From Cult to Country

He was raised in a religious cult that called doctors a sin, forbade the radio, and disciplined him with a paddle cut from a 2x4. He got out with a four-dollar guitar and a quiet voice telling him there was more.

From Cult to Country is the true story of Michael Rix, the oldest of nine children, who at eight years old rode a Greyhound bus into rural Indiana so his family could join the Word of Faith group Faith Assembly. What followed was a childhood of isolation, fear, and devastating loss, including the death of his baby brother from an untreated illness while the doctrine forbade medical care.

Music became the one thing the cult could not reach. Michael taught himself to play by watching a worship leader's hands from the front row, and that gift carried him through homelessness, a broken marriage, and years of searching, all the way to a stage in Nashville he was never supposed to reach.

Inside this book:

• A rare inside look at life within a high-control religious group and the Word of Faith movement
• An honest account of religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and the long work of healing
• The power of music, faith, and resilience to carry a person out of bondage
• A redemptive journey from a single-wide trailer to the banjo, country music, and the Nashville stage
• A message of hope for anyone trapped in a controlling system, whatever name it goes by

Honest, harrowing, and ultimately full of hope, From Cult to Country is a memoir about survival, forgiveness, and learning the difference between performing and truly living.