Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults

Summary

An explosive investigation into Word of Faith Fellowship, a secretive evangelical cult whose charismatic female leader is a master of manipulation

In 1979, Jane Whaley, a fiery preacher with a thick Southern drawl, attracted a small group of followers—twenty-two men and women drawn in by her passion, and promise that through prayer and deliverance, they could turn their lives around.

In the years since, Whaley’s following has expanded to include thousands of congregants across three continents. In the eyes of her followers, she’s a prophet—to disobey her means eternal damnation. It could also mean hours of physical abuse. The control she exerts is absolute: she decides what her followers study, where they work, whom they can marry—even when they can have sex.

Broken Faith is the meticulously reported story of a singular female cult leader, a terrifying portrait of life inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, and the harrowing account of one family who escaped after two decades. Based on hundreds of interviews, secretly recorded conversations, and thousands of pages of documents, Broken Faith offers both a cautionary tale and a deeply emotional examination of faith, resilience, and family. It’s the story of an entire community’s descent into darkness—and for some, the winding journey back to the light.