22AR27-06

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AR 27:6 - Word-Faith, "both strengthens and subverts Pentecostalism"

In this issue:

EDUCATION - why teens from religious homes get better grades

SHAMANISM - "the potentially transformational experience of that which we label mental illness"

WOKEISM - 'seeking to grow their institutions, evangelicals created their own form of whiteness'

+ how "a lack of clarity on key issues of biblical justice" led to the "woke church movement"

+ "Christians can work together across racial lines to repair the damage done by a long history of racial injustice"

WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT - seen as "a distinct worldview"

Apologia Report 27:6 (1,559)
February 9, 2022

EDUCATION

God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion's Surprising Impact on Academic Success, by Ilana Horwitz (Assistant Professor, Fields-Rayant Chair of Contemporary Jewish Life, Tulane University), <www.bit.ly/3IHaLB4> -- Oxford University Press reports that this study of the academic lives of teens draws on "10 years of survey data with over 3,000 teenagers and over 200 interviews.... Horwitz estimates that approximately one out of every four students in American schools are raised with religious restraint. These students orient their life around God so deeply that it alters how they see themselves and how they behave, inside and outside of church. This book takes us inside the lives of these teenagers to discover why they achieve higher grades than their peers, why they are more likely to graduate from college, and why boys from lower middle-class families particularly benefit from religious restraint. But readers also learn how for middle-upper class kids - and for girls especially - religious restraint recalibrates their academic ambitions after graduation, leading them to question the value of attending a selective college despite their stellar grades in high school."

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SHAMANISM

The Wisdom of Mental Illness: Shamanism, Mental Health & the Renewal of the World, by Jez Hughes (founder, Second Sight Healing training center <secondsighthealing.com>; "main cultural liaison, Wixarika (Huichol) tribe from Mexico;" and "a regular teacher at the College of Psychic Studies in London"), <www.bit.ly/3AwYTyI> -- the publisher finds that Hughes "explores how the ancient path of shamanism can help us to understand the nature of mental illness, recasting psychological breakdown as a potentially transformational experience. ... Written for those who are experiencing or who have experienced mental illness, or whose loved ones are going through such episodes, or who are mental wellbeing practitioners, this is a guide to the potentially transformational experience of that which we label mental illness. It explores the ancient concept of the 'shamanic sickness', whereby the prospective shaman underwent many years of mental distress as part of their initiation.... It argues that, in some cases, what we seek to medicate could actually be a calling to a path of service and healing." (On the other hand, "in some cases," the cause could be much more dark than mental illness.)

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WOKEISM

The following three books released during the past year indicate growing interest in the influence of critical theory.

The Myth of Colorblind Christians: Evangelicals and White Supremacy in the Civil Rights Era, by Jesse Curtis (Assistant Professor of History, Valparaiso), <www.bit.ly/33IVFwd> -- NYU Press reports that Curtis "reveals how Christian colorblindness expanded white evangelicalism and excluded Black evangelicals. In the decades after the civil rights movement, white Americans turned to an ideology of colorblindness. Personal kindness, not systemic reform, seemed to be the way to solve racial problems. ... Curtis shows how white evangelicals' efforts to grow their own institutions created an evangelical form of whiteness, infusing the politics of colorblindness with sacred fervor. Curtis argues that white evangelicals deployed a Christian brand of colorblindness to protect new investments in whiteness. While black evangelicals used the rhetoric of Christian unity to challenge racism, white evangelicals repurposed this language to silence their black counterparts and retain power, arguing that all were equal in Christ and that Christians should not talk about race. As white evangelicals portrayed movements for racial justice as threats to Christian unity and presented their own racial commitments as fidelity to the gospel, they made Christian colorblindness into a key pillar of America's religio-racial hierarchy. In the process, they anchored their own identities and shaped the very meaning of whiteness in American society. At once compelling and timely, The Myth of Colorblind Christians exposes how white evangelical communities avoided antiracist action and continue to thrive today."

Social Justice Pharisees: Woke Church Tactics and How to Engage Them, by A.D. Robles (who refers to himself as simply "a conservative Christian living in the state of New Hampshire with his wife and three sons"), <www.bit.ly/3ISVs8H> -- the publisher explains: "Social justice has been able to gain traction in the evangelical church due to a lack of clarity on key issues of biblical justice. The 'woke church movement' seeks to capitalize on this lack of clarity and push politically progressive ideas in the conservative evangelical church. Biblical sounding words, such as 'justice' and 'love', are robbed of their meaning and the lack of clear teaching on these issues has put the layman in an uncomfortable position. The good news is that the solution is straightforward. Social Justice Pharisees shows that there are a handful of easy to memorize verses that teach easy-to-understand principles that refute each objectionable aspect of the social justice movements key errors. ... Robles is a Puerto Rican reformed Christian. His family tree includes African slaves, European slaveholders, slave traders, and native Americans. All the usual accusations and insults don't work against him and his family. More importantly, he has a knack for teaching biblical concepts in layman's terms, thereby amassing a following <www.bit.ly/3nXKKp0> on his YouTube channel, which is dedicated to this task."

Kingdom Race Theology: God's Answer to Our Racial Crisis, by Tony Evans (founder and senior pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas; founder and president of The Urban Alternative) <www.bit.ly/3yyTINB> -- Moody Publishers: "The 2020 murder of George Floyd ignited a racial firestorm throughout America [and] gave way to a heated discussion about terms such as systemic racism, white privilege, and Critical Race Theory, all framed by the slogan 'black lives matter.' The beginnings of a helpful dialogue on diversity became a heated battle, one that quickly spread to the church. ... Kingdom Race Theology helps people and churches commit to restitution, reconciliation, and responsibility. His penetrating and practical ideas will help pastors and church leaders sort through the conflicting theories, finding sensible solutions in the form of individual and collective action plans. Christians can work together across racial lines to repair the damage done by a long history of racial injustice."

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WORD-FAITH MOVEMENT

The Worldview of the Word of Faith Movement: Eden Redeemed, by Mikael Stenhammar, Systematic Theology and Worldview Studies, Academy for Leadership and Theology in Örebro, Sweden), <www.bit.ly/3FXEwf7> -- this addition to the T&T Clark Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology series from Bloomsbury Academic "approaches the Word of Faith as a worldview, and analyses the movement through N. T. Wright's model for worldview-analysis in order to provide necessary nuance and complexity to scholarly interpretations of the Word of Faith. ... The analysis shows that there is a narrative core to Word of Faith beliefs in the form of a unique theological story with focus set on the present restoration of Eden's authority and blessings. This study demonstrates how the Word of Faith operates as a distinct worldview that parses the world through the lens of faith's causative power to affect [sic] a direct correspondence between present reality and Eden's perfection. The findings advance a critical and therapeutic approach that acknowledges how the worldview both strengthens and subverts Pentecostalism."

Interestingly, Stenhammar also founded and oversees the LOGOS Renewal ministry in Kenya <www.logosrenewal.org>.

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