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Apologia Report 15:3 (1,008)
January 27, 2010
Subject: Lausanne movement warns of Prosperity Gospel
In this issue:
BUDDHISM - the one belief upon which “the entire edifice of
traditional Buddhist thought stands or falls”
CULTURE - contemporary music as a theater for examining the conflict between various Christian responses to culture
WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT - Lausanne movement publishes warning about the global negative influence of the Prosperity Gospel
YOGA - Hinduism Today asks: “Is Yoga inseparable from Hinduism or can it stand alone?”
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BUDDHISM
Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, by Stephen Batchelor [1] --
“Religious scholar and former monk Batchelor ... chronicles his
four-decade journey through varieties of Buddhism. The notion that a Buddhist can be an agnostic or atheist is not oxymoronic, of course. Buddhism requires no formal belief in a god or gods. It does, however, require other leaps of faith, including one that Batchelor admits to having had trouble grasping - namely, the acceptance of reincarnation, for ‘the entire edifice of traditional Buddhist thought stands or falls on the belief in rebirth.’ The author arrives at his discussion of reincarnation through a hard tour of duty in a highly intellectual school of Tibetan Buddhism that prizes the study of formal logic and debate, providing tools for a rationally based, constantly inquiring approach to religion. As the Buddha said, ‘Just as a goldsmith assays gold, by rubbing, cutting, and burning ... so should you examine my words. Do not accept them just out of faith in me.’ Elsewhere Batchelor writes of his encounters with the Dalai Lama, who has been waging a quiet war against the Tibetan belief in evil spirits, but who has also long been engaged in schools of Tibetan Buddhist thought other than his own in a kind of ecumenical spirit. Batchelor provides smart commentary on various aspects of Buddhist belief of whatever
school.... A welcome contribution to Buddhist studies, joining
essential modern books such as Rick Fields’s How the Swans Came to the Lake [2] and Robert Aitken’s Taking the Path of Zen [3].” Kirkus Reviews, Jan ‘10, #1. On the book’s Amazon.com page, atheist activist Christopher Hitchens offers his unexpectedly positive appraisal: “In this honest and serious book of self-examination and critical scrutiny, Stephen Batchelor adds the universe of Buddhism to the many fields in which received truth and blind faith are now giving way to ethical and scientific humanism, in which lies our only real hope.”
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CULTURE
Witnessing Suburbia: Conservatives and Christian Youth Culture, by Eileen Luhr [4] -- “Historian Luhr (California State Univ., Long
Beach) chronicles ‘the rise of Christian conservative cultural
activism at the end of the twentieth century’ by examining such things as the Harvest Crusades of Southern California, equal access and student-led prayer, and the Christian heavy metal scene with the scores of magazines associated with it. All three emphasize traditional values of ‘self-reliance, personal responsibility, and obedience to authority.’ The book’s most interesting section focuses on Christian metal, which engaged popular culture in one of its darkest areas. While these musicians were trying to bring light and hope to headbangers, opposition arose. Conservatives, who had criticized 1970s Jesus music, lambasted these musicians for conforming to the world, especially in their stage costumes, long hair, venues, and musical style. Yet both conservatives and Christian metal artists often focused on similar issues, e.g., abortion, suicide, and family values. Even within Christian metal, there was division. Some artists rejected songs about social issues that failed to address the root cause of such problems - sin. Thoroughly researched and well written, this book should interest scholars of 20th-century Christianity and
popular culture.” Choice, Jan ‘10, n.p.
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WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT
“Theology Group Reflects on Impact of Prosperity Gospel” by Audrey Barrick -- explains that “While recognizing that ‘there are some dimensions of prosperity teaching that have roots in the Bible,’ the Lausanne Theology Working Group says its overall view is that ‘the teachings of those who most vigorously promote the ‘prosperity gospel’ are false and gravely distorting of the Bible.’ ...
“Pentecostal churches are largely associated with the teaching. In a 2006 Pew Forum survey, majorities of Pentecostals in the 10
countries surveyed said they believe God will grant good health and relief from sickness to believers who have enough faith; and in nine of the countries, most Pentecostals say that God will grant material prosperity to all who have enough faith. Higher majorities of African believers were found to embrace the teachings.
“The prosperity gospel, however, is a phenomenon that cuts across denominational barriers, the Lausanne group acknowledges, and can be found in charismatic as well as mainstream Protestant churches.’
While the Lausanne group does not appear to identify any persons or organizations specifically as proponents of the Prosperity Gospel, Barrick does remind us that “In the United States, six ministries that promote the prosperity gospel are being investigated by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) following media reports and allegations of opulent spending and possible abuse of nonprofit status. They have been asked to submit financial records and answer questions regarding organizational and personal spending. The ministries being probed include Joyce Meyer Ministries, World Healing Center Church, Without Walls International Church, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church/Eddie
L. Long Ministries, Kenneth Copeland Ministries, and World Changers Church International/Creflo Dollar Ministries.
“The Lausanne Theology Working Group serves the Lausanne Movement, a Christian movement focused on world evangelization.” Christian Post, Dec 17 ‘09, n.p. <www.tinyurl.com/ygd44ln>
Christianity Today has posted the entire statement - the fruit of
two consultations (October 2008 and September 2009) in Akropong, Ghana - at <www.tinyurl.com/yka2npp>.
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YOGA
“Is Yoga inseparable from Hinduism or can it stand alone? It’s a hot debate today, one that surfaced at [the Parliament of the World’s Religions] the world’s largest interfaith meeting recently in
Melbourne, Australia. This 18-page article on Ashtanga Yoga is our answer [www.tinyurl.com/yjf4dax]. Yoga is one of Hinduism’s six great philosophies and guides our soul’s evolution from ordinary to illumined consciousness. These luminous teachings of all eight limbs of Patanjali’s yoga, fully illustrated to especially appeal to youth, are offered with clarity and simplicity.” Hindu Press International, Dec 30 ‘09.
The article cited above includes the following: “Many who practice such yoga do so solely for health benefits. However, others pursue yoga, in a deeper sense, in hopes of reaping the spiritual benefits it offers. It is to these spiritual seekers who have higher consciousness as the goal of their yoga that this Educational insight is directed. Here we describe the path called raja yoga, the regal (raja) means to enlightenment, a classical, meditative system that is one among the numerous yogas practiced in Hinduism. Technically, it is termed ash*a^ga (eight-limbed) yoga, a name coined by Sage Patanjali, because it consists of eight stages, represented in our illustrations of the village tree with eight limbs. These stages are: yama (restraint), niyama (observance), asana (seat or posture), praIntayama (mastering life force), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharaInta (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (contemplation and God Realization).
It is worth noting that yama (the restraints) and niyama (the
observances) precede asana (ha*ha yoga postures), but they are omitted in most yoga classes today. That is unfortunate, as this ethical basis is of utmost importance. We can liken these eight limbs to a tall building. The yamas are the first part of the foundation, like the steel; and the niyamas are the second part, like the cement. Together they provide the support a skyscraper needs to stand.”
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, by Stephen Batchelor (Spiegel & Grau, Mar 2 ‘10, hardcover, 320 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yd3yftx>
2 - How the Swans Came to the Lake, by Rick Fields (Shambhala, 3rd Rev Upd ed., 1992, paperback, 480 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yg5es4q>
3 - Taking the Path of Zen, by Robert Aitken (North Pt Prs, 1982,
paperback, 150 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yl8fkch>
4 - Witnessing Suburbia: Conservatives and Christian Youth Culture, by Eileen Luhr (Univ of Calif Prs, 2009, paperback, 280 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/y9ae9rr>
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