Another Gospel

Crystals, shamans, guided imagery, healing meditation -- why have these New Age ideas been so eagerly accepted by so many North Americans? Why were Mormonism, Christian Science, and Baha'i so warmly welcomed earlier? Ruth A. Tucker's Another Gospel: Alternative Religions and the New Age Movement explains how these and other alternative religious movements appear to meet people's needs. Tucker's overview illumines the personalities whose alleged revelations spawned historical heresies in all the major cults in the United States. She highlights important controversies within each movement as it aims for religious respectability. Her visits to cult centers and interviews with key members and scholars yield fascinating details, such as why Mormons prohibit hot drinks and how Charles Fillmore, Unity Church founder, rewrote Psalm 23: 'The Lord is my banker; my credit is good . . .' Another Gospel pinpoints how the doctrines and practices of a dozen contemporary groups, as well as the New Age Movement, deviate from orthodox Christianity. It shows how to reach out to cult members. For example, 'It's a myth that Jehovah's Witnesses know their Bible well, are argumentative, and never leave their religion.' Appendices describe lesser-known cults (Swedenborgianism, Rosicrucianism, etc.) and provide, where available, cults' statements of belief.

Ruth A. Tucker (Ph.D., Northern Illinois University) is associate professor of domestic missiology at Calvin Theological Seminary. In addition to being published frequently in professional journals, she is the author of several books.