Apologia Report 6:17
2001

APOLOGETICS
"From Parchment to Pixels: The Christian Countercult [Movement] on the Internet" by Douglas E. Cowan -- one of the more interesting papers given at the April 2001 CESNUR conference in London. Cowan finds that, while not intellectually equivalent, "[i]n terms of a sociology of heresy and orthodoxy..., the Countercult represents the battle to define the parameters of acceptable cosmology and soteriology no less today than did Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, and Augustine nearly two millennia ago."
   Cowan makes the observation that when counting Web sites, "the Countercult presence on the Internet far exceeds that of the [secular] Anticult [movement]." He also finds that "[e]x-member testimony is as much a staple of the Christian countercult as it is the secular anticult."
   As a result of what is perceived as their uncritical defense of new religious movements, some of Cowan's fellow sociologists have been labeled "cult apologists." Unfortunately, Cowan's description of the expression is limited to a tongue-in-cheek reference proclaiming that cult apologists "are those 'claiming to champion religious freedom and religious intolerance.'"
   Cowan sees "the organizational shake-up of the CRI [Christian Research Institute] after the death of Walter Martin in 1989" as one of the two main "processes [that] have led to recent expansion of the Countercult." The other "process" referred to is "the advent of the Internet." <http://www.cesnur.org/2001/london2001/cowan.htm> For Cowan's personal page see <http://c.faculty.umkc.edu/cowande/ >.

ISLAM
"Islamic Life, Activism Booming in U.S., Study Finds" by Teresa Watanabe -- refers to "The Mosque Study Project, part of a larger study of American congregations coordinated by Hartford Seminary, [which] found that 2 million Muslims attend 1,209 mosques nationwide. The number of mosques grew 25% since 1996." The study also reports "a 300% increase in the number of followers flocking to mosques in the last six years and an outpouring of community activism. ...
   "More than two-thirds of these worshipers were actively engaged in the broader community through involvement with interfaith dialogues, presentations of Islam to schools and churches and dealings with political leaders and the media. ...
   "The study did not resolve the highly debated question of the size of the American Muslim population. Although the study says that a figure of 6 million to 7 million was 'reasonable' based on the reported figure of 2 million associating with a mosque, Bagby acknowledges that the assertion was based on 'guesswork.'" Los Angeles Times, Apr 25 '01, pA14. <http://www.latimes.com/>
   A parallel report on the study in the New York Times adds that U.S. Muslims are ethnically diverse: "one-third are South Asian, 30 percent African-American, 25 percent Arab." See "Study Finds Number of Mosques Up 25% in 6 Years" by Gustav Niebuhr. Apr 27 '01, n.p. <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/27/national/27MUSL.html>

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
"Disciplined Litigation, Vigilant Litigation, and Deformation: Dramatic Organizational Change in Jehovah's Witnesses" by Pauline Cote <pauline.cote@pol.ulaval.ca> and James T. Richardson <jtr@scs.unr.edu> -- from the abstract: "Jehovah's Witnesses' long-term development presents an interesting case of evolution in line with the 'deformation thesis,' an attempt at explaining dramatic shifts in organizational forms, activities, and even beliefs in controversial religious minorities. Derived from resource mobilization tradition, this thesis assumes that radical transformations result from major defensive resource allocation mandated by negative reactions of societal institutions. This is especially the case with reference to the adoption by Jehovah's Witnesses, a millenarian group, of a 'disciplined litigation' strategy in the 1940s, a pattern later to be incorporated in religious activities and beliefs of the organization. Today, disciplined litigation and its successor, 'vigilant litigation,' seem legitimate ways to adapt to the prevailing religious climate and structure." Technical writing. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40:1 - 2001, pp11-26.

NEW TESTAMENT CRITICISM
Hidden Gospels, by Philip Jenkins [1] -- in this favorable review, George Sim Johnston reports that Jenkins "examines the motives and methodologies" of radically liberal scholars who criticize the reliability of the New Testament. In particular, the areas of concern are how "these scholars set out to prove that the four Gospels are late, and largely spurious, creations of church bureaucrats and that more 'authentic' sources, notably the so-called Q document and gnostic gospels like Thomas and Philip, give us a truer picture of what Christ is about."
   Jenkins "finds that their agenda is hardly scientific or objective. They are on a mission. They want to prove that orthodox Christianity is an artifact of early church politics and has nothing to do with what Jesus actually said or did. ...
   "Given the solid evidence that orthodox Christianity has relied on the most plausible scriptural canon to begin with, why, it may be asked, do so many scholars want to have it another way? The answer is that most scholars do not, that the rebels who constitute, for example, the Jesus Seminar ... represent a small minority of genuine biblical scholarship.
   "Most Bible scholars do their work, publish in appropriate journals and don't jockey for air time. The media, in other words, grossly misrepresent the academic consensus about the gospels, and one of the many services of Mr. Jenkins's fine, carefully argued book is to put discussion about what happened in Palestine 2,000 years ago on more reliable ground." Wall Street Journal, Apr 30 '01, pA16.
   Jenkins, by the way, is Distinguished Professor of History at Penn State University. For an outstanding example of his writing in the area of cult-related controversies, see "The Great Anti-Cult Scare 1935-1945" at <http://www.cesnur.org/testi/bryn/br_jenkins.htm>.

PSYCHOLOGY
"Theodicy and Therapy: Philosophical/Theological Contributions to the Problem of Suffering" by M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall and Eric L. Johnson -- describes theodicies as "philosophical/theological attempts to reconcile the presence of evil and suffering in the world with the idea of an all-powerful and good creator God." Notes that "historically these attempts have not always adequately addressed the concerns of suffering people who struggle in their relationship with God. The present article evaluates the usefulness of theodicies for this task, utilizing insights from psychology regarding what the suffering person needs. A number of theodicies are presented and evaluated in light of the sufferer's commonly asked questions. Epstein's CEST theory and Stolorow's theory of trauma are discussed to clarify the needs of the sufferer. Finally, these theories are used as a framework for understanding how theodicies can be helpful to the sufferer. It is concluded that theodicy, particularly in some forms, can be helpful in changing the sufferer's theory of reality through an experiential encounter with God."
   The theodicies considered are: Free Will (or Defense) in reference to Augustine's view of human freedom; "Encounter," which seeks to address a perceived "conspicuous amount of apathy" in apologetic theology; "Suffering God," in reference to how God is affected by human pain; and "Soul-Building," which sees pain management as part of the spiritual maturing process. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 20:1 - 2001, pp5-17.

RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
"Alternative and Complementary Theologies: The Case of Cosmic Energy with Special Reference to Chi" by Robert Cook -- a textbook example of the need for spiritual discernment. As you might suspect, Cook disregards "many evangelical and fundamentalist Christians who would be profoundly suspicious of [his] attempt to demonstrate commonal ties between Taoism and Christianity." Cook considers two unimpressive "key arguments" from conservatives.
   Cook also ascribes Chi energy to a host of controversial sources. These include the theories advanced by the New Physics of people like Fritjof Capra, the Hebrew concept of Ruach in the Old Testament, and complementary (alternative) medicine. Cook concludes: "New Agers inspired by texts such as The Tao Te Ching rightly challenge Christians with their vision of an organically interconnected universe powered by the ebb and flow of deep energies which can be peacefully harnessed." Studies in World Christianity, 6:2 - 2000 (rec'd Apr 23), pp175-189.

"American Jesuit's Book Spurs Vatican Inquiry" by Teresa Watanabe -- reports that the Vatican is investigating Roger Haight after placing him on leave from his teaching post at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. His 505-page book, Jesus Symbol of God [2], "hailed by critics as a 'cutting-edge' work that seeks to explain the significance of Jesus Christ within today's religiously diverse society, won first prize in the theology category from the Catholic Press Assn. but failed to pass muster from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's enforcer of orthodoxy." The article provides a good summary of the "escalating conflict between religious pluralism and Roman Catholic orthodoxy." Los Angeles Times, Apr 25 '01, pA14. <http://www.latimes.com/>

Sources, Monographs:

1 - Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost its Way, by Philip Jenkins (Oxford Univ Pr, 2001, hardcover, 272 pages, ISBN 0-1951-3509-1)

2 - Jesus Symbol of God, by Roger Haight (Orbis, 2000, paperback, 505 pages, ISBN 1-5707-5311-3)

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