He Followed Jesus into a Cult — Paul Cooke's 9-Year Journey Back to Truth

What does it look like to spend nine years inside a cult — and not realize it until a decade after you leave? Today's guest, Paul Cooke — a former member of the Children of God and Harvard PhD — joins Elisha for an intimate conversation about spiritual deception, cult recovery, and what it actually takes to trust yourself again. Paul left Brown University in 1967, searching for truth. By December 1969, he had joined what he believed was a community of traveling Christian believers. He would spend the next nine years inside the Children of God, one of the most well-documented high-control groups in the U.S., led by David Berg — a man Paul describes as "a charming deceiver, a wolf in sheep's clothing." In this episode, we explore: • How high-control groups target sincere, spiritually hungry people • The psychology of belonging that makes a cult feel like home • What cognitive dissonance feels like from the inside • Why cult exit grief is real — even when leaving means freedom • The long journey from spiritual deception back to discernment Paul's memoir, How Did This Happen to You, speaks directly to our cultural crisis of truth and untruth — and to every person who has ever asked themselves: "Why didn't I see it?" Whether you've survived spiritual abuse, a high-control group, or a community that used love as control — this episode is for you. 📖 Paul's memoir: How Did This Happen to You | Hobbes and Christianity (Rowman & Littlefield) 🌿 Work with Elisha: → Counseling: Restoring You Christian Counseling