This cutting-edge analysis of American and European new religious movements explores the controversies between religious groups and the majority interests which oppose them. It asks how modern societies can best respond to new religious movements,

Foreword Acknowledgements 1. What This Book Is About 2. Milestones in a Reseach Itinerary 3. Institutions and Institutional Knowledge Part 1: Institutions Part 2: Institutional Knowledge 4. Sketching in the Cultural Background Part 1: The Contours of Religious Cultures Part 2: The Contours of Academic Cultures 5. The 'Anti-Cult' Movement's Response Part 1: The ACM Response in Britain: The Case of FAIR Part 2: The ACM Response in German: The Case of Elterminitiative 6. The Response of the Mainstream Churches Part 1: The Response of the Church of England Part 2: The Response of the Protestant Church in German Section 1: Evangelische Zentrallstelle fur Weltanschauunsfragen (EZW) Section 2: Pastror Friedrich-Wilhelm Haack and Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Religions - und Weltanschuunsfragen Part 3: The Response of the Roman Catholic Church 7. Conclusions Bibliography

Elisabeth Arweck is Research Fellow at the University of Warwick's Religions and Education Research Unit. She co-edits the Journal of Contemporary Religion, and has co-edited several books including New Religious Movements in Western Europe (1997) and Theorizing Faith (2002).