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Apologia Report 16:30 (1,080)
August 25, 2011
Subject: Religious Diversity: What Do I Do When ...
In this issue:
BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION - exploring varieties of textual abuse
CHRISTIAN MISSION - should Christians should keep their religious identities secret while engaged in public life?
RELIGIOUS PLURALISM - exclusivist study praised as "concise, exegetically-detailed and pastorally-aware"
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BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION
Abusing Scripture: The Consequences of Misreading the Bible, by Manfred T. Brauch, retired professor of biblical theology and past president of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [1] -- reviewer Robert J. Myles explains: "Brauch reasons that ... ethical interpretation involves determining the author's intention by placing the text in its original historical, literary, and theological contexts.
"Brauch then divides his chapters according to six types of scriptural abuse: the abuse of the whole gospel (reading without a holistic understanding of the biblical message); the abuse of selectivity (proof-texting to support one's ideology); the abuse of biblical balance (giving priority to some aspects of Scripture to the neglect of others); the abuse of words (not keeping language constrained to its original meaning); the abuse of literary and theological contexts; and the abuse of a text's original situation and cultural reality. ...
"In recent decades however, scholars have begun to acknowledge the influence that readers and their respective social locations have in the production of meaning, at the same time recognizing the multivalent quality of texts. The meaning of a text is not necessarily produced by the intention of the author but rather between the interaction of the text and its reader. Brauch's main failure is that he speaks past any of this scholarship and so does not situate himself within the wider debate. ...
"An interesting comparison on the metaphor of scriptural abuse ... can be found by looking to Roland Boer's Rescuing the Bible [2], in which Boer argues that any interpretation of the text which is used for oppressive purposes must be condemned as abusive. This means that scriptural abuse is possible irrespective of whether a text is interpreted according to its original intention." (Imagine an attorney trying that approach in court!) Anglican Theological Review, 93:2 - 2011, pp328-329.
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CHRISTIAN MISSION
Secret Faith in the Public Square: An Argument for the Concealment of Christian Identity, by Jonathan Malesic [3] -- Karen V. Guth (Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Virginia) explains Malesic's argument: "Christians should keep their religious identities secret when engaged in public life. ...
"Contrary to those who worry that religion might wreak havoc in the democratic order, Malesic, who writes as a Christian theologian to a Christian audience, worries more about the damage public life might cause the Christian faith. Some Christians use their religious identity 'as a form of currency' for personal, political or financial gain. ...
"To be clear, such secrecy is not Malesic's permanent strategy, but rather a 'therapy needed by the church' in contemporary America. ...
"The first part of the book uncovers secrecy or the 'intentional concealment of knowledge from another person' as a historically important theme in the Christian tradition. ...
"Having brought the theme of secrecy into relief, Malesic articulates his own argument for the 'concealment of Christian identity in contemporary America.' He reflects on the nature of the self and of the responsibility that Christians bear as secret-keeping individuals, upholding neighbor love as 'the Christian's first duty in public life.' He sees the church as a 'community of hidden disciples,' arguing that maintaining secrecy in the expression of neighbor love is not incompatible with the community life of the church. Finally, he takes on Stanley Hauerwas' proposal for 'a highly visible, explicitly Christian witness to the world,' sharing Hauerwas' concern for preserving the distinctiveness of the Christian tradition but casting doubt on his notion of witness to 'transform the world.' ...
"Malesic offers only a few personal anecdotes and a brief discussion of 'American evangelical elites' that relies exclusively on D. Michael Lindsay's Faith in the Halls of Power [4]. Although Malesic makes clear that these evangelicals exemplify a broader problem ('virtually every religious group in America has capitulated in one way or another to American ways of thought and life'), a proposal of Malesic's magnitude demands a more compelling analysis of the problem. ...
"A more nuanced account of the worldly ways in which the church lives out its mission would greatly strengthen Malesic's proposal." Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 79:2 - 2011, pp526-529.
In another review, Lee Beach explains that "Malesic [an assistant professor of theology at King's College in Pennsylvania] does not see the problem as the culture's moving away from a Christian center, but as the church being overly connected to that center. Malesic's proposal is that the Christian faith has become so enmeshed into the fabric of American life that belonging to the church and identifying oneself as a Christian is actually a useful way of getting ahead, developing networks, and enhancing one's reputation. This connection to the mainstream of culture ultimately thwarts the distinctive nature of true Christianity and mutes the church's witness to the hard truths of the gospel. ... This is a 'needed therapy' that will enable the church to untangle itself from a culture that has largely adopted a watered-down version of its faith because the church has been such a willing collaborator in shaping its materialistic, self-interested identity. ...
"The second section of the book explores how [the employment of secrecy] might be done in contemporary life since we are in a transitional time in American culture. We still live in a largely Christian empire, but it is an empire in demise. In response to the waning of Western Christendom the church must assert its distinctiveness not by trying to publicly contend for its faith but by rediscovering its particularity as distinct from a cultural Christian ethos. By refusing to continue co-opting the levers of cultural influence, the church will be able to return to its true identity as it disengages itself from using its faith as a calling card for cultural influence."
Beach finds the book "well researched and carefully argued. ... There is no doubt that the main issue that the book addresses is one that needs to be addressed: the issue of Christian identity and the entanglement of the church with culture to the extent that Christianity can be used as a way to advance oneself in society, career, or political life. What Malesic argues for is a more pure expression of Christian identity that is not rooted in public declaration but genuine discipleship. ...
"Malesic is helping the church to look at where it has gone wrong and how it can undo some of the damage it may have done to its identity as a distinct people. Secrecy has the potential to purify the church from its propensity for using its faith for advancement and self-promotion. ...
"[T]he book counters key ideas that are being put forward by the emerging church movement, specifically their theology of inclusion as opposed to exclusion. ...
"[T]hose readers from mission-oriented traditions will struggle with Malesic's overall direction." (Really?) Cultural Encounters, 7:1 - 2011, pp127-130.
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RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
Empty and Evil: The Worship of Other Faiths, by Rohintan K. Mody [5] -- Christopher Lowe begins his review of this very short book with the observation that "Mody has written a concise, exegetically-detailed and pastorally-aware study on Christian participation in the worship of other faiths. In his introduction, Mody highlights the practical relevance of this topic with a series of questions: 'What if your Hindu neighbours invite you to their daughter's wedding in the temple? Do you go? What advice should a minister give to a Chinese convert who feels obliged to participate in ancestor worship? To go to the ceremony or not? If one goes, should one participate? If one does not go, how should one deal with the fallout from the family?' ... Mody seeks to examine 'the nature of the relationship between powers of evil and idols in 1 Corinthians 10:18-22 and its theological and pastoral implications for today.
"Chapter 1 examines Paul's understanding of idols/idolatry and demons. ... In chapter 2, [Mody] argues that demons can enslave humanity into idolatry, deceive us into the worship of idols, and 'stand behind' the idols, co-opting for themselves the worship intended for the idols and bringing the worshipper under their sphere of influence. Demons thereby actively use idol worship to keep people from Christ.
"Mody's careful exegesis pays dividends in chapter 3, as he turns to important theological and pastoral implications. His conclusion regarding Allah, Buddha and Krishna, that these 'pagan gods, as conceived by the pagans as having creative power and the right of rule, do not exist,' is strikingly clear, if controversial these days. Mody continues by challenging his readers to perceive the reality and influence of evil and the demonic in relation to political, religious and social structures, and particular peoples and communities." Mody adds that, "Inclusivism is undermined by Paul's treatment of idolatry and evil. ...
"In each case [regarding the questions listed at the beginning of this item], Mody analyses the situation carefully, dissecting the intentions and assumptions of those involved, and makes shrewd and practical suggestions in the light of 1 Corinthians 8-10. Even without the excellent preceding material, this concluding section alone makes 'Empty and Evil' a valuable and important study." Churchman, 125:2 - 2011, pp187-189.
A favorable review in Evangelicals Now (January 2011) notes that Mody "was converted from an Indian Zoroastrian background, and is an Associate Vicar in the Church of England." <www.bit.ly/qqPpjG>
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Abusing Scripture: The Consequences of Misreading the Bible, by Manfred T. Brauch (IVP, 2009, paperback, 293 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3zwuxgq>
2 - Rescuing the Bible, by Roland Boer (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007, paperback, 184 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3uauk4>
3 - Secret Faith in the Public Square: An Argument for the Concealment of Christian Identity, by Jonathan Malesic (Brazos, 2009, paperback, 256 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3s27uxn>
4 - Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite, by D. Michael Lindsay (Oxford Univ Prs, 2008, paperback, 352 pages <www.tinyurl.com/3dhzp4d>
5 - Empty and Evil: The Worship of Other Faiths, by Rohintan K. Mody (Latimer Trust, 2010, paperback, 80 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/3hhgexq>
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