History and methodology of the community of dialogue centers

This article analyzes the history and methodology of the activities of the Dialogue Center, Aarhus, Denmark, the largest counter-cult organization of the twentieth century. The main stages and directions of the organization’s work are reconstructed with help of original and rare sources. The process of the gradual formation of local and international structures of the Dialogue Center is analyzed. The specifics of the methodology of the Center’s work with new religious movements is investigated. Special attention is paid to the description of the method of “dialogue in confrontation”. The features of the project “Mission to Western Youth in the East” are revealed. The influence of the Dialogue Center on the development of Orthodox new religious movements studies, including in the Eastern Europe in general and the Russian Federation in particular, is revealed. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the place and role in the life of the Dialogue Center of its founder and long- term head, Johannes Aagaard. The main directions of further analysis of the topic are outlined.