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Another Gospel: Cults, Alternative Religions, and the New Age Movement

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As a former member of the LDS church I find this an excellent resource to point out the false doctrines of the Mormons and other false churches. The treatments are excellent and factual...that some members of their organizations dispute the historical facts and doctrinal statements of their founders only shows that they have not made honest efforts to understand what their leaders have propagated. As a "Mormon" I was not aware of many of the more esoteric teachings of the church. I suspect that those below who would argue that this book is not factual have not in fact performed an honest assessment of their church histories and simply are not properly informed. As believers in Christ we must pray for them as my Christian friends and family did for me many years ago. I am forever grateful for people like Ms. Tucker and Walter Martin for showing me the true path to salvation and believe this book is an excellent resource to arm Christians against doctrinal fallacies.

In regards to Mr. Bartlett below, with all due respect, the Mormon church teaches that they are the only true faith much more than Protestant Denominations do. In fact, I find the suggestion that Joseph Smith and the Mormons are somehow more tolerant than other "sects" disingenuous when in fact the truth is they preach all non-Mormons will end up in hell. As an apostate, I am supposedly condemned even further to outer darkness. In this sense, Protestants are much more tolerant and inclusive in that we recognize that there are areas of difference on the nonessentials. No honest Protestant would ever say that Catholics are doomed to hell. Yet the Mormons do condemn them and all other Protestants to eternal damnation. Claiming this book is intolerant because it presents facts is a simplistic argument. I challenge you to refute even one fact presented in this novel in connection with the LDS church. As a former Mormon I refuse to treat any organization as Christian that preaches a false Christ. Mormons can wish to be called Christian all they wish but such a characterization is emphatically untrue.

I used this book as a textbook for a class on "Christianity and the Cults" at Denver Seminary. This book covers a wide variety of new religious groups, both ones that claim to Christian, like Mormons and JWs, and New Age type groups like Hare Krishnas and Baha'i. The professor preferred this volume to Walter Martin's "Kingdom of the Cults." I believe the reason why is this book is less "harsh" in its evaluations of the teachings of these groups than Martin's.

When this book evaluates each group's teachings, it is more with the attitude of, "This is something that should be considered" than Martins' "I'm right, you're wrong, that settles it" attitude.

For each group, Tucker gives a rather extensive review of its background and history, including a short biography of the group's founder and other important figures in its history. The "distinctive doctrines" of the group are then explained. And lastly, she provides what she calls "challenges" to these doctrines. But she emphasis that this should be done in a respectful manner. She is correct is saying that false teachings do need to be confronted, but it is possible to do so in a loving a respectful manner (1Peter 3:15). However, one deficiency of this book is it does not have that many Scripture references in it. Tucker seems to assume that the reader knows the Biblical basis for such basic Christian doctrines as the Trinity. And she generally provides logical not Biblical refutations of each group's teachings.

To study what the Bible has to say on such doctrines, one would need to consult a book like my "Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible." It presents hundreds of verses supporting basic Christian doctrines, such as the nature of God and the Trinity, and it provides rebuttals to interpretations these groups place on verses they quote in trying to support their doctrines.

Tucker's book is very helpful for the background information on these groups and the respectful attitude she presents. Christians need to have a basic knowledge of what such groups teach or at least a good references like this around this around to consult. But for a Biblical study on such topics, you'll need to consult a book like my "Scripture Workbook."

This book was assigned reading in my Seminary, and is an excellent reference guide for anyone desiring to understand people with other religious points of view and how to share the Gospel with them. It is a good investment you will refer to for years to come.

CONTENTS:

1. Cults, Sects, Denominations, World Religions: Definition of Terms; 2. Historical Heresy: Unorthodox Movements of Past Centuries; 3. Mormonism: The Legacy of Joseph Smith; 4. Seventh-Day Adventism: Eschatological Confusion; 5. Jehovah's Witnesses: A Religion of Protest; 6. Christian Science: A Denial of the Material World; 7. New Thought and Unity: Health and Happiness; 8. The Worldwide Church of God: Reinterpreting Israel and the Law; 9. The Way International: Denying the Deity of Christ; 10. The Children of God: Evangelism and Sex Perversion; 11. The Unification Church: Proclaiming a New Messiah; 12. Hare Krishnas: Transplanted Hinduism; 13. Baha'i: A Peace and Unity Movement out of Islam;

14. Scientology: Mind-Altering Pseudo-Psychology; 15. The New Age Movement: The Occult Made Respectable; APPENDIX A: Lesser-Known Cultic Movements; APPENDIX B: Cultic Statements of Belief; APPENDIX C: Major Tenets of Orthodox Christianity.

Ruth A. Tucker is a former professor of missiology, and was a professor at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2000. She has also written books such as From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions, Daughters of the Church, Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief & Unbelief, God Talk: Cautions for Those Who Hear God's Voice, etc.

She wrote in the Introduction to this 1989 book, "The purpose of this volume is to present a historical and contemporary overview of alternative religious movements. It is not an apologetic for orthodox Christianity. That endeavor is left to the theologians... Nor is this text sociologically oriented... This book then is a volume that tells the story of the development of alternative religions, focusing on key individuals, important events, and doctrines and practices that deviated from historic orthodoxy."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"The Tanners have challenged (William Schnoebelen's) testimony and his claim to have had access to inside information (about Mormonism), and in the process they found many inconsistencies in his story regarding various clerical and occultic activities. Their fear is that unsubstantiated charges against the Mormons, such as those Schnoebelen has made, will only damage the cause of solid research that has been so effective in alerting Mormons to the truth about their church." (Pg. 29)

"(Charles Taze) Russell requested a separation (from his wife), promising her the house if she would dutifully go along with the arrangement. Russell's motivation for separating from Maria was based on their overall 'incompatibility' and that she was wielding too much influence over the ministry... she bitterly complained that he had humiliated her in a public meeting. What followed in the next several years could be described variously as a circus, a soap opera, or a comedy of errors... Russell and some of his loyalists went to her residence and removed all of her personal possessions and those of the other tenants in the boarding house---an action which promptly provoked a lawsuit." (Pg. 121)

"Rutherford's personal life was in many ways more scandalous than his predecessor's had been... some of which may have been heightened by his alcoholism... Former workers at the Watch Tower's New York headquarters recount tales of his inebriation and drunken stupors. Others tell stories of how difficult it was to get him to give talks at conventions because of his drunkenenss." (Pg. 127)

"Another best-seller heavily influenced by New Age thought was Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which was supposedly dictated to Richard Bach by a being that came to him in the form of a bird." (Pg. 335)

Another Gospel by Ruth A Tucker (Title based on Galatians 1:6 in the 1611 King James Bible). This is a very accurate, up to date book about the various religious "cults" that are prevalent among us today. It was copy righted in 1989, so obviously even more 'cults' have arisen since then. It is, in my opinion, a "fact based book" rather than a book with a slant for or against any religious sect. You, the reader, are presented the FACTS, and then it's up to you to form your own opinion. I have read and reread this book (I'm a layman, not a pastor/evangelist of any kind) and it has helped me to UNDERSTAND my friends that are in some of these organizations. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Don in Ohio.

This book has a great deal of information on major religious groups (Russelites, Mormons, Bahai) as well as some info on smaller groups. It is a great tool for those who wish to learn more about the beliefs of alternative religions which are springing up and growing.

At first glance, this book looks good. But looks can be deceiving. Since I can't claim to be an expert on religions, I don't know exactly how many times the author made serious errors. I do know for a fact that they made severe errors when addressing Seventh Day Adventists I myself am a Seventh Day Adventist and I consulted the book "Seventh Day Adventists Believe..." for accurate reference. "Seventh Day Adventists Believe..." contains 27 fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists and is copyrighted by the Ministerial Association General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The author/s of "Another Gospel" made grievous errors while discussing Seventh Day Adventists.
Seventh Day Adventists do NOT believe:
1. That you must be baptized to be saved
2. In salvation through baptism through immersion only
3. If you don't keep the Sabbath, then you're not saved
4. If you don't keep the Sabbath, you will be rejected by God
5. In salvation through works
In respect to numbers one and two, "Seventh Day Adventists Believe" states:
"...it is the blood of Christ, not the water of baptism, that removes sin from the believer... baptism does not automatically assure salvation." (Chapter 14, Baptism, pages 182-183)
For numbers three, four and five, the book "Seventh Day Adventists Believe" again disproves these statements. In Chapter 10, The Experience of Salvation, pages 121-122, it states:
"Many wrongly believe that their standing before God depends on their good or bad deeds."
The chapter discusses salvation, and nowhere does it state that one may earn salvation or acceptance from God through good deeds/works. Though the Sabbath is not discussed in this chapter, it can be concluded that because salvation is achieved not through works, Sabbath-keeping cannot earn salvation or acceptance from God.
If the credibility of my statements is in any way in question, I encourage you to consult the book "Seventh-day Adventists Believe...".
"Seventh-day Adventists Believe..." was copyrighted in 1988 by the Ministerial Association General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. It was Printed in the U.S.A. by the Review and Herald Publishing Association (Hagerstown, Maryland 21740). The ISBN number is:
0-8280-0466-8
The back cover of "Seventh-day Adventists Believe..." states:
"'What Seventh-day Adventists Believe...' stands as an authentic resource on Adventist doctrine because it is written by Adventists themselves. More than 230 men and women have evaluated and contributed their insights to the manuscript."
Seventh Day Adventists are not part of a cult. Since the author of "A New Gospel" made such severe errors with ONE branch of the Christian faith, what is to be concluded but that the author/s do not sufficiently check their information?
Such poor credibility is extremely offensive. In addition, the unfortunate popularity of the book "A New Gospel" spreads untruths about (at least) one branch of the Christian faith. The readers of this book may count "A New Gospel" as a credible source, and may even, sadly, go so far as to trust and believe what the book states. This, in turn, could spread incorrect beliefs, and damage the credibility of branches of the Christian faith.
The power of the written word can inflict incalculable damage when used incorrectly. Perhaps the author of "A New Gospel" needs to realize that.

It's so very sad that so many self-righteous, fundamentalist Protestants, many who are well-meaning decent people, and their leaders who are not,have chosen to engage in smear campaigns against other Christians. Somehow these bigots have decided they are the ONLY true followers of Christ, and they, and only they, have the true gospel and Christ on their side. What a pity. These hate-mongers never seem to understand that their behavior not only makes them look so terribly ugly, but, in fact, actually causes people to investigate the very religions they rant and rave against.

The most pitiful misunderstanding on their part is that they would tell us that Jesus said the world will hate them as the world hated Jesus. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The world is beginning to hate Protestant fundamentalists because of their behavior, not their religion. If they lived their religion, and the message of love and peace that Jesus preached, no one would hate them.

Unlike these "christians" who unrighteously judge others, many of the groups Tucker calls "cults" do NOT consider others non-Christian. Jesus didn't come to start a church as we think of a church today. In his day "church" meant "following". The fundamentalist Protestants have no more right to claim their "perfect understanding", as they would have us believe, than many of the religions they verbally persecute.

It is so strange how no one learns from history. At one time the Christians were the persecuted. Then the Catholic Church became mainstream and they persecuted those that did not think like they did. Then the splinter groups from the Catholic Church who had been persecuted became mainstream, so they started persecuting, burning at the stake, etc., those that were different than they. Now, the splinter groups have come to some kind of agreement among themselves, while still disagreeing on many issues, and they want to dismiss the rest of the world as unsaved pagans and heretics, which, of course, was at one time exactly what they had done to them.

Now, is it any wonder that Joseph Smith, and many others, saw all this hypocrisy in these Protestant sects, and could not abide their bickering? He (they) therefore decided to try and understand why these groups were so hateful and argumentative-- in the name of Jesus Christ, of course-- and could not all be correct, and yet different. As a result they tried to build their beliefs on what they understood, exactly as the fundamentalist Protestants had done so many years earlier. So, what happens to them? The bickering sects of fundamentalist Protestants now turn on those who have ideas of their own with the same intolerance shown them so many years earlier?

Well, so much for Christian love. I wonder how Christ would have handled this? Just like the antis of the Protestant sects? I don't think so.