What Bob Jones was doing forty-six years ago.

Another Five-Views Book

Spectrum of Protestant beliefs

And the fundamentalist? Some compromiser from the IFCA or the left wing of the GARBC? No, the fundamentalist is Bob Jones—to be specific, Bob Jones, Jr. The publication date of the book is 1968. Yes, that’s what Bob Jones was doing forty-six years ago. He was contributing to a book for a Catholic editor, with coauthors who included a neoevangelical, a Confessional Protestant, a prominent liberal, and a radical Death-of-God theologian. He did it unabashedly, even proudly. Evidently, he did it without a word of reproof from other fundamentalists.

Discussion

For those who lost track, answers the ridiculous ACCC charge ACCC warns on the “Danger of Neo-fundamentalism,” Kevin Bauder

Note: The ACCC website has changed since the previous filing. New link

And the resolution has been revised as well.

Sharper Iron still “honorably mentioned”

The neo-fundamentalist call to the convergence of fundamentalists and evangelicals rang loud and clear
from the Zondervan publication Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2011), a book promoted by the managers of the Sharper Iron website.

For Ralph Colas if you read this: Explains why I quit sending the ACCC an annual donation!

Tell us how you really feel. Also, please tell me how to attach an image to this new SI - I’m too stupid to figure it out.

Now, to real commentary:

I think this was a wonderful article. This is the kind of fundamentalism that is worth saving; one that forcefully and unapologetically engages in the marketplace of theological ideas instead of retreating to the backyard to sulk alone.

For example, I haven’t seen any fundamentalist leader say anything about the “Jesus’ Wife” fragment. Why not? It’s culturally relevant, and it is (or was) trending near the top in FaceBook. People are interested in it. Why haven’t fundamentalist leaders written anything in response to it? No, it falls to that dastardly compromiser, Al Mohler, to cover it in his podcast this morning. He did a very good job. I hope nobody separates from me now …

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

I just got off the road after a hard days traveling and was joyfully refreshed by this article.

There are some things that intrigue me:

Why are some fundamentalists are more concerned about taking a stand against those they consider disobedient brethren than anything else. Two cases in point: 1) That fundamentalists must be separate from evangelicals (without any mention of a qualifier and 2) that the FBFI is superior to the ACCC because it’s Baptist and the ACCC is inclusive.

Bauder’s mention of the historical perspective made me wonder: What would today’s fundamentalists do with Bob Jones Sr. when he was trying to take a stand inside an apostate denomination, with Bob Jones Jr. when he was trying to do the same in the National Association of Evangelicals, or Bob Ketcham in his early days in the Northern Baptist Convention? . And are they ever going to say anything positive about what Al Mohler did at Southern?

"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan

Thanks for the link. This is the best part:

If a husband were to genetically test his children to determine whether his wife had been faithful, and the tests returned indicating that that the children could not conclusively be proven to not be his, would this assure him of his wife’s fidelity? Could he then, based upon these tests, be confident that he had indeed fathered the children? Karen King has produced no new evidence to authenticate this fragment. On the contrary, her prior contentions that the GJW fragment was (1) part of a literary codex and (2) was fourth century are now indefensible. Her method of argumentation was not self-critical or objective, but will doubtlessly be sufficient for those who already want to believe.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

We currently have no leader. If someone is a self appointed leader or for that matter just speaks out, arrows come from all directions. Who needs that? Who has time to write a treaties about a book that is 40 years old and the person involved in writing it died 16 years ago? We are better off not rehashing history but rather build a better future.

[Ken Woodard]

We currently have no leader. If someone is a self appointed leader or for that matter just speaks out, arrows come from all directions. Who needs that? Who has time to write a treaties about a book that is 40 years old and the person involved in writing it died 16 years ago? We are better off not rehashing history but rather build a better future.

You missed the point! The book published in 1968 matters because: Bauder was accused of neo-fundamentalism (whatever that even means (but basically “neo-” prefix means “very bad” not “new”) for being 1/4 of Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism by non-other than the ACCC. Bauder’s reference of the ‘68 book of which Bob Jones Jr is 1/5 demonstrates that he (Bauder) is mainstream historic fundamentalism! And that the ACCC resolution represents revisionist fundamentalism.

[Jim]

We don’t need A Leader. Fundamentalism (and conservative evangelicalism for that matter) needs many leaders.

Many leaders, yes. But I don’t think we need national leaders as much as we simply need flocks of men faithful in their little corners, impacting people who go out and make their own faithful mark in their little corners. (2 Tim 2:1-2)

Why is it that my voice always seems to be loudest when I am saying the dumbest things?

While claiming independency and autonomy, there still is a form of leadership and organization in fundamentalism. When a mission agency hires someone with contacts within conservative evangelicalism and fundamental churches are encouraged by one or two leaders (?) to stop supporting said agency––there’s leadership and organization. When a missionary get help on the field associates with Southern Baptists and finds that the fundamental churches that support him are being encouraged to stop supporting him–-there’s leadership and organization.

"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan

Hang on. As Baptists - we believe in the priesthood of every believer. Should we not be seeking to see Jesus increase and our ‘profile’ decrease? Remember when ‘Israel’ sought an earthly King, God gave it to them but also warned them of the rod they were creating for their own back.

[JC]

Hang on. As Baptists - we believe in the priesthood of every believer. Should we not be seeking to see Jesus increase and our ‘profile’ decrease? Remember when ‘Israel’ sought an earthly King, God gave it to them but also warned them of the rod they were creating for their own back.

I agree whole heartedly! This is the ideal. Sadly, in too many cases, it’s not the reality.

"Some things are of that nature as to make one's fancy chuckle, while his heart doth ache." John Bunyan

[JC]

Hang on. As Baptists - we believe in the priesthood of every believer. Should we not be seeking to see Jesus increase and our ‘profile’ decrease? Remember when ‘Israel’ sought an earthly King, God gave it to them but also warned them of the rod they were creating for their own back.

JC, what do you do with 1 Cor. 11:1? “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

Is there no place for human leadership?