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Historic Fundamental When you hear the word FUNDAMENTALIST, what do you think of? It probably conjures up in your mind images of uneducated, radical religious people. Maybe the term fundamentalist is a word that denotes to you an offensive person who is mean spirited, obnoxious, somewhat ignorant and fanatical. I want to define what a Biblical Fundamentalist is. It is my conviction that Biblical Fundamentalism is historic Christianity. They are one and the same. I want to share with you what historic Bible believers have always held. What is a definition of historic fundamentalism, or Biblical Christianity? I submit this for you to ponder: Biblical Fundamentalism is a movement that believes, obeys, proclaims, and contends for the vital doctrines of inerrant Scripture and separates from those who deny those clear truths. Kirsop Lake, a theological liberal said this, "It is a mistake, often made by educated persons who happen to have but little knowledge of historical theology, to suppose that Fundamentalism is a new and strange form of thought. It is nothing of the kind: it is the survival of a theology which was once universally held by all Christians. The Fundamentalist may be wrong: I think that he is. But it is we who have departed from the tradition, not he, and I am sorry for the fate of anyone who tries to argue with a Fundamentalist on the basis of authority. The Bible and the corpus theologicum of the Church is on the Fundamentalist side." A Biblical Fundamentalist is one who BELIEVES the Bible. That is, he accepts what is written in its plain, normal, and literal sense. To believe the Bible, one must interpret the Bible literally. When coming to the eternal Word of God, seem to have an attitude that you can never be sure of what the Bible means, so it can mean anything we want. NO! A Biblical Fundamentalist sees the Bible as clear and plain. That does not mean that there are things "hard to be understood." That does not mean that good men cannot agree to disagree over some issues of lesser importance. Biblical Fundamentalism has historically not been a denominational movement. There have been fundamental Presbyterians, fundamental Methodists, or fundamental Baptists. A fundamentalist does believe what is written. A Biblical Fundamentalist believes that the sixty-six books in our Bible is the Word of God. Luke 24:25: O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus believed the plain, normal, literal meaning of the Bible. The Scriptures literally said he would be born of the seed of a woman, of a virgin, and he was. The Scriptures literally said he would be born of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he was. The Scriptures say he literally would be from the Tribe of Judah and the family of David, and he was, The Scriptures literally say he would be born in Bethlehem, that he would suffer for our transgressions, be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and that he would rise again, and he was! One of the strongest attacks against historic, Biblical Fundamentalism today is upon our insistence upon a literal interpretation of God's Word. Fundamentalists are accused of heresy for tenaciously holding to a literal view of Scripture. In a magazine called Ecumenical Trends we find this attack, "It appears Fundamentalism is now branching offf from Christianity to constitute still another separate religion." Because of a literal interpretation of Scripture, the unbelieving religionists seek to isolate then condemn those who believe the truth. In a book entitled "What Catholics Believe" it is stated that Jonah was a parable, not a fact of history. It also promoted the idea that Moses did not write the whole Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, that Isaiah did not write chapters 40-66 of Isaiah, that Daniel did not write all of the book that bears his name, and that we evolved from monkeys rather than created in the direct image of God. Now, you can check your Bible on every one of these points and discover that Jesus held fast to all the things that the Roman Catholic Church does not! (Matthew 12:39, 40). In Luke 24:44 Jesus proclaimed the entire Bible as it stood and that Moses wrote the law, Luke 24:44. Jesus taught in a literal direct creation of Adam and Eve. In Matthew 19:4 Jesus said, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female." The problem in professing Christendom today, is many denominations emphasize why we should not believe the Bible. Do not accuse the fundamentalist of being schismatic. No! I stand today where all Bible believers have always stood, and it is not I who have changed, it is the theological modernists, ecumenists, and Romanists who have continually changed and departed from a simple, literal belief in the Bible. A Biblical Fundamentalist is one who OBEYS the Bible. Now, there none is perfect and without sin, but true Christians in the Bible sense of the Word seek to obey the word of God. John 14:15; If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 15:14; Ye are my friends, if ye do what whatsoever I command you. I John 5:3; For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. We see that to obey God is to love God; love toward God is not wishy-washy emotionalism, or sticky sentimentalism. Love for God is obedience from a pure heart. Obedience is the essence of love! Many today think that love is to gather in large ecumenical crusades; I say love is to obey God and withdraw myself from those who disobey the clear teachings of Scripture. The heart of fundamentalism is in a desire to obey God and live holy for him. Historically, Biblical Christianity and fundamentalism (they are really one and the same), have striven for Biblical purity and holiness in personal, family, and church life. A Biblical Fundamentalist PROCLAIMS the Bible. Biblical fundamentalism, or the Historic Christian movement there has always been a heart and desire to preach this message to others. WHY? Because Jesus told his disciples: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) Jesus promised His presence in this endeavor when He said, “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. AMEN” (Matthew 28:20b). In Acts 1:8 Jesus promised; But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. The early church and those disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and the result of this mighty power was a holy boldness to preach Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. Acts 4:31; They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. When released from jail and told not to preach anymore, Peter answers, We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20). The High Priest laments at one point how the disciples have "filled Jerusalem with their doctrine" (Acts 5:28). The heart of a Biblical Fundamentalist today is to still proclaim this message to the uttermost part of the earth: to reach our communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to send out missionaries from our churches to turn our world upside down with the Good news. Today, many are taking the unbiblical position that we should not try to "proselytize." This is a bad word with negative meaning. We are told to preach the Gospel, to proclaim that Jesus saves. If someone is going to a cold, religious institution that does not preach the saving grace of Jesus Christ, whether it be Baptist or Catholic, Jehovah Witness, Mormon, or Islam, we ought to preach the Gospel to them. One thing that cannot be assumed is that a person is born again. Jesus said that the way to heaven is a narrow way, and few are they which find it. We must proclaim the Bible so that men can know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Friend. A Biblical Fundamentalist CONTENDS for the Faith Jude 3 says, "It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." “The faith” stands for the entire revealed body of truth found in the inspired Scripture. The New Tesatment is full of the imagery of the military and warfare. We are to take on the whole armour of God and we are to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We are in a mighty spiritual battle, a struggle for souls over eternal truth and eternal life. We are to stand up for Jesus in this battle and not shrink from the raging warfare all around us. We must spiritually battle for the faith. A Biblical Fundamentalist has never sought to force conversion through the use of a sword nor has true historic Christianity ever joined forces with the power of the state to fight her battles. NO! It is a paradox that Fundamentalist are accused of being harsh, unloving, and intolerant, yet we have never forced anyone to believe in our Savior, and if someone refuses to accept the truth and believe in Jesus, we respect howbeit disagree, with their decision. Biblical Fundamentalism is a movement that believes, obeys, proclaims, and contends for the vital doctrines of inerrant Scripture and separates from those who deny those clear truths. A Biblical Fundamentalist contends FOR the Vital Doctrines. In the late 1800's and early 1900's in America, the major denominations began to cave in to liberal theology or modernism; that is, they began accepting rational arguments that the miracles of the Bible were not true. Darwinian evolution began creeping into the church: that we evolved rather than were created. So-called higher criticism became in vogue, that Moses did not write the Pentateuch, Daniel did not write Daniel, and Isaiah did not write Isaiah. The authenticity of the entire Bible came into question. In order to defend and preserve the faith and hold on to the basic beliefs of Christianity which would transcend denominations, a series of books were written to clearly define what beliefs were vital to all Bible Believers. A series of books were written, 12 in all, containing about 90 articles by 64 different authors, and these books were called The Fundamentals. Some of the authors were C.I. Scofield, A.T. Pierson, Thomas Spurgeon, R.A. Torrey, and G. Campbell Morgan. The term Fundamentalist was coined by Curtis Laws in 1920 when he said, "We suggest that those who still cling to the great fundamentals, and who mean to do battle royal for the fundamentals shall be called Fundamentalists." These books clearly defined the basic points of Historic Christianity: The virgin birth deity of Jesus Christ, His substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, His Second Coming, and the inspiration and authority of the Bible. This battle between theological liberalism and the fundamentalists was fought within the mainline denominations and in America’s major cities and seminaries. In 1922, Harry Emerson Fosdick, pastor of the well known Riverside Church in New York City preached a message, "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?" Fosdick along with Union Theological Seminary also in New York City and other modernists, rejected all the major doctrines of the Bible. In 1924 the well known Princeton theology professor Greshem Machen took his stand for Scripture and expressed the concerns of his heart: "There are three possible attitudes which you may take in the present conflict. In the first place, you may stand for Christ. That is best. In the second place, you may stand for anti-Christian Modernism. That is next best. In the third place, you may be neutral. That is perhaps worst of all. The worst sin today is to say that you agree with the Christian faith and believe in the Bible, but then make common cause with those who deny the basic facts of Christianity. Never was it more obviously true that he that is now with Christ is against Him." Biblical Fundamentalists believe that Scripture is Inerrant. Inerrancy means simply that the Bible is true in all areas. Inerrancy means without error, whether areas of history, science, geology, biology. Jesus said, Thy word is truth. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost wrote word for word exactly what God wanted them to write. Fundamentalist Christians have historically believed that the Bible in its original manuscripts were without error. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. This inerrant word has been preserved in good translations such as the King James Bible or the New King James Bible, or the NASV. This word “inerrancy” is a word that many in the evangelical world do not like to use. Let me also emphasize that fundamentalism is not about one translation. No doubt, the King James Version has been the most beloved translation of many fundamentalists for many years, and it is the translation I love and use, but the inerrancy and authority of the Bible is not based upon the KJV, but upon the original manuscripts and then upon a large number of Greek manuscripts which have been used to translate the Bible into our language. Fundamentalism is not based upon whether you use the King James Bible or not. I have good friends who strongly believe in the inspiration of the Bible who use the NKJV and the NASV. A Biblical Fundamentalist separates from those who deny those clear truths. Separation is primarily a positive Biblical doctrine based on the holiness of God. We stand FOR truth, and therefore AGAINST error. In our own nation, when liberalism began invading the major denominations, the Fundamentalist sought to purge the liberals from the denominations. When those attempts failed, in about 1930, the fundamentalist separated themselves, forming their own churches, schools, and mission agencies. Separation is grounded firmly in the very character of God. Separation is an expression of God's holiness. 1 Peter 1:15,16; But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. A Biblical Fundamentalist, or a historic Christian, is not neutral toward sin. Because God is holy, we must break from sin. Rom. 12:9; Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Today, modern evangelicalism seeks a neutrality toward doctrinal and some moral evil. In 1948, modern neo-evangelicalism was born when one Harold Ockenga affirmed the theology of the fundamentalist, but repudiated the separation of the fundamentalist. The neo-evangelical movement is born of compromise, it makes peace with theological liberalism, and it accommodates unbelief. This contradicts the Biblical commands to refuse cooperation with those who deviate from Biblical truth. The Bible believer is not to cooperate or dialogue with doctrinal error. We are commanded to withdraw from it. 1 Timothy 6:5; "withdraw thyself" from those who teach otherwise than the words of Jesus Christ and the doctrine which is according to godliness. 2 Timothy 3:5; Many will have "a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Romans 16:17; Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned: and avoid them. Galatians 1:8; But thou we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Mr. Billy Graham has been the leader in this false ecumenical unity. He is the most well known and popular preacher of the last century. Yet Billy Graham has said, "I do not believe that the ground of our fellowship is to be the inerrancy of the Scriptures, but, rather, the ground of our fellowship is to be the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ." I have news for Mr. Graham. That is not historic Christianity or Biblical Fundamentalism. If we do not hold on to the inerrancy of Scripture, we have no ground upon which to stand. How do I know Jesus is God unless the Bible is inerrant? Mr. Graham, in his crusades, cooperates with those who reject foundational, fundamental truth. There is no requirement for those involved to hold to the fundamentals of the faith. Prior to Mr. Graham's crusade in Buffalo, in 1988, a questionnaire was sent to the church leaders involved in the crusade. Here are some of the questions asked: • Do you believe in the inspiration of the whole Bible? 7 said no, 2 said yes. • Do you believe God created the world? 8 said yes, 7 said no. • Do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ from the grave? 13 said yes, two said no. • Do you believe in a literal hell? 6 said yes, 10 said no. Billy Graham is not an historic fundamentalist. There is no way the Apostle Paul would cooperate with unbelievers in trying to win the lost. The very ones Mr. Graham is cooperating with need salvation. Not only that, but Mr. Graham has supported the apostate World Council of Churches. One W.C.C. Assemby meeting in Vancouver promoted such speakers as Dr. Dorothee Solle who denounced the Biblical concept of God and His Lordship, and encouraged a New Age "god-movement." She told her listeners to write new bibles. Others spoke of a god-mother. The W.C.C. is constantly seeking unity with Roman Catholicism and is seeking to bring about a one world church headed up by the Anti-Christ himself. Francis Schaeffer in his last book entitled The Great Evangelical Disaster, wrote, "The W.C.C. is in danger of becoming a mouthpiece of false prophecy to Christianity." The Biblical Fundamentalist heeds the admonition of Revelation 18:4; Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. I have tried to communicate what Biblical Fundamentalism is. I pray you could fully agree with this statement: Biblical Fundamentalism is a movement that believes, obeys, proclaims, and contends for the vital doctrines of inerrant Scripture and separates from those who deny those clear truths. I would encourage you to allign yourself with a church that is doctrinally sound and scripturally separate unto the holiness and truth of God. You may have to leave the church you are in. We live in a day of apostasy and compromise, and to be fully obedient to God, I beseech you as Paul, “Come out from among them and be separate.” |