John Gordon Melton yug hauv Birmingham, Alabama xyoo 1942. Nws tau kawm tiav bachelor's degree los ntawm Birmingham 
Southern College hauv 1964, tus Master of Divinity degree ntawm Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary hauv 1968, thiab nws tus kws kho mob hauv Keeb Kwm thiab Kev Ntseeg ntawm Kev Ntseeg nrog tshwj xeeb hauv keeb kwm Asmeskas los ntawm Northwestern University hauv 1975. Nws tau los ua ib tug txwj laus hauv United Methodist. Lub Koom Txoos nyob rau xyoo 1968 thiab ua xibhwb ntau lub tsev teev ntuj thaum xyoo 1974 thiab 1980. Tau ntau xyoo nyob rau xyoo 1980s nws tau ua tus kws tshawb fawb tshwj xeeb nrog rau lub tuam tsev ntawm kev tshawb fawb txog kev ntseeg ntawm University of California ntawm Santa Barbara. Nyob rau hauv 2011, Melton txais ib txoj hauj lwm ua ib tug Tus Kws Tshaj Lij Tshaj Lij ntawm Asmeskas Kev Ntseeg Keeb Kwm ntawm Baylor University lub koom haum rau kev kawm hauv kev ntseeg. Melton so haujlwm ntawm Baylor hauv 2022.
Melton qhov kev txaus siab rau kev ntseeg tshiab tau tshwm sim thaum xyoo 1960 thaum nws yog ib tug tub kawm tiav. Nws tau mus ncig hauv Tebchaws Meskas, ntsib cov tswvcuab ntawm pawg ntseeg tshiab, thiab sau cov ntaub ntawv no cov koom haum luam tawm uas nws tau tshaj tawm rau pej xeem. Xyoo 1968, nws tau tsim lub Koom Haum rau Kev Kawm Kev Ntseeg ntawm Asmeskas (ISAR) los tsim cov khoom siv uas nws tau sau rau ntawm nws ntau cov ntaub ntawv sib sau ua ke. Nws qhov kev ua haujlwm thaum ntxov, uas nws tau ua ntau yam los ua tus kws tshawb fawb ywj pheej, tau los ua lub hauv paus rau nws txoj haujlwm ntawm kev ntseeg tshiab.
Melton tau muaj kev cuam tshuam los ntawm kev txhim kho kev kawm txog kev ntseeg tshiab hauv peb txoj kev: nws tau sau cov ntaub ntawv tseem ceeb ntawm ntau yam kev cai dab qhuas, suav nrog kev ntseeg tshiab, nws tau sau thiab kho ntau phau ntawv thiab cov ntawv ntawm kev cai dab qhuas tshiab raws li kev kawm. tau tshwm sim, thiab nws tau muaj kev cuam tshuam hauv kev tsim cov kev tshawb fawb tshawb fawb. Nws txoj haujlwm pioneering tau lees paub los ntawm nws cov npoj yaig.
Siv ISAR ua nws lub hauv paus ntawm kev ua haujlwm, Melton tau nrhiav nws lub luag haujlwm tseem ceeb sau cov ntaub ntawv. Lub koom haum tau mob siab rau kev npaj, txhawb nqa, thiab tsim cov kev tshawb fawb raws li kev tshawb fawb thiab cov ntaub ntawv qhia txog North American Kev ntseeg. Los ntawm 1985, nws cov khoom sau tau loj hlob mus rau qhov chaw uas nws xav tau qhov chaw tshwj xeeb. Thaum lub sijhawm ntawd Melton tau pub 25,000 phau ntawv thiab ntau qhov sib npaug ntawm cov khoom tseem ceeb uas tau txais los ntawm ISAR mus rau Davidson Library ntawm University of California, Santa Barbara. Raws li xyoo 2020, American Religions Collection tau loj hlob mus rau 35,000 phau ntawv thiab kev loj hlob zoo sib xws hauv cov ntaub ntawv khaws tseg thiab cov ntaub ntawv sau tseg raws li lub tsev qiv ntawv koom nrog cov kev xav tau ntawm cov khoom ywj pheej thiab lwm cov kws tshawb fawb kawm txog kev ntseeg tshiab tau pab lawv cov ntaub ntawv tseem ceeb. Ntau yam ntawm cov khoom no hauv phau ntawv no yog cov ntaub ntawv tseem ceeb uas tsis tshua muaj nyob hauv Davidson Library.
Ib qho ntawm cov cim tseem ceeb ntawm Melton cov ntaub ntawv sau tau yog nws muab tso ua ke ntawm encyclopedic siv ua haujlwm. Xyoo 1978, Melton tau luam tawm thawj zaug ntawm ntau yam ntawm Phau ntawv Encyclopedia ntawm American Religions (tom qab renamed lub Melton Encyclopedia ntawm American Religions). Nws yog thawj zaug ua haujlwm ntawm nws hom, thiab pib, nws tau sau tag nrho cov ntawv nkag. Qhov kev nthuav qhia style kuj yog tshwj xeeb. Melton tau muab pawg ntseeg sib koom ua ke rau hauv tsev neeg sib koom ua ke qee yam, tshwj xeeb tshaj yog cov lus qhuab qhia thiab keeb kwm. Ntawm ntau cov kab lig kev cai, pawg ntseeg, pawg ntseeg, thiab cov koom haum kev ntseeg Melton tau txheeb xyuas nyob rau hauv Encyclopedia ntawm American Religions yog pawg ntseeg tshiab. Lub sijhawm ntawd, cov kws tshawb fawb tsawg tsawg tau kawm txog kev ntseeg tshiab, thiab kev kawm ntawm cov pab pawg tshiab tsis yog ib qho kev lees paub ntawm kev kawm. Melton's encyclopedia yog ib qho ntawm thawj lub ntiaj teb, kev kawm txuj ci los txheeb xyuas cov kev ntseeg tshiab uas yog ib qho tseem ceeb ntawm cov koom haum kev ntseeg rau kev tshawb fawb. Qhov thib cuaj tsab, nrog ntau tshaj 2,300 nkag, tau luam tawm nyob rau hauv 2017 raws li ib tug ob ntim, nrog kev pab them nqi ntawm Canada muaj nyob rau hauv lub thib ob ntim. Melton tau ua raws li nws cov kev pab cuam ntawm pawg ntseeg hauv North America nrog kev pab cuam thoob ntiaj teb hauv Cov Kev Ntseeg ntawm Lub Ntiaj Teb: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia ntawm Kev Ntseeg thiab Kev Xyaum (nrog Martin Baumann). Qhov no yog thawj zaug luam tawm xyoo 2002. Xyoo 2010 thib ob ntawm phau ntawv encyclopedia tau luam tawm nyob rau hauv rau lub ntim thiab suav nrog cov kev cai dab qhuas loj thiab me me thoob plaws ntiaj teb.
Melton cov nyiaj pub dawb rau tus kheej tau pab txhawb rau kev txhim kho thaum ntxov ntawm kev txhim kho kev paub txog kev ntseeg tshiab. Ntxiv rau nws cov ntawv sau keeb kwm, phau ntawv txhais lus, cov phau ntawv, phau ntawv sau txog keeb kwm, keeb kwm keeb kwm, almanacs, Melton tau luam tawm ntau phau ntawv thiab tshooj ntawm pab pawg thiab kev coj noj coj ua xws li Hnub Nyoog Tshiab, Cov Me Nyuam ntawm Vajtswv / Tsev Neeg Thoob Ntiaj Teb, Scientology, Old Catholic Church, Tib neeg lub Tuam Tsev, Kev tshaj tawm kev ntseeg, Ramtha, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Church Universal thiab Triumphant, thiab vampirism. Nws sau qee yam ntawm nws cov haujlwm tsis tu ncua hauv cov phau ntawv kho, xws li cov Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America nyob rau hauv 1992.
Lwm cov ntsiab lus ntawm nws txoj haujlwm tau hais txog cov teeb meem theoretical hauv kev kawm txog kev ntseeg tshiab, xws li kev ua haujlwm zoo ntawm kev ua haujlwm, kev cuam tshuam ntawm kev ua tsis tiav, kev tshwm sim ntawm kev ua phem hauv pawg ntseeg tshiab, cuam tshuam ntawm kev tawm tsam kev ntseeg thiab kev tawm tsam. ntawm kev tsim pawg ntseeg tshiab, charisma raws li kev coj noj coj ua. Nws kuj tau sau ib qho kev sim ua ntej tshaj plaws los qhia cov pej xeem dav dav txog kev ntseeg tshiab thiab kev tawm tsam kev ntseeg, Cult Experience: Teb rau Kev Ntseeg Tshiab Pluralism (nrog Robert Moore). Ntau ntawm nws txoj haujlwm thaum ntxov yog raws li cov ntaub ntawv nws tau sau los ntawm ISAR.
Pib txij li thaum ntxov xyoo ntawm kev kawm txog kev ntseeg tshiab, Melton tau tsa ntau yam teeb meem tshwm sim hauv thaj chaw raws li nws cov ntaub ntawv sau thiab cov nyiaj pab rau tus kheej. Nws tau sib cav tias Tebchaws Meskas yog lub tebchaws muaj kev ntseeg ntau tshaj plaws nyob hauv lub ntiaj teb thiab tau ua qauv zoo los ntawm kev nkag tebchaws, uas yog ib qho laj thawj rau qhov tseem ceeb ntawm kev ntseeg tshiab hauv Tebchaws Meskas Tib lub sijhawm, nws pom tias kev ntseeg tshiab feem ntau yog cov qauv tshiab ntawm. kev ntseeg uas twb muaj lawm. Nws siv nws cov ntawv sau keeb kwm los muab cov ntaub ntawv qhia tias kev ntseeg tshiab tau tshwm sim tsis tu ncua hauv txhua xyoo caum los ntawm keeb kwm Asmeskas. Txoj haujlwm no tau tawm tsam kev sib txuas ntawm pawg ntseeg tshiab rau kev sib raug zoo thiab kev coj noj coj ua ntawm xyoo 1960 thiab 1970s. Nws lees paub qhov tseem ceeb ntawm kev coj noj coj ua hauv kev tsim kev ntseeg tshiab tab sis kuj pom tias ntau tus thawj coj charismatic ua tsis tiav. Qhov tseem ceeb, Melton tau thawb rov qab los ntawm qhov kev xav nrov thoob plaws uas cov kev ntseeg tshiab tau hloov pauv thiab tuaj yeem koom ua ke ua "cults."
ua tim khawv
Melton, J. Gordon thiab Robert L. Moore. Xyoo 1982. Cult Experience: Teb rau Kev Ntseeg Tshiab Pluralism. New York: Pilgrim Xovxwm.
Melton, J. Gordon. Xyoo 1984 [1992]. Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. New York: Garland Publishing.
Melton, J. Gordon thiab Martin Baumann, eds. 2010. Cov Kev Ntseeg ntawm Lub Ntiaj Teb: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia ntawm Kev Ntseeg thiab Kev Xyaum. Rau Volumes. Ob tsab. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Melton, J. Gordon. 2017. Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions. Cuaj tsab. Gale.
