Abstract
In light of (a) recent work by Stark and Bainbridge on new religions, (b) some socialpsychological theories, and (c) recent changes in the Mormon religion, this essay proposes a modification in the traditional sect-church model of unidirectional change in the natural history of new sects. The twentieth century history of the Mormon religion is then reviewed briefly to illustrate the need for this theoretical modification to fit cases like that of the Mormon retrenchment and retrogression on the sect-church continuum. Finally, the changing Mormon uses of the Protestant Bible are reviewed to demonstrate the kinds of markers or indicators available for tracing the changing positions of religious groups along that continuum.
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