Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 126
Porteous‘s current anti-fundamentalist activities in the form of transcripts from television
and radio interviews by which Porteous exposes the agendas of radical right leaders.
In Chapter 1, Porteous introduces the reader to a variety of fundamentalist political
organizations that have experienced a rise in political power and financial resources, and
describes their aggressive and deceptive strategies. Though it may appear that the radical
religious right has experienced decreasing energy and influence since its public pinnacle
during the Reagan campaigns, Porteous points out that the battle to end American
constitutional rights continues more fervently than ever. The radical right's focus has
shifted to local and state politics, arenas that have enjoyed less exposure and therefore less
public scrutiny.
Chapters 2 through 6 change focus to offer an account of Porteous‘s personal history.
Chapters 7 through 15 chronicle his personal ministry and experiences on the frontlines of
the American fundamentalist ministries. Descriptions of these experiences are peppered
with insights about the deception, quackery, and psychological manipulation that have
characterized many of these groups. Chapters 15 through 22 portray a reversal of the
author‘s energies and allegiance, toward support of First-Amendment liberties and exposure
of the Christian reconstructionist movement.
Porteous‘s book alternates between two identities. On the one hand, it is an expose of the
fringe religious right, and on the other, a personal journal. Unfortunately, the book reads
like a first draft. It would have benefited from tighter editing to provide a central focus and
integration of its aims. While Porteous‘s description of fundamentalist preachers is accurate
in many ways, a more well-rounded portrait could have been painted to show why these
people are so appealing. He also might have discussed the influence of manipulative
environmental factors, such as the music and the crowds, on attendees‘ spiritual
experiences. More sociological information about the Jesus movement, street churches, and
the Pentecostal movements would have enriched the book. Some less interesting areas,
such as the discussion of his marital affair and divorce, either could have been excluded or
developed into another book that would have provided a more personal account.
There is a disappointing lack of psychological insight in Porteous‘s personality patterns and
life decisions. For example, he never addressed the personal fanaticism that seems to
underlie his fundamentalist ministry and present advocacy for First-Amendment rights. In
addition, there is no introspective analysis of this dramatic life transition.
Despite the book‘s shortcomings, Porteous succeeds in providing an intriguing synopsis of
the growth and ongoing aims of the radical religious right. The book‘s clever title is
representative of Porteous‘ quick-witted intelligence, which is demonstrated in the media
interviews transcribed in the last chapters.
The first and last sections of this book are invigorating enough to compensate for its
lethargic core. Anyone who would enjoy sparring with Jerry Falwell would especially delight
in reading these transcripts. This book should be on the shelf of all those who seek
information about fundamentalist movements in America, as well as those concerned with
the preservation of a nontheocratic way of life.
Nadine Winocur, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist

Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 127
Corporate Cults: The Insidious Lure of the All-Consuming Organization.
Dave Arnott, New York: American Management Association, 2000. ISBN: 0-1844-
0493-6
This is a thought-provoking book. Unfortunately the main thought it provokes is: how could
such a bad book have ever found a publisher?
CSJ readers might be ‗lured‘ towards it by the importance of the subject matter. Over the
past decade pressures on managers and workers have intensified in virtually all
organizations, and in most countries. Desperately ferreting around for innovative
approaches to improve performance, many managers have latched onto the notion of
corporate culture, possessed by a belief in its transformative powers. They have been
encouraged to regard themselves as messianic leaders, charged with bringing vision,
meaning and the mindset of True Believers to their organizations. It is no longer enough to
manufacture burgers. You must also actually believe that they Mean Something. One of the
best-known players in this area, Tom Peters, approvingly cites the founder of McDonald‘s as
saying: ‗You gotta see the beauty in a hamburger bun.‘
In a typical sign of the times, just after reading this book, I picked up another tome entitled
‗Corporate Religion.‘ The dust jacket informs us that ‗management has to unite the
organization around a strong idea, a shared vision, and then manage accordingly. That
makes tough demands. In the company of the future there will only be space for believers.
Dissenters must look elsewhere.‘ Sounds familiar? The book goes on to provide tips for the
creation of a corporate religion, suggesting that employees be screened for ‗attitude‘, in
order to eliminate dissenters from the search process.
It is this phenomenon that Arnott, a management professor at Dallas Baptist University,
rightly has in his sights. Sadly, his sights are out of alignment, and the bullets fired turn out
to be mostly blanks.
Problems begin with the shrieking dust jacket. A be-suited male, his head shaven and
emblazoned with both satanic insignia and the book‘s title, glares out at the reader. Is he
meant to symbolize an irresistible corporate leader, seeking new recruits? I detected the
imminent approach of an empty argument, lightly disguised behind the cheap make up of
tawdry sensationalism.
Arnott sets out his stall in the first chapter, by discussing the nature of corporate culture
and the defining characteristics of a cult. This is an excellent point of departure. However,
the definition offered of a cult revolves mostly around a textual analysis of the old Eagles
song, Hotel California. (I am not making this up). We are then told that cults have three
traits: devotion, charismatic leadership and separation from community. True, so far as it
goes. However, much more is needed, to establish the concept of cultism in the minds of
potential readers, few of whom would have much familiarity with the burgeoning literature
on the topic. Regrettably, there is every sign in this book that Arnott shares their ignorance.
Chapter One proceeds to elucidate a dominant argument in the book – that there is a
difference between who you are as a person and what you do. You mean more than your
work. Corporate cults seek to blur this distinction, and lure people into an obsessional
devotion to their workplace.
There is clearly some truth in this. A balanced life requires satisfaction in work, harder to
achieve now than ever, and a fulfilling home and community life. However, I am less
persuaded by the argument that we can simply assume a complete disconnection between
who people are and what they do. If Arnott can make his point by citing research from The
Eagles I am tempted to venture into similar territory. A recent CD by a British rock group
features a photograph of an obese youth on its cover. He is wearing a tee-short adorned
with the slogan: ‗I‘m number one, so why try harder?‘ The point seems to be that how you