There was a post below on whether Christians should fast during Ramadan. The answer is clearly no. We should proclaim the gospel and why we believe it (See Resurrection, The).
But the other question comes from Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz (which, as I’ve said before, I enjoyed reading). He and a group of other Christians engage in an exercise we might call apologize to evangelize. They do things like apologizing for the Crusades. This supposedly makes everyone feel better and causes secularist college students to think better of their humble Christian peers.
Here’s the short version. We shouldn’t be apologizing for the Crusades. First off, I suspect the vast majority of apologizers have no idea what really happened in the Crusades or what precipated them. Second, it is just way too easy for people facing no great and threatening crisis to apologize for actions taken by others during an actual great and threatening crisis. And third, the apologies assume the military invasion of the Holy Land was utterly without merit. Assume nothing, youngsters or Christian hipsters or young, Christian hipsters.
If nothing else, the sad apologies by emergent trendmeisters (who have many fine qualities) demonstrates the failure of colleges and universities to pass on a legitimate fund of cultural knowledge to our students. The cafeteria-style pick and choose core curriculum has absolutely killed us. Abandon it with haste, friends!
October 28th, 2009 | 2:32 pm | #1
I think the Hipsters and emergents tend to apologize for more than just the crusades these days—often apologizing on behalf of the church as a whole for issues that are a little more current. I think filmmaker Dan Merchant in his recent documentary (http://lordsaveusthemovie.com/) is an example of this as he apologizes to the gay community for the attitudes that prevailed in the church that ostracized homosexuals. Whether or not Christians should apologize in this context seems to be a better question than whether Christians should apologize for something that happened almost a thousand years ago.
October 28th, 2009 | 2:51 pm | #2
Maybe we should apologize for not sharing the Gospel with people.
Xtian: Do you know how people or groups sometimes apologize for things they’ve done wrong in the past?
Friend: Yeah, I suppose. Why?
Xtian: Well, you know I’m a Christian, right?
Friend: Yeah. What did you do, miss a hail Mary?
Xtian: Ha! No, it’s what I didn’t with you as a friend that I want to apologize for.
Friend: Do you owe me money or something that I forgot about??
Xtian: Seriously, you’re a good friend. I’ve neglected sharing the Gospel with you because I didn’t want to offend you. For that, I apologize because you are too good a friend for me to not share the Gospel with….
Something like that….
October 28th, 2009 | 2:55 pm | #3
There is much about the Crusaders, and the theology behind their enthusiasm, that disgusts me, but no honest student of history can dismiss the entire event as a matter of bigoted Christians converting the heathen at the point of the sword. In fact, it was the Muslims who were conquering the world at the point of the sword, and the West was fighting back to stem the tide. If anyone should be apologizing, it is the Muslims. But I would never ask a Muslim to apologize for something that happened before he was born.
October 28th, 2009 | 3:12 pm | #4
I actually eat more during Ramadan, especially when there’s daylight. (That is, by the way, why I celebrate Ramadan on the South Pole)
The good thing is that the next time Don Miller meets a Muslim, he can apologize for me.
October 28th, 2009 | 5:46 pm | #5
Perhaps one should offer an ‘apology’ in a more classical sense of the word, that is, a defense.
Insofar as any evil was committed, we should, of course, have the appropriate sentiment of utter disdain. It does not follow that we should “ask for forgiveness” for ourselves where we were never participants. If some other moral agent did some act before we were even alive, any such offer would be genuinely disingenuous.
I get it. I understand the motive in being authentic and fair about historical acts. We should limit, I think, our pleadings to our own acts or omissions.
If this be error and upon me proved… I am sure my grandchildren will say they are sorry.
October 28th, 2009 | 9:35 pm | #6
Dr. Beckwith, see, you’re offering a service!
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact