Are you a fundamentalist?

 

For most people the answer to this question depends on what you mean by the word “fundamentalist.” The term had its origins in the early 20^th Century, when developments in liberal theology began to question long-held Christian beliefs. The early fundamentalists said that there are certain doctrines that are “fundamental” to the Christian faith – such as the inerrancy of scripture, the Trinity, the virgin birth of Jesus, Christ’s blood atonement, His bodily resurrection, His immanent return, salvation by faith, etc.

 

Personally I believe in all these doctrines, but in most cases I’m reluctant to say that you have to believe in all of them to be a Christian. And it’s for this reason: we’re not saved by believing beliefs; we’re saved by faith. Studying and knowing doctrine is part of growing as a Christian, but you don’t need to be a doctrinal genius in order to get saved. When I came to know Jesus, all I knew was that God is God, Jesus is His son, and I needed to get right with Him.

 

Further, I’m wary of the tendency that some have of going beyond Biblical inerrancy to the point that their interpretation is considered inerrant as well. A good example of this comes with the doctrine of the Trinity. It’s certainly the best interpretation, if you ask me, of the combined three-ness and one-ness of God that we find in the Bible (e.g. Matthew 28:19, I Peter 1:2). It has certainly shown itself superior in the minds of most Christians over its competitors – i.e. Arianism, Unitarianism, Sabellianism, etc. But it is an interpretation nonetheless, so I’m reluctant to add it to a list of fundamentals.

 

No one would doubt that there are some doctrinal core components to Christianity. For me Christology and the resurrection are particularly sensitive areas. You aren’t a Christian, for example, if you think Jesus was just a normal guy – merely a historic prophet without divinity. And, in the same way, you aren’t a Christian if you don’t believe in His resurrection. But I don’t care to draw out a list much bigger than that. So I’m not a fundamentalist, then, by the classic definition. I believe in all their doctrines, but my list of “fundamental” ones is pretty brief.

 

But that said, I have come to have lots of friends who are fundamentalists, all of whom are genuine Christians who bless their churches and communities. And it bothers me the way some people treat them pejoratively – often by liberal ideologues who want to identify their cultural and political opposites with international terrorists and extremists.

 

In this sense, the word “fundamentalist” is thrown around in reference to all kinds of religionists, Christian and non-Christian, who tend towards a stricter understanding of their religion – and often people who bomb buildings, take lives, and plan bloody attacks. I call this the “wider fundamentalism”. And if we are going to use the term this way, we will also have to identify it with “fundamentalists of the left”. I say this for two reasons… First, in our culture, liberals can be every bit as rigid and dogmatic about their convictions as conservatives; and second, there have always been violent excesses on both sides of the ideology gap – from atheistic communism to Islamic militancy. Nazism also cast itself as a ‘progressive’ movement, while violent Protestant and Catholic militants in Northern Ireland have been attacking each other for generations.

 

Rather than expand the tension in the culture wars, I would just as soon see us put aside the pejorative labels and try to understand each other. We may not agree, but we can live together peaceably (Romans 12:18). And to help with this, I think it would be good to consider a question: What are your fundamentals? Most everybody has a core of beliefs and ideals. Those who don’t haven’t really thought it through. But if they do, they’ll find that they like most all of us, in a larger sense, are “fundamentalists” of one sort or another.

 

So let’s consider that question. For those who are inclined to search the scriptures, Matthew 22:36-40 and I Corinthians 15:3-4 are good references.

 

God bless you,

 

Andrew McHenry,

Pastor – Maple Hill Community Congregational Church