Papers by Richard Croft
PhD research presentation at Religion in a Global Age - Symposium in Theology Sept 2015
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This article discusses the missiological challenges related to Muslim Background Believers in gen... more This article discusses the missiological challenges related to Muslim Background Believers in general and especially in the context of Bangladesh. It gives a brief historical background to Bangladesh and to trends in missiology. It discusses post-colonial theology, the Emergent Church and the Insider Movement methodology. It further draws upon Jørgensen’s published qualitative survey research on Jesus Imanders in Bangladesh. It draws upon the writer’s own experiences of working with MBBs in Bangladesh. Especially key doctrinal aspects to the MBB worldview are discussed. There had been for decades little written openly about the MBB phenomenon because of the fear of persecution of these new believers, but in recent years there has been an open discussion because it is part of modern trends affecting the global Church. This article further utilizes some of these recent articles, both those for Insider Movement methodology and those against it. The article concludes a cautious support for this trend in theology.
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Ahmed Deedat has been one of the most prominent contemporary Muslim polemists that have focused o... more Ahmed Deedat has been one of the most prominent contemporary Muslim polemists that have focused on Jesus, the Bible & Christianity. He is worthy of a systematic analysis, as even though he is not especially academic or deep in thought, his approach & materials feature around the globe. This Master's thesis uses a systematic analysis to assess the key theological concepts: this comprises of researching the genealogy of his ideas, together with an analysis of his argumentation, in particular, how he conceives the 'Word of God'; how he reasons; his intended audience; & his expected goal. This includes a textual analysis: analysing the text of his works, taking into account both the form & the content, for different meanings on different levels & exploring the internal logic in his arguments.
Deedat has connections to the Islamist agenda. He has formed his polemics for Muslims living in Dar al-Ahd or from his perspective Dar al-Harb. He is concerned that Muslim immigrants would both maintain their Muslim identity & undertake da'wah. His agenda is not just restricted to South Africa. He considers dialogue/encounter, as an opportunity for proclamation. He addresses his polemics to the whole of Christianity, from the marginal groups to Roman Catholics & Protestants. His focus is predominantly on scriptural & doctrinal issues. Therefore, there is a need to analyse his treatment of the 'Word of God.'
Deedat's materials partly originate from a long line of Muslim polemics from the scholarly debates in the Middle Ages. He follows their same polemical methodology of taking controversial questions from among Jewish & Christian scholars & making them known to a Muslim audience, & using them to advance Islam. He has become aware, through Muslim literature from the Indian subcontinent, of ideas from Western radical liberal scholarship & higher criticisms of the Bible. He has failed to realise that this is a double-edged sword for Islam. It invites the same methodology to be applied to the Qur'an. He may unknowingly have weakened the reasonableness of Islam. Nevertheless, he has used them to form his polemics against Christianity & the Bible. Therefore, his works are similar in content to Protestant liberal theology & Catholic modernism. However, his view of the Bible is ambiguous. On one hand, he utilises these criticisms to prove that the authors of the Bible are human & so on the basis of the Qur'an, he designates the Bible as worthless. On the other hand, he attempts to construct an Islamic Biblical context for the Qur'an. He engages with rational speculative works from the quest for the historical Jesus & on this basis, he tries to create an Islamic speculated Jesus i.e. an Islamic prophet & a jihadist. He develops a swoon theory account of the crucifixion. This account makes Jesus a sinner, deceiver, conjurer & facilitator of a crucifixion conspiracy. Deedat's attempts at trying to form acceptable content in Judeo-Christian Scripture so that the Qur'an can be in continuity with it, has highlighted one of the dilemmas for Islam: its discontinuity. The dilemma of continuity or discontinuity is especially apparent in his treatment of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he evidently does not know biblical Hebrew & Greek, or even adequately Arabic. He has picked & mixed ideas with no thorough treatment. Essentially, he is unqualified to undertake the 'comparative' study' of scriptural texts. Interestingly, his lenient copyright marketing strategy has aided his global brand name. His use of video & audiocassettes has also aided his accessibility & his 'victorious' performances have inspired some of his Muslim audience to try to replicate him. He also has an accessible tabloid style, with catchy slogans, that help him to communicate to the average person on the street.
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Conference Presentations by Richard Croft
Galatians 3:28 states "there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male ... more Galatians 3:28 states "there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one." Does this mean we are all Jews (grafted into a people-so to subvert or merge our culture into Jewish culture), or that we all become gentile (the defacto of Europe in Christianity or secularism), or we lose the distinction and become mixed versions of trans-identities such as we all become united in a new religion e.g. Islam? Does the passage have religion in mind, as we understand the concept now? What is freedom, to be as we feel we should be, when we live in a world where slavery is increasing-to debt, to addictions, to work, to loneliness, to the phone, etc. and where different groups increasingly insist their ideas have the right to control and define others? What is it to be a man or a woman, a father or mother, or to lose or forsake the distinction? Research informs that sexual incidence is decreasing, toward self-stimulation. Brubaker (2016) proposes that trans-sexual discourses could apply to other trans identity discourses. Bekerman (2017) contests the mental substance of 'identity' as a noun, especially when abstract, and instead proposes it is more scientific and humane to focus on actions. So let's compare the identity discourses through the verbs.
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I presented these ideas at 17th Annual Conference of the European Association for the Study of Re... more I presented these ideas at 17th Annual Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) Tartu, Estonia in the session on New Religious Movements chaired by Philippe Murillo. I am playing with the concept of NRM, because it comes out of a world view of stable religious identities. For example, the concept 'new' does that imply 'young', that they will grow up and mature and become like us, or that they have not been seen before? Is the concept 'Religious' sufficient for the task, especially when my participants do not like it? I am suggesting that in our postmodern era, that multiple processes are occurring, that make noun based identities insufficient to explain phenomena. Instead we should explain the process (verbs, actions) rather than trying to fit them into noun categories, labels. identities. Nouns logically make divisions, whereas verbs, especially risky actions, bring people to process the risk together. Also these so called NRMs may not be destined to be a cult, sect or new religion, but instead to be the means for renewal and cultural transformation. They may relook at the foundations of traditional faiths and expose problematic trends - such as prejudice toward the 'other', which was based upon past divisions. If they in their processes make unities not thought possible, we have to reconsider why we thought they were not possible.
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The annual conference of the Finnish Society of the Study of Religions. I presented a short paper... more The annual conference of the Finnish Society of the Study of Religions. I presented a short paper asking if in our modern era if religion has changed meaning and purpose.
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This was three different afternoon workshop seminars at a professional conference. The conference... more This was three different afternoon workshop seminars at a professional conference. The conference was encouraging as it brought together Evangelical, Pentecostal, Charismatic and Messianic Jewish pastors/rabbis. Some of these Christian groups have been sectarian in the past but the purpose of this conference was to come together to enrich each other. I heard that is now happening on a national level with all churches. The history of these conferences is one of dealing with Ukrainian cultural feature of Anti-Semitism and the wounds of the Holocaust. In recent years it has become more about coming together to envisage a 'One New Man'; that in Christ we do not remove the differences between us but rather we bring our differences together to enrich the collective. I discussed insights from my research on Messianic Jews and Isa'e: how the church changing from being an ethnic territorial faith, to a Scripture faith, and a spiritual faith has been part of reconnecting with the Jewish roots and a discourse within Judaism. The formation of Messianic Jews is part of global trends in the Church. Reconnecting with the Jewish roots, especially the first centuries, brings renewal into a spiritual life and cross-cultural desires and skills. I continued to hear stories of brokenness, drugs, sickness, turned around through faith in Christ, into life, family and discovering healthy self-identity: to be constructive and productive with this new direction.
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This is a presentation following the ideas of Kenan Malik https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr... more This is a presentation following the ideas of Kenan Malik https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/mar/17/multiculturalism-diversity-political-policy that the way we are constructing multiculturalism into plural mono-culturalism, we are missing out on creative and diverse possibilities, indeed we are undermining democratic processes. Therefore, Religious Education should rather be about social constructive processes among the students, rather than about teaching to enforce borders and divisions in humanity. Some of my ideas are shaped of course from my data but also from restrictive practices in Finland. I made a verbal application to an international school in Greater Helsinki to teach Religious Education. The principle informed me, that she only wants a Lutheran to teach Religious Education. 'Lutheran' is an obscure term especially in globalization. The principle basically means that the teacher should be ethnically Finnish. So, she exercised prejudice because of her conception and expectations of religion. Therefore, in education for the future generations, we need to inform not only about the stereotypical expectations of religions for cross cultural skills, but also about the non-stereotypical possibilities. It is very possible in the processes of globalization that cliques will form and try new combinations of existing processes. It is also beneficial for democracy that humanity envisages themselves on a journey together, rather than restricted by historical divisions.
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Book Reviews by Richard Croft
This is a book review for 2016 William A. Dyrness, Insider Jesus: Theological Reflections on New... more This is a book review for 2016 William A. Dyrness, Insider Jesus: Theological Reflections on New Christian Movements. IVP.
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Teaching Documents by Richard Croft
Testimony Richard Croft, 2021
Recently Prof Rebba Catto discussed how the scientific study of religion essentially secularizes ... more Recently Prof Rebba Catto discussed how the scientific study of religion essentially secularizes religion. That making non-religious the norm for the scientist is not rational for researching religions. So, here is my subjectivity, essentially a process of biblical reflections, spiritual experiences, and ontological realities that set me on a process of being a Messianic Jew. I am keen to see the Messianic Jewish processes at work in the 1st centuries, being lived out in our post-modern era. That is rather than bordered identity, that we focus on identification to Christ, the actions, and the People. https://youtu.be/m1SoT4u4-iU
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This a lecture I gave at the University of Eastern Finland - it contains some of my reflective th... more This a lecture I gave at the University of Eastern Finland - it contains some of my reflective thoughts
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Papers by Richard Croft
Deedat has connections to the Islamist agenda. He has formed his polemics for Muslims living in Dar al-Ahd or from his perspective Dar al-Harb. He is concerned that Muslim immigrants would both maintain their Muslim identity & undertake da'wah. His agenda is not just restricted to South Africa. He considers dialogue/encounter, as an opportunity for proclamation. He addresses his polemics to the whole of Christianity, from the marginal groups to Roman Catholics & Protestants. His focus is predominantly on scriptural & doctrinal issues. Therefore, there is a need to analyse his treatment of the 'Word of God.'
Deedat's materials partly originate from a long line of Muslim polemics from the scholarly debates in the Middle Ages. He follows their same polemical methodology of taking controversial questions from among Jewish & Christian scholars & making them known to a Muslim audience, & using them to advance Islam. He has become aware, through Muslim literature from the Indian subcontinent, of ideas from Western radical liberal scholarship & higher criticisms of the Bible. He has failed to realise that this is a double-edged sword for Islam. It invites the same methodology to be applied to the Qur'an. He may unknowingly have weakened the reasonableness of Islam. Nevertheless, he has used them to form his polemics against Christianity & the Bible. Therefore, his works are similar in content to Protestant liberal theology & Catholic modernism. However, his view of the Bible is ambiguous. On one hand, he utilises these criticisms to prove that the authors of the Bible are human & so on the basis of the Qur'an, he designates the Bible as worthless. On the other hand, he attempts to construct an Islamic Biblical context for the Qur'an. He engages with rational speculative works from the quest for the historical Jesus & on this basis, he tries to create an Islamic speculated Jesus i.e. an Islamic prophet & a jihadist. He develops a swoon theory account of the crucifixion. This account makes Jesus a sinner, deceiver, conjurer & facilitator of a crucifixion conspiracy. Deedat's attempts at trying to form acceptable content in Judeo-Christian Scripture so that the Qur'an can be in continuity with it, has highlighted one of the dilemmas for Islam: its discontinuity. The dilemma of continuity or discontinuity is especially apparent in his treatment of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he evidently does not know biblical Hebrew & Greek, or even adequately Arabic. He has picked & mixed ideas with no thorough treatment. Essentially, he is unqualified to undertake the 'comparative' study' of scriptural texts. Interestingly, his lenient copyright marketing strategy has aided his global brand name. His use of video & audiocassettes has also aided his accessibility & his 'victorious' performances have inspired some of his Muslim audience to try to replicate him. He also has an accessible tabloid style, with catchy slogans, that help him to communicate to the average person on the street.
Conference Presentations by Richard Croft
Book Reviews by Richard Croft
Teaching Documents by Richard Croft
Deedat has connections to the Islamist agenda. He has formed his polemics for Muslims living in Dar al-Ahd or from his perspective Dar al-Harb. He is concerned that Muslim immigrants would both maintain their Muslim identity & undertake da'wah. His agenda is not just restricted to South Africa. He considers dialogue/encounter, as an opportunity for proclamation. He addresses his polemics to the whole of Christianity, from the marginal groups to Roman Catholics & Protestants. His focus is predominantly on scriptural & doctrinal issues. Therefore, there is a need to analyse his treatment of the 'Word of God.'
Deedat's materials partly originate from a long line of Muslim polemics from the scholarly debates in the Middle Ages. He follows their same polemical methodology of taking controversial questions from among Jewish & Christian scholars & making them known to a Muslim audience, & using them to advance Islam. He has become aware, through Muslim literature from the Indian subcontinent, of ideas from Western radical liberal scholarship & higher criticisms of the Bible. He has failed to realise that this is a double-edged sword for Islam. It invites the same methodology to be applied to the Qur'an. He may unknowingly have weakened the reasonableness of Islam. Nevertheless, he has used them to form his polemics against Christianity & the Bible. Therefore, his works are similar in content to Protestant liberal theology & Catholic modernism. However, his view of the Bible is ambiguous. On one hand, he utilises these criticisms to prove that the authors of the Bible are human & so on the basis of the Qur'an, he designates the Bible as worthless. On the other hand, he attempts to construct an Islamic Biblical context for the Qur'an. He engages with rational speculative works from the quest for the historical Jesus & on this basis, he tries to create an Islamic speculated Jesus i.e. an Islamic prophet & a jihadist. He develops a swoon theory account of the crucifixion. This account makes Jesus a sinner, deceiver, conjurer & facilitator of a crucifixion conspiracy. Deedat's attempts at trying to form acceptable content in Judeo-Christian Scripture so that the Qur'an can be in continuity with it, has highlighted one of the dilemmas for Islam: its discontinuity. The dilemma of continuity or discontinuity is especially apparent in his treatment of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he evidently does not know biblical Hebrew & Greek, or even adequately Arabic. He has picked & mixed ideas with no thorough treatment. Essentially, he is unqualified to undertake the 'comparative' study' of scriptural texts. Interestingly, his lenient copyright marketing strategy has aided his global brand name. His use of video & audiocassettes has also aided his accessibility & his 'victorious' performances have inspired some of his Muslim audience to try to replicate him. He also has an accessible tabloid style, with catchy slogans, that help him to communicate to the average person on the street.