First, Christians must always acknowledge the authority of God’s word. We live in a pluralistic age when every man does that which is right in his own eyes. The Bible has been dismissed as a mere gathering of moral teachings that, along with many other competing texts, contains some valuable life lessons. With the advent of Liberalism, the almighty self has taken upon itself to reject the inspiration of Scripture. Even some New Evangelicals have taken this stance and it’s currently deteriorating their movement. Once the authority of Scripture is denied, all sorts of heretical beliefs quickly ensue.
Secondly, the whole issue of Christian Separatism needs a revival of sorts. D.L. Moody once said, “You cannot love God and the world at the same time, because they abhor each other. They are at enmity, always have been and always will be.”
More importantly, Scripture admonishes us to be separate from the world, to be different, to be distinguished as lights in a world of darkness. I agree with Kevin Bauder who, speaking at the American Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries in 2005, said;
"Gentlefolk, if we loose separatism we have lost fundamentalism. It is time for us to turn the best efforts of our best exegetes and theologians to a renewed, sustained articulation and defense of biblical separation."
This issue of separatism is in desperate need of our attention today. Separatism has always been a defining characteristic of our movement (as well as the Fundamentals of the Faith; the virgin birth, the bodily resurrection, the authority of Scripture, the sacrificial atonement, and the literal/physical return of Jesus to the earth).
A continued militant stance against worldliness must be trumpeted from our hilltops because the separatist cause is currently loosing ground in our circles. Conservative, fundamentalist Christian secondary schools are watching their graduates attend non-separated universities. One of these universities proudly asserts its size and growth trends. Significant numbers of young fundamentalists are deserting our ranks and fleeing to non-separated schools. David O. Beal, professor of history at Bob Jones University calls these schools “neo fundamentalists” and observes that they have abandoned “the old separatist position” and now blend “quite naturally into middle-of-the-road to right-wing evangelicalism.”
At the grassroots level, congregations, too, while some still submit to biblical principles of music in worship, are dismissing those same principles in their personal listening habits. The unorthodox assumption that “to reach the world we must be like the world” is gaining ground. As John MacArthur points out in his book, Ashamed of the Gospel, among evangelicals, separatism is hardly even discussed any more;
"Virtually every modern worldly attraction has a ‘Christian’ counterpart.
We have Christian motorcycle gangs, Christian bodybuilding teams,
Christian dance clubs, Christian amusement parks, and even Christian
nudist colonies. Where did Christians ever get the idea we could win
the world by imitating it?"
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO TRUE CHRISTIAN LOVE?
While biblical separatism is certainly a defining doctrine of fundamentalism and in desperate need of deeper analysis, there is another issue mysteriously absent from the fundamentalist conversation today; love.
I believe our lack of love for one another is what's driving our kids away into neo-fundamentalist circles. No one in their right mind would walk away from those with whom they have a deep respect and love. Sometimes we tend to jump on our doctrinal bandwagons (and sometimes we should) but we forget about the emphasis God places upon the need to love one another. One must only peruse through some 18th and 19th Century hymns to see just how far we have wandered. Consider these words from an old favorite, “Blest be the Tie . . .”
We share our mutual woes, Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.
When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain . . .
While we may share mutual woes and often help each other in tangible ways, few any longer have bonds strong enough to warrant the shedding of tears for one another. When was the last time you shed "a sympathetic tear" for a brother or sister in Christ? We add names to prayer lists and duty is done in lifting requests up to God in often robotic fashion.
And when church is dismissed, congregations clear out the parking lots quickly. Few feel “inward pain” when parting. Such heart-felt emotional ties of kindred minds are predominantly missing from our churches today. If such love and acceptance were equally as important as doctrine and separatism, there would be no reason for young fundamentalists to abandon our movement and saunter to the left. Bauder again observes . . .
"We are dealing with a younger generation for whom the personal and emotional
has become very important. In my opinion, this is not a bad thing. We do not have to choose between the mind and the heart. God has so constituted us that we can have both. In fact, if we do not have both we become caricatures.”
Armed with unlimited texting and Facebook, our youngfolk are extremely interconnected. Texting, online chatting, Twitter, and Facebook have engaged young people all over the world into sharing details of their lives which ordinarily may never have been expressed to anyone but those with whom close bonds were already established. Ties have been built through technology that are strong, influential, and unhindered by difficult accents or intimidating body language. Mature fundamentalists are needed to enter into this electronic subculture to participate in the lives of the next generation. Encouragement, wisdom, and personal advice and influence are desperately needed. Love ought to be the primary motive here.
THE GREAT COMMISSION AT OUR FINGERTIPS!
International ties, thus, are being made at personal levels on Facebook. This personal trans-global communication is occurring now and growing at a rapid pace. These new foreign contacts are also refreshingly open to the spiritual influence of American believers.
Untainted by the postmodernist pluralism plaguing America, many in these often Third-world countries are more receptive to Scripture than the average Joe in America. “This country is far more open to the Gospel than most parts of the USA,” recently wrote a missionary to me from the Philippines.
Thus, opportunity abounds for American fundamentalists to exert a little outreach without the fear of the militant rejection encountered at home. Perhaps this could be a shot of confidence for us. A personal and bold stand for the gospel is literally at our fingertips. The influence of mature Christians, therefore, is needed not only among our young at home but also with the lost and spiritual babes in Christ across the sea. While never forgetting the lost physically in our midsts, we ought to embrace these opportunities at once!
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
While the more academically-minded fundamentalists further develop separatist doctrine and gifted preachers and teachers focus on grounding their congregants in the great doctrines of our faith, wise believers can, in the meantime, exert considerable influence upon the world. God wants us to love one another. He wants us to delight in helping one another. There can be no greater investment in one another than to love, show concern, and be involved in each others’ daily lives. Technology has enhanced this opportunity!
If fundamentalism is to survive then love for one another, at the grassroots level, must become important to us. The triune battle cry of doctrine, separatism, and love must dominate our movement's conversation. Only then will fundamentalism be worthy of survival.
