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Apologia Report 15:4 (1,009)
February 3, 2010
Subject: A visit to the "Vatican City" of the New Age
In this issue:
KARMA - academic journal vets weak argument with poor grammar to support equivalence between Hinduism and Christianity
NEW AGE MOVEMENT - Sedona, Arizona in an era "where being 'woo-woo' is more acceptable"
WORLDVIEW - "understanding the distinctive subcultures" of liberals and evangelicals
+ a technical magnum opus from "one of the world's leading
missiological anthropologists"
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KARMA
"The Concept of Karma in Hinduism and Christianity: An Appraisal" by Akiti Glory Alamu -- the abstract reads: "The concept of Karma in Hinduism and Christianity is logically attractive and intellectually compelling but controversial in nature. Critically, Karma in Hinduism and Christianity convincingly showcases this belief that it is real in these religions. However, Christian scholars diametrically oppose the concept of Karma as it is tied to reincarnation. This paper however argues that scriptural texts affirm this Karmic belief in Hinduism and Christianity. Karma, as it is tied to reincarnation is not a pagan concept rather it speaks of the love and justice of God. Therefore, the paper concludes that interpretation is open to everyone who exegetically studies the scriptures. 'For he who knows one knows none,' hence the comparison. This fundamental problem of limiting human understanding to the texts of the scriptures has veiled human knowledge in several respects since revelation is progressive." Any questions? Asia Journal of Theology, 23:2 - 2009, pp244-265.
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NEW AGE MOVEMENT
"Sedona, Arizona: New Age Pilgrim-Tourist Destination" by Curtis Coats -- a celebratory report featured by a New Age-friendly journal. "In 2007, an article [www.tinyurl.com/yzht2u8] in The New York Times noted, 'New Age-style sacred travel, or metaphysical touring, is a growing branch of tourism.' This article profiled some of the tourists (predominantly middle-aged, upper middle class [later Coats finds that their average household income is $94K] and female), some of their beliefs and practices (pantheistic and New Age), and some of the sacred destinations to which they traveled.
"This article will examine in greater detail one of these sacred
destinations, Sedona, Arizona, a place that has been dubbed a
'spiritual Mecca,' a 'soaring pantheistic cathedral,' and 'the Vatican
City of the New Age.' In this article, I will briefly 'map' this place
by sketching the socio-historical sources of its 'spiritual
magnetism.'"
Coats begins with a historical overview of Sedona's New Age
connection. He reports that four spiritual energy vortexes found in
specific areas within the city "are the key to Sedona's spiritual
magnetism." He describes Sedona as "a marketplace of spiritual goods and services - from Reiki healers to aura photographers, vortex tour companies to spiritual retreat centers. [There spiritual seekers] will find spiritualist churches, and they will find venues hosting New Age rock stars like Deepak Chopra, J.Z. Knight, and Michael Beckwith." Coats adds that "2.8 million visitors came to Sedona and spent nearly $373 million in 2006."
Coats concludes by emphasizing that Sedona is "a pilgrimage site for New Age pilgrim-tourists [which] represents a coming-of-age, of sorts, of New Age spirituality, an age where being 'woo-woo' is more acceptable...." Crosscurrents, 59:3 - 2009, pp383-389.
Sedona is also the location of the recent sweat lodge death
controversy/investigation involving James Arthur Ray. For more on
this, see <www.tinyurl.com/yzosal3>.
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WORLDVIEW
Liberal vs. Evangelical: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the
Pacific Northwest, by James K. Wellman [1] -- Benton Johnson begins his review by explaining that this book concerns "the moral worldviews of a sample of the most vibrant Evangelical and liberal Protestant congregations in the urban and suburban Pacific Northwest. The result is a treasure chest of information for anyone interested in understanding the distinctive subcultures of these two antagonistic descendants of 19th-century mainstream American Protestantism.
"Wellman expected that the morally libertarian Northwest would
provide a natural breeding ground for liberal churches. Much to his
surprise, however, he discovered that liberal churches are no more
vibrant there than anywhere else. ...
"It proved easy to find 24 rapidly growing Evangelical churches,
but impossible to find any liberal churches with comparable growth rates. [Wellman] was obliged to settle on the 10 most 'vital' liberal churches in the region, only two of which were actually adding members. He and his team interviewed senior pastors, church-sponsored missionaries, and focus groups of laity. ...
"Nearly a third of Evangelicals interviewed reported stories of
conversion, and many testified that faith had saved their marriage or cured them of an addiction. There is also consensus on a host of other issues, including the inerrancy of the Bible, the importance of family life, and the sinfulness of abortion, homosexuality, and gay marriage. ...
"Liberals revere Jesus as a moral exemplar rather than a savior;
most of them would deny that God condemns anyone, and few would claim that Christianity is the only true religion. Liberals' individualism, their strong antipathy to hard-sell religion, and their tendency to agree with postcolonial critiques of western cultural imperialism make them reluctant to promote their brand of religion or to be the forceful advocates of progressive causes that many of their antecedents were. Today it is Evangelicals, not liberals, whose voices are loudest in the public square." Review of Religious Research, 51:1 - 2009, pp107-108.
Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change, by Paul G. Hiebert (1932-2007) [2] -- this text appears to be the very technical magnum opus of "one of the world's leading missiological anthropologists" who taught missions and anthropology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Reviewer Karl J. Franklin describes the work as "a definitive, one could say 'exhaustive,' study on worldview: its concepts, characteristics, contexts, and some methods for analyzing them. [Hiebert] divides worldviews into small-scale oral societies, peasant societies, modern and post-modern ones and concludes with suggestions on transforming worldviews to fit the biblical pattern. The book is excruciatingly detailed, with 52 figures and diagrams, many of them (such as the Indian, Islam and Chinese belief systems) difficult to follow without considerable background. ...
"Hiebert begins by outlining the history of worldview ... in
anthropology" and discussing some of its leading personalities. "He concludes with a model, a grid with hierarchy and equality, control, and freedom in intersecting quadrants. The United States, for example, is in the quadrant of hierarchy and freedom, while Russia is represented by control and equality. ...
"An extensive chart outlines evaluative norms of worldview, contrasting such dimensions as emotional expression and emotional control, group or individually centered, universalist or
particularist, and so on. ...
"There are a number of 'myths' in the modern worldview, such as the myths of evolution and progress, redemptive violence, and romantic love. ...
"In Chapter 8, Hiebert discusses the worldview of late modernity,
or postmodernity, and notes that there is 'no unified postmodern
theory, or even a coherent set of positions.' ...
"Chapter 9 discusses a 'global worldview,' where the
'post-postmodern' view sees sciences, politics, ethnicities,
nationalisms and religions reconstructed as power-exercising vehicles ... [and in which] capitalism spreads and inequalities now abound.
"The answer to these problems seems to be a biblical worldview
(chapter 10), although Hiebert admits that 'it is arrogant to claim we fully understand the biblical worldview.'"
Nearing his conclusion, Franklin notes that in Hiebert's approach, "Transforming worldviews (chapter 11), if we are thinking of a Christian one, needs help from God...." Christian Scholar's Review, 34:1 - 2009, pp132-134.
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Liberal vs. Evangelical: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the
Pacific Northwest, by James K. Wellman (Oxford Univ Prs, 2008,
paperback, 328 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yhzjsff>
2 - Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change, by Paul G. Hiebert (Baker, 2008, paperback, 368 pages)
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