J. Gordon Melton Scientist

John Gordon Melton (born September 19, 1942) is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.He is the author of more than twenty-five books, including several encyclopedias, handbooks, and almanacs on American religion and new religious movements. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.His areas of research include major religious traditions, new religions and alternative religions, occultism and parapsychology, New Age, and vampirology.

Personal facts

Alias (AKA)	Melton John Gordon (full name)
Birth date	September 19, 1942
Birth place	Birmingham Alabama
Nationality	United States
Residence	Santa Barbara California
Education	Northwestern University Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary Birmingham–Southern College