13AR18-27

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Apologia Report 18:27 (1,163)

July 17, 2013

Subject: Conscience and Its Enemies

In this issue:

BIBLE, GENERAL - secular review lauds "a magnificent introduction to the New Testament"

FREEDOM OF RELIGION - a plea for religious liberty that relies on "philosophical ideas that predate the modern concept of sexual identity to reject all extramarital sex"

HOMOSEXUALITY - "the first 'Kid Pride' storytime event, featuring a local drag queen"

ROMAN CATHOLICISM - "a strong survey of current lay movements in the American Catholic Church [with] an especially good summary and critique of conservative doctrine"

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BIBLE, GENERAL

The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction, by Donald Alfred Hagner [1] -- "Hagner (emer., Fuller Theological

Seminary) here offers a magnificent introduction to the New Testament. Not surprisingly, given his scholarly background, this volume reflects the best of evangelical scholarship with appropriate awareness and sensitivity to the broad range of critical methodologies in New Testament studies. Hagner operates clearly within a historical-critical methodology. However, his use of the methodology to gain critical judgments of basic New Testament issues is tempered by an appeal to allow 'the possibility of the transcendent in history.' Any seasoned scholar will be able to quibble with Hagner's assumptions, use of evidence, and critical outcomes. Emerging scholars will be thankful for the clear, irenic presentation of the Gospel of Christianity. Hagner brings a magisterial command of an impressive range of primary and secondary material to this work. He writes with a clarity that makes complexity seem manageable. He is upfront with his own interpretative perspective, and permissive, not defensive. Every chapter provides a substantial bibliography. An author index makes for

easy tracking of scholarly influence. Also included are an ancient

writings index and a subject index. A huge undertaking with refreshing results. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty; Professionals/Practitioners. A. L. Kolp Baldwin Wallace University" Choice, Jun '13.

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FREEDOM OF RELIGION

Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal

Secularism, by Robert P. George [2] -- "Robert P. George is one of the most prominent conservative backstagers [and] McCormick professor of jurisprudence at Princeton, a former member of the President's Council on Bioethics...." His book brings together "an accessible group of essays that put his highly burnished philosophical and constitutional learning on full display. They should, at the very least, unsettle those whose only experiences of social conservatism are the blunderings of Todd Akin and the theatrics of Rush Limbaugh, and perhaps even lead to some reflection that rises above the media brawl.

"Though a devoted Roman Catholic, George is not preaching religious dogma in these essays. Following the natural-law tradition, he relies on reason and science (the very tools that liberals, he posits, wrongly believe are always in their corner) to uncover immutable human nature. ... George goes on to argue that the dignity we attach to the autonomous individual is also inherent in the human embryo. ... Utilitarian arguments about the benefits that could come from embryonic research or from preventing the birth of an unwanted child are no more valid than the social improvements promised by a eugenicist.

"Critics will object - correctly - that a Georgian regime would

impose an alien morality on nonbelievers. But George contends that liberal secularists enforce their own morality, which they mistakenly confuse with neutrality and, more disingenuously, with science. ...

"Natural-law followers, on the other hand, believe the self is a

'dynamic unity of body, mind and spirit.' The difference in visions of personhood is at the heart of what he has called elsewhere 'a clash of orthodoxies.'"

George "believes that conjugal (or traditional) marriage unites

husband and wife across all levels of being, physical, emotional and spiritual. Male and female complementarity allows them to unite 'organically' as 'a single procreative principle.' Note the word 'principle': whether they actually procreate or not, men and women are engaging in 'one flesh unity.'

"To chalk this up to homophobia is to miss something crucial;

George is relying on philosophical ideas that predate the modern

concept of sexual identity and that lead him to reject all

extramarital - and even some kinds of marital - sex. ...

"George might counter that contemporary liberal secularists have no coherent philosophy of marriage, reasoned or intuited. About that, he is almost certainly right.

"In the end, you don't have to agree with any of this to support

the central message of 'Conscience and Its Enemies.' George's book is more than anything a plea for liberty of conscience, or more specifically, for religious liberty. Religion, he reasons, should be thought of as 'conscientious truth-seeking regarding the ultimate sources of meaning and value' and, therefore, 'a crucial dimension of human well-being and fulfillment.'

"George, in other words, speaks for a sizable number of

conscientious objectors to America's ruling liberal secularism." New York Times Book Review, Jun 23 '13, p17. <www.ow.ly/mIwXX>

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HOMOSEXUALITY

"Books Inc. Holds the First Drag Queen Storytime for Kid Pride" -- " This weekend, when San Francisco's Castro neighborhood is all decked out in its gay pride rainbow glory, it might not be the most kid-friendly place in the city. But staff at the local Books Inc. have noticed that the store has become increasingly kid friendly as more same-sex couples have families, and so they decided to host the first 'Kid Pride' storytime event, featuring a local drag queen.

"The trick, explained store manager Ken White, was finding a drag queen willing to show up at 11 a.m. on a Saturday. Mutha Chucka (real name: Chuck Gutro) was actually an hour early for the event, held last Saturday, and showed up in full makeup and a rainbow dress—and fairy wings. “Before she started reading to the children, she [sic] answered a curious boy's question about her attire by explaining, 'Next week a bunch of people like me are going to have a party and celebrate that we get to do whatever we want'...." Shelf Awareness Pro, Jun 26 '13.

< www.ow.ly/mIB90>

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ROMAN CATHOLICISM

The Catholic Labyrinth: Power, Apathy, and a Passion for Reform in the American Church, by Peter McDonough [3] -- "Writing from what may be seen as a liberal perspective, McDonough (political science, emeritus, Arizona State Univ. ...) provides a strong survey of current lay movements in the American Catholic Church, offering a detailed look at a fractured landscape - cultural, political, and economic. He studies organizations, conservative and liberal, that are seeking change, including the Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, Voice of the Faithful, and the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). He offers clear treatments of the issues of church and state, sexual norms and church teaching, immigration, and the administration of church-related activities, as seen by these groups. [A] generally unbiased report of the most recent of five surveys of American Catholics, McDonough does make judgments, his major one being that many of the church's problems could be solved if it allowed a married clergy.

VERDICT With an especially good summary and critique of conservative doctrine, while trumpeting liberal Catholicism,

McDonough's work will appeal to anyone interested in American Catholic history or the state of the church. - Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ" Library Journal, Jun '13 #2.

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction, by Donald Alfred Hagner (Baker, 2012, hardcover, 896 pages) < www.ow.ly/mICGj>

2 - Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism, by Robert P. George (Intercollegiate Studies Inst, 2013, hardcover, 384 pages) <www.ow.ly/mIwx5>

3 - The Catholic Labyrinth: Power, Apathy, and a Passion for Reform in the American Church, by Peter McDonough (Oxford Univ Prs, 2013, hardcover, 408 pages) <www.ow.ly/mIBtT>

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