16AR21-39

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AR 21:39 - The scientific contributions of Christian anthropologists

In this issue:

ANTHROPOLOGY - why "'Christian anthropologist' is not an oxymoron"

CHRISTOLOGY - "a spirited exchange" about the uniqueness of Jesus in a pluralistic world

ORIGINS - Michael Denton's second act finds Darwin's "transitional forms" less fit for survival than expected

Apologia Report 21:39 (1,312)

November 2, 2016

ANTHROPOLOGY

The Slain God: Anthropologists and the Christian Faith, by Timothy Larsen [1] -- this review by David G. Schultenover (Marquette University) suggests there is much which calls for attention here. "The book's title quotes [James George] Frazier's The Golden Bough ... where Frazer identifies '"the central idea" of the work as "the conception of the slain god"' who dies and rises. ... Frazer seems to imply that his underlying agendum is to disclose Christianity as essentially nothing more than the reenactment of magical customs long ago...."

Schultenover explains that "the narrative's climax" describes E.E. Evans-Pritchard and other anthropologists who "forcefully challenged [the early reenactment reductionism that had gone on in the field], and set social and cultural anthropology on a scientifically more respectable trajectory." Further, "the 'central chapter' on E.E. Evans-Pritchard represents the turning point of the development of social/cultural anthropology in its relationship to the Christian faith." Where, "on the front end, the first two chapters on the irreligious Edward Burnett Tyler and James George Frazer who sought to discredit the Christian faith with respect to anthropology; and on the back end, two chapters on Catholics Mary Douglas and Victor and Edith Turner who, following Evans-Pritchard's lead, reject earlier anthropological critiques and seek to prove that 'Christian anthropologist' is not an oxymoron, that Christian anthropologists can make legitimate scientific contributions to the field without bracketing their faith."

Schultenover concludes that "the burden of Larsen's study [is] lifted by sophisticated wit and graceful prose. Highly recommended to advanced general readers as well as to specialists." Church History, 85:2 - 2016, pp432-5.

Visit <www.goo.gl/39fCm6> for "Why Are There So Few Christian Anthropologists? Reflections on the Tensions between Christianity and Anthropology" by Dean E. Arnold (professor of anthropology at Wheaton College) and the opportunity to consider more references to anthropology in our Apologia Report back issue archives.

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CHRISTOLOGY

Only One Way? Three Christian Responses to the Uniqueness of Christ in a Religiously Pluralist World, Gavin D'Costa (Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol, UK), Paul F. Knitter (Professor of Theology at Xavier University, Cincinnati), and Daniel Strange (Lecturer in Culture, Religion, and Public Theology, Oak Hill College, UK), eds. [2] -- in this review, Donald Wood (School of Divinity, University of Aberdeen) describes the book as "a spirited exchange about how best to name and navigate a situation in which Christian faith self-consciously coexists with other religiously inflected forms of life. Their common concern is to clarify the terms in which Christians may speak well about and with people of other faiths; in identifying and debating the centrally relevant issues, they give readers occasion to consider afresh the profound spiritual and intellectual demands of well-ordered theological disputation, and to rejoice that for all its evident frailties this form of human interaction may also - as and where God pleases - issue in genuine understanding.

"The book comprises three main parts ... Part One [each] outlining the contours of his own position. In Part Two, each takes the papers of his two collaborators under critical scrutiny. And finally, in Part Three, each clarifies and defends his initial claims in face of the questions posted by his colleagues. The position papers severally serve as fine introductions to their authors' individual approaches; conjointly they reveal moments of deep disagreement about the substance and scope of Christian confession and so also the sources and norms of Christian theology - matters explored with welcome analytical clarity and argumentative courtesy in the response papers.

"The book, which contains no substantive introduction or conclusion, defies neat summary. But one may perhaps find a helpful point of entry in the distinction between a doctrinal and missional theology or religious on the one hand and an exploratory and mutually corrective theology of interreligious encounter on the other. ...

"The first approach is pursued here by Strange, who draws on the doctrinal and cultural resources of Reformed scholastic theology to develop a strong account of the Christian gospel as the 'subversive fulfillment' of non-Christian religions. The second is engagingly taken up by Knitter, who over the course of a distinguished career has explored the ways in which intensive engagement with (especially Tibetan) Buddhism has shaped his continuing inhabitation of the Roman Catholic church. D'Costa advocates a third approach, attempting to demonstrate that traditional Roman Catholic teaching as reaffirmed and extended by Vatican II recommends a more holistic theological vision, one capable of incorporating the legitimate concerns of his collaborator's two very different trajectories." Expository Times, 127:1 - 2016, pp361-2.

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ORIGINS

Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton [3] -- the title being a nod to his 1985 work, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis [4], which "argued that the natural system was not a continuum of development, as Darwin had advocated, but rather a collection of discontinuities that did not develop gradually.... Therefore, a basic premise of Darwinian evolution was wrong. ... However, more recent developments in biology have expanded the areas of doubt with regard to the the mechanism of evolution. Denton's new book continues the challenge he raised thirty years ago." And concludes: "the overwhelming majority of changes [adaptive transitional forms] produce an organism less fit for survival."

The author "does not fit the 'science-denying religious fundamentalist' stereotype. Denton was raised in a Christian home, but calls himself an agnostic. While accepting the idea of common ancestry, he still sees design and pattern in life forms. His ties with the Discovery Institute provide further proof that the institute is not a Christian evolution-bashing organization. While arguing for intelligent design of life, the institute (though, yes, mainly Christian) has Jewish, Muslim, and atheist/agnostic adherents."

Reviewer Donald F. Calbreath warns: "This is not an easy book to read" and refers to the YouTube page, Biology of the Baroque, based on the book and narrated by Denton <www.goo.gl/bnAVsK> which may be the best place to start. Christian Research Journal, 39:4 - 2016, p56.

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - The Slain God: Anthropologists and the Christian Faith, by Timothy Larsen (Oxford Univ Prs, 2016, paperback, 272 pages) <www.goo.gl/h9iIyu>

2 - Only One Way? Three Christian Responses to the Uniqueness of Christ in a Religiously Pluralist World, Gavin D'Costa, Paul F. Knitter, and Daniel Strange, eds. (Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2011, paperback, 256 pages) <www.goo.gl/0pXWXr>

3 - Evolution: Still a Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton (Discovery Inst, 2016, paperback, 354 pages) <www.goo.gl/ZXyotj>

4 - Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, by Michael Denton (Adler, 3rd ed., 1986, paperback, 368 pages) <www.goo.gl/oUZAzJ>

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