ABSTRACT
Cults and new religious movements (NRMs) are laboratories for charismatic expression. This chapter provides a general theoretical introduction to charisma in NRMs, including the relationship of charismatic authority to millennialism, common strategies leaders use to legitimate their authority, and the role of followers’ personal experience in affirming charisma. It also explores in-depth the concept of diffused and leaderless charisma as expressed in Falun Gong, a Chinese qi gong organization, as well as two additional movements that formed around new texts and films: the 1975 metaphysical scripture A Course in Miracles and Jediism, based in the Star Wars film franchise.
