Even after the events at Jonestown, it remained an obscure field, until in the 1990s there was a string of high profile extremely violent incidents associated with NRMs.

James Chancellor goes over the highly controversial Family International, including its background and religious beliefs, before Beverly focuses on the Unification Church, particularly recent events and the founder Sun Myung Moon.

Rebecca Moore covers the Peoples Temple, notorious for the Jonestown massacre, discussing the conspiracy theories that have circulated around the events.

In "Asian and Asian-inspired Groups" covers the Rajneesh movement, ISKCON, Soka Gakkai, Aum Shinrikyo, the Falun Gong, and the Aumists.

Martin Repp analyzes what lead to the crimes committed by another Buddhist group, Aum Shinrikyo, that engaged in multiple murders and acts of terrorism.

Scientology is examined by Dorthe Refslund Christensen, who focuses on the hagiographic biography of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and its role and status within the organization.

George D. Chryssides covers Heaven's Gate, notorious for their 1997 mass suicide, while Susan J. Palmer focuses on the Raëlians and their media strategy.

"Western Religious Traditions" follows the Unification Church, the Peoples Temple, the Branch Davidians, controversial evangelical movements, Kabbalah Centre, and African-American Muslims.

Three controversial Black American Muslim groups, the Nation of Islam, The Five Percenters, and the Moorish Science Temple, are the subject of Göran Larsson's chapter, who focuses on their history and theology in the context of North America.

"Asian and Asian-inspired Traditions" covers the MSIA, ISKCON, Transcendental Meditation, the Rajneesh movement, Aum Shinrikyo, and Falun Gong.

The MSIA is this time covered by editor James R. Lewis, who discusses the accusations it has faced of plagiarizing another group, as well as its religious beliefs.

Scientology's development is examined by Kjersti Hellesøy, while CUT and its history, a controversial church that used to preach the end of the world, is outlined by Jocelyn H. DeHaas.

The Solar Temple is then covered by Henrik Bogdan, who analyzes various hypotheses of what led to the murder-suicides of the group, as well as giving a background on their history and doctrine.

New Age theology as a whole is followed by Siv Ellen Kraft, before modern paganism is discussed by Manon Hedenborgh-White, who gives an outline as to its history and practices, as well as the controversial elements of the movement.

Karlie King praised the essays included for their thoroughness and the angles from which they explored the material, though noted most used the rhetoric of academia and so would be most suited for that audience.

[5] A review from the journal Illness, Crisis & Loss praised the book as "interesting on its own merit" and said it was "another fine example of Oxford University Press' ability to carefully research, document and incorporate vital information" into reference works.

[3] Jonathan Benthall, reviewing the work for The Times Literary Supplement, described it as a "balanced and intriguing book", noting its inclusion of many scholars studying in Nordic countries.