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Apologia Report 16:16 (1,066)
May 11, 2011
Subject: A new Word-Faith movement critique (e.g., Joel Osteen)
In this issue:
MORMONISM - why Bill McKeever finds Glenn Beck "a bit of an enigma"
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM - a Hindu defense of India's anti-conversion laws
WITCHCRAFT - Roman Catholic Church said to have "changed its position" toward practitioners of Wicca/witchcraft
WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT - new critical book available
YOGA - India's opposition to American yoga patenting efforts
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MORMONISM
"Glen Beck's Seven Wonders" by Bill McKeever -- begins: "A new book by conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck helps shed more light on his personal beliefs. Written with co-author and psychiatrist Keith Ablow, the book is titled The Seven Wonders that Will Change Your Life [1]. These life-changing seven wonders include courage, faith, truth, compassion, friendship, family, and common sense.
"The book begins with several pages of commentary written by Pat Gray, Glenn Beck's personal friend and colleague. It was Gray who played a major role in Beck's conversion to Mormonism. Gray briefly recaps Beck's success at overcoming his troubled past. How he did it is 'what this book is about,' he says, and of course that 'secret' is connected to his Mormon faith. ...
"Keith Ablow doesn't come out and say where his religious biases lie, though he does occasionally mention biblical stories and precepts. Much of his language (like Beck's) echoes language found in any number of New Age self-help books. ...
"Beck has always been a bit of an enigma to me. Though he doesn't hide the fact that he is Mormon, he has said things in the past that certainly are not in line with Mormon thought. This book is no different." McKeever explains this and more. Mormonism Researched, Mar/Apr '11, pp1-2.
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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
"Is Conversion Wrong?" -- Hindu Press International gives the introduction: "Suhag Shukla [co-founder/managing director of the Hindu American Foundation] responds to a fellow Washington Post blogger who asked 'Is conversion wrong?' and 'Is anger over conversion an extenuating circumstance for murder?' In response to the second question, her answer is a simple: No. But the analysis of the first point, 'Is conversion wrong?' is much more nuanced, as you can read below. ...
"Most anti-conversion laws seek only to address conversions 'by force, allurement, or fraudulent means.' They are the effort of sovereign states to regulate those, mostly Christian aid groups, for which the provision of aid to these vulnerable communities is not altruistic, but rather part of a soul-saving numbers game.
"At the end of the day, numbers and statistics, though illustrative, fail to address the very real human factor on the losing side of the proselytization and conversion equation. Conversion, when born from genuine faith, belief, study, or religious experience, can be beautiful. But, conversion begot by aggressive or predatory proselytization is a form of violence." HPI, Feb 23 '11
HPI cited this source for the above item: <www.j.mp/jwehHk>
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WITCHCRAFT
"Catholics change position on Wicca and witchcraft" by Barry Albin -- "According to Elizabeth Dodd, a former Wiccan, in her pamphlet: Wicca and Witchcraft: Understanding the Danger, published by the Vatican associated publisher, the Catholic Truth Society in England [www.j.mp/e5wSRN], the Roman Catholic Church has changed its position on the treatment of persons who are Wiccans and witches.
"In the guide, the author says that it is important to recognize that Wiccans are on a genuine spiritual quest providing a starting point for dialog that may lead to their conversion. She goes on to say that 'whether spellwork is effective or not has no bearing on the psychological damage that can be done to a young person who is convinced that they have summoned the dead, or have performed a spell that has hurt or injured another.' ...
"One question that should be raised is if the Catholic Church admits that Wicca is a 'genuine spiritual quest' how is it different from Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Daoism, Sikhism, or any other great religion? Is the Catholic Church willing to enter into an ecumenical dialogue with Wiccans as it has done with most of the other great religions? Who would represent the Wiccans? John [Lenz, the assistant manager of the popular Kansas City religious bookstore, Aquarius Books, and a Second Degree Initiate of Wicca] suggested that Selena Fox might have the standing to represent all Wiccans. Thomas suggested Ray Buckland, the man who brought Wicca to America." Examiner (Kansas City, MO), Feb 7 '11, <www.j.mp/imVoPd>
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WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT
Health, Wealth, & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? by David W. Jones and Russell S. Woodbridge [2]
-- Kregel's promotional material notes that this "new gospel ... is being promoted in 50 of the largest 260 churches in the United States."
The book echoes long-held concerns and is divided into two parts: Critique, covering the movement's history, teachings, and errors; and Correction, covering the Bible on suffering, wealth and poverty, and giving. One of the book's most valuable features is its “Excursus” on the teachings of Joel Osteen (pp. 72–80), though most of its discussion of other popular teachers such as Hagin and Copeland depends heavily on quotations from the 1980s and early 90s. Scripture and subject indexes are included, along with suggestions for further study.
While it's always good to see new critical resources on this devastating trend, the authors' academic and professional credentials are especially noteworthy: Jones did his PhD work in the field of financial ethics, and Woodbridge is a former vice president for Equity Derivatives trading for Salomon Brothers AG (Frankfurt, Germany). Hence the primary strength of this book lies in its analysis.
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YOGA
"India pulls the plug on yoga as business" by Kounteya Sinha -- "In order to stop self-styled yoga gurus from claiming copyright to ancient `asanas', like Bikram Choudhury's Hot Yoga - a set of 26 sequences practised in a heated room - India has completed documenting 1,300 'asanas' which will soon be uploaded on the country's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), making them public knowledge [www.j.mp/k5kaB].
"Around 250 of these `asanas' have also been made into video clips with an expert performing them. "According to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Union health ministry's department of Ayush, 'once the database is up online, patent offices across the world will have a reference point to check on everytime a yoga guru claims patent on a particular "asana."' ...
"[I]t is estimated that the US patent office alone has issued over200 yoga-related copyrights. Experts say yoga has become a $225 billion market in the West. Americans supposedly spend about $3 billion a year on yoga classes. ...
"The TKDL, which has 30 million pages of information, has been created to prevent those living abroad from claiming patent for existing knowledge." Times of India, Feb 6 '11, <www.j.mp/lm4KiX>
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - The 7: Seven Wonders That Will Change Your Life by Glenn Beck and Keith Ablow (Threshold, 2011, hardcover, 304 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3bnlugz>
2 - Health, Wealth, & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? by David W. Jones and Russell S. Woodbridge (Kregel, 2010, paperback, 208 pages) <www.j.mp/j23ryT>
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