What is the Dialog Center?

The Dialog Center is the name of a nationwide network, founded as a result of the growth of New Religious Movements (NRMs) in Denmark and elsewhere.

The purpose of the Dialog Center is to communicate the Christian faith to people of other beliefs and convictions in a dialog. In relation to the neo-religiosity, our intention is to realize a dialog in confrontation.

We believe that these two concepts are inseparable, for a dialog without confrontation may easily turn into a conversation without depth or even into syncretism. On the other hand, confrontation without dialog may easily turn into conflict and arrogant rejection of the views of those we differ from.

The Dialog Center rejects syncretism as well as a heresy hunt. We do realize, however, that our studies of and work with the teaching and practice of the NRMs have resulted in the conclusion that they provide inadequate answers, but also that they have some important questions. We believe that the Christian faith provides the true answers, but unfortunately, we have noted that the churches do not always understand people’s real questions.

If preachers do not listen to the questions of their congregations, they will most likely not be able to apply the Christian gospel to their situation. Likewise, if we want to relate to NRMs, we need to understand their questions before we give them answers!

 

Serving the Churches

The Dialog Center serves the churches as a center of genuine apologetics, a place where we explain the Christian faith to people who have critical questions.

Our experience shows that such Christian apologetics, through the work with the neo-religiosity, may well lead us to a deeper understanding of the meaning and the truth of the Christian faith.

St. Paul and other Christian Apologists had to dialog with existing philosophies and NRMs like Gnosticism. They had to grapple with making the Gospel clear, just as we have in the present period.

 

Not a Passing Phenomenon!

The neo-religiosity in its many forms and deviations has already become a strong religious factor in most parts of the world. A large percentage of the worlds population seek to combine some form of the teaching of reincarnation with Christianity. They tend to believe that, in one way or another, God is identical with the inner self or is the essence of the universal field of energy or force. They have picked up a view which regards man as a collection of energies with auras, astral bodies, etc. The 1970s and early 1980s were the years of change in popular religiosity, but the churches hardly noticed it.

The task of the Dialog Center is to continue to draw attention to this important challenge. Therefore, the Dialog Center seeks to train its members for this task, and by means of various publications (pamphlets, magazines, and books), meetings, and lectures around the world seeks to spread information and accurate knowledge about the NRMs.

This is a necessary work, because it often becomes clear that the beliefs of the movements are quite different from what they portray to the public. They have a Janus face, so to speak, and it is not satisfactory for us to relate to only one of their faces.

 

Information and Help

Every day, people call the Dialog Center for information, advice and guidance because they themselves or a relative or friend are having difficulties as a result of involvement with a NRM. This often leads to an extensive pastoral guidance to the former member.

Helping people to free themselves from their NRM involvement, in which they have been caught—spiritually, emotionally, financially—is a difficult and time-consuming job. As we reject deprogramming, the use of violence and kidnapping in such spiritual matters, the process of recovery can take some time to accomplish. The counseling process has to help the individual to such healing.

An important element in recovery is the discovery of true Christian prayer and meditation, which can function as an alternative to the dangerous and doubtful methods of meditation arising out of an Occult or Hindu movement.