A Note from Joel Tetreau
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Dear friends at SI:
First, an apology.
I do feel bad that I have not been active here at SI for several years.
I can assure you my inactivity here has had nothing to do with SI. The last many years have been a blur. I will finish off 26 years as lead pastor at SVBC on Dec 31. This means I will have completed about 34 years of vocational ministry. On January1, I will transition from being lead pastor of Southeast Valley Bible Church to being full time in my work at the Institute of Biblical Leadership (IBL).
In the midst of all kinds of ministry both at SEVBC and IBL, I have focused my attention in putting in into book form my taxonomy of fundamentalism. My book is entitled, Three Lines in the Evangelical Sand: Type A, B, C Fundamentalism. My first thoughts on the topic were shared here at SI nearly 20 years ago. That’s crazy.
My hope is that my understanding of historic fundamentalism and its current expressions can bring some encouragement and a movement towards recognizing even with brothers with whom we may have some differences—our fellowship does not have to be “one size fits all.” I probably in all actuality don’t care about this topic as I did years ago. However, seeing the Type C fundamentalists (conservative evangelicals) knock each other out over a whole host of issues that simply do not demand that kind of separation, gives me déjà vu over what Type A fundamentalism did in the 1980’s and beyond. So—I’ve dusted off some of my thinking and I’m putting it in writing.
The following is the blurb on the book:
In Three Lines in the Evangelical Sand: Type A, B, C Fundamentalism, Joel Tetreau offers a compelling exploration of the diverse landscape within Fundamentalism. Tetreau’s taxonomy delineates three distinct categories: Type A fundamentalists, who practice a more strict separation from culture and from other conservative Christians who are not as traditional. Type B fundamentalists, who uphold core doctrines while cooperating with other conservative evangelicals; and Type C fundamentalists, who engage more broadly with the wider culture and have a broader acceptance of other Christians. This insightful book clarifies the varying degrees of separation and engagement within the movement highlighting the rich heritage and diversity of thought and practice among its adherents.
As always, if you think I’ve overshot or undershot, please talk to me. I’m always open to other ideas especially when there is a Bible verse attached to those ideas.
Thanks for your friendship, brothers. May God richly bless you as you faithfully serve Him in your corner of the Vineyard.
Straight Ahead!
jt
P.S. If you would like to purchase the book, zip me a private note—or feel free to order on Amazon. If you are having a hard time paying your bills, don’t let that stop you from getting a copy—let me know. I’m happy to help brothers in ministry that could use the encouragement of a friend and a friend’s book.
Joel Tetreau 2024 Bio
Joel Tetreau has over twenty years of pastoral ministry experience and presently serves as senior pastor at Southeast Valley Bible Church in Gilbert, AZ and as Director of U.S. Partnerships and Development at the Institute of Biblical Leadership.
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We have missed you, Joel. So nice to have you contributing again!!!
"The Midrash Detective"
A lot has changed everywhere in that couple of decades, the landscape of ‘fundamentalism’ included.
@Joel, if you get a chance to log on: Do you focus on history of fundamentalism or have you updated/expanded for the last decade or so?
Maybe someone can write us a review.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Ed and Aaron and the rest of the "Brethreim" here at the round tabled fire pit... I've missed you guys..... I raise a toast of hot chocolate and marsh mellows to you long lost friends. Thx for letting me wonder back in camp without shooting me on the spot for going AWOL.....
Here are the chapters to "Three Lines in the Evangelical Sand: Type A, B, C Fundamentalism" (Oh and to the chap that always kicks me in the knee because it's three lines with three groups - actually it's three lines dividing four groups (A+, A, B and C). A+ is almost ignored in the book - because it is a form of fundamentalism that frankly has grown out of historic fundamentalism into something else.... (So, the title 3 lines is legitimate....)
chp 1 - "What is Fundamentalism"
chp 2 - "Fundamentalism and Me: Ties - More Ties and Tatoos" (I have no Tatoos)
chp 3 - "Fundamentalism and It's Commitment to Unity and to Separation"
chp 4 - "Fundamentalism and the Past: Historic Fundamentalism"
chp 5 - "Fundamentalism and the Present: The Types - ABC"
chp 6 - "Conclusion: Fundamentalism and the Future"
Appendix - Fundamentalism and 100 years of fighting (I pick out 15 fights within Fundamentalism over the last century).
[Chapters 4 and 5 are probably my favorite]
The book is like 200 plus pages..... I really tried hard to get it down to 150.... guys - I probably cut out another 150 pages in the writing over the last 2 years... to get it down to this.....
I'm trying to give an overview for my Type ABC taxonomy which is admittedly "shorthand." I admit in the book that what the topic really needs is careful and pains-taking research and a book of 1000 pages. That's not why God put Joel Tetreau on the planet - That is why God put guys like Kevin Bauder on the planet.
My job is to put duct tape on the mouths of Type A, B and C and to say - "Hey! Stop fighting and just play nice in the sand box Nimrod!" (actually, I'm nicer than that in the book - but there is a part of me that desperately wants to say that - but I don't say that - but I'm thinking that at times...).
What has not changed - My basic view of the types. I really have not changed my view over the last 20 years that much. I still see Type A+ as the King James Only crowd coupled with those who have standards that are ..... hard to track in the Scriptures. Type A are still those Fundamentalist who see the world as either Fundamentalist or New Evangelical from Type A's have a fairly black and white view of much - including authority that often times crosses the line into being Diotrephes-like. The group that is really hard to quantify are the A-/B+ - These guys are really fearful to allow involvement with guys like me and especially guys that are to the left of me - which in the main are Conservative Evangelicals and the Conservative Southern Baptists. Type A-/B+ guys have almost the same theology as the rest of B's and C's but they are petrified of Conservative Evangelicalism because in their mind that represents entrance into New Evangelicalism.... or they know it doesn't but it would cost them too much personally and so they are afraid to take the steps into that broader world. Type A's are still movement fundamentalists - militant fundamentalist, cultural fundamentalists. Type B's are a combination of A and C - we retain some of the cultural fundamentalism of our friends in A-ville but we also have much in common with the Type C's that are not-ecumenical conservative and militant evangelicals. Type C are conservative evangelicals who are not ecumenical. Type C's have a solid commitment to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.
Type A's are too often tilted towards life-style legalism. Careful Type A's can have strengths (we talk about them)....
Type C's are too often tilted towards a philosophy of ministry or theological legalism. That is if someone doesn't share exactly their view of hermeneutics or Calvinism or whatever they are treated like a "Liberal" - which again is beyond incredible when you remember that just a few years ago - they were all "Together for .... something." Type C's can have strengths (we talk about them)....
There are all kind of Type A, B and C's that demand a certain amount of money and a certain number of people before they will go and do ministry somewhere. So - you have got to be kidding me! My father and the godly men I grew up which in the main leaned more Type A - would have NEVER done that. I'm thinking Jesus and the Apostles would never have done that. Philip traveled some distance to get to one Eunuch..... and he was an actual REAL evangelist.
I talk about how Type ABC dynamic has shown up and caused real conflict in churches and in Christian campuses - and I give some recent and historic examples of that.
What has changed - In all honesty - I don't care as much for the discussion as I did 20 years ago. I care - especially as it relates to understanding the historical roots of Fundamentalism and Pre-Fundamentalism (think the era of the Great Awakenings)..... to the different types today. I attempt to do that. I also give a 30,000 feet overview of how fundamentalism grew out of the fights with liberalism. I explain the development of classic new evangelicalism was a train wreck - a disaster.... and how new evangelicalism ate itself from the inside out by killing its commitment to the authority of Scripture. There are evangelicals that carry the spirit of new evangelicalism but technically the NE of Ockenga and Graham, etc.... is dead (I quote McCune on that). I also look at 12 or 13 internal fights over the past 70 years.....
The divide between Conservative Evangelicals (Type C) who are not ecumenical and then the gap between them and the left-wing evangelicalism is massive. There are a few exceptions. What has been bizarre is the Civil War between guys who used to be "Together for the Gospel." These men still love each other - and they are still for the Gospel - but they just aren't "together" very much. Which of course is ironic because they lectured the Type A's just 20 years ago about how unloving and un-gospel centered like the A's were and how incredible unified the Type C world was.
Well - that's over isn't it......
So ... at the start of the book - I give a bit of my personal and family background and my personal journey in my mind and ministry in connection to fundamentalism and evangelicalism.
David Burgraff was very generous in writing an incredible Foreword.
I also spent time discussing my father - Dr. Jerry Tetreau and other mentors and how they impacted me deeply.....
So.... there is a helicopter view of the book....
Love you guys - SI gave many of us a place to chat 20 years ago.... It's impactful to me to think about that era....
I have served in pastoral work for 34 years now and in January we will have been here at Southeast Valley Bible Church for 26 years. Beginning January 1 I will go full time at IBL (Institute of Biblical Leadership).
I'm delighted to interact with any of you men - And frankly now that you can have your own publishing company (Straight Ahead Publishing - I'm the CEO of SA Publishing and I also take out the trash. "I also share a closet with a mop..." for my office [Rodney Dangerfield])... with print on demand - you guys can persuade me to change my mind and then I can change the content of the book... without much fuss.....
The main goal is to once again actually foster love in brothers' hearts for the other guy preaching down the road - no matter what slice of the evangelical / fundamentalist pie he is from. Our unity and separation has never legitimately been "all or nothing" unless you are talking about a Anti-Christ/False Teacher....
Just a few things to consider.... before you read "Three Lines in the Evangelical Sand"....
OK - sorry for the lengthy epistle - that's what I have for the moment.....
Straight Ahead!
jt
Dr. Joel Tetreau serves as Senior Pastor, Southeast Valley Bible Church (sevbc.org); Regional Coordinator for IBL West (iblministry.com), Board Member & friend for several different ministries;
Thanks for the info, Joel. That covers a lot of ground.
Wish you well in your transition to full time at IBL.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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