15AR20-43

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AR 20:43 - How Islamist extremists warp the fatwa

In this issue:

HOMOSEXUALITY - responding to The Reformation Project

ISLAM - The Grand Mufti of Egypt denounces "pseudo scholar" extremists for not knowing true Islamic teaching

SCIENCE - Alister McGrath on "the basic errors of atheism"

Apologia Report 20:43 (1,272)

December 16, 2015

HOMOSEXUALITY

"Responding to Pro-Gay Revisionist Talking Points" by Sean McDowell -- summarized: "The Reformation Project [founded by Matthew Vines] is dedicated to reforming the church's traditional views on homosexuality by training an army of church members to rebut biblical arguments against homosexuality and use ten 'Talking Points' to persuade traditionalists to adopt the revisionist position." McDowell addresses five of them at length.

1) The first point: "Experience shouldn't cause us to dismiss Scripture, but it can cause us to reconsider our interpretation of Scripture." McDowell responds: "It is important that we not elevate our experience over Scripture. While Scripture instructs us not to rely entirely on our experience, it also warns us not to ignore it altogether. ...

"Experience can certainly cause us to reconsider our interpretation. But it cannot lead us to adopt a view that denies the plain meaning of the text."

2) "Celibacy is a gift, not a mandate." McDowell: "While we should not minimize the genuine struggle those with same-sex attraction often have to remain chaste, this argument fails on two fronts. First, while celibacy *may* be a gift in some cases, it is mandated in others. For instance, a person not appropriately divorced may not remarry (Mt 19:9). And what about the single Christian man who never finds a wife? ...

"Second, this point equivocates on 'lonely' and 'alone.' Nowhere in the creation account story are we told that the man is *lonely* and in need of a *helper*. ... Genesis is making an objective point about the man's incompleteness, that is, his inability to populate the earth, not about his subjective experience of loneliness, which requires a companion."

3) "The New Testament points toward greater inclusion of gender and sexual minorities, including those who do not fit neatly within binary categories." McDowell: "While there is a movement to accept 'sexual minorities' into the kingdom of God, there is no liberalization of the moral standards for sex and marriage that God first revealed in Genesis 1 and 2." McDowell notes that the reverse is more like it when considering the related teachings of Jesus.

4) "Sodom and Gomorrah involved a threatened gang rape, not a loving relationship." McDowell: "The judgment against Sodom could not have been a result of the attempted gang rape, for God had already judged the city prior to the arrival of the angels (Ge 18:20). ...

"There is only one sin singled out in the Holiness Code as an abomination - homosexual behavior (see Le 18:22; 20:13)."

5) "Marriage is about keeping covenant with our spouse as a reflection of Christ's love for the church. ...

"Same-sex couples can do this just as effectively as heterosexual couples." McDowell: "Commitment is not the primary point of this passage, although it is important. Marriage is specifically portrayed as a gendered institution with husbands and wives, not merely 'spouses.' ... To ignore the gender component of marriage is to violate the design of marriage in Genesis 1 and 2, which is the basis for Paul's analogy."

Readers will do well to study McDowell's overall discussion as he develops these responses in valuable detail. Christian Research Journal, 38:5 - 2015, pp44-49. [2]

Also see "A Reformation the Church Doesn't Need" by Greg Koukl and Alan Shlemon. <www.goo.gl/FqisTr>

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ISLAM

"How Islamist Extremists Warp the Fatwa: Half-educated pseudo scholars have perverted this useful tool for interpreting Islamic law" by Shawki Allam, Grand Mufti of Egypt -- begins: "Many people in the West have come to associate the word fatwa with pronouncements from terrorist groups and others posing as leaders of Islam, but these declarations are a perversion. Fatwas are a way for Islamic scholars and muftis, who interpret Islamic law, to provide Muslims with guidance on religious issues. As such, fatwas are one of the most important tools we have for countering radical terrorism."

Allam reviews the history involved and explains: "In effect, fatwas and muftis are the bridge between Islam's intellectual-legal tradition and the contemporary world. They are the link between the past and the present, the absolute and the relative, the transcendent and the contingent, the theoretical and the practical.

"New issues are surfacing - the use of stem cells in scientific research, surrogacy and sperm banks, among others. These will require new fatwas, and the challenge for modern Muslims is to hold tightly to the spirit of scripture while adapting to modern life.

"Unfortunately, this is not how many in the Western world have come to identify the concept, thanks to statements issued by extremists who are half-educated, weak-minded pseudo scholars. These bogus fatwas have included expelling religious minorities from their homes, subjugating women and treating them as sex slaves, setting people ablaze for their opinions, slaughtering in cold blood those whom they consider their enemies. These acts do not represent Islam. They reflect nothing but a horrendous mentality that is thirsty for bloodshed. ...

"The extremists know nothing of true Islamic teachings - for instance, the ill treatment of women is forbidden, and women are allowed to engage in the public field and hold high political posts. Islam in its true form is also adamant about finding balance with religious minorities. People of differing faiths are not to be treated as second-class citizens, and their right of religious freedom and worship is to be respected."

Allam concludes that "it has been incumbent on Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta <eng.dar-alifta.org/foreign>, an educational institute, to wage an intellectual war against the ill beliefs, warped understanding and sickening interpretations of scriptural texts, which happen when Quranic verses are abruptly removed from context. This effort to counter the twisting of Islam has taken many forms, from publishing books to lecturing at conferences. This education in the true nature of Islam is a powerful tool for combating the deviant ideology of extremists." Wall Street Journal, Jul2 '15. <www.goo.gl/nvGQMW>

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SCIENCE

The Big Question: Why We Can't Stop Talking About Science, Faith and God, by Alister McGrath [1] -- "The New Atheists have it all wrong, insists McGrath.... Instead of delving deep into the classic proofs for the existence of a cosmic intelligence - cosmological, ontological, or theological arguments - the author concentrates on the basic errors of atheism. McGrath's particular nemesis is ... Richard Dawkins. Those who rely solely on science for all the answers forget that scientific 'facts' are not fixed but change with new information and new thinking. Though Charles Darwin's insights remain intact, social Darwinism, after all, has had its day. Not so long ago, the Big Bang supplanted the steady state theory of the history of our universe, and the sun no longer revolves around the Earth. That has been scientifically established. Many of McGrath's arguments for faith are based simply on 'widely agreed' notions and 'growing consensus.' He asserts that there are 'strong indications that religion is something natural.' To understand the mechanics of the world, writes the author, we should ask the scientists; for ethics and meaning, we must turn to philosophers and theologians. Defender of the faith McGrath seems to consider his own Christian belief the sole representative of all religious faith - though the only Scripture he directly quotes is from the Hebrew book of Psalms. ... McGrath's entry isn't light reading, however, and close attention may provide new questions and yield nutrients for further thinking for adherents of both camps. Despite the declarations of religious fundamentalists or fundamentalist New Atheists, each path has a place in humanity's search for knowledge and understanding. Another deeply felt entry on two divergent, yet ultimately compatible, ways of engaging the world and understanding reality." Kirkus, Sep '15 #1. [3]

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - The Big Question: Why We Can’t Stop Talking About Science, Faith and God, by Alister McGrath (St. Martin's, 2015, hardcover, 272 pages) <www.goo.gl/EF6slI>

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