In this fascinating book, professors Karla Poewe and Irving Hexham look at the new religions that have been spawned within the last two hundred years, indeed right to this very day. The first chapter is a look at the "Great Anti-cult Crusade," wherein the authors show how many people, especially (but not limited to) those of a Christian background, have misunderstood, and battled the new religions. After that, the authors plunge into an erudite look at the new religious; placing them within a global context, showing the underlying concepts that tie the new religions together, and explaining what sets them apart from the older religions that they often claim to be a part of.

This book is quite fascinating, and offers the reader a real in-depth understanding of where the new religions are coming from and where they are going. Individual groups are referenced, but the focus of this book is on their underlying premises and similarities, rather than a look at each group in particular. My one complaint against this book is that is written in a scholarly tone, that sometimes makes the writing hard to follow (for me, that is). However, in spite of that, I do think that this is an excellent book, and a priceless resource for understanding new religions.

Irving Hexham and Karla Poewe's >>Understanding Cults and New Religions<<, Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1986, was reprinted in 1999 by Regent College Press in Vancouver, B.C. under the title >>Understanding Cults and New Age Religions<< and is therefore still in print - Irving Hexham, author.