About | James R. Lewis

About
James R. Lewis

After a long battle to recuperate from a fall and subsequent head injury, James Roger Lewis (1949-2022), an American religious scholar and leading expert on New Religious Movements and alternative religions, died in early October.

Lewis was an authentic cultivator of the discipline, having been a member of the Healthy, Happy, Holy Foundation (3HO community, an NRM). He became disillusioned, and after leaving he shared his experiences and criticisms openly about his times in the group. He held an MA in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and a PhD in the Study of Religions from the University of Wales. His involvement in the academic study of NRMs had been intense since the early 1980s. He published many of the most important edited volumes in the field, printed by the world's most prestigious academic publishers.

He started his teaching career at the University of Wisconsin, where he learned how much he loved teaching. He brought members from different religious groups to speak in class with his undergraduate students, creating a more hand's-on approach to a course that would normally be textbook dependent. These speakers from all walks of life brought not only his students to class, but also their friends, creating crowds that would spill out into the hall, filled with curious youth fascinated by groups they had never heard about.

It was in Tromsø, Norway at the Arctic University where Jim came into his own as a research professor, where more time was offered to him for writing. His publication list exploded and he made a concerted effort to support his non-English colleagues to get published by the most respected university presses, bringing them along with him as co-authors and co-editors.

He then was invited to join the 5th best university in China, Wuhan University, where he had been researching Chinese new religions and the emergence of new movements in South Korea. Before his accident, he was intensely researching a disturbing phenomenon in a number of religions, female infanticide. Much of this work is yet to be published...

His major achievements were being head editor of six outstanding book series (published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Brill, Palgrave, Ashgate, Equinox), five prestigious scientific journals (e.g. ASSR, Wuhan Journal of Cultic Studies, Journal of Religion and Violence), an editorial board member or reviewer role in seven major religion research journals (Numen, International Journal for the Study of New Religions, Oxford Journal of Western Esotericism, Open Theology, Fieldwork in Religion and the Marburg Journal of Religious Studies).

His research interest was focused on Scientology for a longer period, and for some time he was considered an ally of the organization by church members and critics. Jim Lewis's unrelenting coverage of topics unpalatable to the Church (Free Zones, Creation Myths) shook the relationship but gave credibility to his scholarly approach and independence. All this is a clear testimony to Jim Lewis's professional impartiality and his objective scientific research attitude aimed at getting the whole picture about the different NRM groups he studied.

World academics

He has travelled the world as a leading and influential member of scientific societies, has been a keynote speaker at major conferences, and has been involved as an expert in forensic investigations of specific cases, such as the AUM Shinrikyo subway bombing in Tokyo. In Norway, new topics have also been added to the palette of his research interests, such as paganism and neo-paganism, and the research of Northern-Nordic genre-based religious groups.

His achievements and work in the international comparative study of the "nones" (non-denominational and non-religious), was a truly innovative new field, with several scientific results published and seminal thoughts planted in the scientific discourse.

Throughout his career, he has been interested in and studied the Falun Gong community. He was attacked many times because of this and was considered a biased critic of the group (from an anti-cult aspect). Contrary to the criticism, Lewis always relied on the objective use of scientific research methods in his published research about the community and applied the same high ethical standards as he did for research of other NRM groups.

A publishing champion

In his collaboration with Chinese colleagues at the Philosophy Department of Wuhan University, he has helped many scholars gain access to publication opportunities, scholarships, and research grants, as he has done throughout his life with all colleagues who have approached him, always making true efforts to help beyond his strength. Many of today's leading scholars of NRM research were helped and mentored by Jim, especially those coming from non-English-speaking countries. Jim Lewis was a member of the first generation of scholars and researchers – enumerated without the possibility to mention all significant contributors - like Eileen Barker, J. Gordon Melton, George Chryssides, and the late James A. Beckford, who were the first to start the scientific study of the new religious communities in parallel with the development of scientific research methods and theoretical background, applying the “comparative approaches” of religious studies.

Jim is greatly missed. He is mourned by Evelyn, his wife of over 30 years, and daughters Nicole, Doreen, and Melenie; his brother Robert, sister Mae and other family members and friends, many students, and colleagues all over the World.

Thank you to friend and colleague, Gábor Dániel Nagy for help in writing this description.

Academic Publications

A list of Jim's popular reference books can be found on Biblio.com

BIBLIO

Book Series

Editor, Cambridge University Press, New Religious Movements Series, 2020-2021
Co-Editor, Cambridge University Press, Religion and Violence Series, 2015-2021
Advisory Editor, Oxford Research Reviews: Religion, 2012-2022
Co-Editor, Palgrave Studies in New Religions & Alternative Spirituality, 2012-2022
Co-Editor, Routledge Publishing, New Religions Series, 2006-2022
Co-Editor, Brill Handbooks in Contemporary Religion Series, 2007-2018
Co-Editor, Equinox, Approaches to New Religions Series, 2010-2012

Journals

Guest Editor, Journal of Religion and Violence - Fall 2019
[Theme: Religion and Terrorism}
Guest Editor, Numen: International Review for the History of Religions - Winter 2018
[Theme: Religion and Terrorism}
Guest Editor, Numen: International Review for the History of Religions - Fall 2016
[Theme: Scientology]
Guest Editor, Numen: International Review for the History of Religions - Spring 2012 [
Theme: Alternative Archeology]
Associate Editor, Journal of Religion and Violence, 2013-2022
Editor, Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review, 2009-2022
Book Review Editor, International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 2010-2011
Editor, American Indian Religion, 1993-1994
Editor, Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religions and Cultures, 1992-1995

Editorships

Editorial Boards

ColomboArts, 2017-2022
Chaos: Scandinavian Journal of Studies in History of Religions, 2015-2022
Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism (book series), 2015-2022
Open Theology, 2014-2022
Journal of Religion and Violence, 2013-2022
International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 2012-2022
Cultural Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Folklore & Popular Culture, 2011-2022
Fieldwork in Religion, 2005-2022
JASANAS: Journal of Alternative Spirituality and New Age Studies, 2005-2022
Marburg Journal of Religious Studies, 2001-2022

Publications

Books and Edited Collections

Chinese New Religions (with Zhang Xinzhang). Palgrave-Macmillan, Forthcoming.
The Media, NRMs and Moral Panics. Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming.
Radicalization in Comparative Perspective (with Akil Awan). Oxford University Press, Forthcoming
Enlightened Martyrdom: The Hidden Side of Falun Gong (with Huang Chao). Equinox 2019.
Falun Gong: Martyrdom and Spiritual Warfare. Cambridge University Press 2018.
Textbook Violence (with Bengt-Ove Andreassen and Suzanne Anett Thobro). Equinox 2017.
Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism. Cambridge University Press 2017.
New Age in Norway (with Siv Ellen Kraft and Ingvild Salæd Gilhus). Equinox 2017.
Brill Handbook of Scientology (with Kjersti Hellesøy). Brill 2017.
New Age Spirituality in Israel (with Shai Feraro). Palgrave-Macmillan 2016.
The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements, 2nd Edition (with Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen). Oxford University Press 2016.
The Invention of Satanism (with Asbjørn Dyrendal & Jesper Aagaard Petersen). Oxford Univ. Press 2016.
Nordic New Religions (with Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen). Brill 2015.
Nordic Neo-Shamanism (With Trude Fonneland & Siv Ellen Kraft). Palgrave-Macmillan 2015.
Sex and New Religious Movements (with Henrik Bogdan). Palgrave-Macmillan 2014.
Sects & Stats: Overturning the Conventional Wisdom about Cult Members. Equinox Publishing 2014.
Controversial New Religions, 2nd Edition (with Jesper Aagaard Petersen). Oxford University Press 2014.
Textbook Gods (with Bengt-Ove Andreassen). Equinox 2014.
Suicide Cults (with Carole M. Cusack). Routledge 2014.
A Study of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness: Religious Innovation and Cultural Change (with Diana G. Tumminia). Palgrave-Macmillan 2013.
Cults: A Reference and Guide. Routledge 2012.
Violence and New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press 2011.
Religion and the Authority of Science (with Olav Hammer). Brill 2011.
Children of Jesus and Mary: A Study of the Order of Christ Sophia (with Nicolas M. Levine). Oxford University Press 2010.
Sacred Schisms: How Religions Divide (with Sarah M. Lewis). Cambridge University Press 2009
Scientology. Oxford University Press 2009
Handbook of Modern Paganism (with Murphy Pizza). Brill 2009
The Invention of Sacred Tradition (with Olav Hammer). Cambridge University Press 2007
Handbook of the New Age (with Daren Kemp). Brill 2007
The Order of the Solar Temple. Ashgate 2006
Controversial New Religions (with Jesper Aagaard Petersen). Oxford University Press 2005
Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press 2004
Legitimating New Religions. Rutgers University Press 2003
Odd Gods: New Religions and the Cult Controversy. Prometheus Books 2001
Doomsday Prophecies. Prometheus Books 1999
Peculiar Prophets. Paragon House 1998
Seeking the Light. Mandeville Press 1998
Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft. SUNY Press 1996
The Gods Have Landed: New Religions from Other Worlds. SUNY Press, 1995
Sex, Slander, and Salvation (with J. Gordon Melton). Stanford: Centre for Academic Publishing 1994
Church Universal and Triumphant in Scholarly Perspective. Special issue of Syzygy 1994
From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco. Rowman & Littlefield 1994
Perspectives on the New Age (with J. Gordon Melton). State University of New York Press 1992.

Academic Reference Works

Encyclopedic Sourcebook of Satanism. Prometheus Books (with Jesper Petersen) 2008
Cults: A Reference Handbook. ABC-Clio 2005
Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions. Prometheus Books 2004
Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions. Prometheus Books 2003
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions. Prometheus Books, 2nd ed., 2002 [1998]
The Human Rights Encyclopedia (with Carl Skutsch). M.E. Sharpe 2001
Cults in America. ABC Clio 1998
The Beginnings of Astrology in America. Garland 1990
The Inner Life of Theosophy. Garland 1990
The Unification Church: Outreach. Garland 1990

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The Gods Hate Fags: Falun Gong’s Reactionary Social Teachings (with Zhang Xinzhang). In Journal of Religion and Violence, 2021.
Falun Gong (with Cathy Wu). Adam Possamai and Anthony Blasi, eds. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Sociology of Religion. Sage 2020.
New Age. (With Margrethe Løøv). In George Ritzer and Chris Rojek, ed. Wiley-Blackwell's Encyclopedia of Sociology, Second Edition. Wiley-Blackwell 2020.
Roy Wallis. (with Alexandros Sakellariou.) Adam Possamai and Anthony Blasi, eds. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Sociology of Religion. Sage 2020.
Anti-Cult Movement(s). (with Huang Chao) In Adam Possamai and Anthony Blasi, eds. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Sociology of Religion, Sage 2020.
Falun Gong: Origins, Growth, Conflict (with Huang Chao). Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. Oxford University Press 2019.
Monolithic Inferences: Misinterpreting AUM Shinrikyo. In Journal of Religion and Violence 7:1 2019.
Burning Faith: Interpreting the 1.23 Incident. In James R. Lewis and Huang Chao, eds., Enlightened Martyrdom: The Hidden Side of Falun Gong. Equinox, 2019.
Paranormal Beliefs, New Religious Movements and the New Age Spiritual Milieu. (With Sverre Andreas Fekjans). In Darryl V. Caterine & John W. Morehead, ed. The Paranormal and Popular Culture: A Postmodern Religious Landscape. Routledge 2019.
“Clarifying the Truth”: Falun Gong’s Media Strategies. In James R. Lewis and Huang Chao, eds., Enlightened Martyrdom: The Hidden Side of Falun Gong (with Huang Chao). Equinox 2019.
Processual Pagans: Quasi-longitudinal approaches to survey research. (With Zhang Xinzhang and Oscar-Torjus Utaaker). Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 9:2. 2018
Scientology and Gnosticism: L. Ron Hubbard’s “The Factors,” 1953. (With Donald A. Westbrook). In Garry W. Trompf, Gunner B. Mikkelsen and Jay Johnson, eds., The Gnostic World. Routledge 2018, 632-637.
“I Am the Only One Propagating True Dharma”: Falun Gong and Li Hongzhi’s Self-Presentation as Buddha—and as Greater than Buddha. ColumboArts 3. 2018.
Death and the Afterlife in the Raëlian Religion (with Erik A. W. Östling). In Christopher Moreman, ed. Routledge Companion to Death and Dying. Routledge, 2018.
A Burning Faith in the Master: Interpreting the 1.23 Incident. In Journal of Religion and Violence 6:2 2018.
The Role of Conspiracy Mentality and Paranormal Beliefs in Predicting Conspiracy Beliefs Among Neopagans (with Asbjørn Dyrendal and Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair). International Journal for the Study of New Religions 8:1. 2017.
American images of Punjabi immigrants in the early Twentieth Century. Sikh Formations: Religion, Culture, Theory 13:3. 2017, 181 – 192
Same Trajectory, Different Prospects: Anglophone Census Data and the Future of the Irreligious and the ‘Nones’ (with Margrethe Løøv and Bernard Doherty). Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 8:1. 2017, 123 - 149.
Falun Gong and the Canada Media Fund: Why is the Canadian Government Bankrolling an Anti-China Propaganda Campaign? (with Nicole Ruskell). Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 2017; Volume 8 (2). ISSN 1946-0538.s 263 - 272.
Understanding Falun Gong’s Martyrdom Strategy as Spiritual Terrorism (with Nicole D’Amico). In Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
The Dror Center Schism, the Cook Letter and Scientology’s Legitimation Crisis. In James R. Lewis and Kjersti Hellesøy, eds. Handbook of Scientology. Brill, 2017.
Imitations of Terror: Examining the Religion-Terrorism Nexus through a Retro Frame of Analysis. In Cambridge Companion to Religion and Terrorism. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
News Media, the Internet and the Church of Scientology (with Nicole S. Ruskell). In James R. Lewis and Kjersti Hellesøy, eds. Handbook of Scientology. Brill, 2017.
Portrayals of Militancy and Pacifism in Textbook Treatments of the Sikh Tradition. In Bengt-Ove Andreassen, Suzanne Anett Thobro and James R. Lewis, eds. Textbook Violence. Equinox, 2017.
The Cult of Geeks: Religion, Gender, Scientology (with Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen). In James R. Lewis and Kjersti Hellesøy, eds. Handbook of Scientology. Brill, 2017.
Innocent Victims of Chinese Oppression, Or Media Bullies? Analyzing Falun Gong’s Media Strategies (with Nicole S. Ruskell). Alternative Religion and Spirituality Review 8:2, 2017. [To appear in Chinese translation in the Comprehensive Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (sponsored by the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences).]
“Bumper Car Ride Through a Maze of Spiritual Trips”: Multiple Involvements, Changes across Time, and Deep Structure in the Alternative Spiritual Milieu (with Oscar-Torjus Utaaker). In Ingvild Sælid Gilhus, Siv Ellen Kraft and James R. Lewis, eds. New Age in Norway. Equinox, 2017.
Sucking the ‘De’ Out of Me: How an Esoteric Theory of Persecution and Martyrdom Fuels Falun Gong’s Assault on Intellectual Freedom. Alternative Religion and Spirituality Review 7:1, 2016.
Technological Exorcism, Body Thetans and Scientology’s Secret Mythology. Numen: International Review for the History of Religions. 2016.
Seekers and Subcultures. In James R. Lewis and Inga B. Tøllefsen, eds. Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Cult Journalism (with Nicole S. Ruskell). In James R. Lewis and Inga B. Tøllefsen, eds. Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2016.
The Religion of the Educated Classes Revisited: New Religions, the Nonreligious, and Educational Levels (with Sean E. Currie and Michael P. Oman-Reagan). Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 55:1. 2016, pp. 91–104.
Brainwashing. In James R. Lewis and Inga B. Tøllefsen, eds. Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Satanic Ritual Abuse. In James R. Lewis and Inga B. Tøllefsen, eds. Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Native American Prophet Religions (with Ellen Dobrowolski). In James R. Lewis and Inga B. Tøllefsen, eds. Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, 2016.
New Religions, Contemporary Paganism and Paranormal Beliefs (with Sverre Andreas Fekjan). Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 6:2. 2015.
Dispersed Spirituality: Resuscitating a Retro Frame of Analysis (with Sverre Andreas Fekjan). Journal of Korean Religions. 6:2. 2015.
New Religious Movements. In Kocku von Stuckrad and Robert Segal, eds. Vocabulary for the Study of Religion. Brill, 2015.
Scientology vs. the Media. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 6:1. 2015.
Education, irreligion and non-religion: Evidence from select Anglophone census data. Journal of Contemporary Religion 30:2. 2015.
Danish Dianetics: Scholarship on the Church of Scientology in Nordic Countries. (with Kjersti Hellesøy) In James R. Lewis and Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen, eds. Nordic New Religions. Brill, 2015.
Scientology: Sect, Science, or Scam? Numen: International Review for the History of Religions. 62:5/6. 2015, pp. 226–242.
New Age Medicine Men vs. New Age Noaidi: Same Neo-Shamanism, Different Cultural-Political Situation. In Nordic Neoshamanisms, ed. Trude Fonneland, Siv Ellen Kraft and James R. Lewis. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015, pp. 127-140.
Becoming a Virtual Pagan: ‘Conversion’ or Identity Construction? The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. 16:1. 2014, pp. 24-34.
Fantasies of Abuse and Captivity in 19th Century North American Convent Tales. In Henrik Bogdan and James R. Lewis, eds. Sex and New Religious Movements. Palgrave-Macmillan. 2014, 213-230.
The Youth Crisis Model of Conversion: An Idea Whose Time Has Passed? Numen: International Review for the History of Religions 61:5/6. 2014, pp. 594–618.
The Mt. Carmel Holocaust: Suicide or Execution? In James R. Lewis and Carole M. Cusack, eds. Suicide Cults. Routledge. 2014, pp. 233-250.
Using the “F-Word” in Religious Studies: Toward a General Model of Sacred Forgeries. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 5:2. 2014.
The Earth School: The Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness. In James R. Lewis and Jesper Aagaard Petersen, eds. Controversial New Religions, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press 2014, pp. 131-143.
Violence. In George D. Chryssides and Benjamin E. Zeller, eds. The Bloomsbury Companion to New Religious Movements. Continuum, 2014, pp. 149-162.
Stones and Bones: Indigenous African Religions and the ‘Evolution’ of World Religions. In Bengt-Ove Andreassen and James R. Lewis, eds. Textbook Gods. Equinox, 2014, pp. 198-211.
The Dwindling Spiral. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 5:1. 2014, pp. 55-77.
Free Zone Scientology and Movement Milieus: A Preliminary Characterization. Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion 49:2. 2013, pp. 9-35.
Gender and Paganism in Census and Survey Data (with Inga Bårdsen Tøllefsen). The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies 15:1-2. 2013, pp. 61-78.
Conversion to Satanism. In Jesper Aagaard Petersen and Per Faxneld,, eds. The Devil's Party: Satanism in Modernity. Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 145-166.
Sects and Violence: The ‘Standard Model’ of New Religions Violence. Journal of Religion and Violence 1:1. 2013, pp. 83-101.
Beyond Hogwarts: Higher Education and Contemporary Pagans (with Sverre Andreas Fekjan). The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. 15:1-2. 2013, pp. 273-284.
Claiming Hellish Hegemony. In Nevill Drury, ed. Pathways in Modern Western Magic: Exploring the Spectrum of Belief and Practice. Concrescent Press. 2012, pp. 261-280.
Cracks in the Conversion Network Paradigm. International Journal for the Study of New Religions. 3:2. 2012, pp. 143-162.
Scientology: Up Stat, Down Stat. In Mikael Rothstein and Olav Hammer, eds. The Cambridge Companion to New Religious Movements, Cambridge University Press, 2012, pp. 133-149.
Excavating Tradition: Alternative Archaeologies as Legitimation Strategies. Numen: International Review for the History of Religions 59:2-3. 2012, pp. 202-221.
The Pagan Explosion Revisited: A Statistical Post Mortem on the Teen Witch Fad. The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies 14:1. 2012, pp. 128-139.
Toward a Paradigm for Longitudinal Studies: A Case Study of the Order of Christ Sophia. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review. 3:1. 2012, pp. 42-58.
The Devil’s Demographics: Changes in the Satanic Milieu, 2001–2009. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 2:2 2011, pp. 248-286.
New Religions and the New Zealand Census: Are Meaningful Generalizations about NRM Members Still Possible? (with Andreas Baumann) International Journal for the Study of New Religions. 2:2. 2011, pp. 179-200.
The Branch Davidians: Through the Lens of Jonestown. Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review 2:1, 2011, pp. 55-88.
The Science Canopy: Religion, Legitimacy, and the Charisma of Science. Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion 46:1, 2010, pp. 7-29.
How Religions Appeal to the Authority of Science. In James R. Lewis and Olav Hammer, eds. Religion and the Authority of Science. Brill, 2010, pp. 23-40.
Autobiography of a Schism. Marburg Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 15. 2010, pp. 1-19.
Fit for the Devil: Toward an Understanding of ‘Conversion’ to Satanism. International Journal for the Study of New Religions. 1:1. 2010, pp. 117-138.
Did Jesus Die for Our Karma? Christology and Atonement in a Contemporary Metaphysical Church. In Olav Hammer, ed. Alternative Christs. Cambridge University Press, 2009, pp. 240-255.
The Growth of Scientology and the Stark Model of Religious ‘Success.’ In James R. Lewis, ed. Scientology. Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 117-140.
Infernal Legitimacy. In Jesper Aagard Petersen, ed. Contemporary Religious Satanism. Ashgate, 2008, pp. 41-58.
Celts, Druids and the Invention of Tradition. In James R. Lewis and Meredith Pizza, eds. Handbook of Modern Paganism. E. J. Brill, 2008, pp. 479-493
The Pagan Explosion. In Hannah E. Johnston and Peg Aloi, eds. The New Generation Witches: Teenage Witchcraft in Contemporary Culture. Ashgate, 2007, pp. 13-23.
Science and the New Age. In James R. Lewis and Daren Kemp, eds. Handbook of the New Age. E.J. Brill, 2007, pp. 207-229.
New data on who joins NRMs and why: A case study of the Order of Christ/Sophia. Journal of Alternative Spiritualities and New Age Studies 2. 2006, pp. 91-104..
The Solar Temple ‘Transits’: Beyond the Millennialist Hypothesis. In James R. Lewis and Jesper A. Petersen, eds. Controversial New Religions. Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 295-317.
New Religion Adherents: An Overview of Anglophone Census and Survey Data. Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 9:1. 2004, 1-17.
Legitimating Suicide: Heaven’s Gate and New Age Ideology. In Christopher Partridge, ed. UFO Religions. London: Routledge, 2003, pp. 103-128.
Diabolical Authority: Anton LaVey, The Satanic Bible and the Satanist Tradition. Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 7:1. 2002, pp. 1-16.
The Satanic Bible and the Satanic Panic. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 11 2002.
Space Aliens Baptized My Baby! Science, Religion and UFOs. Journal of the Society for the Study of Metaphysical Religion 7:1. Fall 2001.
Who Serves Satan? A Demographic and Ideological Profile. Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 6:2. 2001, pp. 1-25.
True Lies: Forging and Re-forging the Jesus-in-India Legend. Journal of the Society for the Study of Metaphysical Religion 6:4. (Fall 2000)
Sect-Bashing in the Guise of Scholarship: A Critical Appraisal of Select Studies of Soka Gakkai. Marburg Journal of Religious Studies 5:1. (July 2000)
The Prophet Motive: Taking Religious Experience Seriously in the Interpretation of New Religious Movements. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 6 (1997).
Clearing the Planet: Utopian Idealism and the Church of Scientology. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 6 (1997).
Works of Darkness: Occult Fascination in the Novels of Frank E. Peretti. In James R. Lewis, ed. Magical Religion and Modern Witchcraft. Albany, NY: State University of New York (SUNY) Press, 1996, pp. 339-350.
Self-Fulfilling Stereotypes, the Anticult Movement, and the Waco Confrontation. In Stuart A. Wright, ed. Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict. University of Chicago Press, 1995.
New Religions and American Indian Religion. In Timothy Miller, ed. America's Alternative Religions. State University of New York Press.
‘The Convent's Doom’: Anti-Catholic Narratives and the Destruction of the Charlestown Nunnery. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 3:3-4 (Summer/Fall 1994).
‘Living Fossils’: Evolutionary Images of American Indian Religions in World Religions Textbooks. American Indian Religions 1:2. 1994.
Child Abuse at Waco. In James R. Lewis, ed. Sex, Slander, and Salvation: Investigating The Family/Children of God. Stanford: CAP, 1994.
The ‘Cult’ Stereotype as an Ideological Resource in Social Conflicts: A Case Study of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 3:1-2 (Winter/Spring 1994).
Showdown at the Waco Corral: ATF Cowboys Shoot Themselves in the Foot. In James R. Lewis, ed. From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.
Fanning the Flames of Suspicion: The Case Against Suicide at Waco. In James R. Lewis, ed. From the Ashes: Making Sense of Waco. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1994.
Elite Religious Movements and the Politics of Legitimation. (with Evelyn Dorothy Oliver) Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 3:1-2 (Winter/Spring 1994).
Shooting Holes in Monolithic Millennialism. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 32:4 (1993).
Images of Captive Rape in the Nineteenth Century. Journal of American Culture 15:2 (Summer 1992).
Imagining India: The Influence of Hinduism on the New Age Movement. (with Andrea Grace Diem.) In James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, eds., Perspectives on the New Age. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.
The New Age (with J. Gordon Melton.) Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 1:3 (1992).
The Sacred Other, Human Others, and Indian Captivity Tales. International Journal of Comparative Religion 1:3 (1992).
Approaches to the Study of the New Age. In James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, eds., Perspectives on the New Age. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.
‘Poisonous Tenets’: Religious Insanity Past and Present. Syzygy: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture 1:2 (1992).
Native American Prophets. In Timothy Miller, ed., When Prophets Die: The Postcharismatic Fate of New Religious Movements. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991.
‘Mind-Forged Manacles’: Anti-Catholic Convent Tales in the Context of the American Captivity Tale Tradition. Mid-America 71:3 (October 1990).
‘Savages of the Seas’: Barbary Captivity Tales and Images of Muslims in the Early Republic. American Culture 13:2 (Summer 1990).
Images of Traditional African Religions in World Religions Textbooks. Religion 20 (1990).
The Racial Fall Myth. Excursus 2:1 (Spring 1990).
Misrepresentations of the Sikh Tradition in World Religion Textbooks. In Jasbir Singh Mann and Harbans Singh Saraon, eds., Advanced Studies in Sikhism. Irvine: Sikh Community of North America, 1989.
Assessing the Impact of Indian Captivity on the Euro-American Mind: Some Critical Issues. Connecticut Review 11:2 (Spring/Summer 1989).
Apostates and the Legitimation of Repression: Some Historical and Empirical Perspectives on the Cult Controversy. Sociological Analysis 49:4 (Winter 1989).
Bibliography of Conservative Christian Literature on the New Age Movement. Santa Barbara Center Occasional Paper #2 (1989).
The Cult Controversy and the New Religions: A Recommended Annotated Bibliography of Books in Print. Santa Barbara Center Occasional Paper #1 (1989).
Shamans and Prophets: Continuities and Discontinuities in Native American New Religions. American Indian Quarterly 21:3 (Summer 1988).
The Lord Who is Master of Yoga. Indica 25:1 (March 1988).
The Cult Withdrawal Syndrome: A Case of Misattribution of Cause? (co-authored with David G. Bromley.) Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 26:4 (December 1987).
Psychology and Religion in Court (with J. Gordon Melton). Christian Century 104:30 (October 21, 1987).
The Implied Contrast: Images of Sikhism in the Writings of Early Orientalists. Studies in Sikhism and Comparative Religion 6:2 (Fall 1987).
Adam and Eve on Madison Avenue: Symbolic Inversion in Popular Culture. Studies in Popular Culture 10:1 (Summer 1987).
The Scholarship of ‘Cults’ and the ‘Cult’ of Scholarship. Journal of Dharma 7:2 (April-June 1987). The Tide of Turbans: North American Images of Punjabi Immigrants in the Early Twentieth Century. Punjab Past and Present 21:1 (April 1987).
Reconstructing the ‘Cult’ Experience: Post-Involvement Attitudes as a Function of Mode of Exit and Post-Involvement Socialization. Sociological Analysis 42:2 (Summer 1986).
India and the Spectre of Miscegenation: The Thind Decision in the Context of Contemporaneous Myths of Racial Degeneration. Journal of Sikh Studies.
Some Unexamined Assumptions in Western Studies of Sikhism. Journal of Sikh Studies 12:2 (August 1985).
Some Aspects of Sacred Space and Time in Islam. Studies in Islam 19:3 (July 1982).

Conference
Presentations

How the U.S. Promotes and Funds Agitation in China, International Symposium on the New Age and Cults, 3-5 November 2018, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Perspectives on the 1.23 Incident. International Conference on New Forms of Falun Gong Outside of China. 23-24 December 2017, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Daesoon Jinrihoe: An Introduction and Survey of the Group’s Membership. CESNUR Annual Meeting, 2-6 July 2017, Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.
Sects and Violence: The ‘Standard Model’ of New Religions Violence. Korean Association for Religious Studies Annual Meeting, 25-26, 2016, Seoul, Korea.
The Guru Amplification Process. Korean Association for Religious Studies Annual Meeting, 25-26, 2016, Seoul, Korea.
Some Thoughts on the Analysis of Falun Gong. International Conference on Frontier Topics in Pseudo Religion Studies, 15-16 October, 2016. Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Innocent Victims of Chinese Oppression, Or Media Bullies? Falun Gong's In-Your-Face Media Strategies (with Nicole Ruskell). CESNUR Annual Meeting, 5-10 July, 2016, Daejin University
Processual Pagans: Quasi-longitudinal approaches to survey research. European Association for the Study of Religion Annual Meeting, 28 June-1 July, 2016, Helsinki, Finland.
New Religions, the Cultic Milieu and Paranormal Beliefs. International Association for the Study of Religion XXI World Congress. Erfurt, Germany, 23-29 August 2015.
The Anastasia Movement and its Transformations Internationally: Worldviews, Beliefs and Attitudes (with Rasa Pranskevi_i_t_). International Association for the Study of Religion XXI World Congress. Erfurt, Germany, 23-29 August 2015.
Falun Gong’s Theory of Martyrdom. International Association for the Study of Religion XXI World Congress. Erfurt, Germany, 23-29 August 2015.
Growth and Fertility: What Census and Survey Data Indicate about the Future of the Irreligious and the ‘Nones.’ International Association for the Study of Religion XXI World Congress. Erfurt, Germany, 23-29 August 2015.
Western Scholarship on Sikhism and the Rhetoric of Degeneration. Sikh Research Conference. Warwick University. 28 June 2014.
The Religions – and Irreligions – of the Educated Class: What Census Data Tells Us About Secularization, Religion and Educational Level (with Sean Currie). ISORECEA Conference, Kuanas, Lithuania, 24-27 April 2014
Gender and Paganism in Anglophone Census Data (with Inga Tøllefsen). Conference on Gender in Neopagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe, Krakow, Poland, 7-9 March 2014.
Stop Ignoring the Numbers_ Pagan Studies and Quantitative Studies. Conference on Gender in Neopagan and Native Faith Movements in Central and Eastern Europe, Krakow, Poland, 7-9 March 2014.
The Dwindling Spiral: The Dror Center Schism, the Cook Letter and Scientology’s Legitimation Crisis. Scientology in Scholarly Perspective Conference. Antwerp, Belgium, January 24-25, 2014.
Free Zone Scientology and Other Movement Milieus: A Preliminary Characterization. European Association for the Study of Religion Annual Conference. Liverpool Hope University. 3-6 September 2013.
The Youth-Crisis Model of Conversion: An Idea Whose Time Has Passed? European Association for the Study of Religion Annual Conference. Södertörn University, Sweden. 23-26 August 2012.
The Satan Census. Satanism in Western Culture: International Conference on the Devil's Disciples. September 25-27, 2011. University of Stockholm, Sweden.
What We Know about Sects and Violence: Relevant for Terrorism Studies? The Root Causes of Terrorism: A Religious Studies Perspective. May 18-19, 2011. Leiden Institute for Religious Studies, Netherlands.
The Prophet Motive. The Third Israeli Conference for the Study of Contemporary Spiritualities. March 15, 2011. University of Haifa, Israel.
Fit for the Devil. Chaos Symposium. May 7 & 8, 2010. University of Tromsø, Norway.
Why is the Church of Scientology Growing? Chaos Symposium. May 7 & 8, 2010. Södertörns University College, Sweden.
How Religions Appeal to the Authority of Science. American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting, November 1-3, 2008. Chicago, Illinois.
New Data on Who Joins NRMs and Why. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR)/RRA Annual Meeting, November 7-9, 2007. Tampa, Florida.
The Pagan Explosion. AAR Annual Meeting. November 18-21, 2006. Washington, DC.
Magickal Children: The New Teen Witchcraft. Conference on Contemporary Pagan Studies (held in tandem with the annual AAR meeting). November 21, 2003.
The Triumph of Generic Witchcraft. Alternative Spirituality and New Age Studies (ASANAS) Conference. May 30-31/June 1, 2003. Milton Keynes, UK.
The Satanic Bible: Genesis, Function and Influence. CESNUR Annual Meeting. June 20-23, 2002. Salt Lake City and Provo.
An American Holocaust: The Social Construction of ‘Otherness’ in the Branch Davidian Holocaust. SSSR/RRA Annual Meeting. October 29-31, 1993. Raleigh, NC.
The New Age Movement. International Conference on New Religions annual meeting. May 16-18, 1991. Beullton, CA.
The Hare Krishna Movement. International Conference on New Religions annual meeting. May 16-18, 1991. Beullton, CA.
Works of Darkness: The Anti-New Age Fiction of Frank Peretti. International Conference on New Religions annual meeting. May 16-18, 1991. Beullton, CA.
Western Approaches to the Sikh Tradition: Past and Present. Sikh Studies Conference. November 15, 1990. Washington, DC.
The New Age. SSSR/RRA Annual Meeting. November 9-11, 1990. Virginia Beach, VA.
Conservative Christian Images of the New Age Movement. SSSR annual meeting. November 9-11, 1990. Virginia Beach, VA.
Findhorn and New Age Communalism. Plotting Zion conference. May 4-5, 1990. Provo, UT
A Survey of Scholarship on the New Age. AAR Pacific coast regional meeting. March 1990. Oakland, CA.
Images of Traditional African Religions in World Religion Textbooks. AAR annual meeting. November 18-21, 1989. Anaheim, CA.
Misrepresentations of Sikhism in World Religions Textbooks. Sikh Studies Conference. December 10, 1988. California State University. Long Beach, CA.
Images of Threatening Otherness in North American Captivity Mythology. AAR annual meeting. November 19-22, 1988. Chicago, IL.
The Racial Fall Myth. SSSR annual meeting. October 28-30, 1988. Chicago, IL.
North American Captivity Mythology and the Perception of Religious Otherness. SSSR annual meeting. October 30-November 1, 1987. Louisville, KY.
Religious Insanity Past and Present. Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR) annual meeting. August 14-16, 1987. Chicago, IL.
Reconstructing the ‘Cult’ Experience. SSSR meeting. October 25-27, 1985. Savannah, GA.
The ‘Cult’ Withdrawal Syndrome. Other Realities: New Religions and Revitalization Movements conference. March 27-30, 1985. Lincoln, NE.
Resources for the Teaching of New Religious Movements. AAR annual meeting. December 8-11, 1984. Chicago, IL.
Enlightenment Cosmology and New Religion Scholarship. SSSR annual meeting. October 26-28, 1984. Chicago, IL.
‘Information Disease’ and the Legitimation of Religious Repression. ASR annual meeting. August 24-27, 1984. San Antonio, TX.
Pall Mall and the Fall: The Temptation Narrative According to Madison Avenue. AAR/College Theological Society annual meeting. May 4-5, 1984. Hamilton, Ontario.
Reflections on the New Religion Experience. AAR annual meeting. December 19-20, 1983. Dallas, TX.
The Call to Preach in Southern Appalachia. AAR/CTS annual meeting. April 22-23, 1983. Syracuse, NY.

Falun Gong: Ideology, Practices, Controversies. CESNUR Annual Meeting, 2-6 July 2017, Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.
The Future of Irreligion. International Association for the Study of Religion XXI World Congress. Erfurt, Germany, 23-29 August 2015.
Sociological Aspects of Scientology. Scientology in Scholarly Perspective Conference. Antwerp, Belgium, 24-25 January 2014.
Contemporary Transformations in Nordic Pentecostalism. European Association for the Study of Religion Annual Conference. Liverpool Hope University. 3-6 September 2013.
A New Age or Late Modernity? Culture, Class and Politics and in Contemporary Spirituality. Conference on Invented Traditions in Contemporary Religion and Spirituality, 28-29 May 2013, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Quantitative Approaches to New Religiosity. European Association for the Study of Religion Annual
Conference. Södertörn University, Sweden. 23-26 August 2012.
The Order of Christ Sophia. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion/Religious Research Association
Annual Meeting, November 7-9, 2007. Tampa, FL.
Teen Witchcraft. Alternative Spirituality and New Age Studies (ASANAS) Conference. May 30-31/June 1, 2003. Milton Keynes, UK.
New Age in Asia. Alternative Spirituality and New Age Studies (ASANAS) Conference. May 30-31/June 1, 2003. Milton Keynes, UK.
Sex, Lies, and Videotapes: Panel Discussion on The Family. SSSR/RRA Annual Meeting, October 29-31, 1993. Raleigh, NC.
New Religions East and West. International Conference on New Religions annual meeting. May 16-18, 1991. Buellton, CA.
The Anti-Cult Movement Around the World. International Conference on New Religions annual meeting. May 16-18, 1991. Buellton, CA.
Religious Responses to Colonialism. AAR/SBL regional meeting. March 10-12, 1989. Atlanta, GA.
Social-Scientific Perspectives on the UFO Phenomenon. The UFO Phenomenon in the 1980s conference. November 1-3, 1990. Santa Barbara, CA.
Scholarship on Sikhism. Sikh Studies Conference. December 10, 1988. Long Beach, CA.
Philosophy of Religion. Intermountain Philosophy Conference. November 4-5, 1988. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
New Religious Movements and Theory. ASR annual meeting. August 14-16, 1987. Chicago.
Expressive and Counter-Cultural Forms of Religion. ASR annual meeting. August 24-27, 1984. San Antonio, TX.
Social-Scientific Perspectives on Religious Groups. AAR/CTS annual meeting. May 4-5, 1984. Hamilton, Ontario.