Another Gospel - Reception

Reception

Charles H. Lippy, writing in Modern American Popular Religion: A Critical Assessment and Annotated Bibliography, stated that Another Gospel is written "from a decidedly conservative Christian perspective", and although Tucker "does not ridicule the groups she seeks to expose ... it is clear that does not see the groups she studies as legitimate religious alternatives."

Robert M. Bowman, Jr., reviewing Another Gospel for the Christian Research Journal, commented: "Although Tucker is at her best in recounting the histories of the religions she surveys, at places she is not critical enough of the historical accounts that have been published by the cults themselves." Bowman's review concluded, "... Ruth Tucker's Another Gospel is, in several respects, the best general textbook on the cults. It is more up-to-date, more readable, and more respectful of the cults than any other such textbook. But, because it is lacking in biblical critiques of the cults (which is understandable, given the author's areas of expertise), it cannot replace those books which do provide such critiques, however much fresh treatments are needed."

A review of the book for the Journal of Christian Nursing, said that the book provides information about "what people in various cults and religious groups believe", and called the book "outstanding", and recommended it for personal libraries and church libraries. The reviewer commented: "Although designed as a reference book, it is hard to put down. I started dipping into sections that interested me, then sat down and read the whole book. In the process, I felt as if I'd taken a semester course in alternative religions."

Author M. James Penton wrote positively of the book, in his book Apocalypse Delayed published by University of Toronto Press. He wrote that Tucker's chapter on Jehovah's Witnesses "is far more superior to most older books and articles produced by Catholic and Protestant critics of the Watch Tower movement."

In a discussion of the prevalence of belief in reincarnation among adherents of various belief systems, Theology for the Community of God author Stanley J. Grenz recommended Tucker's book "for references to the presence of this doctrine in the New Age movement".