The Odyssey of a New Religion: The Holy Order of MANS From New Age to Orthodoxy (Religion in North America) [Hardcover]

Phillip Charles Lucas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 1995 | Series: Religion in North America

"... solid scholarship.... [It] will not only serve as a model for those studying the New Religious Movements of the late twentieth century, but will offer help to mainline and other religious institutions who are struggling with problems of identity and change in our complex society today." —Church History

"... a thoroughly enjoyable book that would fit well into a graduate readings seminar on new religious movements....The book deserves a wide reading." —Nova Religio

"Lucas's study provides a model of how best to combine the methodologies and analyses of the history of religions and sociology. He has provided the groundwork for continued tracking of developments in this new religious movement for comparative purposes." —Journal of the American Academy of Religion

"... a carefully researched and well-written history of one of the important new religious movements to appear in the United States during the 1960s... the volume can be heartily recommended to all students of American religion." —American Historical Review

"Lucas has written one of the best informed studies of the evolution of a metaphysical cult into mainline eastern orthodoxy." —The Reader's Review

"This is an important book for libraries with holdings in American religion." —Choice

"... a fascinating narrative... a rich feast for the investigator of the subculture of esoteric religion... " —American Studies International

"... especially welcome. It offers an in-depth, meticulously documented history of a church, the Holy Order of MANS, that arose from the Christian esoteric mystery tradition and then metamorphosed into a traditionalist Orthodox Christian sect. This unlikely tale has more twists and turns than a whodunit... this volume is that rarest of finds: an academic book that is a delight to read." —Gnosis Magazine

Traces the journey of a new religious movement from its start as a monastic-style New Age order to its transformation into the more conventional Christ the Savior Brotherhood, an Eastern Orthodox sect. A remarkable story of social and spiritual change in contemporary America.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

PHILLIP CHARLES LUCAS teaches in the Department of Religion at Stetson University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (February 22, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253336120
• ISBN-13: 978-0253336125
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,870,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough, fair and objective account of a new religion., September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Odyssey of a New Religion: The Holy Order of MANS From New Age to Orthodoxy (Religion in North America) (Hardcover)

I was very impressed with this thorough and objective account of the journey of the Holy Order of MANS from its inception to its eventual conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy. I was a sister in the original Holy Order of MANS in the late seventies. My experiences, both inner and outer, were profound and still deeply shape my life today. The objective facts and subjective interviews so thoroughly and carefully documented in Lucas' book have helped me make sense of my feelings and experiences both during and after my time in and around this religion.

In addition, Lucas also draws many examples from other religious movements, illustrating the many and typical similarites between all new relligions of this type. For those studying the characteristics of new religions, I believe this descriptive journey through the experiences of one will help in understanding the many.

In addition, I found this book to be lively and intelligent, never dull. Although carefully footnoted and documented, it remains engaging from start to finish.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An oral history. A doctoral thesis., December 29, 2001

By 

C. S. King "paxchgo" (Tulsa OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Odyssey of a New Religion: The Holy Order of MANS From New Age to Orthodoxy (Religion in North America) (Hardcover)

Let us put this book into a proper persective. This is not _the_ definitive history of the Holy Oder of MANS, but one man's doctoral dissertation based on selective interviews, the author's gleanings of the interviewees' 15 to 40 year old memories. There is much that is inaccurate, coming from hearsay that someone recalled hearing.

The Order had/has a fascinating history and no one else has stepped up to tackle the massive task to document it in it's true fullness and richness. I was a member in multiple capacities from 1969 to 1975, with a brief stint in 1982. I know/knew a fair number of those who were interviewed and many that were not. It has been estimated that the Order touched 10,000 people, to one degree or another.

All in all, this is a book worth reading. Just keep in mind what this text is: the author's doctoral dissertation and an oral history with all the shortcomings thereof.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book written for academia about a mystical Order, June 2, 2003

By 

Rev. Mary Anderson (Sandy, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Odyssey of a New Religion: The Holy Order of MANS From New Age to Orthodoxy (Religion in North America) (Hardcover)

Father Paul Blighton taught, and the Order transmitted "The Middle Path." Timeless, reaching from ancient wisdom into the coming age; universal and applicable to all.
An outside observer might conclude that the Order's teachings incorporated a combination of ideas, but this was not what Order students experienced in their training. We came into a most powerful, integrated experience of Christ in all facets of Being. No frills were added to entertain; only universal truth to transform.
The Light emphasized in all of the Order's teachings, is the Light of Illumination, the Christ Light. It can be seen by one who is being mystically transformed by it, and is not merely symbolic. The stated purpose of the Order was to reach as many souls as possible with the transforming Light of Christ.