The Kingdom of the Cults
Cover of the first edition
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| Author | Walter Ralston Martin |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | New religious movements |
| Published | 1965 |
| Pages | 703 (2003 revised edition) |
| ISBN | |
The Kingdom of the Cults, first published in 1965, is a reference book of the Christian countercult movement in the United States, written by Baptist minister and counter-cultist Walter Ralston Martin.
Martin examines a large number of new religious movements; included are major groups such as Christian Science, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Armstrongism, Theosophy, the Bahá'í Faith, Unitarian Universalism, Scientology, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as minor groups including various New Age and groups based on Eastern religions. The beliefs of other world religions such as Islam and Buddhism are also discussed.
He covers each group's history and teachings, and contrasts them with those of mainstream Christianity, from a decidedly critical, evangelical perspective.
Martin defines "a cult" as "a group of people gathered about a specific person—or person's misinterpretation of the Bible", while admitting that in spite of "distorting Scripture" such groups' teachings may contain "considerable truths" which have Biblical support but have become de-emphasized by mainstream Christianity, such as divine healing and prophecy.
By 1989, The Kingdom of the Cults had sold over 500,000 copies and was one of the ten best-selling American spiritual books. The book has been described as being regarded by evangelicals as "the authoritative reference work on major cult systems for nearly 40 years." However, it has been criticized by members of some of the groups it discusses, particularly Mormons, upset that their faith should be labeled a "cult."
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