donations from the U.S.  Brigadier General Elihu Ben-Onn, an Israeli police spokesperson alleged that the cult members planned to "carry out violent and extreme acts in the streets of Jerusalem at the end of 1999." ₂ This would begin "a process that would bring about the Second Coming of Jesus." ₄ If this is true, then their technique appears to be to incite a religious war that would expand into the War of Armageddon as prophesied in the book of Revelation of the Christian Scriptures. Most conservative Christians believe that Jesus would return at this time. The Israeli police allege that the group planned a deadly shoot-out with police near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where some Christians believe the tomb of Jesus is situated. No evidence has been made public to support these allegations. No firearms were found at either of the group's residences. Eleven of the group were deported; the 3 other members were temporarily arrested on suspicion  of being involved in a conspiracy to violate a law which protects holy places. The three told their lawyer that they didn't want to return home because they feared that the U.S. would be destroyed soon.  One of the detainees. John Bayles, denied any evil intent on the part of his group: "I'm not here to hurt anybody. I don't feel I pose a threat  of physical harm to anyone. I don't feel I have committed any conspiracy.'' ₃

On 1999-JAN-4, a reporter found a taped message and associated photocopied document on the doorstep of one of the then-abandoned homes that had been rented by the Concerned Christians. It was labeled "Series # 18, Tape # 30" indicating that it was apparently one of a large group of such messages. The voice on the tape has not been identified. It linked Presidents Clinton and Coolidge with mass murderer Charles Manson. It linked such events as hurricane Andrew, the Oslo peace accords, and Nagasaki. The speaker predicted that the United States, the "dragon kingdom" would receive "double the judgment" that Japan experienced at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This tape may be totally unrelated to the Concerned Christians group.

All 14 arrived back in Denver on 1999-JAN-9, accompanied by Israeli security agents. ₅ They avoided friends and relatives who were waiting for them in the airport. Dozens more members are being sought by Israeli police.

On 1999-JAN-8, Muslim prayer leader  Hayan al Idrisi at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque referred to the Concerned Christians as "a dangerous group.'' He claimed that the group planned to destroy the mosque. It is located on the Temple mount and is Islam's third holiest shrine. Although no evidence has been produced to support this theory, it is consistent with prophecies in the Bible. In Revelation, the Jewish Temple is described as fully functional and engaged in regular ritual animal sacrifices when Jesus returns. The temple would have to be located at, or near, or on top of the mosque. 

"There is growing concern in Israel that the group, the Concerned  Christians, is a forerunner of hundreds of fanatics who will be  drawn to Israel at the close of the millennium for what they expect  to be the return of Jesus." ₅  The Israeli security authorities established a task force in 1998 to deal with violence perpetrated by various Christian groups as the year 2000 approaches. The police asked for a budget of $50 million dollars (U.S.) to handle the problem. Fortunately, their fears did not materialize.

The Denver Post published a news item about a law-enforcement official in England. He feared that Monte Kim Miller and followers might have targeting the Millennium Dome, a massive exhibition hall built east of London. This concern appears to have been based solely on the rumor that some of Miller's followers said that he was in England doing "research." "Scotland Yard will launch a massive operation to protect the site from all cults and terrorists...The operation will cost about $10 million." ₉

What happened at the Millennium?

Nothing. None of Miller's predictions came true, either at the start of the year 2000 or 2001. He has not been seen in public since he predicted in 1999 that he would die in a Jerusalem gun battle at the end of that year and would rise three days later in time for the second coming of Jesus. Mark Roggeman, a Denver police officer who monitors new religious organizations in his spare time, said: "We're figuring that maybe 60 are in Greece, with the rest believed to be somewhere in the Philadelphia area." Sherry Clark, the mother of Robin Malesic, a member of the group, has not heard from her daughter in four years. Hal Mansfield, director of the anti-cult Religious Movement Resource Center in Fort Collins, CO, said: "As Miller gets going further and further down the nutty path, he might think, 'I've got nothing to lose; let's do a suicide pact.'...I consider them dangerous to others. I've heard tapes where Miller says, 'Jesus died for us, there's a time we have to die for him.' " ₁₀

What has happened since?

Most of the Concerned Christians who landed in Greece have since been deported. Many are believed to be living in the Philadelphia, PA area.

In mid-2001 Kim Miller started a web site, which only contained information on how to purchase his audio recordings. ₁₂

As of 2002-FEB-20, an E-mail had been added to the web site in which Miller says that people cannot be simultaneously good Christians and patriotic. He wrote: "The Lord even served warning to America that he will Judge the Judges through the unrighteous sword-bearing of Osama bin Laden's very own Manhattan Project. Fear God, not Osama bin Laden, about 911.'' Miller states that the breaking of the seventh seal and sound of the seventh trumpet mentioned in Revelation have already occurred. They happened on 2002-FEB-15, the 777th day of the seventh millennium. (He believes that the millennium started on 2000-JAN-1). This would indicate that the end of the world can happen at any time. ₁₃

Author's Comments:

We have a nagging concern that the Concerned Christians may be exactly what they claim to be: a peaceful group that mistakenly believed in the imminent return of Jesus at the millennium, and who had traveled to Jerusalem to view the event. The anti-cult movement, counter-cult movement, and media have given this group a lot of bad press. The police have made public only accusations of violent plans. No solid evidence has been provided that indicates any murderous intent by members of the group. No weapons have been produced. Since there will be no trial in Israel, the government will not have to prove that their accusations have any validity. We wonder if the government of Israel  merely picked on this group as an example to frighten off other apocalyptic organizations from visiting Jerusalem at the time of the Millennium. ₁₁

Some in the anti-cult movement (ACM) have pointed to past disasters involving loss of life among the membership of new religious groups. Over the past three decades, these have included the Students of the Seven Seals (Branch Davidians), Heaven's Gate, Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God (in Uganda), The People's Temple, and the Solar Temple. The ACM often interprets these tragedies as group suicides, and suggest that Miller and the Concerned Christians may be headed for their own mass suicide. We consider this unlikely for three reasons:

Note:

This Concerned Christian group is not connected in any way with another Concerned Christian group in Mesa, AZ. The latter have a web page at: http://www.concernedchristians.org They conduct an Evangelical Christian ministry to Mormons - trying to convert Mormons into ex-Mormons.

A book about the Concerned Christians:

References used in the above essay:

1. Christopher Walker, "Doomsday cults are converging on Jerusalem," The Times of London, 1998-OCT-22.
2. Deborah Sontag, "Apocalyptic cultists arrested in Jerusalem," New York Times Service, Jerusalem, 1999-JAN-3
3. "Israel orders 11 U.S. doomsday suspects out," Reuters news item at: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/Reuters19990104_923.html
4. "Israel to Deport Cultists," ABC News, 1999-JAN-03 See: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/
5. "Cult Arrives in Denver," ABC News, 1999-JAN-9. See: http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/
6. Jason Barker, "Concerned Christians," Watchman Fellowship Inc., at: http://www.watchman.org/concernedchristianspro.htm
7. A chronology of activities by the Concerned Christians was published in the Denver Post, Denver CO, on 1999-JAN-4
8. Terry Walker, "Sad saga of the 'Concerned Christians'," at: http://members.tripod.com/~tokyoboardwalker/cc.html
9. Kevin Simson, "Cult leader suspected of British plot," at: http://www.denverpost.com/news/cult0119.htm
10. "Instead of rising from dead, cult leader laying low," Denver Rocky Mountain News, 2001-APR-12.
11. "Cult leader sends e-mail hinting end of world is coming," Aurora Sentinel, at: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?
12. The Concerned Christians web site is at: http://www.kimmillerconcernedchristians.com/
13. Kim Miller, "The Seventh Angel Sounds," at: http://www.kimmillerconcernedchristians.com/7thangel.php

Copyright 1998 to 2002 incl. by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2002-FEB-20
Author: B.A. Robinson