Title: The Christian Church and the New Religious Movements: Towards Theological Understanding
Abstract: FOR MORE than a decade Western society, in particular the United States of America, has seen the rise and proliferation of religious and spiritual groups which the public has undiscerningly and indiscriminately labeled cults. Many of the adherents of these new groups have come from the background of the traditional Christian churches. Most of them, by abandoning the beliefs and practices of their forefathers, have passed a negative judgment on the Christian Church and its relevance to contemporary life. The so-called cults have often been in the public eye because of the legal actions and Congressional investigations instigated by anticult organizations. Anguished parents, whose children have become cult members, have turned to self-styled deprogrammera who have at times operated outside both civil and moral law. Yet the mainline Christian response to the new religions can, with few exceptions, be categorized as one of neglect and apathy. Though the churches have made extensive efforts to come to grips with the cultural upheavals of the mid-1960's, their attempts to meet the challenge of the cults have, on the whole, been slow, sporadic, and superficial. Many Christians, theologians included, have failed to grasp the significance of the new religious movements, which are already leaving an impact on society at large and on Christianity itself. It is unfortunate that we still lack a systematic treatment of the theological implications of these movements. The only concerted Christian response has come from evangelical Christianity, which has directed a considerable amount of literature to
Publication Year: 1982
Publication Date: 1982-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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