The
short answer to this question is that Fundamentalism is a subset of
Christianity. It is relatively new, having only been around less than a
century. It is important to note the distinction between the
‘fundamentals of the faith’ and ‘fundamentalism’. The fundamentals of
the faith are the core beliefs of Christianity. A short list of these
beliefs would include the deity of Christ; the virgin birth; Christ’s
death, burial and resurrection; the divine inspiration of Scripture.
Most Evangelical Christians would also agree with the statements listed
in the Apostles’ Creed.
Picture
a circle in your mind. This circle represents the gospel and each
person is either inside or outside of this gospel circle. Within this
circle there are different flavors of Christianity. The largest group
would be Evangelical Christians represented by a number of
denominations. Fundamentalists make up a much smaller, albeit frequently
vocal, group and are probably most frequently associated with the
Baptist title.
Historic
fundamentalism arose in response to ‘liberal’ influences which were
beginning to make inroads at Christian seminaries and places of
education. Higher thinkers were beginning to subvert the core doctrines
of Christianity, especially the deity of Christ. According to the
fundamentals of the faith, these people were therefore preaching another
‘gospel’. This was not necessarily a new problem as evidenced by the
fact that the Apostle Paul warned the church of Galatia to watch out for
people who preached another gospel (Gal 1:6-9). Going back to our
gospel ‘circle’, these people would claim the Christian label but their
beliefs would place them outside the gospel. In other words, they were
apostate.
In
the beginning, fundamentalists were on the right path. They wanted to
keep false teachings out of Christianity. In their zeal to defend the
faith they eventually alienated a large segment of evangelicals who were
caught in the ideological crossfire. Fundamentalists also began to
distance themselves from evangelicals because many evangelicals were
still willing to fellowship with the apostates (this is known as
secondary separation).Over time, many fundamentalists came to view
themselves as the only true Christians.
As
the fundamentalist movement progressed, it began to move further from
its original goal of keeping the gospel pure. Other issues such as bible
versions, consumption of alcohol, music and other personal standards
became ‘fundamentals’ as well. These issues became so important to the
fundamentalist movement that at least one self-proclaimed leader of the
movement said that a person could only be saved by hearing the gospel
from a King James Bible.
Modern
fundamentalism is a far cry from its original form and intent.
Extra-biblical standards have become the norm in the fundamentalist
camp. Fundamentalists frequently measure their Christian worth by how
well they follow the rules and standards that they have constructed.
They believe that living in this manner shows the world that they are
Christians. Sadly, they almost always miss what Jesus said was actually
the way that people would recognize them: their love for one another
(John 13:35).
Fundamentalism
would do well to take note of Christ’s words to the church of Ephesus
(Rev 2:2-5). Like the church of Ephesus, fundamentalism has left its
first love -- the truth of the gospel and the command to love one
another -- for its new love of focusing on the actions and beliefs of
others. Guarding against error is good but it becomes a problem when it
comes at the detriment of loving God and loving our neighbor as Jesus
taught (Matt 22:36-40).
One
of the keys to a good Christian life is balance. As Christians we
should keep an eye out for false teachings but we should also be careful
not to be critical of people who do not hold the same standards as we
do. They may still be learning or they may understand something you do
not. Additionally, the Bible does not cover everything and we are left
to our own conclusions in these areas. A pervading spirit of criticism
is just as harmful to the gospel as false teaching.Let fundamentalism
serve as a cautionary tale for us as we seek to live our Christian
lives.
C_Fresh
