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Christianity Today, October (Web-only), 2007 |

Theology in the News

The Crisis of Modern Fundamentalism

Defections threaten a proud movement.

Collin Hansen | posted 10/26/2007 09:30AM

There would be no need for a new evangelical movement without the liberal decline of Protestant theology during the 19th and early 20th centuries. But eminent evangelical theologian Carl Henry expected ...

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Ephrem Hagos

Posted: October 31, 2007 6:19 AM


Return to the "solid tradition" of the teaching of Jesus Christ within a community of seekers for the truth will quickly expose contemporary Christian teaching for what it is, i.e., nothing less than counterfeit, theological reinvention. The sooner this happens the better!

Carrie

Posted: October 30, 2007 5:24 PM

My biggest concern--which relates to both evangelicals and fundamentalists (I'm an evangelical)--is cultural captivity to the ethos of marketing Christ. We've just been through yet another evangelism training at church where we've been taught to give our personal testimonies as part of sharing the gospel ... on the assumption that our personal testimony will be part of the appeal of the Gospel. Well, I called on Christ as a 12-year-old who felt personally desperate due, in part, to a chronic illness. Now I'm 50, sicker, and while I usually am strong enough to serve others, I wouldn't say that God has transformed my life in a way that would tend to sell Christianity to anyone else (with the possible exception of other people with the same illness). Sometimes, as Mother Teresa's personal papers remind us, Christianity is just about following and knowing that heaven is ahead.

scott

Posted: October 30, 2007 2:46 PM

it is a sad day when Rick Warren is made Joel Osteen's bed-fellow. no matter what you think of his theology/philosophy, Warren at least has some merit as a seminary-educated, intrepid church-planter. i know that God is perfectly capable of using uneducated men to preach the gospel and shepherd His church, but Osteen's lack of training is particularly astounding - which makes his influence all the more questionable (read the history of his father's church). as for fundamentalists condemning godly men like Piper, nothing should be tolerated less - at least until they repent of one of their progenitor's similar sins (if we grant them their understanding of separation); but for some reason, none of them care to discuss the personal ecumenism of W.B. Riley.

Cole	Posted: October 30, 2007 9:31 AM

Ken L, great thoughts. I couldn't agree more. Coming from a Southern Baptist background, attending a Baptist school for college and then attending non-denominational Wheaton for seminary, I have grown to resonate with your comments. Van Hoozer's "hunch of a solution" (linked above) is a great read by the way! Probably the most incredible thing I learned in my theological training involved the Christian worldview and helping people connect the dots of theology, scripture, themselves, the world, and God with everyday life. It helps our congregation tremendously when they are able to see the world, themselves, God's redemptive plan in the world, scripture, marriage, work, theology, etc. in context...

Carlos

Posted: October 29, 2007 2:42 PM

Fundamentalist, essentially are good theologians; however, in their zeal to stand up for God's Word, they have thrown the 'Baby' out with the bathwater, i.e., denial of the operation and manifestation of the 'Gifts' for the contemporary Church, how sad! All of this division within the 'True' Body of Christ, only fosters the work of Satan, it does nothing for the cause for which true 'Born-Again' Justified believers should be united, where so much deception is rampant, and needs to be seriously addressed, while multitudes are entering eternal damnation. Some biblical scholars are so academically correct, they are no practical good for the Kingdom of God. Don't get me wrong, we need good sound scholarship, but where the 'rubber' hits the road, in deliverance and healing of so many, the scholars are woefully deficient. God help us all!

Adam	Posted: October 28, 2007 7:42 PM

I think the growing defection of Christians from fundamentalism is a healthy and necessary thing. It demonstrates the inadequacy of fundamentalism and its inability to not only preserve Christian teaching, but also to convey and implement it within the community of believers. However, I also know that the pop-version of Evangelicalism is inherently flawed and will eventually suffer a similar crisis. A return to solid Tradition is inevitable.

Tim	Posted: October 27, 2007 11:13 PM

Charlie, Though I would agree that in my experience many Fundamentalists are greatful for the ministry of John Piper, unfortunately I am afraid that their concern goes way beyond simply not wanting all their graduates to go there. If they are urging "careful discernment" in simply reading his books, then how much more would they warn one who wanted to attend his church. Were Fundamentalists to have their way, not one graduate would matriculate into Evangelical circles of anykind.

Andrew

Posted: October 27, 2007 1:03 PM


Ken L, In what way is the gospel that the fundamentalists preach "incomplete?"

John L Chapin

Posted: October 27, 2007 11:53 AM

Primal Fundamentalism engaged in Biblical warfare against a strident liberalism and its denial of an inspired, inerrant Bible; its adoption of a pure evolutionary hypothesis; its defrocking of the deity of Christ; its mythology of the resurrection; and its espousal of the inherent intgrity of human nature. Dispensational Fundamentalism stretched the measuring tape, demanding an equation of Biblical Faith with its doctine of divine experimentations, seven in all, to prove the incorrigibility of sinful human nature, ending with an exasperated God, fed up with the whole mess and destroying it all, except for the raptured few! "Left behind" was any intelligent understanding of the ways of Redemptive history. And now on the stage are the children of fundamenists, who, perhaps, are tired of majoring on minors and want to tap into the deep root of of a truly Biblical, truly redemptive and truly compassionate Bibliology. If the leaking fundamentalist ark is sinking, good riddance.

Doug	Posted: October 27, 2007 9:00 AM

My biggest concern is with evangelicals. I am fundamentalist in theology, but I think dialogue with others is appropriate and necessary for evangelism. But when I listen to Joel Osteen I wonder if he knows what the gospel is. The Holy Spirit came to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Those three words are nearly absent from his messages. This is what is happening all throughout evangelicalism. Expository preaching is absent. Calls to repentance are insipid. Warning of judgment is abhorent. And eternal life is NOW. Come to Jesus and be HAPPY HAPPY all the time. You wonder if there is a necessity for heaven. No wonder Joel gets a big crowd. Repent evangelicals and get back to preaching the gospel for righteousness in Christ and being a disciple of Christ, and that will mean crucifying the flesh to live in the Spirit.

Charlie

Posted: October 27, 2007 1:18 AM

As a BJU grad, I find the information in this article to be mostly accurate. However, the picture is painted a little bleak. Fundamentalism has always had defections, and so has every other branch of Christianity. I'm not sure that there's really been that much of an increase. Also, even though Piper was mentioned at the FBFI meeting, many fundamentalists greatly appreciate his ministry. They just don't want all their graduates running off to Desiring God Ministries. Rick Warren (along w/ Joel Osteen and the broad "health & wealth" crowd) is truly abhorred. Also, Fundamentalism is almost as diverse as evangelicalism, though much smaller. So try not to paint with too broad a brush. Thanks for the article.

Gren	Posted: October 26, 2007 11:09 PM

Everything depends on the fundamentals. Don't let a little mislabeling and misuse of them confuse you. Just make sure yours match up with the simplicity of devotion to Christ. If you're going to a church that has one(a denominational label that is) then your private church leadership has probably already given up on the fundamentals. That also applies to the agreeable political/economic institution that refers to itself as the catholic church. The fundamentals are foundational to a healthy body of Christ. May we all grow to know and understand rightly what the fundamentals are. And in the meantime, may we also continue to study and understand in what ways it is our christian responsibility to judge, and in what ways we are to judge not.

Mike	Posted: October 26, 2007 7:59 PM

No one, and I mean no one, can make the case that the Bible does not teach separation and separation from fellow Christians because of doctrine or associations or behavioral error and sin. The difficulty of present day Fundamentalism is not that it is wrong about that position. It is in the right. The difficulty is that they practice it improperly; one can even say unbiblically, in many instances. That is where the imbalances originate, in implementation, not in holding to the principle itself.

Ted Voth Jr

Posted: October 26, 2007 5:35 PM


Defections threaten a proud movement. 'A proud movement'; 'proud'; does that say it all?

to everyone on creationism and fundmentalism

Posted: October 26, 2007 4:08 PM

I pray that you, like Christ, will all be glorified and so you will become sons and daughters of God and then you will become obedient: You will then recognise the truth in the writing that "with God all things are possible"... which means that God is all powerful and able to create and form all things from nothing. When you realize the love God has for you and the wonderful authority and power he has, which makes his love valuable, then you will receive wisdom and insight into the deep value of the scriptures. When you realize, with love, the value of the scriptures you will see that you are a fundamentalist who forgives and is forgiven. First we are loved and forgiven so much that we love and forgive others too. When this is settled in your mind (and so you become generous) and then quite certain of the power and majesty of God then you will surely become foundational in your faith: being rock solid in your commitment to Jesus. How much more lovely can one be and fundamentalist too?

Martin

Posted: October 26, 2007 3:05 PM

I'm glad to see that fundamentalism is in decline and evangelicism is on the rise. While I respect the Fundamentalist viewpoint, I feel that the Fundamentalists' message is fundamentally opposed to Christ's message of "Judge not lest ye be judged" and their belief that Christians should be isolated from the rest of the world is inconsistent with the commandment to be "In the world, but not of the world." In response to Diocletian, I'd like to say several things. First of all, I don't really see evangelicalism as the "politically correct" form of Fundamentalism because the latter possesses several doctrines which are opposed to what Jesus taught, as a I stated above. And as far as everyone who disagrees with Christianity being wrong, yes, Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. But I think that CS Lewis said it best: "If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all those religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of truth

Kim	Posted: October 26, 2007 3:04 PM

I agree with you Ken. The problem with either end of the spectrum is that they disallow for balance. Jesus told us to follow Him, not the popular dogma of the day. As we grow in our knowledge of Him we understand that it's not our job to judge others, but to work on our own personal relationship with God and to be "light" in the darkness. We are the only "Bible" some people see. If they only see a harsh judgmental God, they're being deceived. If they only see a liberal completely non-judgemental God they're also being deceived. If we each could grow in our personal discipleship and reflect Christ's light we'd be serving our God more productively.

Ken L

Posted: October 26, 2007 1:43 PM

I find the Gospel as presented and taught by Christian Fundlementalists to be the incomplete Gospel. There is not enough space here to explain with any reasonable detail the many legitimate criticisms I have of Chrsitian Fundementalists who in their zeal to preserve the Teachings of the Gospel, have sadly, in the end distorted them. I commonly refer to such persons as Christian Judgementalists, because that is what they do. They judge others. They have become the modern Pharisees of the time. In their obsession to preserve God's Law, they have forgotten the Law Giver. They have made Christiinaity an US VS THEM conflict with anyone who disagrees with them, even fellow Christians. I have yet seen Christian Fundementalism not be closely surrounded with hostility and at times outright hatred of others who do not "fit in" with thier idea of what a Chrsitian is. Granted, the approach true Liberal Christianity takes is wrong as well. Both extremes have tremendous flaws.

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