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AR 22:46 - Witches, subversion, and feminism
In this issue:
NEOPENTECOSTALISM - the vitality of the Independent Network Charismatic
OCCULTISM - "more than half of young adults in the U.S. believe astrology is a science"
+ 'arming ordinary women who may scoff at spirituality or magic with the subversive feminist powers of traditional witches'
Apologia Report 22:46 (1,366)
December 22, 2017
PLEASE NOTE: This will be our last issue for 2017. Look for AR to resume the week of January 7th — and, Merry Christmas!
NEOPENTECOSTALISM
"Is this the 'fastest-growing Christian group in America,' and perhaps the world?" — so reads the title of a book review by Richard Ostling, Mormon and former religion editor for Time magazine. He is referring to The "Independent Network Charismatic" or "INC" movement and the claim being made in a new book titled The Rise of Network Christianity: How Independent Leaders Are Changing the Religious Landscape, by Biola University sociologist Brad Christerson and Richard Flory, senior research director at the University of Southern California's Center for Religion and Civic Culture.1 (Broadly speaking, the movement is also widely known as "The New Apostolic Reformation," <www.goo.gl/ietCDG> or NAR.)
"INC is a particular subset of the independent, non-denominational congregations that are the growing edge of U.S. Protestantism. The authors calculate that over four decades ending in 2010, regularly attending Protestants of all types declined by an average .05 percent per year, which is 'striking' since the U.S. population was growing by 1 percent per year.
"Meanwhile, adherents of 'independent, neo-charismatic congregations,' the category that includes INC groups among many others, grew an average 3.24 percent per year. So INC is a distinct sub-category within an already thriving segment of U.S. Protestantism that shuns traditional forms and provides a particularly intense form of Pentecostal-flavored experience.
"The movement has expanded for the most part under the radar. Have you seen many news stories [if not, check our <www.j.mp/ar-chive> database] about such influential INC personalities as Che Ahn, Mike Bickle, Bill Johnson, Cindy Jacobs or Chuck Pierce, or about Bethel Church, Harvest International Ministries (HIM), or International House of Prayer (IHOP)?
"INC is more about fellowship than building conventional Sunday congregations and empires, and avoids the customary rules and regs required by denominations. It is organized around, and led top-down by, authoritative figures recognized as 'apostles' and 'prophets.' Crucially, it mostly disseminates its message and tactics, and raises funding, through Internet networking, alongside teaching conferences large and small and specialized schooling as opposed to graduate-level seminaries.
"Like other Charismatics but often more so, INC gatherings emphasize the 'signs and wonders' of miraculous healings of mind and body, physical manifestations like tongues-speaking and falling to the ground 'in the Spirit,' exorcisms, and proclamations of prophecies regarded as direct messages and guidance from almighty God." GetReligion, Oct 21 '17 <www.goo.gl/ysQn4f>
Also see the review in Christianity Today <www.goo.gl/unnidE>
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OCCULTISM
"Why millennials are ditching religion for witchcraft and astrology" by Kari Paul — "Interest in spirituality has been booming in recent years while interest in religion plummets, especially among millennials. The majority of Americans now believe it is not necessary to believe in God to have good morals, a study from Pew Research Center <www.goo.gl/Lm6BZt> released Wednesday found. The percentage of people between the ages of 18 and 29 who 'never doubt existence of God' fell from 81% in 2007 to 67% in 2012.
"Meanwhile, more than half of young adults in the U.S. believe astrology is a science. Compared to less than 8% of the Chinese public. The psychic services industry — which includes astrology, aura reading, mediumship, tarot-card reading and palmistry, among other metaphysical services — grew 2% between 2011 and 2016. It is now worth $2 billion annually, according to industry analysis firm <www.goo.gl/QPK8aZ> IBIS World." Examples include "Banu Guler <banuguler.com>, co-founder of artificial intelligence powered astrology app Co-Star [who] said the lack of structure in the field is exactly what drives young, educated professionals to invest their time and money in the practice." [An AI astrology app is just a step away from occult AI software that one programs to pray by proxy. Farfetched? Maybe not. We sometimes “pray” via keyboard with others in online chat-mode. Might not AI “prayers” have a similar appearance?]
Guler also said: "There is a belief vacuum: we go from work to a bar to dinner and a date, with no semblance of meaning. Astrology is a way out of it, a way of putting yourself in the context of thousands of years of history and the universe." [Will it seem like enjoying the comfort of Providence without the related obligations of personal accountability?] MarketWatch, Oct 23 '17 <www.goo.gl/U5xTzn>
What remains to be seen is which will gain dominance in the 21st century: occult scamware or VR porn? Is it possible that they could both become even bigger than the unregulated alternative medicine/supplements industry? Last, will the 21st century’s greatest paradox be the West’s worshiping at the altar of prolonged healthcare to the peril of the world’s economy? Maranatha.
"Is Tumblr witchcraft feminism - or cultural appropriation?" by Aysha Khan (RNS) — Anything goes when nothing can be ruled out.
"New York-based writer Jaya Saxena isn't Wiccan. She's no pagan, either. She grew up with a Hindu grandmother, attended a Quaker high school and has Jewish in-laws, but isn't at all religious herself.
"Jaya Saxena <jayasaxena.com>, is not a witch.
"So how did she end up publishing a guide to modern witchcraft?
"'We see ourselves as continuing a long line of unruly women,' Saxena explained.
"She and her 'Basic Witches' <www.goo.gl/RYDDpe> co-author, Jess Zimmerman (an atheist who doesn't believe in the occult or mysticism), aim to arm women — ordinary women who may scoff at spirituality or magic — with the subversive feminist powers of traditional witches.
"'We make no claim to the religious practice of Wicca, paganism or any other faith,' Saxena told RNS. 'But we see the cultural image of a witch as a separate and valid identity.'"
On the other hand, "'real' witches, who've historically faced persecution and execution, aren't all happy with the new trends.
"Critics say a perfect storm of Instagram-era online branding combined with leftist political posturing has made witchcraft the latest victim of cultural appropriation. ...
"For many young women, participating in online witchcraft communities — re-blogging spells, recommending essential oils, posting selfies with crystal collections — is a digital shelter, an alternative identity from the real word. And online witchcraft's DIY culture paired with its innate sisterhood is compelling to young women. ...
"There's a reason the witch's aesthetic has captured the imaginations of young, digital-minded women.
"'Beneath all that glossy packaging hums the same idea that has tantalized girls for millennia,' Anne Theriault writes <www.goo.gl/ruPnJQ> on The Establishment. 'The fact that to be a witch is to be a woman with power in a world where women are often otherwise powerless.'
"Sometimes that radical feeling of subverting society's standards comes from hexes, crystals and herbs. For others, a dark lipstick and long black dress do the trick.
"Just as ideas of women's empowerment and self-care have become marketable consumer trends, so has witchcraft, coinciding with rising interest in yoga, meditation and sex positivity (a movement that embraces safe, consensual sex). ...
"Witches around the world have joined forces to serve justice to convicted rapist Brock Turner, whose light sentence turned the internet's viral ire on him. In June 2016, witches from around the world organized a mass hexing ceremony to turn Turner impotent and cause him the 'constant pain of pine needles in (his) guts.'
"Witches also have grabbed headlines with public hexes on President Trump. The loosely organized 'resistance witches,' including neo-pagans, activists and a diverse array of magic practitioners, number at least 13,000. ...
"Two years ago, liberal witchy women across the country launched revivals <www.goo.gl/coA5Qu> of W.I.T.C.H., hosting ritual performances to strengthen the rights to housing, abortion and education. Along with their counterparts in Portland, Ore., and other U.S. cities, the anonymous group has turned its powers toward 'dismantling the white supremacist patriarchy' and fueling the #MagicalResistance against the current White House administration.
"But many actual practitioners of witchcraft weren't thrilled with the headlines. They say they wouldn't use their power to bring harm to another person — not even Trump. ...
"But the morality and spirituality of witches aren't what guides today's Instagram witches: it's the visions of resistance, subversion and feminism." Religion News Service, Oct 27 '17 <www.goo.gl/MRBQPE>
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - The Rise of Network Christianity: How Independent Leaders Are Changing the Religious Landscape, by Brad Christerson and Richard Flory (Oxford Univ Prs, 2017, hardcover, 200 pages) <www.goo.gl/Jq9r9u>
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