"A compelling analysis . . . must-reading for those of us who are called to engage our culture with the gospel." -- The Discerning Reader
"I think that this book should be considered must reading for all pastors and seminary students." -- Ken Myers, Mars Hill Audio (July/August 2003; Volume 63)
"Herrick reminds us that the main opponent of Christianity today, especially in popular culture, is not secularism but New Age spiritualism. He offers a detailed taxonomy that will help readers trace the richly varied sources giving rise to the new synthesis of East and West." -- Nancy R. Pearcey, Senior Fellow, The Discovery Institute, Center for Science and Culture
"God is not dead in our culture. Only his identity has changed. The claim of autonomy for human reason has led to its own deification and the rejection of the importance of history, the development of a spiritualized physics and a return to an ancient gnosticism--in short, a New Religious Synthesis. The dominant god today is the cosmic spirit embodied in the self. Herrick shows us how this shift has come about. A lucid intellectual history with important implications for navigating the religious currents of our day." -- James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door
"Once in Western societies to be 'religious' was to be 'Christian.' Why that is no longer the case is the subject of James Herrick's compelling new book. It is a volume that both raises key questions and clarifies 'the spiritual' in an unusually helpful way." -- Mark Noll, author of America's God: From Jonathon Edwards to Abraham Lincoln
"This is an excellent overview of the development of Western religious thought and life that reveals the roots of much of 'modern spirituality.' As such it is a must-read for anyone who simply wants to understand the spiritual ferment all around us." -- Irving Hexham, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Calgary
"James Herrick's book surveys a variety of spiritual movements subversive of traditional Christianity that often broadcast intoxicating messages of self-improvement and self-deification. . . . Herrick illuminates both the historical origins of these movements and the current scene in which they thrive so abundantly." -- Glenn Tinder, Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, University of Massachusetts at Boston, and author of The Political Meaning of Christianity
