Fundamentalism

Introduction¹

Every Fundamentalist needs to read Chris Anderson’s new book The Scandal of Schism. The book charts the currents that are pulling younger Fundamentalists away from a strict separatist position. We ignore Anderson’s work to our own peril. His words must either be refuted from the Bible or acknowledged to be biblical.

In his characteristically self-assured fashion, Michael Barrett (Anderson’s lifelong mentor and former professor at Bob Jones University) sets the tone for the book in his endorsement,

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).

I recently made the decision to join the IFCA International as an individual, vocational member. It was not a commitment that I entered into lightly. And, quite frankly, I was not really looking for an organization to join! Yet I became convinced over time that this was simply the right and wisest thing to do.

For the fourth year in a row, it was my privilege to oversee The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s exhibit at the IFCA International Annual Convention. This year’s gathering of pastors, ministry leaders and spouses took place in Springdale, Ark., at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center, from June 24 to 28.

The 95^th edition of the IFCA Convention drew roughly 370 in attendance. It began with a general session on Monday night and concluded with three final choices in breakout seminars on Friday morning.