Tag Archives: Fundamentalism

Definition and Direction Statement, Part 1

Posted on by
Adopted by the Board of Directors—September 15, 2006 Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary exists as a Fundamentalist Baptist institution of Christian higher education to disciple vocational Christian workers and leaders for local churches throughout the world. Faith Exists as a Bible College. In 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair, William H. Jordan heard Evangelist D. L. Moody speak about the importance of training Christian workers for the ministry. Deeply impressed by Moody’s comments, Jordan developed a burden to establish a school to carry on that vision.

“Fundamentalism” Distorted and the Baptist Distinctives Resounded, Part 2

Posted on by
In 2003, the University of Chicago Press published Strong Religion: The Rise of Fundamentalisms around the World, a “revised and elaborated version” of the “Fundamentalism Project.” This accessible overview (281 pages) was written by R. Scott Appleby, along with Gabriel A. Almond (Stanford University) and Emmanuel Sivan (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). According to Strong Religion, “Fundamentalism” is a “hypothetical family,” “a reactive, selective, absolutist, comprehensive mode of antisecular religious activism” (14). Thus “the resistance to modern forms of secularization is a defining common feature of religious fundamentalisms” (20).

“Fundamentalism” Distorted and the Baptist Distinctives Resounded, Part 1

Posted on by
Christian “Fundamentalists” have traditionally defined themselves not only by doctrine, but also by a disposition of “earnestly contending for the faith” through persistent evangelism, ecclesiastical separation, and an aggressive confrontation of apostasy through spoken and written word. Recently, adherents have recognized a definite shift in the use of the label “fundamentalist” in the public media and popular culture (including frequent references made to “Islamic fundamentalists”), although few laypeople can explain the details of the noticeable alteration. This inability can be partially explicated through a curious irony: fundamentalists have generally avoided secularized institutions of higher education, and the shift in terminological definition began in academia without fundamentalists themselves present at the discussion table.

Seeker Sensitive or Sinner Sensitive? Part 2

Posted on by
In the last issue I presented what I believe to be the short-comings of the Seeker Sensitive movement. It has been my observation that this movement, though beginning with good intentions, has strayed from the biblical model of evangelism. “Seekers” have become a marketplace and the gospel a commodity, the price of which has been continually lowered to meet the demands of the consumer. The tragic loser is the sinner himself, who has been misled to believe that salvation can be on his terms rather than God’s.

Economic Wisdom as an Analogy to Prudence of Separation, Part 2

Posted on by
We have previously demonstrated that economic prudence involves the judicious allocation of limited resources. Economic wisdom also reminds us that personal freedoms must be balanced by public necessities and a shared communal well-being. Samuel Gregg argues that “it is irresponsible for people studying public policy from a Christian perspective to ignore not only the self-evident fact of scarcity but also the likely economic consequences of different choices.”1 Therefore, economic ethics “involves discerning the object of an act and the intention underlying the act, as well as considering the side effects of the act and the circumstances surrounding it.”2

The GARBC A Rich History and Heritage, Part 1

Posted on by
The General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) was founded in 1932 as an outgrowth from the ashes of the Baptist Bible Union. Early in its history the GARBC expressed its fundamentalist convictions of (1) opposition to modernism and compromise, (2) opposition to conventionism and denominational control, (3) the desire to raise a standard in these days for local churches committed to evangelism, missions, and solid Bible teaching and preaching, and (4) a commitment to practice principles of personal lifestyle separation standards.

Are Conservative Southern Baptists Fundamentalists?

Posted on by
Any fundamentalist who has kept up with the conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is glad for conservatives’ advances and rejoices with them in their success. There are several books and articles which have been written from various perspectives about what has happened within the SBC since 1979. Perhaps one of the most significant is The Baptist Reformation (The Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention) by Jerry Sutton, written from the conservative point of view and published in 2000 by the SBC’s denominational publishing house, Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Selecting a Seminary

Posted on by
Are you in the process of selecting a seminary? Do you know someone who is? Do you regularly give advice to potential seminarians as they work their way through the selection process? You probably will not be surprised to learn that I recommend Faith Baptist Theological Seminary (FBTS) to potential seminarians. Very simply, all those who desire to train for ministry within Baptist fundamentalism should consider attending FBTS. I propose three reasons why you and others should consider FBTS. First, FBTS provides advanced academic training and grants degrees that are regionally accredited.

Another Look at the New Evangelicalism

Posted on by
In the late 1940s there was a move by some leaders within conservative Protestantism toward a new kind of evangelicalism. It expressed dissatisfaction with fundamentalism (note Carl Henry’s book, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, published in 1947, as well as Harold Ockenga’s inaugural address at the founding of Fuller Seminary that same year). Its new evangelicalism differed from the older fundamentalism in several ways. As their movement developed, some of these differences surfaced immediately and others more gradually. The overall difference could be noted as a change from recognizing the essential importance of doctrinal conviction and practice with a call to defend the truth, to a less precise view of doctrine, with an emphasis upon personal relationships, and a softened attitude toward (or capitulation to) the world’s way of thinking and doing.

What Happened to Keswick?

Posted on by
Years ago a few Fundamentalists had occasion to identify with the Keswick movement, also known as the “deeper life,” or “victorious life.” Others have slurred the movement in somewhat the same way that New Evangelicals have slurred the Scofield Reference Bible. The point is worth some notice. While the movement traces back to the perfectionist movements that in the 1860s produced Holiness, it went in a somewhat different direction. Credit seems to go to William Boardman, who in the 1860s was preaching a higher life, and to Pearsall Smith and his wife Hannah Whitehall Smith.