Table Of ContentZONDERVAN
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions
Copyright © 2006 by George A. Mather, Larry A. Nichols, and Alvin J. Schmidt
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ePub Edition August 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-86606-0
Formerly published as Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions, and the Occult
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mather, George A.
Dictionary of cults, sects, and world religions / George A. Mather, Larry A.
Nichols, Alvin J. Schmidt.— Rev. and updated ed.
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: Dictionary of cults, sects, religions, and the occult. 1993.
Summary: “This updated dictionary explores a variety of religious beliefs”—
Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-31023954-3
1. Religions—Dictionaries. 2. Cults—Dictionaries. 3. Sects—Dictionaries. I.
Nichols, Larry A. II. Schmidt, Alvin J. III. Mather, George A. Dictionary of cults,
sects, religions, and the occult. IV. Title.
BL31.M295 2005
200'.3—dc22
2005000820
CIP
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06 07 08 09 10 • 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
George Mather would like to dedicate this book to
those
friends and family who have been a continued source of
encouragement during the writing of this book.
Larry Nichols would like to dedicate this book in loving
memory of his mother, Joyce Nichols, and his father-in-
law,
Alfred Medeiros, along with all of the members of
Our Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Alvin Schmidt would like to dedicate this book to his
two sons,
Timothy and Mark, to help them see that religious
diversity
does not conform to what Christ said, “Not everyone
who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into
the kingdom of heaven.”
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgments
Introduction
World Religions
Dictionary Entries
Appendixes
Bibliography
About the Publisher
Share Your Thoughts
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge various individuals for
their support and contributions to this project.
George and Larry extend thanks to Alvin Schmidt, who has
come aboard as one of the authors. In the first edition he
served as consulting editor. It has been good to have him
contribute his scholarship.
We thank Kurt van Gorden, our present consulting editor,
for his very careful reading of the entire manuscript and his
many helpful suggestions, comments, and constructive
criticisms along the way. Kurt has done a yeoman’s work and
is a true servant of the cross of Christ.
We wish to thank Arthur Pena for his critical review of the
article on The Baha,i Faith. We thank Keith MacGregor and
MacGregor Ministries, Kurt van Gorden, Jill Rische, Paul
Carden, Arthur Varnick, and Dale Broadhurst for their review
and remarks on Mormonism. Concerning the Jehovah’s
Witnesses, we thank David Reed, Watchman Fellowship, and
Christian Research Institute. We thank Verle and Orie Streifling
for their contributions to the article on Seventh-day
Adventism. We offer thanks to Gary Zeolla for providing
helpful information on several parts of the book. The authors
acknowledge and thank Robert Pardon, the director of the New
England Institute for Religious Research.
Special thanks goes to Lois Smith for her tireless work in
xeroxing the entire hard copy used in the editing process. We
also thank Melissa Nichols for her work on the appendixes.
Larry Nichols would like to note that during the final months
of writing, his mother was afflicted with a terminal illness. The
dedication of this book is for her along with his late father-in-
law and grandparents. At the same time, Larry’s father was
diagnosed with cancer. By the grace of God, he has had
successful surgery and has recovered. He wants to thank both
of his parents (as was done in the first edition) for their love,
prayers, and support through the years.
Larry would like to acknowledge and thank professors who
have taught him throughout the years:
John Calvin Holsinger, history professor at Evangel
University, who has kept in touch and has been a
constant source of encouragement for continuing to
pursue graduate studies
John Stroup, professor of church history at Yale
University Divinity School (now at Rice University),
who taught his students to think and write critically and
at times skeptically
Paul Holmer, George Lindbeck, (the late) Hans Frei, and
Brevard Childs of Yale University Arthur Just, who
taught him to understand Luke and the sacraments the
late Robert Preus, who manifested a breadth of
knowledge of Post-Lutheran systematic theology and a
deep understanding of the doctrine of “justification by
grace through faith”
Timothy Quill, who, because of the first edition to this
encyclopedic dictionary, invited him to participate in
the “Russian Project”—that is, to teach at the Siberian
Lutheran Seminary in Russia and at the Luther
Academy in Latvia
David Scaer (“All theology is Christology”), for teaching
all of his students to never take ourselves too seriously,
but to take Christ most seriously
William Weinrich, a great patristics scholar whose
writings and personal conversations through the years
have proved most enlightening Dean Wenthe, for his
outstanding scholarship, exceptional leadership, and
deep insights into the ongoing narrative of the Old/New
Testament church and the response of the church to
today’s postmodern world.
Finally, we would together reserve our deepest appreciation
for our wives and children, who certainly sacrificed the most.
