A Valuable Reference
"I find this book a valuable reference and I keep it close at hand when I am working.”–Professor Benjamin D. Zablocki,
Rutgers University
Fills in a Vacuum
"This is a useful, handy reference work which fills in a vacuum in the
current literature on new religions. Covering a large variety of marginal
religious groups, it provides a descriptive account of many religious
leaders who have often been noted for their eccentricity and/or unorthodox
views and behavior. Easy to read and consult, it provides some of the
background necessary to understand the new religions and their attractiveness.
I consider it a pocket manual for those who are studying and/or are interested
in the new religious movements.”–Professor John Saliba,
University of Detroit Mercy
This Inexpensive Work Has No Rivals
“Written by an expert on the New Age movement, this work is a good
source of basic biographical information about important people in nontraditional
religions of the US. Altogether, it contains 350 page-long biographies
of modern prophets, sect organizers, cult founders, witches, saints, NeoPagans,
New Agers, mediums, occultists, UFO society organizers, swamis, holy men,
gurus, and people of prominence in the New Age movement. Entries provide
birth and death dates, education, marital status, organizations or churches
founded, affiliations, accomplishments, and important publications. Since
most entries have been corrected either by the individual or the individual's
organization, profiles are objective and factual. Nearly all entries treat
individuals who founded new religions during the 1960s as part of the
counterculture movement, or who inspired new religions founded during
that time. Since few biographies of New Age personalities exist, this
inexpensive work has no rivals. It is recommended for students and faculty
at all levels, and would diversify the collection of any library.”—Choice,
December, 1999
Throughout history, many people of vision and charisma have arisen to lead large numbers into the formation of churches, sects, cults, and secular groups. Alternatively branded prophets and false prophets, these people awakened the spiritual consciousness of their followers and spoke of new visions of reality. In America, these leaders often appeared in numbers during periods of renewed spiritual activity, such as the Great Awakening. Peculiar Prophets captures that diversity in such a way that undercuts some of the social prejudice against new religions.
• Organized brief biographies of over 300 of the prophets–the
largest collection published to date
• Accompanying bibliography with over 2,300 entries
JAMES LEWIS is Dean of Humanities and Professor of Religious
Studies at the World University of America, and Senior Editor at the Center
for Academic Publication. He is a world-recognized authority on non-traditional
religions, and is the author of Cults in America, the authoritative
Encyclopedia
of Cults, Sects and New Religions, and the forthcoming
Doomsday
Prophecies.
416 pp 1-55778-768-9 $19.95+ pb
Territory: World
Subject: Reference/Religion
Rights: Paragon House
Rights: All available
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