I think that's a case of misguided developers with tunnel vision misusing Fowler's material. I have never met Fowler and I'm completely speculating here, but I

I think that's a case of misguided developers with tunnel vision misusing Fowler's material. I have never met Fowler and I'm completely speculating here, but I would bet money he is both well-versed in, and a big fan of, the "functional core, imperative shell" concept when it is a good fit. Devs often get overly dogmatic, and when they do, they often reach for Fowler quotes to back themselves up. But don't blame Fowler for that.