John de Ruiter (born November 11, 1959) is a Canadian spiritual leader and author who conducts meetings in Edmonton, Alberta and abroad.

[1] Born in Stettler, Alberta to a Dutch shoemaker, de Ruiter attended Bible college and interned with a Lutheran pastor before forming his own spiritual practice in the late 1980s.

His charismatic presentation and teachings, characterized by one observer as "New Age gospel," attracted thousands of followers over the next few decades, with several academic scholars interpreting his movement as the possible beginning of a new religion.

De Ruiter has been implicated in a number of public controversies, including accusations of being a cult leader by multiple independent news outlets,[2][3] and a civil lawsuit in which he was sued by two sisters, who alleged he was in a three-way common law marriage with both women simultaneously.

[10][12][13] Occasionally, the pastor allowed de Ruiter to preach at the church, at times presaging the taciturn demeanor which would come to characterize his independent ministry.

[10][12] De Ruiter's reputation rapidly spread when he began to hold meetings in a small bookstore off Whyte Avenue on Edmonton's south side.

[11] Operated by de Ruiter's College of Integrated Philosophy, it includes a café as well as an expansive auditorium with a capacity of over 350 people, marble columns and a proscenium stage, and is sometimes rented for wedding receptions.

[7][15] Professor Paul Joosse, then a graduate student in sociology, analyzed de Ruiter's use of interpersonal silence through the lens of Max Weber's theories about the social construction of charismatic authority.

Joosse hypothesized that silence helps de Ruiter instill in his followers the impression that he, like other charismatic leaders throughout history, possesses otherworldly traits and miraculous abilities.

Joosse proposed three ways in which silence is said to aid in this construction, namely inviting devotees to project upon him an understanding of their individual needs, fostering the emotional perception of intimate bonds even with strangers, and asserting authority through the selective denial of interaction.

[19][20] De Ruiter's followers believe that, by gazing into their eyes, he is able to directly view the essence of their souls, forming intimate connections even with strangers.

[11] After attending a meeting with de Ruiter in Edmonton, Stephen A. Kent, professor of sociology at the University of Alberta, remarked "Many people have been spiritual shoppers and they're hopeful that John can pull together the disparate parts of their belief systems," and, "This is the beginning of a new religion.

"[10] Controversy concerning the movement arose in 1999 when, in a public meeting, de Ruiter's wife confronted him after learning that he was involved with two daughters of a devotee who had invested money into the organisation.

[23][24] Jasun Horsley's 2017 book Dark Oasis: A Self-Made Messiah Unveiled examines de Ruiter's life and teachings in critical and skeptical terms.