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GENERAL EDITORNot only can the lives of individuals be transformed but entire unbiblical movements can be transformedas well. Consider the Worldwide Church of God. In previous editions of The Kingdom of the Cults, thismovement was listed as a non-Christian cult. This edition, however, notes their journey since then fromcultism to the Cross. Joseph Tkach Jr., pastor-general of theWorldwide Church of God, best summarized this transformation when he wrote, "Gone are ourobsessions with a legalistic interpretation of the Old Testament, our belief in British Israelism, and ourinsistence on our fellowship’s exclusive relationship with God. Gone are our condemnations of medicalscience, the use of cosmetics, and traditional Christian celebrationssuch as Easter and Christmas. Gone is our long-held view of God as a ‘family’ of multiple ‘spirit beings’into which humans may be born, replaced by a biblically accurate view of one God who exists eternallyin three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have embraced and now champion the NewTestament’s central theme: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ saving work on behalfof humanity is now the focus of our flagship magazine, The Plain Truth, rather than end-time prophecticspeculation. We proclaim the sufficiency of our Lord’s substitutionary sacrifice to save us from thepenalty for sin. We teach salvation by grace, based on faith alone, without resort to works of any kind." 6This thirtieth anniversary edition of The Kingdom of the Cults not only maintains the integrity of Dr.Martin’s profoundly original work but adds current, up-to-date information and in-depth analysis in userfriendly fashion. As General Editor, I have preserved Walter Martin’s original thoughts while updatingand extending them through those who have effectivelymastered the spirit of his work. Several completely new chapters, reflecting significant changes in thefield of cult apologetics have also been added. These changes are noted in footnotes at the head ofchapters.I would like to express my appreciation to Gretchen Passantino who, as Managing Editor, did the lion’sshare of the work on this project. I am also deeply grateful for the contributions of the team ofcontributors she assembled. With the diversity of theological perspectives represented, disagreements onsecondary issues are inevitable. Walter Martin and I, for thatmatter, hold differing views on a variety of issues, such as eschatology. We are all, however, firmlyunited around the maxim, "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity."Thus with the deepest of gratitude to our Lord Jesus Christ for raising up the ministry of Dr. WalterMartin, we submit to His purposes this new edition of The Kingdom of the Cults.1.2.3.4.5.6.How wide the Divide? (Downer's Grove, Illin IVP, 1997) 191Ibid., 195James White: Is the Mormon My Brother? (Minneapolis. Bethnay House Publishing, 1997) 213Prophet Lorenzo Snow, quoted in Milton R. Hunter The Gospel through the Ages, 105-106Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 345Christian Research Journal (Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Christian Research Institute.http://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/general.htm (2 of 3) [02/06/2004 11:20:14 p.m.]

GENERAL EDITORWinter 1996) 53http://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/general.htm (3 of 3) [02/06/2004 11:20:14 p.m.]

CHAPTER 1 The Kingdom of the CultsCHAPTER 1The Kingdom of the CultsIt has been said of the United States that it is "the great melting pot" for the people of the world. And thecontents of that pot would not be complete unless it also included the religions of those masses that nowmake up the populace of America. This writer has spent over thirty years of his life in research andfieldwork among the religions of America, and this volume, limited as it is by the vastness andcomplexity of the problem itself, constitutes his evaluation of that vibrant brand of religion that has cometo be recognised by many as the "Kingdom of the Cults."In his study of modern American cults and minority religious movements as found in his text These AlsoBelieve, Dr. Charles Braden, emeritus professor at North-western University (1954) [and co-author, JohnC. Schaffer, lecturer (1955) and visiting professor at Scripps College (1954 to 1956)], made a number ofobservations with which this writer agrees. In regard to the term "cult," for instance, Dr. Braden says thefollowing:By the term cult I mean nothing derogatory toany group so classified. A cult, as I define it, isany religious group which differs significantlyin one or more respects as to belief or practicefrom those religious groups which are regardedas the normative expressions of religion in ourtotal culture (Preface, xii).I may add to this that a cult might also be defined as a group of people gathered about a specific personor person’s misinterpretation of the Bible. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses are, for the most part,followers of the interpretations of Charles T. Russell and J. F. Rutherford.Although founder Russell and his successor Rutherford are long since dead, Jehovah’s Witnesses todaystill look to the Watchtower organisation and its Governing Body to understand the Bible. In fact,Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught that they cannot understand the Bible without the organisation explainingit to them.The Christian Scientist of today is a disciple of Mary Baker Eddy and her interpretations of Scripture.The Mormons, by their own admission, adhere to those interpretations found in the writings of JosephSmith and Brigham Young and continued by their current president, called the Prophet, Seer, andRevelator. From a theological viewpoint, the cults contain many major deviations from historicalChristianity. Yet, paradoxically, they continue to insist that they are entitled to be classified as Christians.Note, for example, that Jehovah’s Witnesses call themselves "Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses," and theMormons are officially the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," etc.http://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/chapter1.htm (1 of 10) [02/06/2004 11:20:18 p.m.]

CHAPTER 1 The Kingdom of the CultsIt is my conviction that the reader is entitled to know the theological position from which this volume iswritten so that there will be no misconceptions as to the ground for my evaluation. I am a Baptistminister, an evangelical holding to the inerrancy of Scripture, and teach in the fields of BiblicalTheology, Comparative Religion, and Apologetics, and am currently Director of the MA program at theSimon Greenleaf School of Law (Orange, California).It is impossible for me to agree with Dr. Braden, "an unrepentant liberal" (p. xi), or to agree that I "holdno brief for any particular cult, nor violently opposed to any" (p. xi). While I am in agreement that "ingeneral the cults represent the earnest attempt of millions of people to find the fulfilment of deep andlegitimate needs of the human spirit, which most of them seem not to have found in the establishedchurches" (p. xi), I feel there is still much more to be said. It has been wisely observed by someone that"a man who will not stand for something is quite likely to fall for almost anything." So I have elected tostand on the ramparts of biblical Christianity as taught by the apostles, defended by the church fathers,rediscovered by the Reformers, and embodied in what is sometimes called Reformed theology.It is the purpose of this book, then, to evaluate the so-called cults and isms, which today are found inabundance in America and, in quite a number of cases, on the great mission fields of the world.Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and many other cults are growing at alarming rates not only in ThirdWorld countries in South America, Asia, and Africa, but also in the former members of the Soviet Unionand its satellites. Particularly in those countries where until recently religious faith was criminallypunishable, the inheritance of sound doctrine is missing and untold thousands of people are succumbingto the cults.My approach to the subject is threefold: (1) historical analysis of the salient facts connected with the riseof the cult systems; (2) the theological evaluation of the major teachings of those systems; and (3) anapologetic contrast from the viewpoint of biblical theology, with an emphasis upon exegesis anddoctrine.It is not my desire in any sense to make fun of adherents of cult systems, the large majority of whom aresincere, though I am not adverse to humour when it can underscore a point. A study of the cults is aserious business. They constitute a growing trend in America—a trend that is away from the establishedChristian churches and the historic teachings of the Bible—an emphasis upon autosoteric efforts, or thedesire to save one’s self apart from biblical revelation.It is most significant that those who have written on the cults have only recently stressed the authority ofthe Scriptures as a criterion for measuring either the truth or falsity of cultic claims. When this book firstappeared in 1965, it was the first to make such a stress on such a large scale. Since then my example hasbeen followed and the Christian is now in a position to readily find the Scripture’s verdict on the cults.Dr. Marcus Bach, who has written extensively from a liberal viewpoint on the cults, summed up thisattitude of tolerance apart from scriptural authority when he wrote:http://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/chapter1.htm (2 of 10) [02/06/2004 11:20:18 p.m.]

CHAPTER 1 The Kingdom of the CultsSomehow I felt I must become a representativeof the average churchgoer everywhere inAmerica, whose heart was with me in myseeking. If the Jehovah’s Witnesses have someheavenly tip-off that the world is coming to anend in 1973,1 we want to tell our friends about itin plenty of time! If Father Divine is really God,we want to know about it! If Unity is building anew city down in Missouri, we Americans wantto get in on the ground floor! If that man inMoscow, Idaho, talked with God, actually andliterally, we have a right to know how it’s done!Certainly these modern movements suggest thatthere was a vital, if not always coherent,moving force back of them, giving luster anddrive to their beliefs. I decided that I would notconcern myself so much with the rivalry amonggroups as with their realization. I would devotemyself more to the way than to the why of theirdoctrine. Let others turn ecclesiasticalmicroscopes on them or weigh them in thesensitive scale of final truth; I would contentmyself with the age-old verdict of Gamaliel: "Ifthis work be of men, it will come to naught; butif it be of God, we cannot overthrow it."I decided to set forth on my own with no stringsattached and no stipend from any university, nocommission from any church, no obligation toany individual or group, no bias, nopreconceived judgment, no illusions."All roads that lead to God are good." As Ibegan my adventure, the fervor of this naïve andyouthful conviction rushed over me once more.(They Have Found a Faith, 19–21.)Dr. Bach admits more in this statement than perhaps he intended, for though it is a laudable aim tobecome "representative of the average churchgoer everywhere in America," his use of the word "if" inthe reference to the teachings of the cults indicates that the final truth, grounded in the authority ofScripture and the revelation of Jesus Christ, has not been obtained by the Christian church, and that othersources must be investigated in order to ascertain the whole truth of the Christian message. We are in fullagreement that "these modern movements suggest that there was a vital, if not always coherent, movinghttp://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/chapter1.htm (3 of 10) [02/06/2004 11:20:18 p.m.]

CHAPTER 1 The Kingdom of the Cultsforce back of them, giving luster and drive to their beliefs." But since most if not all the cult systemsvigorously oppose the Christian church, particularly in the realm of Christology and soteriology, perhapsit is not at all out of order to suggest that "that force" is the same as that which opposed our Lord and theapostles and has consistently opposed the efforts of the Christian church, the force described by our Lordas "the god of this world."Liberal scholars, then, have devoted themselves more to "the way" than to "the why" of the doctrines ofthe cults, and they have adopted the statement of Gamaliel as their creed. It will be remembered thatGamaliel counselled the Jews not to oppose the Christians, for "if this counsel or this work be of men, itwill come to naught: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it" (Acts 5:38–39). Let it not be forgottenthat Gamaliel’s advice is not biblical theology; and if it were followed in the practical realm ofexperience as steadfastly as it is urged, then we would have to recognise Islam as "of God," because of itsrapid growth and reproductive virility throughout the world. We would have to acknowledgeMormonism (six people in 1830 to over five million in 1982, and around eight million in 1994) in thesame category as Islam, something which most liberals are unwilling to do, though some have nothesitated to so declare themselves.We do not suggest that we "turn ecclesiastical microscopes" on the cults, but rather that they be viewedin the light of what we know to be divine revelation, the Word of God, which itself weighs them, "in thesensitive scale of final truth," for it was our Lord who taught, "If you believe not that I am, you will diein your sins" (John 8:24). And the final criterion today as always must remain, "What think ye of Christ;whose son is He?"I must dissent from the view that "all roads that lead to God are good" and believe instead the words ofour Lord, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).It should be carefully noted that Jesus did not say, "I am one of many equally good ways" or "I am abetter way than the others, I am an aspect of truth; I am a fragment of the life." Instead, His claim wasabsolute, and allegiance to Him, as the Saviour of the world, was to take precedence over all the claimsof men and religions.I should like to make it clear that in advancing criticism of some of the views of liberal scholars in thefield of cults and isms, I do not discount their many valuable contributions. And no singular study,regardless of the time involved and the thoroughness of the investigation, can review all the data andevaluate all the facts necessary to completely understand the origin and development of cultism. Myapproach is quite honestly theological in its orientation with the aim of contrast and reaffirmation inview. Dr. Van Baalen is correct when he says that "the cults are the unpaid bills of the church" (Chaos ofCults, 14). They are this and more, for they are a challenge to the church to affirm once again the greatprinciples and foundations of the Gospel of Christ and to make them meaningful to the presentgeneration. There can be no doubt that the great trend in religion is syncretistic, or a type ofhomogenisation of religions, such as the great historian Arnold Toynbee has more than once suggested.We are consistently being told in books, articles, council pronouncements, and ecumenical conclaves thathttp://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/chapter1.htm (4 of 10) [02/06/2004 11:20:18 p.m.]

CHAPTER 1 The Kingdom of the Cultswe must "play down the things that divide us and emphasise those things which make for unity." This isall well and good if we are speaking about a firm foundation of doctrinal as well as moral and ethicaltruth, and if we are speaking about true unity within the body of Christ. But if, as some suggest, this bebroadened to include those who are not in agreement with the essentials of biblical Christianity, we mustresolutely oppose it.It is most interesting to note that the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches,which constitute the spearhead of the ecumenical movement throughout the world, have consistentlydenied membership to the cults under study in this volume on the ground that they do not recognise orworship Jesus Christ as God and Saviour. In 1957, The Christian Century printed a series of articles onfour prominent cults, which were written by Dr. Marcus Bach. Dr. Bach’s presentation was sosympathetic that the then editors of The Christian Century were compelled to write an editorial, pointingout the differences between the cults and Christianity. Editor Harold Fey and Managing Editor TheodoreGill wrote that the promises of the cults were empty and could not satisfy as Christianity could (551). Wecan sympathise with Fey and Gill’s concerns, since any series of articles which present the cults in such afavourable light, though appearing to be objective, does little or nothing for Christianity except toencourage weaker Christians to dabble in what is a dangerous hobby.As the American Christian church enters the end of this century, ecumenicism has become a deadlycancer, destroying what used to be healthy Christian churches and replacing them with mutantfellowships of "new spirituality" that embrace pantheism, polytheism, goddess worship, new ageism,Hinduism, Buddhism, and agnosticism. The only "faith" not acceptable in our liberal churches today isbiblical faith that dares to make exclusive claims about Jesus Christ, the gospel, the Bible, and salvation!The 1993 Parliament of World Religions, held in Chicago, exemplified this quasi-Christianity."Christian" spokespeople from various liberal churches embraced the faiths of the world as simplyalternate ways to experience God, and both liberal Christians and non-Christians united in theircondemnation of what they termed narrow-minded, fundamentalist religious bigots. When Christianitydenies the biblical faith it ceases to be Christianity at all.Biblical PerspectivesThe age that saw the advent of Jesus Christ was an age rich in religion, stretching from the crass animismand sex worship of the great majority of the world to the Roman pantheon of gods and the Greek mysteryreligions. One need only peruse Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to become acutelyaware of the multiplicity of gods and goddesses, as well as of philosophical and ethical systems thatpervaded the religious horizon in that era of history. Judaism had withdrawn itself from any extensivemissionary activity, burdened as the Jews were by the iron rule of an unsympathetic Roman paganism.The law of God had been interpreted and reinterpreted through commentaries and rabbinical emendationsto the place where our Lord had to say to the religious leaders of His day, "Why do ye also transgress thecommandment of God by your tradition? Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effectby your tradition" (Matthew 15:3, 6).http://67.15.42.48/ bible/cults/koc/chapter1.htm (5 of 10) [02/06/2004 11:20:18 p.m.]

CHAPTER 1 The Kingdom of the CultsInto this whirlpool of stagnant human philosophy and perverted revelation came the Son of God who,through His teachings and example, revealed that there was such a thing as divine humanity, and throughHis miraculous powers, vicarious death, and bodily resurrection, cut across the maze of hum

5. Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society 6. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) 7. Christian Science 8. The Theosophical Society 9. Buddhism 10. The Baha'i Faith 11. The New Age Cults 12. The Unification Church 13. Scientology 14. Eastern Religions 15. The Apocalyptic Cults 16.