The Asbury Journal

Article Title

From "Cults" to Cultures: Bridges as a Case Study in a New Evangelical Paradigm on New Religions

Authors

John W. Morehead, Western Institue for Intercultural Studies

Abstract

The increased awareness of the new religions with the counterculture of the 1960s saw various responses, including a "counter-cult" approach by evangelicals. The counter-cult approach has tended to view new religions as "cults" and to respond to them as heretical systems of belief in need of refutation by doctrinal and apologetic arguments. Over the last decade or so a new evangelical paradigm has emerged based in missiology which, while recognizing theological disagreements that the new religions have with Christianity, approaches new religions as religious cultures rather than as cults. Various resources have been produced as a result of the new evangelical paradigm. A case study is found in the resource titled Bridges: Helping Mormons Discover God's Grace, which presents a culturally-sensitive understanding of Mormons and Mormonism for evangelicals.

DOI

10.7252/Journal.01.2010F.03

Recommended Citation

Morehead, John W. (2010) "From "Cults" to Cultures: Bridges as a Case Study in a New Evangelical Paradigm on New Religions," The Asbury Journal: Vol. 65: No. 2, p. 26-35.
Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/asburyjournal/vol65/iss2/4