The Journal: News of the Churches of God

Book includes section on WCG and derivatives

LONDON, England--A new 544-page book published in England includes a long section titled "Schism in a Sect" about the Worldwide Church of God and other Church of God groups, the book's author told The Journal recently.

The New Believers, published by the Cassell house in England and distributed by Sterling Publishing in America, covers origins, history, beliefs, practices and controversies of more than 60 "new" religious movements, the author, David V. Barrett, said.

The groups Mr. Barrett spotlight include the Family (formerly the Children of God), the International Church of Christ, New Kadampa Tradition, Wicca, Druidry, Chaos Magic, and Scientology.

Besides the main chapters on various unusual religions and groups, he devotes an 18,000-word "major case study" to the Worldwide Church of God and its offshoots.

The author said his treatment of the WCG and its derivatives is, "so far as I know, the most detailed study by an outsider [nonChurch of God member] in a readily available format."

Mr. Barrett is working on a doctor's degree whose dissertation will focus on "the schisms in WCG, specifically focusing on issues of authority."

He said he finds The Journal to be "invaluable" as a source of news and "divergent opinions."

Mr. Barrett wrote an article for The Journal that appeared in the Sept. 25, 1997, issue.

Headlined "A House Divided: Outsider's View of Churches of God," it inspired many readers to write letters to the editor that appeared over several months in 1997 and 1998.

Mr. Barrett is also the writer of a 1996 book, Sects, "Cults" & Alternative Religions, which is a case study of 50 nonmainstream religious movements in Britain, Europe and America. It also includes a view of the WCG and its offshoots.

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