Gérard Dagon (4 April 1936, Strasbourg - 22 May 2011, Gandrange) [1] was a French evangelical pastor, teacher, author, publisher and long-time Christian countercultist.
He got a Master of Divinity at the faculty of Protestant theology in the University of Strasbourg. [2]
He became pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (EPRAL) in 1959, then directed the Union of Evangelical Churches Chrischona (Union des Églises évangéliques Chrischona). [3] He participated in the creation of the evangelical directory, then became president of the ( Fédération évangélique de France) in 1991 for a few years . [4] He founded, alongside others such as Swiss pastor and former member of the ADFI Paul Ranc, the association Vigi-sectes in 1998 who fights against cults from an evangelical perspective. [3] He published books about Protestant movements, about Christian-oriented groups he considered cults because of their supposed biblical errors, [5] and an extensive encyclopedia on Christianity. He listed 150 people who have claimed to be the Messiah from the first century CE. [6] At the end of his ministry, he became pastor of an Independent Baptist church in Moselle. [7]
In 1998, the pastor of the Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine Sylvain Dujancourt accused Dagon of using his anti-cult campaign to attract new people to his church. [3]
Sébastien Fath considered Dagon a "key figure of French evangelical Protestantism since the 1970s", [8] and Émile Poulat qualified him a "pioneer" in the religious issues. [9]
Gérard Dagon (4 April 1936, Strasbourg - 22 May 2011, Gandrange) [1] was a French evangelical pastor, teacher, author, publisher and long-time Christian countercultist.
He got a Master of Divinity at the faculty of Protestant theology in the University of Strasbourg. [2]
He became pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine (EPRAL) in 1959, then directed the Union of Evangelical Churches Chrischona (Union des Églises évangéliques Chrischona). [3] He participated in the creation of the evangelical directory, then became president of the ( Fédération évangélique de France) in 1991 for a few years . [4] He founded, alongside others such as Swiss pastor and former member of the ADFI Paul Ranc, the association Vigi-sectes in 1998 who fights against cults from an evangelical perspective. [3] He published books about Protestant movements, about Christian-oriented groups he considered cults because of their supposed biblical errors, [5] and an extensive encyclopedia on Christianity. He listed 150 people who have claimed to be the Messiah from the first century CE. [6] At the end of his ministry, he became pastor of an Independent Baptist church in Moselle. [7]
In 1998, the pastor of the Reformed Church of Alsace and Lorraine Sylvain Dujancourt accused Dagon of using his anti-cult campaign to attract new people to his church. [3]
Sébastien Fath considered Dagon a "key figure of French evangelical Protestantism since the 1970s", [8] and Émile Poulat qualified him a "pioneer" in the religious issues. [9]