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Apologetics: “A branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity.” (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary)

While many religious cult-watch sites, as mentioned above, define a cult as any group which deviates from their own narrow doctrinal perspective, some Christian Apologetics sites take a broader view. While allowing for wide doctrinal variance across denominational lines, they start with the assumption that there is a minimum standard of “historical orthodoxy” to which a teacher or group needs to adhere in order to be accepted as authentically Christian. Any group which deviates from this standard may be considered a cult. Thus, much of the material on such Christian Apologetics cult-watch websites is devoted to comparing the doctrines of questionable teachers and groups to their particular broad definition of historical orthodoxy.