11AR16-39

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Apologia Report 16:39 (1,089)

November 25, 2011

Subject: A "nonproselytizing missionary religion?"

In this issue:

APOLOGETICS - a new book examines "its nature, history, approaches, objections and practice"

+ a Catholic priest "rebukes the preening and prancing faith healers whose ministries before crowds betray narcissism and megalomania"

+ a guide to developing your own approach to apologetics in a postmodern world

CHURCH HISTORY - Rodney Stark challenges "the warriors of secularism"

HINDUISM - "a nonproselytizing missionary religion?"

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APOLOGETICS

In its announcement for Thinking about Christian Apologetics, by James K. Beilby [1], IVP's Winter 2012 Academic Alert newsletter asks: "Why didn't we think of doing that before?" They say plenty of books frame apologetic arguments or explain how to convince a skeptic. Not this one. "No, this book comes in at the ground level and orients readers to fundamental questions. ...

"Bielby [Biblical and Theological Studies, Bethel University] takes the opening chapter or two in many an apologetics text and develops it into an interesting and instructive book." The blurb at ivpress.com adds: "For those who want a more foundational look at this contested theological discipline, this book examines Christian apologetics in its nature, history, approaches, objections and practice."

It considers the topics: "What is apologetics? How has apologetics developed? What are the basic apologetic approaches? Why should we practice apologetics?"

Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty, by Tomas Halik [2] -- "At the end of the first chapter, Halik ... invites the reader not to continue unless he or she is able to explore the Christian faith in terms of paradox. A Catholic priest who has heard a lifetime's worth of confessions, he has gleaned certain elemental attributes that bespeak deep truths about God, faith, and obedience. Halík speaks out of the experience of living under religious oppression in Communist Czechoslovakia, which may account for the book's mournful tone. Christianity, he says, means following the 'one who did not evade the darkness.' He rebukes the preening and prancing faith healers whose ministries before crowds betray narcissism and megalomania. Faith, as delineated here, is not easy; not fancy; not about formulas, platitudes, or rewards. His theme is mystery, a timely antidote to otherwise predictable notions about authentic belief. Read slowly, it makes sense, if the reader is willing to suspend systems, pietisms, and preconceived categories within the Christian faith, a challenge that does not disappoint." Publishers Weekly, Nov '11, #2.

Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith, by Alister E. McGrath [3] -- "In this easy-to-read book, McGrath ... a former atheist and president of the Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics, offers a guide to help readers develop their own approach to apologetics in a postmodern world. He provides insight into the history of apologetics, offers a theological basis for apologetics, and helpfully distinguishes the task of the apologist from that of the evangelist. He also supplies information on apologetic methods and furnishes two 'case studies' of common queries seekers and skeptics may pose. In an attempt, however, to make the book useful to members of all denominations, McGrath does not provide theologically derived responses to the questions apologists will need to answer. Additionally, he frequently deviates into his own apologetic critique of the New Atheism. While many readers may not be interested in this critique and may desire more in-depth guidance for answering common challenges to the Christian faith, McGrath's book is an accessible manual for those interested in understanding the field of apologetics more broadly." Publishers Weekly, Nov '11, #2.

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CHURCH HISTORY

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion, by Rodney Stark [4] -- "A no-nonsense, defensive account of Christianity's rise in the West. There is much to correct in the historical record, as sociologist Stark (Institute for Studies of Religion/Baylor Univ.) makes plain here, repositioning the central role of Christianity in Western development. Once it started to spread among the privileged urban classes and, especially, women, Christianity promised a better life in a typically brutish time. Its appeals to mercy and alleviating misery fell on welcome ears amid squalid ancient cities of the Roman Empire. Early Christians elevated the role of women, denounced infanticide and raised the marriageable age. Early persecution only strengthened Christian intransigence, while the 'performance' of martyrs proved utterly convincing in the conversion process. With the conquest of Islam, Stark shows how Christianity was mercilessly decimated in the East, forcing the faithful to seek safe harbor in European lands. In the chapter titled 'Europe Responds: The Case for the Crusades,' the author debunks previous assertions by Karen Armstrong and other historians that the Crusades were essentially colonizing and exploitative; rather, he writes, they were 'fundamentally defensive' in protecting Christian pilgrims and shrines from Muslim attack. Moreover, the Medieval era categorized erroneously by the Enlightenment writers as the 'Dark Ages' was a rich, inventive period that spurred capitalism (profits, property rights, modern banking, etc.) and science. It was the Christian Scholastics educated in urban universities and steeped in the Christian theology of logic and reason who invented science long before Copernicus and Galileo. Stark credits European belief in 'God as the Intelligent Designer' as their scientific mentor. The author provides a refreshing, unorthodox polishing of Martin Luther and the Spanish Inquisition, while crediting the survival and growth of Christianity to the rich pluralism of America. Take that, warriors of secularism." Kirkus, Oct '11, #2.

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HINDUISM

Hinduism as a Missionary Religion, by Arvind Sharma [5] -- Choice Reviews reports that Sharma "addresses the question of whether Hinduism can be considered a missionary religion despite a widely held but little examined notion that it obviously is not. Sharma builds his case slowly, first by representing the antiquity of opposition to this proposal and then by addressing resistance to it from reformers in India in the 18th through 20th centuries. Then he surveys evidence from the Vedic, classical, medieval, and modern periods in India's history. His carefully framed conclusion is that, with certain crucial qualifications, Hinduism could be termed a nonproselytizing missionary religion."

Book News adds that Sharma "discusses the antiquity and continuity of the belief that is it not; the neo-Hindu conviction that it is; and evidence from Vedic India, classical India, medieval India, and modern India. He concludes that Hinduism has a mission, so must be missionary, but does not proselytize, that is it accepts converts but does not seek them out."

For a counterpoint, consider The Saffron Mission: A Historical Analysis of Modern Hindu Missionary Ideologies and Practices, by C.V. Mathew [6] (see AR 6:42 in the Apologia AR-chive for a review).

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Thinking about Christian Apologetics: What It Is and Why We Do It, by James K. Beilby (IVP, 2011, paperback, 214 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/8y52ve3>

2 - Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty, by Tomas Halik (Image, January 2012, paperback, 240 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/6ttngbe>

3 - Mere Apologetics: How to Help Seekers and Skeptics Find Faith, by Alister E. McGrath (Baker, January 2012, paperback, 208 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/882cts9>

4 - The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion, by Rodney Stark (HarperOne, 2011, hardcover, 512 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/6n2qnuz>

5 - Hinduism as a Missionary Religion, by Arvind Sharma (SUNY, 2011, hardcover, 195 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/7z9bene>

6 - The Saffron Mission: A Historical Analysis of Modern Hindu Missionary Ideologies and Practices, by C.V. Mathew (ISPCK, 1999, paperback, 317 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/6p5db8s> also consider <www.bit.ly/s1RCYr>

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