The Remnant Fellowship is a church begun by Gwen Shamblin, a dietitian, in the 1990s. She has been called prophetic by many Fellowship members. Initially, Shamblin gained popularity with her book, The Weigh Down Diet published in 1997. The book took a spiritual approach toward dieting, suggesting that eating less was in keeping with the self sacrifice of Christ and would allow people to lose weight with much greater success through prayer, and moderation in diet.

Many Christian churches advocated the use of Shamblin’s first book, and she was invited to speaking engagements throughout the country. These soon became her opportunity to proselytize and to form her own church, in 1999, the Remnant Fellowship Church. Since founding the Remnant Fellowship in Tennessee, the church has established over 100 chapters.

The Remnant Fellowship has been accused of practicing extremely cultish behavior, some based on Shamblin’s interpretation of the gospel, and others based on disturbing reports regarding Shamblin and other church leaders' behavior toward congregants. The main doctrinal disputes come from those of Christian faiths who believe in the Holy Trinity. They argue that the Remnant Fellowship is an incorrect interpretation of the Trinity, and is specifically non-Trinitarian. This is hardly a reason to call a church a cult, given that there are several large branches of Christianity, like the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) that are non-Trinitarian.

Another complaint from the point of doctrine is contention by Shamblin and the Remnant Fellowship that people are steeped in sin unless they follow her teachings, instead of being saved through Christ’s death on the cross. She has lambasted modern Christians as corrupt and whorish, pretty much including all sects of Christianity in these criticisms. Some have pointed out that her speaking engagements at churches prior to her forming her own ministry are not in keeping with Christian beliefs of fair dealing and openness, since she readily culled members from other congregations to join her.

While the initial work Shamblin and the Remnant Church accomplished may have seemed like a good idea to many, continued allegations of misbehavior by this church are creating a disturbing picture. As with groups like the Scientologists, people choosing to leave the church are cut off, and they are according to Shamblin, demonic. The church has excommunicated members for questioning her beliefs. Further, the Remnant Church tends to isolate its members from their own families, since they believe that essentially anyone who is a non-member is going to hell.

One matter that remains particularly disturbing is the Remnant Church’s support of couple convicted of severe child abuse and murder. Shamblin advocates spanking as a loving gesture by parents, and the Remnant Fellowship continues to solicit donations for the support of the two jailed parents. The fellowship was not charged with a crime, but their continued support of people convicted of murdering their own child is highly questionable and seems opposed to their own church doctrine regarding moderation in behavior as a sign of loving God.

Despite extremely vocal criticism, Shamblin continues to make guest appearances on network news shows and on talk shows. Tyra Banks invited Shamblin to speak on her show in 2007. She’s also given interviews on The Today Show and The Early Show. The congregation of the Remnant Fellowship continues to grow in spite of allegations that the church is a cult.