In the February 2008 issue of “The Christian Excavator,” Pastor Shawn Davis of Old Paths Baptist Church wrote these words:
“If I really believe like some people say they believe, I would…
1) Get me a new Bible because the one we have now was translated by “heretics” (not a Baptist in the bunch)
2) I would get new hymn books with songs not written by “heretics” like Fanny Crosby (an Arminian Methodist) or John Newton (a Calvinistic Anglican) and find hymns only written by Independent Fundamental Baptists.
3) I would never mention great revivals from the past. I’d pretend that leaders in the Great Awakening were all Independent Fundamental Baptists, and not Edwards (a Calvinistic Congregationalist), Whitefield (a Calvinistic Methodist) and the Wesley’s (Arminian Methodist’s)
4) I’d never read or let my children read biographies of Christians from the past who were not Independent Fundamental Baptist.
5) I’d be really careful and only mention those who believe just like I did.
6) I’d never mention any Baptist again who were Calvinistic in their doctrine. I’d ignore men like Keach and Spurgeon and Leland and Carey and Bunyan. I would pretend like they never existed. I would try to convince people that first-rate Christianity started about 70 years ago.
Davis, being an Independent Fundamental Baptist pastor seems to be making a point that he is disappointed and even frustrated with other Independent Fundamental Baptist’s line of thinking. To hear someone say, “Baptists are the only true believers” and yet love to sing songs written by a Methodist, show ignorance at a high degree and would indeed cause one to be frustrated. I have no reason to believe Davis wants to leave the Baptist faith. I feel he wants others to listen closely to what they are saying, and understand the ramifications of such thinking if it is expressed in reality. Davis clearly wishes his other Independent Fundamental Baptist believers to examine such statements and biblically correct them when necessary.
It is wise to examine yourself and your church body from time to time. Man has a tendency to go astray after a few years of going unchecked. What will often times begin as a good idea for a church to carry out, can turn into a monster out of control and beyond the principles of both the Bible and the founders of those ideas. A quick study of church history and you will know what I’m talking about.
The Greek Orthodox Church had a long battle with icons throughout its history. Church leaders knowing that many could not read and also that most did not have access to the scriptures to read them if they could read, felt led to build pictures depicting the stories of the Bible so that all that saw them would know the gospel. The problem was that after a few generations had passed, these icons became scared relics of worship. Church leaders of course rightfully saw this as idol worship. Therefore they would send out men to tear the icons down. Maybe a hundred years would pass and another generation of church leaders would try the icons once again. The icons would always seem to work for the purpose it was intended for, for a few years, and then behold if the people didn’t start worshipping the icons again.
The Reformation of course was a rather large time when brave men of the Church had to take a stand and in some cases lose their life to point out what they saw as false doctrines and malpractices within the Church, involving the teaching and sale of indulgences. This corruption was seen by many at the time as systemic, reaching as high as the position of the Pope. Of course there was also the issue put forth: did the Pope’s word contain errors as all other men or was his word just as high as God’s?
I write all of this to get to this point. I was raised a Fundamentalist. I attended Fundamentalist Churches and sang from their song book. I went to Fundamentalist Bible camps as a teen. I knew all the Fundamentalist colleges back then and I know most all of them now. I also know that this list of colleges has some missing from the list I once knew as a teen. I know Fundamentalism from the inside out very well.
In the last ten years I, like Pastor Davis regarding Baptists, have become very frustrated with the Fundamentalist movement. Where as in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the then young movement among conservative evangelical Christians, was clearly the right thing to do as they stood as one for the inerrancy of the Bible, the virgin birth of Christ, the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and the imminent personal return of Jesus Christ, it has grown into a monster of Pharisaical thugs.
Don’t get me wrong. I still consider myself a Fundamentalist in that I hold dearly to the original tenants listed above as the founders of Fundamentalism had intended the movement to be. What Fundamentalism has become and that which also bothers me is a bunch of bullies with thousands of Pharisaical laws one must follow in order for you to be able to be viewed as a true believer. This short column would not allow me to list them all.
Again I must not be misunderstood here. Most all of the requirements that the hyper- Fundamentalists try to enforce on others, I count as my standard in my walk with Christ. What I do not like is the way the hyper crowd treats others that do not follow such standards. Most are treated as heretics and will never hear from the Fundamentalist again unless the labeled heretic repents and starts to act like a “real Christian” or in other words, just like them. Such actions are not only uncalled for, but borders on playing God. Hyper Fundamentalists need to understand the goal is not to be like them, but like Christ.
I have seen young men pay the “heretic price” for picking a non-Fundamentalist Bible school, over a Fundamentalist Bible school. They were treated as if they were going to hell for doing so. Yet in the end, the young men became great men of God. If for nothing else one would have to conclude God knows better then any man.
This infestation of the Pharisaical attitude now found in many Fundamentalist camps affects their whole life. They think all Christians should dress like them, walk like them, use only their translation, sing only their songs, and have only their denomination on the doors of their church. All others should go to only their list of six schools and no other or else you will be cut off. Bob Jones University once was held as the height of Fundamentalist education, is now viewed by some hyper-Fundamentalists as too soft to be considered a good school. Those that know BJU as well as I do also know such ideas are lacking in the truth.
I talked with a missionary that feared having their home church cutting all support based only on the fact that the DVD “Facing the Giants” was seen in their home. No doctrinal issues were reported to be in question. No gross moral sin was found. The crime was that this movie has one contemporary Christian song in it that the home church did not approve of. The missionary did not care much for the song either, but felt the movie was still worth viewing. Folks, such action by a faithful servant of God, is not a crime nor a sin.
I know of one missionary that had their funds threatened to be pulled because the man had a goatee. The goatee was always neatly trimmed and clean, but this did not count. If the missionary did not remove his goatee, he would no longer be able to speak at their facilities and all support would end. What absolute stupidity to be leveled at a family dedicated to God that had moved their family thousands of miles to an overseas land in order to share the gospel with the people. This organization that is based in the USA cannot deal with the liberty found in the Bible. People, there is nothing wrong with a goatee.
Others have been cut off for using a New King James Bible over the so-called 1611 King James Bible. Maybe you do not like the New King James Bible, but those that do like it are not heretics and should not be treated as if they were. This is not only wrong, but is borderline cultistic.
To show you I am not alone on my soap box, I quote you pastor William Dudding who is also a Fundamental Baptist who has voiced these same concerns:
When Elvis introduced Rock 'n Roll and the Beatles lead the British Invasion of boy bands to America, Fundamentalism abandoned the theological fight and entered the culture wars. These culture wars have been a distraction from the real war that the Devil has been waging on Christianity which has always been against the Word of God. John R. Rice spent most of his time writing books like "What's Wrong with the Movies" and "Hippie Hair" produced by The Sword of the Lord. By the 70's and 80's Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority started up as a counter attack to political liberalism, Jack Hyles started Hyles-Anderson College to produce preacher boys who would fight against cultural wickedness and worldliness. All this time, fundamentalists have been fighting the wrong war, the Devil has crept in and stolen the crown jewels of doctrinally sound, biblical theology. Pseudo-Theologies like 'secondary separation', and 'King James Onlyism' have taken the place of the essentials: the fundamentals.
Like Dudding and Davis, my frustrations have not caused me to leave the Fundamentalist movement, but I can understand why some such as John MacArthur refuses to be called a Fundamentalist. I rather have seen a need to call for a reformation of sorts within the movement itself. The time has come when we must look at what Fundamentalists have become in hopes of returning to what its founders had envisioned in its conception. The movement made and led by mere men has become unbiblical in many areas and therefore must be closely looked at in order to remove bad doctrines and teachings. To many good people have been “eaten alive” and destroyed by unbiblical practices now seen in some Fundamentalist circles. This must stop.
Lord willing, over the next few weeks I would like to take a close look at what I have seen go wrong over the last few years in the movement. Maybe this will led to answers and maybe it will not. Regardless these are issues in the Fundamentalist camp that must be looked at and addressed.
Maybe there is a reader that would be willing to share his or her own thoughts on this. If so, I want your input and feedback. I understand many readers of this column are Fundamentalists or those that have departed from it’s circle. Please email me or leave anonymous comments on the web site. I want to hear your stories, good or bad about the movement and suggestions on ways to better Fundamentalism so that it can get back to where it needs to be.