Sisters Miranda Derrick and Melanie Wilking grew up in a picturesque home in the suburbs of Detroit. Netflix’s latest hit documentary, “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult,” opens on its red brick and brown trim. But as the show later reveals, living in that beautiful house is a confused and desperate family trying to piece itself back together.
Miranda and Melanie’s childhood was in many ways identical to my own: well-to-do neighborhood, good schools, two loving parents who deeply cared.
But there were some big differences. For starters, my family took their faith seriously, while the Wilkings, by their own admission, did not. And while Miranda and Melanie dreamed of being professional dancers from the time they were toddlers, I decided I wanted to be the governor of Michigan, mostly so I could have my very own home on Mackinac Island. Dream big, kids. (Note: I very much do not want to be governor of Michigan anymore, though I’ll still take the house.)
The matter of faith is more significant than the Wilkings would like to admit. Because it was faith, or the lack thereof, that led Miranda Derrick, the Wilkings’ eldest daughter, to Los Angeles to pursue a career in dance. Unfortunately for her and her family, the kind of faith Miranda stumbled upon in LA was predatory.
“Dancing for the Devil” details how the two Michigan sisters launched their social media with choreographed TikTok dances, raking in hundreds of thousands of views. Miranda and Melanie’s social media presence exploded, and they were signed by 7M, an influencer management company in LA. It was through 7M that Miranda became involved with Shekinah Church, a religious group that just so happens to be led by the same man who runs 7M: Robert Shinn.
Melanie visited the church a few times but quickly decided Shinn’s overbearing style wasn’t for her. But Miranda, likely due to the influence of her then-boyfriend, now-husband, James Derrick, decided to stick around. And the longer she stayed with Shekinah and 7M, the more distant she became. She stopped collaborating with Melanie, moved out of the home they shared, and slowly lost touch with her sister and parents. At one point, Miranda blocked them on all social media platforms.
They allege this behavior was directly tied to Shinn’s influence. The recordings of sermons Shinn has delivered over the years, played throughout the documentary, make it difficult to argue with them, as do the first-hand testimonies of other dancers who left 7M/Shekinah. Shinn encouraged his church members to cut off their families as a way to “die to themselves” (a biblical reference) and become “holier,” the dancers allege. And he did take back this advice. After his practice of ostracizing members from their families caused Shekinah to come under increased scrutiny, Shinn told members to disregard his prior teaching.
Shinn designated himself the “man of God,” allegedly compelling women in the church to do sexual favors for him, and allegedly requiring members to pay absurd amounts of money into the church to enrich himself. The dancers said they were expected to tithe to Shekinah in addition to paying 7M’s management fees, which could soar upwards of 20% on a given contract. They were even told to hand over their bank account information to “mentors” within Shinn’s inner circle and obtain approval from those mentors for even minor expenses.
7M insists it is a separate entity from Shekinah, but the dancers argue the management company was just another way for Shinn to exert control over their lives and finances.
The Wilkings aren’t sure whether Miranda is as entangled with Shinn as some of the other dancers, but they’re desperate to get her away from him. That’s why they went public with their allegations and participated in a Netflix documentary in which they frequently and uncomfortably put Miranda on blast. They can’t wrap their heads around why Miranda hasn’t already left Shekinah and come back home to Detroit.
Is it because she’s “brainwashed,” as Melanie says? Is it because she married a man who’s deeply committed to the Shinn’s bizarre teachings and can’t bring herself to leave him?
For her part, Miranda has denied that she’s in a cult—exactly what people in cults say—and blamed her family for airing their personal grievances.
But to be honest, I can’t help but feel she has a point. I’m not sure how airing out your family’s personal turmoil for millions to see will help repair the bonds that have been broken.
Melanie and her parents have said they did so with the hope of guaranteeing Miranda’s safety by putting a very bright spotlight onto Shinn and Shekinah.
If it were my sister, I’m sure I’d feel the same way. Her well-being would be the priority.
But the Wilkings’ approach is a gamble. Public scrutiny doesn’t always produce accountability. In fact, if history has taught us anything, it’s that increased public pressure can make a cult even more volatile.
Kaylee McGhee White is the Restoring America editor for the Washington Examiner, a Tony Blankley fellow for the Steamboat Institute, and a senior fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum. She grew up in Detroit and graduated from Hillsdale College. Follow her on X at @KayleeDMcGhee.
