Book Review: The Kingdom of the Occult by Walter Martin et al.

Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 758
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: October 21, 2008
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1418516449
ISBN-13: 978-1418516444
List Price: $29.99
Rating: 4 Stars!
Purchase Options: Direct from publisher, Amazon

Review:

The Kingdom of the Occult is a much welcome update to the late Walter Martin’s long-time bestseller The Kingdom of the Cults.  Here is a brief selection of some of the topics covered in this updated edition:

• The Doctrine of Demons
• Kabbalah
• Eastern Mysticism and the New Age
• UFOs
• Satanism
• Godess Worship, Witchcraft, and Wicca
• Demon Possession and Exorcisms
• Christian counseling and the Occult

There is a consistent layout throughout the book, with each chapter expanding on each topic under the following headings:

• Quick Facts
• History
• Case Studies
• Theology
• Resources

I especially liked this layout as it was conducive to finding the information you needed very quickly.  Readers will gain a lot of insight and new knowledge from this book.  It truly is a must have for every church and home library.  My overall rating for this book is 4 stars.

Author information:

The late Dr. Walter Martin authored twelve books and was a recognized as the “father” of the modern Christian Counter-cult Movement. A pioneer in the field of teaching by tape, Dr. Martin recorded more than 5,000 audio tapes on general biblical subjects. Dr. Martin pioneered the development of seminars dealing with cults and the problems of secularism in education. Dr. Martin was the founder and president of the Christian Research Institute and the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show The Bible Answer Man.

Jill Martin Rische is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Humanities/History of Religion at California State University. She is Dr. Walter Martin’s eldest daughter and the author of several books. Jill and her husband, Kevin, are the Managing Editors on the 2003 edition of The Kingdom of the Cults (Bethany House) working with Dr. Ravi Zacharias as the General Editor. The Risches are also the founders of Walter Martin Ministries and the producers of the nationwide radio show Essential Christianity, featuring Dr. Walter Martin as “The Original Bible Answer Man”.

Kurt Van Gorden has contributed chapters on cults, the occult, and world religions to several books, including Dr. Walter Martin’s Kingdom of the Cults (1985 edition) and Josh McDowell and Don Stewart’s The Deceivers and The Occult. He wrote Mormonism for the Zondervan series on Cults and World Religions. Kurt Van Gorden is an ordained minister and directs two missions to the cults, Jude 3 Missions and the Utah Gospel Mission. The Utah Gospel Mission began in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1898 and is the oldest existing mission to the cults.

Disclaimer:
This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson.