Encountering New Religious Movements: A Holistic Evangelical Approach
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Overview
In the last century. new religious movements (NRMs) have sprung up around the world This book’s contributors propose that the most effective way to reach these groups is to view them missiologically as different people groups—and thus to approach them with a cross-cultural mindset—instead of following more traditional methods that focus on biblical heresies and doctrinal aberrations.
In this book, top missiologists present biblical and historical considerations, methodology and practical advice for reaching out to groups such as the Latter-day Saints, New Spirituality, Wicca, Mother Goddess, and Satanism.
Key Features
- Provides advice for reaching out to members of non-Christian religious movements
- Discusses how to move forward, rather than judge and oppose
- Presents a variety of viewpoints from various contributors
Contents
- Part 1: Biblical and Historical Perspectives
- The Incarnational Ministry of Jesus: An Alternative to Traditional Apologetic Approaches by Mikel Neumann
- Contextualized Mission in Church History by Harold Taylor
- Part 2: Methodological Issues
- History of Religion and Missiology: Complementary Methodologies by Terry C. Muck
- New Religions as Global Cultures by Irving Hexham and Karla Poewe-Hexham
- Paul’s Areopagus Speech in Acts 17: A Paradigm for Applying Apologetics and Missions to Non-Christian Religious Movements by Stephen Rost
- Traditional Religions, New Religions, and the Communication of the Christian Faith by David J. Hesselgrave
- Part 3: Practical Application
- Bridging the Divide: Cross-Cultural Missions to Latter-day Saints by Kenneth Mulholland
- Reaching the Christadelphians by Philip Johnson
- Reframing a Traditional Apologetic to Reach “New Spirituality” Seekers by Ross Clifford
- Reaching Wiccan and Mother Goddess Devotees by Philip Johnson and John Smulo
- Discipling New Age and Do-It-Yourself Seekers Through Booth Ministries by Philip Johnson
- Reaching Nietzschean Individualists: Toward a Contextualized Apologetic to LaVeyan Satanism by John Smulo
- Jesus Among the Alternative Healers: Sacred Oils, Aromatherapists, and the Gospel by Ruth Pollard
Top Highlights
“My plea here is not that we understand the Scriptures less, but that we take the time and effort to understand people more, as Jesus and others did. The process is all part of obeying Jesus’ command to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:19). We cannot make disciples of people we do not know, and we cannot teach them ‘to obey everything I have commanded you’ (Matthew 28:20), if we do not know the Scriptures. Both traditional apologetics and incarnational ministry are necessary.” (Page 34)
“it is the Spirit who gives us the endurance to learn the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ of people’s actions. Only” (Page 33)
“Without personal relationships, compassionate concern, and genuine love, we often become barriers to the gospel, even as we seek to proclaim the gospel. Our evangelism may take on an argumentative tone without the redeeming voice of sincere friendship.” (Page 36)
“Cultural involvement, personal relationship, and long-term commitment are necessary to identify the deep-level solutions (step 3) that emerge from cultural involvement, personal relationship, and long-term commitment.” (Page 32)
“Working from observable behavior to understand the deeper problem calls for involvement with people.” (Page 33)
Praise for the Print Edition
This is an important ‘breakthrough’ book. These authors have a thorough understanding of the new religious movements that they discuss, and they draw heavily on the insights of recent missiological discussions of contextualization and cross-cultural understanding. This ‘incarnational’ and ‘relational’ approach is exactly what we need for an effective presentation of the gospel to folks who have been seduced by the false promises of non-Christian worldviews.
—Richard J. Mouw, President and professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller Theological Seminary
A thoughtful and needed reassessment of evangelical outreach to new and emerging religious expression in North America__This resource is not merely a valuable compilation of strategic thinkers in the fields of Christian apologetics and missiology; it synthesizes the two disciplines and offers practical strategies for evangelism in a new day! I commend highly this book to anyone who senses the urgency of proclaiming the gospel with sensitivity and relevancy.
—Rudy Gonzalez, director, North American Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention
This is an important collection of essays which breaks new ground by applying the tools of missiology to the study of new religious movements in the West, and in so doing enables us first to understand these movements adequately and then to respond to them in a contextually appropriate and theologically sound manner.
—Harold Netland, professor of philosophy of religion and intercultural studies, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Not only is Western society becoming increasingly pluralistic in attitude, and not only are major Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism becoming increasingly visible, there is also a growing proliferation of so-called ‘new religions’ in West and East alike. How will evangelical Christians respond? The contributors to this book unite to plead that Christians need to move beyond a simplistic attitude that simply seeks to refute or exterminate ‘cults’ and adopt a mature missions strategy.... This book is both theoretically sound and practically helpful. A solid, cohesive work!
—Winfried Corduan, professor of philosophy and religion, Taylor University
About the Editors
Irving Hexham, professor of religious studies at the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is the author of seven books, including Understanding Cults and New Religions and The Pocket Dictionary of Cults and New Religions.
Stephen Rost, pastor of Grace Fellowship of Dixon in Dixon, California, has served as president of the Society for the Study of Alternative Religions study group in the Evangelical Theological Society.
John W. Morehead II, associate director of Watchman Fellowship in Sacramento, California, is the cofounder and coeditor of Sacred Tribes: Journal of Christian Missions to New Religious Movements, an e-journal that focuses on reaching adherents of new religions.