Hello and thanks for checking in. Our 10:00 AM Sunday School is going through a study of various cults and world religions. In coordination with that, I am sharing three resources that have been helpful to me.

Please note, while I do consider these sites helpful, it is always necessary to use discernment and to carefully compare what is said or written with Scripture. None of these resources claim to be a replacement to the Scriptures, and no resource should be used in that way. Teaching (whether verbal or written) is helpful when it helps us understand what God has said in His Word.

Also, because many cults and world religions are not committed to an unchanging set of principles, they have a strong potential for change in doctrine and/or practices. This means sometimes critiques that were written a long time ago may need to be updated to address the current trends. Keep that in mind when you are reading material in not recent. Some cults have rebranded to escape unpleasant connections to their past. However, in many of these cases they have not changed all that much.

GotQuestions.org. This website is helpful on a variety of topics, with 700,000 Q and A’s. They also have an app. It is not usually a deep dive into any particular topic, but a great place to get a summary without feeling overwhelmed. I appreciate the work they have done on exposing false teaching. They have a theologically conservative approach and use the Bible to address questions.  

CARM.org: This is the website of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Matt Slick is the founder, and he also has authored several books. This site is more comprehensive in approach than the one above. They look at many different issues, including cults and world religions. They also evaluate popular teachers, ranging from the early church fathers all the way to contemporary teachers like Billy Graham and T.D. Jakes. There are even movie reviews. If you’re studying something related to false teaching, this is a useful resource to check out.

The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin: Many consider this the best all-around book on cults and world religions. It’s a great reference work to have. There are helpful chapters about generalities in cults and reaching cult members with the gospel, while other chapters cover particular groups. Some of the information is a bit dated, but I use my copy of it often. For any group that Martin covers, you can expect detailed research on what they believe and practice, along with how their beliefs differ from the Bible. If you are looking for one reference work on cults, this is the one to get.

Andy Stacy