Fundamentalism was never conceived as an outlet for Christian hardliners and extremists. It’s not a dirty word
“Fundamentalism” not a dirty word! It’s just lost its historical meaning. Like the “Whig Party” … few today know what a “Whig” was!
The term works in:
- Church history class &
- Ordination councils
- Pastors’ fellowships
Outside of that doesn’t communicate effectively
One problem with some happy with the label is they are suspicious of those who chose not to use it. In these cases the label itself becomes a shibboleth. Looks like this: Joe doesn’t call himself a Fundamentalist. I must separate from him because he has compromised.
Why do we as Christians continue to seek labels to define us and create organizations and fellowships to align with. I am not sure we will have labels or separate areas of Heaven carved out for different fellowships when we are in glory. Why do we want to create such chaos on earth?
[dgszweda]Are you saying that there is something wrong with churches seeking to fellowship and partner in ministry with others? If that is what you’re saying, how is that divisive?Why do we as Christians continue to seek labels to define us and create organizations and fellowships to align with. I am not sure we will have labels or separate areas of Heaven carved out for different fellowships when we are in glory. Why do we want to create such chaos on earth?
Because the concept of a fellowship is not about partnering, but about exclusion of others. I am all for partnering for others, I just think that as we create them, we just create more problems. We spend more time trying to define ourselves around the partnerships we create and who we let in or kick out of our partnerships. For example, we create Fellowship X to define who we are (which is typically borne as a result of separating from a previous fellowship). Then we admit people and dictate who they can and cannot talk to. Then when a member of our Fellowship X goes and talks to one of these other groups that we don’t fellowship with, than we need to either kick them out or risk being attacked as a Fellowship X that no longer stands for A, B, C…. This just goes on and on and on…….. decade after decade as one set of people leave one Fellowship to start their new Fellowship that will be “borne out of the rejection of the apostasy of the previous fellowship”……..
dgszweda, instead of having to be paranoid about who will disfellowship us based on fellowshipping with someone from the wrong fellowship, shouldn’t we just fellowship with those who hold to the fundamentals and not fellowship with those who don’t regardless of the group they are in. As a missionary on deputation, we have been in a lot of like minded churches, and there is one that I am not comfortable fellowshipping with (the pastor is too liberal in my opinion) even though they are in a very conservative association that I do support. There is also a North American Baptist church in our area that I can fellowship with even though I would not endorse the North American Baptists as a whole. The leaders in this church are fundamentalists in the historical sense of holding to the fundamentals of the scripture and the church is know for expository preaching and rejecting the seeker sensitive movement. Perhaps I risk being disfellowshipped for my postition, but I must follow the fundamentals of the scripture, not the peer pressure of those who call themselves fundamentalists.
I like to draw a diagram of a roof with Biblical truth being at the peak of the roof. I put myself on the right side of the roof close to the peak. I do not put myself at the peak, since I recognize my own imperfections. I place others who call themselves fundmentlists on the right side of the roof along with myself. Some are so legalistic that they are far down the roof. If they become so legalistic that salvation is no longer by faith, then they are not even on the roof. On the other side of the roof are evangelicals who do not use the term fundamentalist to describe themselves. For example John McArthur is on the other side of the roof, but is just as close to the peak as I am. Why should I reject fellowship with him while embracing fellowship with someone way down the roof on my side who is much farther from the truth and also much farther from practically cooperating with us in ministry because our positions are so much different?
I remember having this discussion at a pastor’s fellowship a while back and one of the pastors thought that the associations were more important than the individual positions. I had to disagree. It is important who we hang around with (I am a Biblical separatist), but if that takes precedence over what we or they actually believe, then we have a problem.
Discussion