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Apologia Report 15:21 (1,026)
June 10, 2010
Subject: "Between Allah and Jesus," weighed and found wanting
In this issue:
BIBLICAL INERRANCY - Biblical Archaeology Review touts Dead Sea Scrolls' evidence of "biblical errors," notes corrective options
EVANGELICALISM - moderate Roger Olson critiques antagonist Randall Balmer's latest historical summary
ISLAM - Stan Guthrie criticizes Peter Kreeft's Between Allah and Jesus
SEMINARY EDUCATION - evangelical vs. mainline school size, growth
WORLDVIEW - "excellent" introductory work, "engaging," "balanced"
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BIBLICAL INERRANCY
"Biblical Errors" by Harvey Minkoff -- the May/Jun '10 contents page of Biblical Archaeology Review (p6) promotes its web-only offerings. In this case, the promotional blurb reads: "The Bible has undergone many translations and revisions over the last 2,000 years. Late scholar Harvey Minkoff discussed how errors have crept into the Bible and what can be done to correct them." Titled "Searching for the Better Text" and derived from Minkoff's 1998 book Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls [1], the online version's intro adds: "Because of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Bible translators now have an important new body of evidence to help them decide how best to settle problems in the text—evidence not available to earlier generations of scholars." Here's the link: <www.tinyurl.com/2dlm8ak>
Given that Minkoff's book is 10 years old, can anything be read
into BAR's choice to feature it?
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EVANGELICALISM
The Making of Evangelicalism: From Revivalism to Politics and Beyond, by Randall Herbert Balmer [2] -- in his review, Roger Olson of Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary discloses his shared background with Balmer. He also reports that "Historian Randall Balmer contributed his take on the movement some time ago in Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America [3], an engaging historical and sociological look at evangelical variety that PBS made into a documentary <www.tinyurl.com/lpvho5>, and he has returned to the subject over the years.
"Now Balmer offers a crisp overview, attempting to bring some order out of the chaos that surrounds evangelical definition. Few are better qualified for this task than Balmer...."
Still, Olson charges that "Balmer's telling of the story of
evangelicalism ... is a bit of a caricature" and notes that Balmer's
"disdain for the so-called Religious Right is palpable." Indeed,
"Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Balmer's book is his claim that the rise of the Religious Right in the late 1970s involved
deceit. ... "What starts out as a relatively calm and insightful story of the rise and evolution of evangelicalism in America ends with an assault on evangelicalism's contemporary condition. Much as I regret many evangelicals' dubious alliances with political movements, I do not think evangelicalism as a whole deserves to be tarred with that brush."
Olson also complains that Balmer doesn't understand
premillennialism. Books & Culture, Mar/Apr '10, p22.
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ISLAM
Between Allah and Jesus: What Christians Can Learn from Muslims, by Peter Kreeft [4] -- Stan Guthrie - Christianity Today editor-at-large and columnist for BreakPoint.org - begins his review with a comparison of this title with Kreeft's "classic 1982 book," Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley [5], which is based on the intriguing incident of their deaths, having occurred for each man on November 22, 1963.
In the latest Between book, the Muslim protagonist "Isa (the Muslim name for Jesus)" is a college student nicknamed Jack (as was C.S. Lewis - an interesting choice by Kreeft). The other contributors to the book's dialogue include "Libby, the liberal Christian; Evan, the intelligent but emotionally cold fundamentalist evangelist; Father Heerema, the Jesuit professor who seems to come closest to speaking for Kreeft; and Father Fesser, the liberal priest."
Guthrie reports that "Kreeft's book is a strong encouragement to
look past our theological differences, create bonds of friendship and trust, and work together for the common good. ...
"Yet there is no wrestling with problematic Qur'anic texts....
"[S]uch passages need explanation. Christianity's book and history have faced much scrutiny over the years. Why not Islam's? Whitewashing Islam's troubling elements is no way to advance real dialogue, which must be based on truth. ...
"In Kreeft's commendable attempt to help Christians see Muslims as our neighbors rather than as the Other, Between Allah and Jesus blurs some vital theological distinctions. No, the author does not dispute that Islam's Trinity-denying unitarianism contradicts God's revelation. But ultimately he doesn't see it as much of a problem. ...
"Are those who risk life and limb to share the gospel with Muslims misguided? Kreeft doesn't say. Kreeft's characters, however, repeatedly indicate that relationships come before theology. ...
"The difference between Christians and Muslims on Christ's identity - God Incarnate or simply another human prophet - is presented as real and regrettable, but hardly decisive. ...
"Putting focus on our submission, as Kreeft does, rather than on
Christ's submission, risks making religion all about our futile
efforts to please God. ...
"While confirmed in his Islam - after all the arguments and
counter-arguments, speaking and listening - [Isa] *does* seem closer to his flawed friends who also bear Christ's name. And where relationship exists, deeper understanding may follow.
"Dialogue may not be everything, but it's a start." Books &
Culture, Mar/Apr '10, p35.
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SEMINARY EDUCATION
"Seminaries see no 'hard times' uptick" by John Dart -- begins: The notion that enrollments at theological schools rise in tough economic times did not hold true for Protestant and Catholic seminaries in North America this academic year." Actually, according to the stats from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) noted by Dart, this has been the case since 2004. That year, evangelical seminaries grew but mainline theological institutions did not. Neither group, overall, has grown since.
"One statistical trend shown in new ATS figures is that large
schools are enrolling a higher percentage of students. About 30
seminaries with at least 500 students - 12 percent of ATS schools - account for half of the 75,500 seminarians. In 2001, schools exceeding 500 students accounted for 47 percent.
"Evangelical seminaries have grown larger in size and more numerous in the past decade, according to Eliza Smith Brown, director of communications for ATS. They now have more than twice the enrollment of seminaries with mainline Protestant ties." This has been true since 2006 according to the stats provided by Dart.
"The 13 largest schools (with enrollment above 1,000) are all known for their theologically conservative perspective." Dart offers details on all this and more.
One interesting trend mentioned is that most three-year programs take at least four years for their students. This is a nasty pattern that some victims may interpret as bait-and-switch. Christian Century, May 18 '10, pp14-15.
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WORLDVIEW
Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview, by Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew [6] -- reviewer Glenn R. Kreider explains that the authors "propose an effective way for Christians to live out a Christian worldview in a cultural context with a radically different worldview." They begin by "briefly
summarizing the growing body of literature on Christian worldview and the diversity of perspectives...."
The authors argue that "we must become critical participants in the cultures that surround us. ... This participation must be critical, since 'we will often find ourselves standing in opposition to it, rejecting and challenging the idolatry that twists and distorts its
development. There are thus two sides to this faithful engagement:
affirmation and rejection, participation and opposition, solidarity
and separation.'"
Three chapters "provide practical examples and illustrations to
help readers apply the theoretical material in concrete ministry
situations. ...
"The authors tell an engaging story, avoiding sectarianism and
oversimplification, while covering a great deal of history and complex issues in a relatively brief space. The book is appropriately balanced in theory and practice and in biblical study and philosophy. ... It is also written as an introduction to the subject; those desiring more depth or more specificity will find a wealth of resources in the end notes." Bibliotheca Sacra, Apr/Jun '10, pp239-240.
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls, by Harvey Minkoff (Ottenheimer, 1998, paperback, 177 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/22p845m>
2 - The Making of Evangelicalism: From Revivalism to Politics and
Beyond, by Randall Herbert Balmer (Baylor Univ Prs, 2010, hardcover, 120 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/2f2hkrh>
3 - Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, by Randall Herbert Balmer (Oxford Univ Prs, 4th edition, 2006, paperback, 368 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/28fd9d8>
4 - Between Allah and Jesus: What Christians Can Learn from Muslims, by Peter Kreeft (IVP, 2010, paperback, 184 pages)
5 - Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley, by Peter Kreeft (IVP, expanded edition, 2008, paperback, 144 pages)
6 - Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview, by Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew (Baker, 2008, paperback, 224 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/254cs5c>
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