The Need for Healthy Fundamentalism

“There are some who may say that fundamentalism is a failed movement. I do not believe so. But I do believe that pastors must learn the lessons of the past, and even from others in mainstream evangelicalism who are noting their own problems.” - P&D

Discussion

I became a believer and stayed in evangelicalism for many years. Eventually moved into a hyper-fundamentalist church (which ironically had the best teaching around). In a (very) conservative evangelical church now but I still identify as a fundy to those that know what I mean when I say it. I still believe “secondary” separation is biblical. I wouldn’t use the term when talking to someone who sees it as an evil, unless I had time to explain.

It goes to the definition of inspiration itself; whereas continuationism affirms the original inspiration as well as what we have preserved.

My intent was more along the lines of a closed canon and the cessation of supernatural revelation. I think both share an affinity for that.

I am not sure that KJVO is more schismatic. I think it is more vocal and more dogmatic in some cases.

I don’t know. Just a thought.

I have tended to evaluate KJVO and continuationism—and what is said in their name—in terms of how much they might undermine the sufficiency of Scripture as biblically defined. When they start drifting into the, “How can I rely on God’s Word unless He delivers it to me in [such and such] a manner?” it calls into question what would happen to their faith if they learned that actually, God hasn’t delivered His Word ins [such and such] a manner.

FWIW, I consider myself to be a soft cessationist and skeptical of claims of continued gifts like tongues.

That said, I at least see where in Scripture continuationists derive their teaching from. KJVO seems made up out of whole cloth and a few verses that don’t really say anything about textual preservation.

Michael Osborne
Philadelphia, PA

I’ve been around a fair amount of charismatics and pentecostals, and unfortunately, it is too often (mostly IMO) true that they do tend to, in their enthusiasm for the early church gifts, take a certain amount of liberty with the Scriptures.

KJVO does this as well, but they do so, as Michael also notes, by taking verses way out of context, but also problematically by using some very vicious guilt by association arguments, generally including the insinuation that Alexandrian Bible copyists were taking their orders from Origen, and continuing to slander pretty much every person associated with the eclectic text through the ages, from Westcott & Hort to Kurt Aland.

In doing so, it trains Christians to use poor logic and personal attacks, which is why KJVO is incredibly schismatic—you have to accept a LOT of genetic fallacies to accept any of the streams of KJVO that I’ve seen. It’s Godless.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.