Christian countercult movement

The Christian countercult movement, also known as discernment ministries is the collective designation for many mostly unrelated ministries and individual Christians who oppose non-mainstream Christian and non-Christian religious groups, which they often call cults. Motivation for this movement is usually based in doctrinal and theological reasons, and it often with a missionary or apologetic purpose. Protagonists often come from an Evangelical or fundamentalist background, although some are former members of non-mainstream gro ...

Including:

• Christian countercult movement - History
• Christian countercult movement - Precursors & pioneers
• Christian countercult movement - Mid-20th century apologists
• Christian countercult movement - Walter Martin
• Christian countercult movement - Other technical terminology
• Christian countercult movement - Countercult apologetics as accepted term
• Christian countercult movement - Countercult outside the USA
• Christian countercult movement - Contextual missiology
• Christian countercult movement - Apologetic nuances and models
• Christian countercult movement - Prominent protagonists in the Christian countercult movement
• Christian countercult movement - People
• Christian countercult movement - Organizations
• Christian countercult movement - Bibliography
• Christian countercult movement - Primary sources
• Christian countercult movement - History and critical assessments

Read more here: » Christian countercult movement: Encyclopedia - Christian countercult movement

Christian countercult movement - Precursors & pioneers. Christians have applied theological criteria to assess the teachings of non-orthodox movements throughout church history. In the Protestant traditions some of the earliest writings opposing unorthodox groups like Swedenborg's teachings, can be traced back to John Wesley, Alexander Campbell (Restoration movement) and Princeton theologians like Charles Hodge and Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield. The first known usage of the term "cult" by a Protestant apologist to denote a group is heretical or unorthodox is in Anti-C ...

See also:

Christian countercult movement, Christian countercult movement - History, Christian countercult movement - Precursors & pioneers, Christian countercult movement - Mid-20th century apologists, Christian countercult movement - Walter Martin, Christian countercult movement - Other technical terminology, Christian countercult movement - Countercult apologetics as accepted term, Christian countercult movement - Countercult outside the USA, Christian countercult movement - Contextual missiology, Christian countercult movement - Apologetic nuances and models, Christian countercult movement - Prominent protagonists in the Christian countercult movement, Christian countercult movement - People, Christian countercult movement - Organizations, Christian countercult movement - Bibliography, Christian countercult movement - Primary sources, Christian countercult movement - History and critical assessments

Read more here: » Christian countercult movement: Encyclopedia II - Christian countercult movement - History

Walter Ralston Martin (September 10, 1928 – June 26, 1989), was an American Evangelical minister, author, and Christian apologist who founded the Christian Research Institute in 1960 as a para-church ministry specialising as a clearing-house of information in both general Christian apologetics and in countercult apologetics. Walter Martin - Family. Martin was born in New York City, the son of George Washington Martin (a judge) and Maud Ainsworth. He was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, a ...

Including:

• Walter Martin - Family
• Walter Martin - Education
• Walter Martin - Career
• Walter Martin - Early years
• Walter Martin - Evangelical-Adventist controversy
• Walter Martin - Early writings
• Walter Martin - Christian Research Institute
• Walter Martin - Broadcaster debater and lecturer
• Walter Martin - Controversies
• Walter Martin - External link
• Walter Martin - Obituaries and biographical sources
• Walter Martin - Critical assessments of Martin's writings
• Walter Martin - Bibliography

Read more here: » Walter Martin: Encyclopedia - Walter Martin

Apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of a position. Someone who engages in apologetics is called an apologist or an "apologete". The term comes from the Greek word apologia (απολογια), meaning defense of a position against an attack. When John Henry Newman entitled his spiritual autobiography Apologia Pro Vita Sua in 1864, he was playing upon both connotations. Early uses of the term include Plato's Apology (the defense speech of Socrates from his trial) and some works of ...

Including:

• Apologetics - Colloquial usage
• Apologetics - Technical usages
• Apologetics - Intellectual and social function of religious apologetics
• Apologetics - Varieties of Christian apologetics
• Apologetics - Early Church
• Apologetics - Medieval to post-Reformation era
• Apologetics - Modern era
• Apologetics - Apologetics in world religions
• Apologetics - Bibliography

Read more here: » Apologetics: Encyclopedia - Apologetics

Walter Martin - Early years. Martin's career as an apologist coincided with his tertiary education in 1949 as he reputedly self-published some pamphlets on cults. He also practiced answering a variety of questions about the Bible and faith during lunch hours at a public park situated near Wall Street, in New York City. Martin has indicated in various book dedications and in audio recorded lectures how he was mentored by Frank Gaebelein (Principal, Stony Brook School), Wilbur Smith (author of the apologetic text Therefore Stand), and the Presbyterian radio evang ...

See also:

Walter Martin, Walter Martin - Family, Walter Martin - Education, Walter Martin - Career, Walter Martin - Early years, Walter Martin - Evangelical-Adventist controversy, Walter Martin - Early writings, Walter Martin - Christian Research Institute, Walter Martin - Broadcaster debater and lecturer, Walter Martin - Controversies, Walter Martin - External link, Walter Martin - Obituaries and biographical sources, Walter Martin - Critical assessments of Martin's writings, Walter Martin - Bibliography

Read more here: » Walter Martin: Encyclopedia II - Walter Martin - Career

Advocates who regard certain fringe religious organizations, new religious movements or (controversially) "cults" as spurious and condemn their methods, also call them "hate groups". For example, the prominent Dutch Christian counter cult activist Anton Hein considers Scientology a hate group because that religious movement has, in his opinion, a long, documented history of hate and harassment ac ...

See also:

New religious movement, New religious movement - Definition of the term, New religious movement - Examples of new religious movements, New religious movement - New religious movements and their critics, New religious movement - Bibliography

Read more here: » New religious movement: Encyclopedia II - New religious movement - New religious movements and their critics

Josh McDowell - Family and education. Josh McDowell was born in Union City (Battle Creek), Michigan in 1939 with the given name Joslin. He was one of five children born to Wilmot McDowell (senior). His biographer, Joe Musser, indicates that McDowell struggled with low self-esteem in his youth, as his father was an alcoholic and abusive. He enlisted in the Air National Guard, received basic training and assumed duties in mechanical maintenance of aircraft. After sustaining a head ...

See also:

Josh McDowell, Josh McDowell - Biography, Josh McDowell - Family and education, Josh McDowell - Career and ministry, Josh McDowell - Method of apologetics, Josh McDowell - Controversy, Josh McDowell - Works, Josh McDowell - Biography

Read more here: » Josh McDowell: Encyclopedia II - Josh McDowell - Biography

There are a variety of Christian apologetic styles and schools of thought. In the Thomistic or Classical apologetics tradition philosophical arguments for God's existence are emphasized before turning to the specific case for Christian revelation claims. In the Evidentialist tradition empirical arguments about the life, miracles, death and resurrection of Christ are presented as probabilistic proofs. The Presuppositional tradition argues that belief in God must be presupposed, and from that vantage point non-theistic assumptions are proven to be fa ...

See also:

Apologetics, Apologetics - Colloquial usage, Apologetics - Technical usages, Apologetics - Intellectual and social function of religious apologetics, Apologetics - Varieties of Christian apologetics, Apologetics - Early Church, Apologetics - Medieval to post-Reformation era, Apologetics - Modern era, Apologetics - Apologetics in world religions, Apologetics - Bibliography

Read more here: » Apologetics: Encyclopedia II - Apologetics - Varieties of Christian apologetics

CESNUR is a center for studies on new religions, based in Turin, Italy. It was established in 1988 by a group of religious scholars from universities in Europe and the Americas, working in the field of new religious movements. Its director is the Italian attorney Massimo Introvigne. CESNUR claims to be independent of any religious group, church, denomination or association. It has evolved into a network of scholars and organizations who study the field. CESNUR - Aims. According to their website, the CESNUR ...

Including:

• CESNUR - Aims
• CESNUR - Criticism

Read more here: » CESNUR: Encyclopedia - CESNUR

Cult of personality is a term for what is perceived to be excessive adulation of a single living leader, especially a head of state. The term was coined by the General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party Nikita Khrushchev in his 1956 "Secret Speech" denouncing Joseph Stalin to the 20th Party Congress. The phenomenon that Khrushchev described, however, is much older. A cult of personality differs from charismatic authority in that it has a negative connotation by definition, and is thus a pejorative term. It also differs fro ...

Including:

• Cult of personality - History
• Cult of personality - Characteristics
• Cult of personality - Examples

Read more here: » Cult of personality: Encyclopedia - Cult of personality

A cult apologist is a term to describe a scholar of cults and/or new religious movements perceived as responding to the movements they study with advocacy instead of with neutral scholarship. In some scholarly literature (Zablocki and Robbins, 2001) the term is used neutrally to denote the pro-cult camp in the scholarly disputes about cult questions compared to cult bashers as term for the anti-cult camp. Other terms used are cult critics and cult sympathizers, "mental health coalition" and "religion coalition" (Bromley, 2005), pro-cultists and anti-cultists. When used by ...

Including:

• Cult apologist - Definitions
• Cult apologist - Groups accused of cult apologism
• Cult apologist - Counterpositions

Read more here: » Cult apologist: Encyclopedia - Cult apologist

Opposition to cults and new religious movements (NRMs) comes from several sources with diverse concerns: family members of adherents, former members, psychiatrists, psychologists and sociologists, adherents from established religions, cult watchers and skeptics. Depending on their background and goals, such individuals and groups are active in various fields: Some mainly provide information on cults, cultic groups or non-orthodox religious movements regarding their practices and beliefs through websites and ...

Including:

• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - History
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Taxonomies
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Religious and secular
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Five types of cult watching groups by Eileen Barker
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Opposition to cults: a taxonomy by Jeffrey Hadden
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Cult watching groups and individuals and other opposition to cults
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Family members of adherents
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Psychologists and psychiatrists
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Former members
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Established religion
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Scientology' opposition on the internet
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Countries and international entities
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Skeptics
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Media
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Cult watchers
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Controversies
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Polarized views among scholars
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Brainwashing and mind control
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Deprogramming and exit counseling
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - The anti-cult movement and cult apologists
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - NRMs and critics
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Further information
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - Bibliography
• Opposition to cults and new religious movements - External links

Read more here: » Opposition to cults and new religious movements: Encyclopedia - Opposition to cults and new religious movements

Apostasy (αποστασις, in classical Greek a defection or revolt from a military commander, from απο, apo, "away, apart", στασις, stasis, "standing") is a term generally employed to describe the formal renunciation of one's religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. In a technical sense, as used by sociologists without the sometimes pejorative connotations of the word, the term refers to renunciation and criticism of or opposition to one's former religion. One who commits apostasy is an ...

Including:

• Apostasy - Sociological definitions
• Apostasy - In International Law
• Apostasy - In Christianity
• Apostasy - In Hinduism
• Apostasy - In Islam
• Apostasy - In Judaism
• Apostasy - In purported cults and new religious movements NRMs
• Apostasy - Opinions about the reliability of apostates' testimony and their motivations
• Apostasy - Other uses of the term
• Apostasy - Noted apostates
• Apostasy - Christianity
• Apostasy - Islam
• Apostasy - Judaism
• Apostasy - Hinduism
• Apostasy - Bibliography
• Apostasy - Testimonies memoirs and autobiographies
• Apostasy - Writings by others

Read more here: » Apostasy: Encyclopedia - Apostasy

In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. Its marginal status may come about either due to its novel belief system or because of its idiosyncratic practices. In common usage, "cult" has a negative connotation, and is generally applied to a group by its opponents, for a variety of possible reasons. Cult - Definitions ...

Including:

• Cult - Definitions of cult
• Cult - Definition of cult in dictionaries
• Cult - Definition by the Christian countercult movement
• Cult - Definition by secular cult opposition
• Cult - Points of view regarding definitions
• Cult - Cult NRM and the sociology and psychology of religion
• Cult - Christianity and Cults
• Cult - Cults and terrorism
• Cult - Theories about the reasons for joining a cult
• Cult - Cult leadership
• Cult - Development of cults
• Cult - Relationships with the outside world
• Cult - Cults: genuine concerns and exaggerations
• Cult - Stigmatization and discrimination
• Cult - Leaving a cult
• Cult - Criticism by former members of purported cults
• Cult - Allegations made by scholars and skeptics
• Cult - Other allegations
• Cult - Prevalence of purported cults
• Cult - Cults and governments
• Cult - Bibliography
• Cult - Books
• Cult - Articles

Read more here: » Cult: Encyclopedia - Cult

Mind control is a general term for a number of controversial theories proposing that an individual's thinking, behavior, emotions or decisions can, to a greater or lesser extent, be manipulated at will by outside sources. People who believe they are subject to mind-control are usually psychotic. Suitable doses of anti-psychotic drugs remove the delusion or make it less obtrusive. The principal feasibility of such control and the methods by which it might be attained (either direct or more subtle) are both subject to hot ...

Including:

• Mind control - Theoretical models and methods
• Mind control - Failed attempts: Drugs physical methods Silva method
• Mind control - Subliminal advertising
• Mind control - Lifton brainwashing model
• Mind control - Margaret Singer's conditions for mind control
• Mind control - BITE model of Steven Hassan
• Mind control - Mind Control and the Battered Women Syndrome
• Mind control - Evolutionary Psychology approach
• Mind control - Social psychology tactics
• Mind control - Social psychological conditioning by Stahelski
• Mind control - Cults and mind control controversies
• Mind control - Scholarly points of view
• Mind control - Mind control and exit counseling
• Mind control - Mind control and recruitment rates
• Mind control - Mind control and faith
• Mind control - Counter-cult movement and mind control
• Mind control - Legal issues
• Mind control - Mind control in conspiracy theory
• Mind control - Mind control in fiction
• Mind control - Mind control as entertainment

Read more here: » Mind control: Encyclopedia - Mind control

Anti-Shakerism refers to beliefs concerning the Shakers which were considered hateful or unfair. As of 2005, the Shakers currently have just four active members and never had more than 10,000. Hence, this is among the most narrowly directed prejudices in history. That statement may seem hyperbolic, but it is supported by the fact few or no religious or ethnic groups have fewer members then the Shakers. [1] Nevertheless at least one website that maintains "Anti-Shakerism" exists. Anti-Shaker - History. The S ...

Including:

• Anti-Shaker - History
• Anti-Shaker - Issues
• Anti-Shaker - Apostate literature
• Anti-Shaker - Anti-Shakerism today
• Anti-Shaker - Other sources

Read more here: » Anti-Shaker: Encyclopedia - Anti-Shaker

This term was introduced in the 1980s by scholars to replace the term cult which was until then used for such religious groups but which had gotten in the cult debates of the 1970s a pejorative note and was used by the public quite indiscriminately for any kind of non-mainstream religion. Some scholars, especially in sociology for religion, use new religious movement for any non-mainstream religion while others use new religious movement for the majority of benign alternative religions and reserve cult to label groups - whether religious, psychotherapeutic, political or commercial ...

See also:

New religious movement, New religious movement - Definition of the term, New religious movement - Examples of new religious movements, New religious movement - New religious movements and their critics, New religious movement - Bibliography

Read more here: » New religious movement: Encyclopedia II - New religious movement - Definition of the term

The term apologetics etymologically derives from the Classical Greek word "apologia". In Classical Greek legal system two key technical terms were employed: the prosecution delivered the "kategoria", and the defendant replied with an "apologia". To deliver an "apologia" then meant making a formal speech to reply and rebut the charges. Plato's book The Apology was an account of Socrates' defence in court against his accusers. This Classical Greek term appears in the Koine (i.e. common) Greek of the New Testament. The Apos ...

See also:

Apologetics, Apologetics - Colloquial usage, Apologetics - Technical usages, Apologetics - Intellectual and social function of religious apologetics, Apologetics - Varieties of Christian apologetics, Apologetics - Early Church, Apologetics - Medieval to post-Reformation era, Apologetics - Modern era, Apologetics - Apologetics in world religions, Apologetics - Bibliography

Read more here: » Apologetics: Encyclopedia II - Apologetics - Technical usages

As the world's religions have encountered one another, apologists from within their respective faiths have emerged. One of the earliest Buddhist apologetic texts is The Questions of King Milinda, which deals with ethical and intellectual problems. In the British colonial era, Buddhists in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) wrote tracts that challenged and rejected Christianity. In the mid-nineteenth century, encounters between Buddhists and Christians in Japan prompted the formation of a Buddhist Propagation Society. In recent times A. L. ...

See also:

Apologetics, Apologetics - Colloquial usage, Apologetics - Technical usages, Apologetics - Intellectual and social function of religious apologetics, Apologetics - Varieties of Christian apologetics, Apologetics - Early Church, Apologetics - Medieval to post-Reformation era, Apologetics - Modern era, Apologetics - Apologetics in world religions, Apologetics - Bibliography

Read more here: » Apologetics: Encyclopedia II - Apologetics - Apologetics in world religions

Apologetics serves an intellectual function within religious communities by providing arguments that support the doctrinal and ethical tenets of the religion. These arguments strengthen the believer's faith and support the propagation of the religion by offering arguments intended to persuade the uncommitted. Skeptics engaged in debate with apologists tend to expect apologetics to consist of powerful arguments intended to persuade skeptics, and are sometimes surprised by the failure of these arguments to even approach this goal. Occas ...

See also:

Apologetics, Apologetics - Colloquial usage, Apologetics - Technical usages, Apologetics - Intellectual and social function of religious apologetics, Apologetics - Varieties of Christian apologetics, Apologetics - Early Church, Apologetics - Medieval to post-Reformation era, Apologetics - Modern era, Apologetics - Apologetics in world religions, Apologetics - Bibliography

Read more here: » Apologetics: Encyclopedia II - Apologetics - Intellectual and social function of religious apologetics