21AR26-14

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AR 26:14 - Abortion's global debate, practice and litigation

In this issue:

ABORTION - "an exhaustive survey of the differing religious and legal views"

JUDAISM - an austere "Judaizing Evangelical" variant

WORLD RELIGIONS - an important "popular handbook" joins the fray

Apologia Report 26:14 (1,519)
April 8, 2021

ABORTION

All three books introduced in this issue of Apologia Report involve disparate convictions held across the entire planet. In this case, the publisher of Abortion: Global Positions and Practices, Religious and Legal Perspectives, Alireza Bagheri, ed., tells us it "sheds light on different but equally critical dimensions of abortion in global debate and practice. The aim is to elaborate on different value systems and policies in order to empower individuals to make well-informed decisions about abortion guided by moral reflection. The twenty one chapters of this volume are written by distinguished scholars in each of the religious and non-religious schools of thought, offering an exhaustive survey of the differing religious and legal views on abortion within the international community. The contributors present authoritative discussions in favor of or against abortion based on their perspectives and practices." [1]

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JUDAISM

Becoming Jewish, Believing in Jesus: Judaizing Evangelicals in Brazil, by Manoela Carpenedo [2] -- Oxford University Press reports that in many parts of the world, "Contemporary Christian movements are not only adopting Jewish symbols and aesthetics but also promoting Jewish practices, rituals, and lifestyles. Becoming Jewish, Believing in Jesus is the first in-depth ethnography to investigate this growing worldwide religious tendency in the global South. Focusing on an austere 'Judaizing Evangelical' variant in Brazil, Carpenedo <www.bit.ly/3cY11p7> explores the surprising identification with Jews and Judaism by people with exclusively Charismatic Evangelical backgrounds. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork and socio-cultural analysis, the book analyses the historical, religious, and subjective reasons behind this growing trend in Charismatic Evangelicalism. The emergence of groups that simultaneously embrace Orthodox Jewish rituals and lifestyles and preserve Charismatic Evangelical religious symbols and practices raises serious questions about what it means to be 'Jewish' or 'Christian' in today's religious landscape. This case study reveals how religious, ethnic, and cultural markers are being mobilized in unpredictable ways within the Charismatic Evangelical movement in much of the global South. The book also considers broader questions regarding contemporary women's attraction to gender-traditional religions. This comprehensive account of how former Charismatic Evangelicals in Brazil are gradually becoming austerely observant 'Jews,' while continuing to believe in Jesus, represents a significant contribution to the study of religious conversion, cultural change, and debates about religious hybridization processes." Yet another manifestation of the controversial "Hebrew Roots" movement.

Notice the absence of "messianic" terminology above? Notice the inclusion of it here <www.bit.ly/3rhkbKi> in past issues of Apologia Report.

For another review, see <www.bit.ly/3duw2Qv>

Carpenedo wrote a 2017 paper on this, <www.bit.ly/3cIUK0o> and for a related paper by her due out this July, see <www.bit.ly/3fCDrzK>

POSTSCRIPT (Apr 19 '21): Paul Carden adds that "The expression "Judaizing Evangelicals" is probably translated from evangélicos judaizantes.

Since the Kindle version of the book costs nearly $100, I think we should supplement the item with a link to this material (also by Carpenedo): https://thechristiannationproject.net/carpenedo/

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WORLD RELIGIONS

Few reference works are as widely useful as a good handbook (a favorite is A Handbook of the Christian Faith, <www.amzn.to/33OXi5B> by John Schwarz -- RP). The Popular Handbook of World Religions, Daniel J McCoy, ed. [3] fits this description. McCoy <www.bit.ly/3vWaBjy> is editorial director for Renew.org and teaches related material at Ozark Christian College.

The title's "popular" emphasis shows in the contributors' inviting effort to make their writing more readable than technical. The entire work is often very practical in its focus on the average Christian's curiosity about understanding other religions and knowing better how to engage with their followers. It is also popular in that it has a focus on "the world's most prominent religions." In particular, the goal of reaching others with the gospel of Christ is at the heart of the book.

The content is creatively organized in unique ways. After the introductory section, instead of grouping the major religions together based on them having the largest following, in Part 2 Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are featured as the "Missionary Religions." Part 3 takes up a majority of the remaining classic religions with another twist. "African Traditional" religions enjoy a separate treatment. (It's time the continent's indigenous religions are given a greater emphasis in popular evangelical reference works.) Also given individual treatment in Part 3 are Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The final section of Part 3 is named "The East Asian Complex," featuring Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism - another distinct grouping that helps the reader differentiate the content.

Part 4 covers the Bahá'í faith, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Unitarian Universalism under the heading "Modern Religions" (though one wonders how the comparatively tiny Unitarian movement made the cut). Part 5, "Religious Moods," includes sections on Religious Pluralism, "New Spirituality" (an update on the morphing New Age movement's ongoing influence) and Atheism/Agnosticism.

Part 6 concentrates on Christian engagement with followers of non-Christian belief systems. It begins with a welcome section of testimonials by people who have come to Christ after being involved in various world religions. Two brief sections follow: One considers what to avoid in building bridges with "foreign neighbors." The other, the book's final section, encourages a vision for trusting God to make Himself known while we watch Him at work in our very midst by seeing His people welcome His children from the masses.

Many contributors - "some of today's top religion scholars" - will be familiar to Apologia Report readers, including Winfried Corduan, Douglas Groothuis, Alan Gomes, and Paul Copan. The End Notes offer ample options for further reading.

There's much to like here. Such tools need to be refreshed on a regular basis, so it's gratifying to have this handbook join the revolving garden of titles in the twenty-first year of the twenty-first century.

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Abortion: Global Positions and Practices, Religious and Legal Perspectives, Alireza Bagheri, ed. (Springer, 2021, hardcover, 288 pagers) <www.bit.ly/31bwQE7>

2 - Becoming Jewish, Believing in Jesus: Judaizing Evangelicals in Brazil, by Manoela Carpenedo (Oxford Univ Prs, 2020, hardcover, 288 pages) <www.bit.ly/3fgnxea

3 - The Popular Handbook of World Religions, Daniel J McCoy, ed. (Harvest House, 2021, paperback, 448 pages) <www.bit.ly/3vOlDaH>

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