Apostasy and Blasphemy in Islam: What should Christians Do?

By Michael Nazir-Ali
November 20, 2009

The Qur'an is fierce in its condemnation of apostasy (ridda) and of the apostate (murtadd). Theirs, according to it, will be a dreadful penalty ('adhbun 'azmun). This sentiment, which occurs in Sura 16:106, is re-expressed in other ways in other suras (chapters of the Qur'an). The interesting point to note is that the various threats of judgement and of punishment seem to relate to the next world or to life after this earthly one, rather than to this world and to this life.

Against this, we have the unanimous position of the various schools of Islamic law (fiqh) that shari'a lays down the death penalty for adult male Muslims in possession of their faculties who apostatise. Some schools also prescribe a similar punishment for women, whilst others hold that a woman apostate should be imprisoned until she recants and returns to Islam. In addition to this, should an apostate somehow escape the ultimate penalty, his property becomes fai', i.e. it becomes the property of the Muslim community, which may hand it over to his heirs; his marriage is automatically dissolved and he is denied Muslim burial.

How then did such a major difference arise between the prima face teaching of the Qur'an and the provisions of shari'a as codified by the various schools of law? The answer is that the death penalty for apostasy is to be found in the hadith, the various collections of traditions about the Prophet of Islam's sayings and doings, and it is also found in the sunna of Muhammad and of his closest companions, the reports about their practice.

Archbishop of Canterbury must show muscular Christianity

Commentary

by Ruth Gledhill
From The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6922397.ece
November 19, 2009


The Archbishop of Canterbury has displayed a munificent turning of the other cheek in response to what many see as a move by the Pope to annex part of his Church.

No one doubts his Christian holiness. But a bit more muscular Christianity would not go amiss. In Rome this week he might do better to ask himself not "What would Jesus do?" but "What would Thomas Cromwell do?"

Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall, a fictionalised memoir of Henry VIII's Reformation enforcer, has important lessons for Dr Rowan Williams.

TRY TO IMAGINE

By Dr. Peter Moore
Special to Virtueonline
November 19, 2009

It's 10:30 AM. Early morning classes are over. There's a break in the day. Students at this relatively small Midwestern college can bask in the unusual mid November sunshine, hit one of the coffee shops in the adjacent village, or - they can go to voluntary chapel and hear a woman speaker from a seminary somewhere in Minnesota.

Hope is located in Holland, Michigan - a small city settled very largely by Dutch immigrants of a few generations back. It has a noted tulip festival in the spring, and sports architecture reminiscent of Amsterdam. Nearby Grand Rapids is known as the hometown of Gerald Ford, Amway, and a lot of office furniture makers. It's also the location of Zondervan, Baker, and Eerdmans - large and influential Christian publishing houses that produce many excellent books
Hope College is not a fiercely Christian college, although it was founded by worthy members of the Dutch Reformed Church, now known as the RCA - Reformed Church in America. Like many other colleges with a denominational background, it now draws students from all branches of the Christian church, and none. It's faculty, while largely Christian in name, includes atheists as well as believers.

Appellate Court Stays Proceedings in Ft. Worth

by A.S. Haley
http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2009/11/appellate-court-stays-proceedings-in-ft.html
November 17, 2009

The Court of Appeals for the Second District in Fort Worth, Texas has issued an order staying all further proceedings in the trial court in Tarrant County between Bishop Edward Gulick's rump "diocese" of Fort Worth and ECUSA, on the one side, and Bishop Jack L. Iker and his co-trustees of the Diocesan Corporation of Fort Worth on the other side. The order (which I expect will be posted shortly on the Diocese's Website) comes in response to a petition for writ of mandate filed by Bishop Iker's attorneys, following the order signed by Judge Chupp after the oral arguments I described in this post, followed by this post, and then this one. Although by no means a definitive indication of the Court of Appeal's sentiments in this matter, the order recites the following basis for its issuance:

Baiticum et Switchorum: Unspinning the new constitution

by Robert Hart
www.virtueonline.org
November 17, 2009

On a website of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) we find this report of Archbishop John Hepworth's address to the Forward in Faith people (with analysis):

The Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion addresses Forward in Faith. Here's a recap of what he said.

Archbishop Hepworth made a very successful speech praising the Holy Father's generosity, assuaging doubts and taking naysayers. He actively put the best possible face on the future for the delegates saying that they had be [sic] assured that they would be treated as Anglican Catholics, just as there are Roman, Ukranian, and Maronite Catholics--that while the ordinariates were not a rite, they looked an awfully lot like one. He said that they had been offered an ecclesial body for Anglicans that protects those crucial elements of spirituality, liturgy, theology, history, and discipline, that are part of the distinctive Anglican patrimony. He says that TAC national synods will be asked to begin voting their acceptance of the Holy Father's offer immediately.

ST. CATHARINES: Bishop Donald F. Harvey's Charge to Synod

http://www.anglicanessentials.ca/wordpress/index.php/2009/11/16/bishops-charge-to-synod-2/
November 16th, 2009

CHARGE OF THE RIGHT REVEREND DONALD F. HARVEY

TO THE SECOND DIOCESAN SYNOD

Held in

ST. CATHERINE'S, ONTARIO

NOVEMBER 11 - 13, 2009

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

A Deal That ECUSA Cannot Refuse

By A.S. Haley
http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2009/11/deal-that-ecusa-cannot-refuse.html
November 14, 2009

The law must mean nothing any more. Up is down; black is white; and all property of Episcopal parishes everywhere is now the "property of the Episcopal Church." Consider this quote, taken word for word from a press statement issued by the Diocese of San Diego after yet one more California trial court judge ruled that he was not interested in the facts or considering the parties' different versions of them, and that he would give the victory to the Episcopal Church (USA) as a matter of law (emphasis added):

The Cost of an Incoherent Strategy Just Went Up

By A.S. Haley
http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2009/11/cost-of-incoherent-strategy-just-went.html
November 11, 2009

Now there is a new downside to ECUSA's take-no-prisoners strategy of driving congregations from their churches and then letting them sit vacant (rather than allow them to be sold to, or rented by, the congregation which was forced out): in Pennsylvania, at least, county assessors have begun to remove the property tax exemptions on church properties that sit vacant. The article explains that the impact will be felt most by Catholic dioceses:

Although this applies to any religion, the impact would essentially be felt by the Diocese of Scranton, which has already started implementing a plan to close some schools and half of the 90 churches in Luzerne County.

The Difference between Evangelicals and Fundamentalists

By Roger Steer
A VOL Exclusive
www.virtueonline.org
November 13, 2009

This exclusive article comes from Roger Steer author of the newly published "Inside Story", a biographical look at the life of preacher/teacher John Stott. It did not make the cut in Mr. Steer's book and so it is being offered exclusively to VOL's readers.

If you would like to purchase Roger Steer's book on Dr. Stott you can do so by clicking here http://tinyurl.com/yju5yxk

*****

I won't say I told you so

by Robert Hart
November 11, 2009

Looking at the actual words of the Constitution for former Anglicans, we see that Rome has actually offered nothing at all, that is, nothing except the long standing offer that has always existed: You may "convert" and join their church. You will have to renounce much, start over, and trust fully that their leadership will do right by you, and your children. In short, it is clear from the accuracy of our foresight (or perhaps, our information), that The Continuum blog, with some of my essays posted here as well, has been right all along.

Generally, I am known for writing on issues of theology; but, we have from Monday's (Nov. 9) news also the real life consequences of good or bad polity to consider. Earlier, I pointed out that Rome has not earned the right to expect trust. I have been criticized heavily as meaner than Mean Mr. Mustard himself (who "always shouts out something obscene"). I would have preferred to see evidence that my critics know how to think rather than merely reacting with undue emotion. But this is not about who can be nice and sound sweet (if not sugar-coated), and appeal to warm and fuzzy emotions. This is about the life or death of what we have sought to Continue since the big 1977 meeting in St. Louis. What kind of Christianity will we provide for our children, and, in general, to the next generation?

FT. WORTH: Bishop Iker Offers Upbeat Assessment of recent Diocesan Convention

http://www.fwepiscopal.org/bishop/bishop.html
November 10, 2009

To the clergy, convention delegates, Executive Council, and vestry members,

What a joy and delight it was to participate in our diocesan convention this past weekend. I can tell you that after 35 years of ordained ministry, having attended annual conventions year after year, both here and in two other dioceses, seldom can they be described as joyful or delightful. Too often they are contentious, boring, and frustrating. But let the record show that this one was indeed very different. It was a great experience, and I think that everyone who attended will agree.

All six resolutions were adopted unanimously and without dissension. Gone were the contentious debates of the past between opposing sides. We spoke with one mind and one voice. Likewise, everyone was in agreement about the need for the proposed amendments to the diocesan Constitution and Canons. We even agreed on the adoption of a budget of over $1,981,000 and parish assessments to support it, without one dissenting vote.

Pittsburgh Convention. A Catholic and Reformed Perspective - Jeremy Bonner
Like A Mighty Army Moves the Church of God: Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh Convention

A contribution to contemporary debates on American religious history, most notably within the Episcopal Church,the Anglican Church in North America and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

by JEREMY BONNER
http://catholicandreformed.blogspot.com/2009/11/like-mighty-army-moves-church-of-god.html
November 7, 2009

From across southwestern Pennsylvania (and beyond) American Anglicans flocked to their first convention as - explicitly - the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh (a nonprofit corporation bearing that name now exists). St. Stephen's, Sewickley, may be commodious but, even so, space was at a premium.

Churches --- A matter of trust

Opinion

By Creede Hinshaw
http://savannahnow.com/column/2009-11-05/hinshaw-churches-matter-trust
November 5, 2009

It is heart-wrenching to observe the courtroom struggle played out over who holds title to the property of Savannah's historic, downtown Christ Church, very likely the oldest congregation in Georgia.

This case took a dramatic turn recently when Superior Court Judge Michael Karpf ruled that the national body (The Episcopal Church USA) rightfully owns the property on Johnson Square and those members now occupying that building must surrender the property immediately, a verdict the defendants swiftly appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court.

UK Kool-Aid

by Robert Hart
http://anglicancontinuum.blogspot.com/2009/11/uk-kool-aid.html
November 5, 2009

The Resolutions

"That this Assembly, representing the Traditional Anglican Communion in Great Britain, offers its joyful thanks to Pope Benedict XVI for his forthcoming Apostolic Constitution allowing the corporate reunion of Anglicans with the Holy See, and requests the Primate and College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion to take the steps necessary to implement this Constitution." --From the website <http://www.thetraditionalanglicanchurch.org.uk/newspage.htm> of the Traditional Anglican Church in the United Kingdom.

Which way to turn? (Part II)

by The Rev. Canon Charles H. Nalls, SSM
November 4, 2009

"Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward..."
-Genesis 13:14

Several weeks ago, the Roman Catholic Church announced a forthcoming Apostolic Constitution aimed at "reconciling" Anglicans, Anglo-Catholics in particular, to the "big Church"; or, to use the language of the ever fissiparous American Continuing Anglicans, the "Holy Catholic Church-Original Jurisdiction." The initial announcement has prompted a flurry of breathless letters speculating on the content of the Constitution which purports to proffer Personal Ordinariates to Anglican folk disaffected with the state of the imploding Anglican Communion and those "traditional" Anglo-Catholics who yearn for unification with the See of Peter.