>tracki ng spi r i tual tr ends i n the 21st centur y

VOL UME 19: 13 ( 1,196) / APRI L 29, 2014

In this issue:
APOLOGETICS - diagraming the
worldview option decision matrix
HELL - a typology of fve views on
the nature of hell defended by North
American evangelicals along with their
arguments
HOMOSEXUALITY - addressing
nine contemporary objections to the
traditional Christian view

Publisher: Apologia www.apologia.org
Contact: ar.feedback(at)apologia.org
Post Offce Box 9646
Pueblo, CO 81008
Phone: (719) 225-3467
Editor: Rich Poll
Contributing Editor: Paul Carden
Copyright 2014 by Apologia. All rights
reserved.
Apologia (the biblical Greek word for
defense) is a nonproft organization dedi-
cated to the proclamation and defense of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Apologias mission is to
equip the body of Christ for spiritual discern-
ment by providing timely, accurate religious
research information within the feld of
Christian apologetics and to advance apolo-
getics in Christian missions.
Apologia Report surveys widely to identify
the most valuable resources for its readers
as they encounter competing worldviews.
Since 1997, AR has been published roughly
44 times each year via e-mail.
The archiving of Apologia Report (in whole or
in part) is permitted for the private use of its
subscribers alone. This data fle is the sole prop-
erty of Apologia. It may not be used without
the permission of Apologia for resale or the
enhancement of any other product. In cita-
tions, please give the following source credit:
Copyright 2014, Apologia (apologia.org)
APOLOGETICS
A Visual Defense: Te Case For and Against
Christianity, by Robert Velarde
1
One of
the earliest and most signifcant directional
infuences on the development of young
minds is an inclination toward either the
arts or the sciences. Formal apologetics edu-
cation usually happens in the arts environ-
ment, yet many pursue it afer frst studying
the sciences.
A Visual Defense may hold a unique
appeal to science majors. Te Amazon.
com description explains that to provide
Christians with a means for analyzing argu-
ments so they can understand and defend
their faith, Robert Velarde has developed
an accessible means for visually mapping
Apologetics. He does so in small segments
at multiple levels, giving us 25 chapters in
fewer than 200 pages. Among the small-
est segments are the spaces between ele-
ments within the diagrams that begin each
chapter. Tose spaces represent reason,
conclusion and direction in the evaluat-
ing an argument. Much must be consid-
ered as one moves from one element to the
next in these diagrams, and Velarde helps
the reader think it all through. Te read-
ers who gain the greatest beneft from the
book will likely be those who give the most
thought to each move in the arguments
Velarde lays out.
How can one evaluate the strength of
someone elses worldview, step by step? How
does a person move from one viewpoint to
another? Whats involved in weighing the
merit behind the possible conclusions to
a statement of belief? Velarde breaks these
thought processes down into bite-sized
chunks to give the reader an appreciation
for apologetic discourse.
Te introductions four sections review
the thinking ahead and map the elements
involved: intellect, apologetics, faith, and
reason. Te rest of the book, in two parts,
briefy considers the case for and against
Christianity. Velarde includes plenty of
direction for further study, as this book is
merely an overview of the playing feld and
its rules of engagement. Logic, one rule that
receives little attention, is a given, intuitive
and ever present among the pages.
As Velarde takes readers through the
steps needed to address objections and
responses, some will doubtless complain
that something was too brief or is missing.
Velarde has covered his bases well. Any-
one whos dissatisfed is welcome to write
another, more advanced book.
Introductions are meant to ofer oppor-
tunity for further understanding. Velarde
addresses this in multiple ways. Readers
beneft from the authors advance refection
by way of suggested discussion questions at
the end of each chapter. Velarde suggests
options for further study here as well. An
appended glossary accompanies both sub-
ject and name indexes. However, Velardes
annotated bibliography will be where the
self-taught fnd the greatest treasure.
Tis is a book for serious readers who
know they have not achieved advanced
understanding. Consuming the content
slowly in small bites with periods of refec-
tion in between will likely yield the greatest
rewards.
HELL
Raising Hell about Razing Hell: Evangeli-
cal Debates on Universal Salvation by John
Sanders (Hendrix College) provides a
typology of fve views on the nature of hell
defended by North American evangelicals
and summarizes the primary biblical and
theological arguments used to support each
view. Te fnal section of the article con-
centrates on the contemporary dispute over
universal salvation....
Sanders sums up his article this way:
Te debate about hell within evangelical-
ism surfaced in the 1990s, when several
signifcant evangelicals afrmed annihila-
tionism and the notion of a remedial hell.
Te debate has intensifed with the cri-
tique of eternal conscious punishment by
a high-profle evangelical pastor [namely,
Rob Bell]. Whereas proponents of eternal
torment roundly rejected annihilation-
ism [conditional immortality] in the frst
round of this debate, todays evangelical
defenders of eternal punishment are more
willing to see it as a legitimate option for
(continued on next page)
APOLOGIAreport
HELL (continued)
its thirteen contributors may lose many
readers due to having become too aca-
demic in their writing. Te four sections
of the book begin with a review of the
immense changes of the past forty years
and handles skillfully nine contemporary
objections to the traditional view. Te
second section discusses related Chris-
tian belief such as scriptural authority, sex,
marriage, homosexuality and the Churchs
traditional view. Te third section is largely
written by Robert Gagnon. Tink of it as a
condensed version of his magisterial work,
Te Bible and Homosexual Practice.
5
Te
fnal section covers celibacy, compassion,
and community.
Te back cover says the bracing collec-
tion of interdisciplinary essays encourages
the church to stand fast against the prevail-
ing socio-cultural winds and ofers helpful
directions for navigating its course with a
canonical compass oriented to the churchs
north star, Jesus Christ. Scottish Bulletin of
Evangelical Teology, 31:1 - 2013, pp98-100.
7
SOURCES: Monographs
1 - A Visual Defense: Te Case For and
Against Christianity, by Robert Velarde
(Kregel, 2013, paperback, 208 pages)
<www.ow.ly/w8rNQ>
2 - God Wins: Heaven, Hell, and Why the
evangelicals. However, they strenuously
attempt to keep universalism outside the
evangelical tent. Nonetheless, both hope-
ful and confdent versions of universalism
have been published by genuine evangeli-
cal scholars. At the core of the debate lie
the perpetual confict between two models
of God within the movement: the God of
theological determinism and the God of
freewill theism. Of this, Sanders fnds that
the diferent understandings of divine
love and justice in the two models lead to
diferent views on hell.
Sanders other concluding assessments
note frst, that two books have appeared
[God Wins,
2
and Erasing Hell
3
] which man-
ifest a tone that does not demonize Bell and
attempt to present his arguments fairly. For
evangelical theological debates [sadly], this
is a positive development.
Second, the defenders of the eternal
torment view not only fail to engage with
the robust evangelical defense of annihila-
tionist, remedial hell, and universalist posi-
tions, but largely seem unaware that it even
exists. Perspectives in Religious Studies, 40:3
- 2013, pp267-281.
6
HOMOSEXUALITY
Embracing Truth: Homosexuality and the
Word of God, by David W. Torrance and
Jock Stein
4
David C. Searles review
begins by describing this book as a major
work which unashamedly states faithfully
and compassionately the biblical (tradi-
tional) view [and] deserves the widest pos-
sible readership on both sides of the theo-
logical divide.
Even so, Searle admits that some among
Good News Is Better than Love Wins, by
Mark Galli (Tyndale, 2011, paperback, 224
pages) <www.ow.ly/w8Jpf>
Note: Tis summer Galli plans to release
the similarly titled God Wins: Heaven, Hell,
and Our Dangerous Fascination with Our-
selves (Tyndale, July 2014, paperback: 224
pages) <www.ow.ly/w8JEC>
3 - Erasing Hell: What God Said about
Eternity, and the Tings We Made Up, by
Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle (David
C. Cook, 2011, paperback, 208 pages)
<www.ow.ly/w8JYk>
4 - Embracing Truth: Homosexuality and
the Word of God, by David W. Torrance and
Jock Stein (Handsel, 2012, paperback, 256
pages) <www.ow.ly/w8sHM>
5 - Te Bible and Homosexual Practice:
Texts and Hermeneutics, by Robert Gagnon
(Abingdon, 2002, paperback, 520 pages)
<www.tinyurl.com/yzs5v3e>
SOURCES: Periodicals
6 - Perspectives in Religious Studies (National
Association of BaptistProfessors of Reli-
gion), <www.baylor.edu/prs/>
7 - Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Teology,
<www.j.mp/hC20fs>
VOL UME 19: 13 ( 1,196) / APRI L 29, 2014
Apologia Report is available free of charge and sent to you once
a week via email. Subscribe now to this valuable resource!
To subscribe online, go to: http://apologia.org/htm/subscribe.htm
Search back issues at: www.tinyurl.com/archive-apologia
Follow Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ApologiaReport
APOLOGIAreport
Multiculturalism. Diversity. Pluralism.
How can a Christian navigate the complex maze of spirituality in the 21st
century? How can a Christian stay equipped to communicate the gospel
efectively and with empathy understanding the viewpoint of the person
theyre talking to? Its not easy. But Apologia Report can help.
Apologia Report is designed to provide you with weekly summaries of
articles available (both in print and online) so that you can stay on top
of breaking news and developing spiritual trends. It is an invaluable time-
saving resource especially for those in leadership positions, missions,
and education.
Topics covered in Apologia Report include these and many more:
Islam
New Atheism
Science vs. Religion
Buddhism
Religious Pluralism
Wicca
Personalities in Religion
Mormonism
Secularism
Apologia Report is available free of charge and sent to you once a week via email in
a two-page pdf format. Subscribe now to this valuable resource!
To subscribe: 1. Go to: www.apologia.org/htm/subscribe.htm
2. Fill out the Subscription Form and click Submit.
Apologia Report has an archive of past issues available in an online database. Its a
gold mine of research drawn from nearly 700 print and online sources, as well as
the interaction of Christian apologists from around the world. Search the
Apologia Archive at: www.tinyurl.com/archive-apologia.
AR-talk is a community of Christian apologists. When you join you will be able
to ask questions about an apologetic topic and the members of AR-talk will point
you to helpful resources. To join go to: www.apologia.org/htm/joinARtalk.htm.
Spiritual Abuse
Scientology
Post-modernism
Jehovahs Witnesses
Intelligent Design
New Age Movement
Shamanism
Interfaith Dialog
Archaeology
Apologia Report is a fantastic
service to the world missions
community. I read every issue, and
constantly fnd information that is
valuable. Tis is one of those rare
ministries that raises the level of
knowledge and understanding
across a wide community of
Christian leaders. Apologia Report
has a tremendous impact that
cannot be measured.
Michael Jafarian
Missions Researcher, CBInternational
Many of us at Dallas Teological
Seminary receive Apologia
Report. It is immensely strategic and
helpful. Apologia Report creatively
sifs through reams of information
and makes available only briefs of
newsworthy current issues and events,
but also gives me the websites and
bibliographic data I need to research
further. Its like having a research
assistant. I thank the Lord for this
service to His church.
Scott Horrell
Professor of Systematic Teology
Dallas Seminary
Chec k out our Web s i t e f or mor e i nf or mat i onwww. apol ogi a. or g
Apol ogi a P. O. Box 9646 Puebl o, CO 81008
Phone 719 225 3467