The Occult

Occult ABC
Kurt E. Koch
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Excerpt

Theologian Kurt Koch spent much of his life researching the occult and ministering to those affected by it. In Occult ABC he combines those years of work into an informative guide to the practices and ideas that form the foundation of the occult. If you learn its language, its alphabet, you can better combat it. That is the spirit that Occult ABC is written in.

Though some may not agree that all of the practices mentioned in here are occult (charismatic occurences and Pentecostalism come to mind), most will agree that Koch has provided useful information on what is going on in the occult. Each topic includes a brief introductory description, as well as examples from Koch's life and research. Alphabetically arranged, with extensive footnotes, this is a valuable resource for those who have dealt with, are dealing with, or will deal with the occult.

Halloween: What's a Christian to Do?
Steve Russo
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Trick-or-treaters parading from house to house, lawns decorated with witches and hobgoblins---what's a Christian to do? Russo, a father and youth evangelist, offers practical tips for raising kids in today's secular culture; informative facts about occult and pagan festivals; and sound biblical guidelines for creating alternative activities that celebrate God's victory over evil. Approx. 124 pages, softcover from Harvest.

Cults and the Occult, 4th ed.
Edmond C. Gruss
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Excerpt

Looking for a cogent and well-documented introduction on cults and the occult? Edmond Gruss has revised his 1974 classic Cults and the Occult with the most up-to-date information and research to offer you one of the best introductions available. He has written extensively on cults and the occult, including books on the Ouija board and on the Jehovah's Witnesses. His passion for the truth of Scripture will enable you to clearly understand the danger of the cults portrayed in this book.

Gruss looks at several major cults/occultic groups. They are: Jehovah's Witnesses; the Latter-day Saints (Mormons); Christian Science; Unity School of Christianity; Worldwide Church of God; Spiritualismm (Spiritism); Seventh-Day Adventism; Occult Obsession and the New Cults; Astrology; Bahá'í; Rosicrucianism; The Occult and the Ouija board; Edgar Cayce and the A.R.E.; Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church; and the New Age Movement. Gruss also offers a chapter with practical advice for Christians in our confusing age.

Each cult/occultic group is defined, and their history is briefly examined. Then Gruss looks at their primary doctrines as seen in their respective literature. There is a select bibliography for each group, along with information about Christian groups seeking to minister to them.

Gruss has done his homework, and offers an extremely well-documented book, with almost thirty pages of endnotes alone. The extensive documentation places this book on the top of a short list of books that any Christian seeking to understand cults and the occult must have in their library.

Handbook of Today's Religions
Josh McDowell, Don Stewart
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Excerpt

One of the best reference books available on the religions and cults present in our time, Handbook of Today's Religions combines, for the first time, four books by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart on religions, cults, and the occult into one easy-to-use volume. The four books, which each became a section of the compilation, are: Non-Christian Religions; The Occult; Secular Religions; The Cults. Powerful individually, together the books are a powerhouse of vital information for Christians on those worldviews which challenge and attack Christianity.

In part one, McDowell and Stewart focus on cults. The define what a cult is and offer some characteristics of cults. This is then contrasted with historical, biblical Christianity. The author's also offer detailed background information about numerous cults affecting our society today, including: Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Transcendental Meditation, Theosophy and others. Ministries dealing with each cult are listed, along with an extensive annotated bibliography.

Part two looks at the occult, offering information on its popularity and growth. Occultic practices ranging from astrology to hypnotism to witchcraft are explained and contrasted with biblical beliefs. This part also includes two informative appendices, one on the presence of magic and the occult in literature, and another on the authority of the believer.

The third part offers a great look at the ten most familiar and prevalent non-Christian religions in the world. In this section you will find brief, but informative, looks at Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism. The extensive annotated bibliography is a great place to start further research on each religion.

Part four looks at what McDowell and Stewart term secular religions. Though the term seems somewhat oxymoronic, the authors point out just how much each worldview in this section has in common with religions. The worldviews looked at are: atheism; agnosticism, skepticism, Marxism, secular humanism, and existentialism.

In part five, there is an essay by Norman Anderson explaining and describing a Christian approach to comparative religions, as well as a look at the four spiritual laws.

All told, this reference book offers one of the best looks (from a Christian perspective) at each of the various religions and worldviews which exist currently. Understanding what motivates adherents of each system can help us to reach out to them with the truth of Christianity.

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