==A useful reference for some seekers==
If the subjects of reincarnation, pre-existence, (original) sin, karma, divine grace and spiritual ascension interest you, this book is a treasure chest of historical, mystical and theological information on those subjects and others. Wait a minute, some will say, Elizabeth Clare Prophet (ECP) was that eccentric crazy woman who along with her husband Mark founded and developed that Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) cult whose members dug themselves down into bunkers to survive the atomic cataclysm which never happened. Yes, most would agree that ECP did some irrational and kooky things and her idiosyncratic personality victimized many of her loyal followers. But CUT and Summit University Press, its publishing department, survived and are thriving under new leadership. We may ask why? A good answer would probably be that most of the Prophets' theology wasn't so far off base after all (being deferential to New Age thought and Judeo-Christian and Eastern mysticism). Most of their ideas were theosophically sound and most originated from sane and rational religionists and philosophers from ancient times to modern. The result was a syncretistic amalgam. Perhaps where they went wrong was with their excessive ritualistic decreeing, legalistic authoritarianism and opportunistic appointments of too many quaint ascended (deceased) Masters to be venerated.
This book bears a strong imprint of the co-author, ECP's daughter, Erin Prophet. It is a fact that during its compilation ECP was already considerably debilitated by the effects of dementia. The work has been meticulously researched throughout. References take up sixty-three pages of explanations and clarifications. The bibliography is a list sixteen pages long. This book can hardly be accused of being a major tool to make conversions for CUT. There is no attempt at exclusivity or appeals to elevate and legitimatize CUT or its theology. In fact, only in the last of the twenty-five chapters are recommendations made for readers to follow some of CUT's mental and spiritual practices.
Regardless of authorship this book can be valued for its scholarship into the subjects I mentioned at the beginning. Quotes and references are plentiful and the historical development of Jewish, Greek, Roman, Christian and Indian thought is outlined and contrasted. It can be a very useful work for open-minded and curious seekers.