Dialog Center International

Aagaard retired from his position as leader of the organization in 2003 and was replaced by Svend Erik Erasmi Jacobsen (2003-2004), Jens Linderoth (2004-2008) and Tom Thygesen Daugaard (2009-). The danish branch of the organization was discontinued in 2011. In 2012, the new president of DCI, Lutheran priest Thomas Gandow, was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. == Impact of DCI in Denmark ==

According to Mikael Rothstein and Armin W. Geertz, Aagaard had a large influence over Denmark's reaction to new religious movements in the late twentieth century. Rothstein and Geertz argue in an article in Nova Religio that Aagaard's push for public education and pedagogical resources on NRMs was a large factor in how the press, schools, and Christian congregations discussed and reacted to cults in Denmark. For example, Jesper Aagaard Petersen argued that DCI had a strong influence over how satanism was perceived in schools and media in Denmark. == Impact of DCI outside of Denmark ==

The DCI has had a major influence on the anti-cult movements outside of Denmark. Rothstein and Geertz note that particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia the DCI was active before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian anti-cultist Alexander L. Dvorkin, for example, was the co-Vice President of the DCI with now-current president Gandow. Solveiga Krumina-Konkova argues that the Dialog Center contributed significantly to the "rise of antisect hysteria" in Lithuania. DCI and its local branch in Ireland – Dialogue Ireland – replaced its largest anti-cult/counter-cult organization – the Catholic-ran Cult Awareness Centre – in 1992. ==References==