Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1998, page 59
Communication,” “Spiritual and Theological Discernment,” “Pastoral Challenges and
Responses,” and “Attitude of Dialogue.”
Quite naturally the papal documents and discourses are presented first in each section,
followed by quotations from individual bishops and from their national conferences. In one
visit to a parish in Rome, the Pontiff expressed the opinion that one reason for the
proliferation of sects is that people experience a “fear of tomorrow,” and Cardinal Arinze
said that “the NRMs can arise and attract because people are searching for meaning when
they are feeling lost in a period of cultural change.” Also in this section devoted to
psychological causes there is a reminder that the depersonalizing structures of modern
society create crisis situations which call for psychological and spiritual responses: “The
sects claim to have and to give these responses. They do this on both the affective and the
cognitive levels often responding to the affective needs in a way that deadens the cognitive
faculties.” That analysis is reminiscent of a lecture once given by Dr. Louis J. West on the
subject of “mesmerizing” and another conference by Dr. Ray Dreitlein on the manipulative
techniques by which “it seems that one part of your brain is put to sleep.”
The National Conference of Bishops in the United States is quoted as saying: “We observe in
biblical fundamentalism an effort to try to find in the Bible all the direct answers for living --
though the Bible itself nowhere claims such authority. The appeal of such an approach is
understandable.... People of all ages yearn for answers. They look for sure, definite rules for
living. And they are given answers --simplistic answers to complex issues --in a confident
and enthusiastic way in fundamentalist Bible groups.”
The readers of CSJ will realize that the susceptibility to fundamentalist solutions to life‟s
problems is not limited to religion. It seems to be an anti-intellectual infection that can
appear anywhere in the world in any area of life. It seems to grow more resistant as it
encounters opposition. Nevertheless it is an enduring challenge to educators. As creatures
in time we must overcome “the fear of tomorrow.”
The anthology concludes with an appendix which includes the 1986 Roman document on
“Sects and The New Religious Movements.” It, too, hoped to preserve an ecumenical
stance, but was frank enough to say, “clearly we cannot be naively ironical.”
This anthology is a very worthwhile piece of work which, it is to be hoped, will be continually
updated by the authors when churchmen around this ever-shrinking world continue to
experience the pressures of the new religious movements.
Reverend Walter Debold
Seton Hall University
The Walking Wounded. J. Reynalds. Huntington House, Lafayette, LA., 1996, 207
pages.
This paperback in 15 chapters was written by a “speaker, journalist, and author” apparently
with limited academic or professional credentials, further evidenced by lack of an index or
bibliography and sparse, limited chapter footnotes. The book is aimed at Christians who
have had negative experiences with “faith theology” espoused by extremist Christian
groups. They believe any and all personal problems can be overcome by faith alone, and if
this fails, the fault lies with weakness in the believer.
As Reynalds puts it, faith theology teaches that “God‟s done all He‟s gonna do” and “now it‟s
all up to you” (10). He describes it as a “man-centered gospel that preaches divine health
and divine prosperity” such that “illness, financial hardship, and other trials are often
attributed to fear or lack of faith” (p.vi). He considers such a belief system a “distorted,
unbiblical doctrine that is destroying people‟s lives” (p.14). He holds that “it is no indication
Communication,” “Spiritual and Theological Discernment,” “Pastoral Challenges and
Responses,” and “Attitude of Dialogue.”
Quite naturally the papal documents and discourses are presented first in each section,
followed by quotations from individual bishops and from their national conferences. In one
visit to a parish in Rome, the Pontiff expressed the opinion that one reason for the
proliferation of sects is that people experience a “fear of tomorrow,” and Cardinal Arinze
said that “the NRMs can arise and attract because people are searching for meaning when
they are feeling lost in a period of cultural change.” Also in this section devoted to
psychological causes there is a reminder that the depersonalizing structures of modern
society create crisis situations which call for psychological and spiritual responses: “The
sects claim to have and to give these responses. They do this on both the affective and the
cognitive levels often responding to the affective needs in a way that deadens the cognitive
faculties.” That analysis is reminiscent of a lecture once given by Dr. Louis J. West on the
subject of “mesmerizing” and another conference by Dr. Ray Dreitlein on the manipulative
techniques by which “it seems that one part of your brain is put to sleep.”
The National Conference of Bishops in the United States is quoted as saying: “We observe in
biblical fundamentalism an effort to try to find in the Bible all the direct answers for living --
though the Bible itself nowhere claims such authority. The appeal of such an approach is
understandable.... People of all ages yearn for answers. They look for sure, definite rules for
living. And they are given answers --simplistic answers to complex issues --in a confident
and enthusiastic way in fundamentalist Bible groups.”
The readers of CSJ will realize that the susceptibility to fundamentalist solutions to life‟s
problems is not limited to religion. It seems to be an anti-intellectual infection that can
appear anywhere in the world in any area of life. It seems to grow more resistant as it
encounters opposition. Nevertheless it is an enduring challenge to educators. As creatures
in time we must overcome “the fear of tomorrow.”
The anthology concludes with an appendix which includes the 1986 Roman document on
“Sects and The New Religious Movements.” It, too, hoped to preserve an ecumenical
stance, but was frank enough to say, “clearly we cannot be naively ironical.”
This anthology is a very worthwhile piece of work which, it is to be hoped, will be continually
updated by the authors when churchmen around this ever-shrinking world continue to
experience the pressures of the new religious movements.
Reverend Walter Debold
Seton Hall University
The Walking Wounded. J. Reynalds. Huntington House, Lafayette, LA., 1996, 207
pages.
This paperback in 15 chapters was written by a “speaker, journalist, and author” apparently
with limited academic or professional credentials, further evidenced by lack of an index or
bibliography and sparse, limited chapter footnotes. The book is aimed at Christians who
have had negative experiences with “faith theology” espoused by extremist Christian
groups. They believe any and all personal problems can be overcome by faith alone, and if
this fails, the fault lies with weakness in the believer.
As Reynalds puts it, faith theology teaches that “God‟s done all He‟s gonna do” and “now it‟s
all up to you” (10). He describes it as a “man-centered gospel that preaches divine health
and divine prosperity” such that “illness, financial hardship, and other trials are often
attributed to fear or lack of faith” (p.vi). He considers such a belief system a “distorted,
unbiblical doctrine that is destroying people‟s lives” (p.14). He holds that “it is no indication
