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Apologia Report 18:36 (1,172)
September 25, 2013
Subject: Field-Tested Responses to Five Common Muslim Objections
In this issue:
AMERICAN RELIGION - "chess games with the concept of God" in prison
APOLOGETICS - "the closest thing to a cinematic apologist Hollywood ever produces?"
BUDDHISM - tracking its evolution in Western culture
ISLAM - a significant counterpoint regarding religious freedom and Muslim women
+ how to "undermine or block nearly all Muslim objections to the gospel"
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PLEASE NOTE: Circumstances may keep AR from publication over the next two weeks. We hope to resume as soon as possible, but certainly expect to by the week of October 13.
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AMERICAN RELIGION
Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison, by Joshua Dubler [1] -- Kirkus (Jul '13 #1) explains: "The prison chapel presented a mix of religious beliefs all but impossible to find elsewhere under one roof: Muslims, Protestant Christians, Catholics, Jews and variations of each of these groups." Publishers Weekly (Jun '13, #2) notes that Dubler (Assistant Professor of Religion, University of Rochester) "reveals an essential American conversation that is complex, nuanced, highly intellectual, woefully uninformed, often humorous, and deeply theological among men held in violent, repressive circumstances. This book aptly proves Dostoyevsky's claim that one can judge a society's civilization 'by entering its prisons.'" (And it strikes us that the above description of "an essential American conversation" might well apply throughout the country.)
Writing for Shelf Awareness, Donald Powell adds: "One of the central themes of Down in the Chapel is that religious prisoners need not be 'manifest fakers'; their motives can bear greater complexity even in the raw and materially meager setting. Dubler moves beyond the stereotype of good and bad men to grasp the nuances of these chess games with the concept of God. ...
"Down in the Chapel gives us an intelligent conversation on race, religion, freedom and imprisonment. It's a compassionate look at the underbelly of society, where displays of belief start out as survival strategies but can morph into something more profound and beautiful." <www.ow.ly/p5ois>
And writing in the Wall Street Journal, Naomi Schaefer Riley notes that Dubler gives particular attention to the history of Graterford Prison in Pennsylvania, "particularly at a period in the 1970s when 'humanitarian innovations' were implemented and, coincidentally, the Nation of Islam expanded within the prison, and at a later period, when a raid found that the Nation was running, for all intents and purposes, a crime syndicate on Graterford's grounds. The number of Muslim attendees at services has been low ever since. Salafism, a strict version of Sunni Islam, is the dominant form of Islamic affiliation now. The influence of the Nation of Islam - the black-centered, American-born offshoot of Islam - has evidently faded. While Mr. Dubler, a secular Jew, hears plenty of talk about the vast
Jewish conspiracy that has left all of the inner-city blacks in poverty, he doesn't hear any talk about radical jihad."
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APOLOGETICS
"I Love, Therefore, I Am: To the Wonder as Existential Apologetic" by John McAteer, chair of the Ashford University liberal arts program -- opens: "Terrence Malick may turn out to be the closest thing to a cinematic apologist Hollywood ever produces. His two most recent films, 2011's The Tree of Life [4] and 2012's To the Wonder [5] explicitly explore Christian theology. The films' dialogue constantly alludes to Scripture as well as important Christian thinkers...." To the Wonder "is about the search for a stable object of love. The film reveals true love as an infinite commitment to God." McAteer expertly provides great ideas for fruitful discussion with non-Christians. Christian Research Journal, 36:4 - 2013, pp32-36.
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BUDDHISM
Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment, by Jay Michaelson [2] -- "Since Buddhism was transplanted to America by counterculture movements in the 20th century, the gulf has widened between those who see the practice as a spiritual/religious endeavor and those who regard it as a secular phenomenon. Michaelson <www.jaymichaelson.net> ... tackles difficult questions about Buddhism's evolution in Western culture, as mindfulness practice grows slowly but steadily as a popular secular activity. He examines the history of postmodern Buddhism, describes the path of practice and enlightenment through his own personal accounts of bliss and darkness, and considers future directions. Working from the foundational idea that meditation has become a set of tools for the refinement and improvement of the human mind, the author addresses the pitfalls and benefits of the more traditional spiritual/religious approach and its counterpart, the rational and scientific Western worldview. He is fortunately unafraid to come to grips with the darker sides of the tradition (for example, sexual and power abuses by teachers and gurus) in his discussions about Buddhism's future and its ethical obligations to the world and to itself. Serious practitioners - secular or religious - and curious individuals alike would benefit greatly from reading Michaelson's intelligent and compassionate examination of mindfulness practice." Publishers Weekly, Aug '13 #2.
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ISLAM
Do Muslim Women Need Saving? by Lila Abu-Lughod [3] -- "Focusing here on stories of individual women, Columbia University social scientist Abu-Lughod ... deconstructs the idea of saving oppressed Muslim women and takes a sobering look at issues including the 'honor crime,' arranged marriages, the burqa, and veiling. In accessible, lucid prose, Abu-Lughod explains how sensationalized memoirs, or 'pulp nonfiction,' have perpetuated stereotypes and made Muslim women a symbol of an alien culture. The author dispassionately points out the hypocrisy of colonial feminism, and how more often than not, there is a clear political agenda behind the liberation of the 'women of cover' and how the role of the U.S. is often overlooked. The women presented here see their Islamic faith as a source of strength to fight injustice, not the cause of it. They're not asking to be rescued from their religion, the author contends, but from the discriminatory legal system, poverty, outdated patriarchal family traditions, and border controls that continue to inhibit their freedom. While offering no easy solution, the author recommends observation over moral crusades, stating: 'Anyone seriously interested in Muslim women's rights must follow them as they move.' This book is an excellent place to begin." Publishers Weekly, Aug '13 #2.
"Facing the Islamic Challenge: Field-Tested Responses to Five Common Muslim Objections" by David Wood, host of the Aramaic Broadcasting Network live talk show "Jesus or Muhammad?" <www.ow.ly/p5w8y> -- explains that "Islam requires Muslims to agree with Christian doctrine in ways that Muslims themselves are often unaware of." Consequently, these points of agreement "can be used to undermine or block nearly all Muslim objections to the gospel." The five common objections center on 1) the reliability of the New Testament, 2) the deity of Christ, 3) the question of how God can die, 4) the complaint that "It is unjust to punish one for the sin of another," and 5) the idea that forgiveness for all sins encourages ongoing sin. Cover feature. Highly significant. Christian Research Journal, 36:4 - 2013, pp10-17.
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Down in the Chapel: Religious Life in an American Prison, by Joshua Dubler (Farrar, S & G, 2013, hardcover, 400 pages)
2 - Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment, by Jay Michaelson (Evolver, October 2013, paperback, 272 pages) <www.ow.ly/p5pDY>
3 - Do Muslim Women Need Saving? by Lila Abu-Lughod (Harvard Univ Prs, October 2013, hardcover, 336 pages) <www.ow.ly/p5sys>
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SOURCES: Film
4 - The Tree of Life, Starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, Directed by Terrence Malick (Rated PG-13, Cottonwood Pictures, River Road Entertainment, Brace Cove Productions, DVD Release 2011, 139 minutes) <www.ow.ly/p5ypZ>
5 - To the Wonder, Starring Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, et al., Directed by Terrence Malick (Rated R, Magnolia Home Entertainment, DVD Release 2013, 113 minutes) <www.ow.ly/p5y3z>
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