Download or read book Prophetic Charisma written by Len Oakes and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 1997-11-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New religious movements—or so-called “cults”—continue to attract and mystify us. While mainstream America views cults as an insidious mix of apocalyptic beliefs, science fiction, and paranoia, with new vehicles such as the World Wide Web, they are becoming even more influential as the millennium approaches. Len Oakes—a former member of such a movement—explores the phenomenon of cult leaders. He examines the psychology of charisma and proposes his own theory of the five-stage life cycle of the two types of prophets: the messianic and the charismatic.