15AR20-24

AR 20:24 - How to skillfully balance apologetics and evangelism

Apologia Report 20:24 (1,253)

July 15, 2015

In this issue:

APOLOGETICS - Os Guinness on how to skillfully balance apologetics and evangelism (and why they should always work together)

MORALITY - a secular look at the evangelical origins of "modern purity movements and Christian sexual politics"

ORIGINS - current understanding and controversy about DNA and why progress leading to improved prevention, therapies, and even cures has been slower than expected

VIOLENCE - the "dangerous narcissistic tendency in sports fan identification and behavior"

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APOLOGETICS

"Turning the Tables" -- in this excerpt from Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion [1], Os Guinness gives advice on "taking people seriously in terms of what they say they believe and disbelieve, and then pushing them toward the consequences of their unbelief. This strategy assumes that if the Christian faith is true, their unbelief is not finally true, and they cannot fully be true to it."

A few pages in, Guinness notes: "When we come to the relationship of apologetics and evangelism in the overall task of Christian advocacy, we have to face up to two equal and opposite errors. One is the apologist’s temptation, which is to emphasize apologetics at the expense of evangelism, and the other is the evangelist’s temptation, which is to do the opposite and emphasize evangelism at the expense of apologetics. Against the first error, we must be clear that, while apologetics as pre‑evangelism must often be used to precede evangelism, we must never divorce the two tasks. They should be joined seamlessly. The isolation of apologetics from evangelism is the curse of much modern apologetics, and why it can become a sterile and deadening intellectualism. Whenever apologetics is needed, it should precede evangelism, but while apologetics is distinct from evangelism, it must always lead directly to it. The work of apologetics is only finished when the door to the gospel has been opened and the good news of the gospel can be proclaimed." Just Thinking Magazine, 23:3 - 2015, pp3-21. <www.goo.gl/hxVHFP>

MORALITY

What intellectual efforts contribute to a mainstream rejection of morality? Consider the new book Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence, by Sara Moslener [2]. Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook (Massachusetts Historical Soc. Lib., Boston) reports: "Moslener's ambitious first book explores American Protestant Christian purity culture from the late 19th and into the 21st century. Moslener (religion, Central Mich. Univ.) argues that the rhetorical strategies of modern-day purity organizations, such as True Love Waits <www.goo.gl/A1Pjqh> and Silver Ring Thing <www.goo.gl/07sj7O>, draw upon a century-long tradition of yoking fears of national degeneracy to individual sexual behaviors. Moslener's work contributes to a growing field of scholarship on Christian America's sexual cultures, tracing the origins of modern purity movements back through the work of James Dobson, Frank Schaeffer, Billy Graham, and G. Stanley Hall, among others. Moslener aspires to cover a daunting amount of material. The historical sections, particularly, rely heavily on the work of previous scholars, at times glossing over complex ideas or historiographical debates in a handful of sentences." Similar texts are noted. Library Journal, Jun '15 #1, p108.

ORIGINS

A great deal of intelligent design discussion has been focused on genetics, but what resources can help us learn more about the subject at an introductory level? Rachel Owens (Daytona State Coll. Lib., FL) describes one: The Deeper Genome: Why There Is More to the Human Genome Than Meets the Eye, by John Parrington [3]. "When the Human Genome Project <genome.gov> completed its sequencing in 2003, scientists were confident that identification of genes that predispose us to disease would soon lead to improved prevention, therapies, and even cures. Twelve years later, for most common illnesses, this hope has not been realized. Parrington (molecular and cellular pharmacology, Oxford Univ.) explains why, as he takes readers through genome research since the sequencing. He discusses the history of genetics, the science of inheritance, and the discovery of DNA; explains the current understanding of the shape and function of DNA and the various types of RNA and proteins associated with it; the controversy among scientists with regard to the amount, if any, of our DNA that is 'junk'; and how DNA may have influenced the development of human consciousness. He also illustrates the achievements of the Human Genome Project in terms of disease prevention and treatment and what might be possible in the future. VERDICT Aimed at the layman, this science-dense history of human genetics to the present day will be appreciated most by readers with some background in science." Library Journal, Jun '15 #1, p130.

VIOLENCE

Not religious violence, but sports-fan violence. Consider the value of having a non-religious extremist model to take the focus off the religion scapegoat and onto the real issue: sin. Publishers Weekly (May '15 #4) provides an example by way of Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan, by Justine Gubar [4]. "ESPN investigative reporter and producer Gubar delivers a well-researched and shocking look at 'extreme fanaticism' throughout sports history, exploring what leads 'seemingly unremarkable people to abandon societal norms and act out in unimaginable ways.' Gubar believes that 'it's impossible to know if fan violence is getting better or worse;' and argues that the 'current model for celebratory riots, during which Americans riot when their team wins,' is far more dominant than the older international model where soccer fans rioted after their teams lost. She lists several examples of such celebratory mayhem, such as the brutal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan by Los Angeles Dodgers fans in 2011. She looks at the influence of easily available alcohol at sporting events, the increase of negativity displayed through social media, and even the role that fantasy leagues bring in adding 'a dangerous narcissistic tendency' to fan identification and behavior. But while Gubar ventures some potential solutions, the strength of the book lies in her refusal to sugarcoat her somewhat depressing conclusion that 'bad behavior is part of human nature' and that we will just have to live with 'the enduring nature of violent fans.'"

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion, by Os Guinness (IVP, 2015, hardcover, 270 pages) <www.goo.gl/enR991>

2 - Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence, by Sara Moslener (Oxford Univ Prs, 2015, hardcover, 232 pages) <www.goo.gl/NBSYMM>

3 - The Deeper Genome: Why There Is More to the Human Genome Than Meets the Eye, by John Parrington (Oxford Univ Prs, 2015, hardcover, 288 pages) <www.goo.gl/N87tGy>

4 - Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan, by Justine Gubar (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, hardcover, 254 pages) <www.goo.gl/hSuy0W>

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