One of the problems I see with fundamentalism in general and more specifically with IFBx fundamentalists is the dictating of the application of Scriptural principles. In what should be matters of personal conviction, fundamentalists often enforce “standards”. The standards or personal convictions are not problematic. We all need to have personal “rules of conduct” which allow us not to violate our God-given conscience. However, when leaders enforce a specific conviction or standard–which is not expressly demanded by Scripture–they are overstepping Scriptural bounds. They all too often end up acting in the stead of the Holy Spirit in the lives of their followers. If Scripture did not expressly declare a particular application, we have freedom to apply the Scriptural principle as we see fit while being led by the Spirit as all true believers are.
I recently came across an article which points this out very poignantly. Ryan Debarr (of RyanDebarr.Com), himself a former IFBx, discusses this very problem by way of doing three relevant case studies. He looks at the issues of birth control, music, and alcohol, while highlighting how it is best to let individuals individually decide how best to apply the Biblcial principles to those specific topics. You will find the article interesting just for its treatment of those topics, but I hope you see his underlying point: dictating applications is unhealthy, controlling, and unScriptural. Below, I want to highlight a few quotes from his article, but be sure to read it in full. It is excellently written and very thoughtful.
The question I ask today is, in our practice of Christianity, how assertive should we be about a specific application of a Biblical principle? Should we let others find the best way to do their job, their Christian duties, or do we dictate not only the principles but the applications? The question is one that is at the heart of much division and controversy in the church….
God wants us to think about how to get from point A to point B, and the plan for each of us should vary as our circumstances vary. It isn\’t right to insist that everyone do it our own way. Others will have to answer to God for how they fulfilled His commandments and principles, and we shouldn\’t interfere with their work….
It is fine to stay away from things that might ensnare you, and it\’s good to look out for the welfare of others. But those are personal applications, which like the use of birth control, vary according to circumstance. It is not okay to set \”strong policies\” like any good sports team or corporation has. The pastor is not the CEO, and the congregation is not the Board of Directors. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church, and it is He who decides what is and isn\’t okay…. [Be sure to read the entire article here.]
∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 \”¢ Rom. 15:5-7
I read the original article by Ryan DeBarr on his blogsite. It was written well. These are disputable matters (personal matters) that don’t have any universal application for every believer. I am a fundamentalist, but in the historic sense, not in the corrupted sense that has its exhibitions of the IFBx type. Yet, I attended college and seminary in fundamentalist circles (although not of schools that are more extreme like PCC or Hyles/Anderson), yet some churches and pastors who supported the college I went to had beliefs that their ‘standards’ were universal and immutable. There wasn’t any debate over it; either you conform to it or you are out of line. Debate over music, alcohol, Bible versions, or any other disputable subject was muted. As for contemporary fundamentalism goes, there is a great chasm developing between the IFBx (and other denominations of like fundamentalism) and ‘thoughtful, historic fundamentalists’. The college I graduated from has led the departure from standards-driven universal ‘convictions’ to the biblical ‘standard’ that every believer should conform to the dictates of his/her mind by following the Spirit of God rather than the dictates of men. I believe that’s a Baptist distinctive, too. This is a positive sign within fundamentalism, but the mindset of ‘old school’ IFBx fundamentalism is still prevalent in many fundamentalist churches. DeBarr’s article is a breath of fresh wind in a stagnant fundamentalist culture.
Hey… I’ve been busy for quite sometime… Haven’t been around… Heard you went on vacation, hope everything was safe. Anyway, last I checked we give children rules and rules and rules (Kudos to Mrs. Smith). We give them rules, do we need to explain why to them, no. We do it becuase we love them, guide them, and most importantly, want to keep them safe. We (I say we in the generic sense, since I have no children of my own) are responsible for our children. However, as they grow older and mature, they begin to recognize the fact that the necessity for those rules as a child were there for the before ascribbed purposes. It is at this point a child matures and starts to uphold their own interpretation of the rules, after having the basic understanding of them engrained into them. Train up a child in the way that he should grow and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Christianity is the same way. Spiritually we all start as children, we don’t have the brain power or biblical understanding to make all decisions right away. We need direction, guidance and people who love us to mold us into the best possible christian we can be. God uses the authority of those around us to do it. And at some point, we mature, see the standards given to us when we were kids and say I get that now. Now those same “personal matters” that our spiritual authorities instructed us in are now ours to decide what to do with. But until maturity would you let your child do anything? Sounds self-destructive on the part of the child. Afterall, foolishness abounds in the heart of a child.
I don’t think there is anything wrond with standards. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a church enforcing standards that are based on biblical principles. It gives the “child” a way they can grow, keeps the “foolishness” from manifesting in their heart and keeps them focused on the doctrine at hand.
Do you personally think that you would have such an expansive knowledge (which I’ve always admired even back at FBC, you know that) of the Bible, if you weren’t given those same standards as a kid?
Excellent point. There needs to be room for the Spirit to work in this matter.
Chris Myers,
Thanks for commenting. I have a few thoughts in response for you to consider.
First, be sure to read the article I link to in my post. (Also, know that the guy writing that article does not like Christian Contemporary Music all that much personally, but he is making a point about what Scripture does and does not address concerning music.)
Second, it seems from your comments that when a believer matures to the level that they have a different take on “personal matters” (which happen to be standards based on Biblical principles which the church enforces) they then must decide to leave the church since they now hold standards contradictory to the ones upheld and enforced by the church. That is what it appears like to me.
Third, the problem with your reasoning is that Scripture teaches the new believers should not only be dependent on authorities for help but they should also personally be led and guided by the Spirit. Scripture seems to make it very clear that spiritual authorities derrive their authority from Scripture–how true they remain to Scripture is the measure of how legitimate their authority should be and how binding it should be for their followers.
Lastly, my main point again is not so much to state that certain standards are inferior, but rather that all standards are simply specific applications of Biblical principles which are not explicitly taught in Scripture. The principles are there, and if God wanted us all to have identical standards (same music, identical dress standards, etc.) He would have made it explicit from Scripture. Instead he has left it up to us with the Spirit and our own conscience to flesh out exactly how we apply the principles in our life. For me to demand that everyone has my same standards and enforce this as such in my church is to communicate the false message that these standards are demanded from the Bible for everyone’s adherence, when in fact they are not.
Fundamentalists often look down on those who do not hold to their own applications of Biblical principles (specifically in the realm of personal and ecclesiastical separation). They equate those people as not believing in those same Biblical principles. In doing this they are doing disservice to the body of Christ as a whole, and setting themselves up quite like the Pharisees, to police others to hold to their own exact interpretive applications on things the Bible does not explicitly require and teach. This is my main point. Yes, authority figures should help guide newer and less mature believers in how they apply principles, but to set down hard and fast rules which are not found in Scripture is not the method that should be used. If you set down rules, at least make it explicit that these rules are our own attempts to apply the principles and do not make it sound as if they are dogmatically Biblical.
God Bless,
Bob Hayton
Bob, where’d all the great artwork go on your site? You must be giving it a face-lift?
Just checking, and eagerly awaiting your next post!
I’m really glad some of the church is re-evaluating the whole “standards” issue. I feel that the only standards should be biblical standards and the others are just preferences. But many make preferences standards. I remember in the past, thinking that it was wrong for someone to close their eyes when they were singing in church-too charismatic. But it was no where in the Bible so I came to see that although it was my preference at the time to keep my eyes open, there was nothing wrong with it. Funny thing is, I found there was alot more expression in the Bible in worship and praise than I had thought right in the past. It kind of threw me for a loop when I saw raising hands, dancing and clapping in the Bible, LOL. Of course one must look at the whole counsel of God on issues but some issues are untaught in the Bible so we need to show grace and not raise an extrabiblical standard that must be fought over.
You said “we have freedom to apply the Scriptural principle as we see fit while being led by the Spirit as all true believers are.”
You Calvinists are contradictory. God is Sovereign over everything, but we have the freedom to choose to apply Scriptural principles as WE SEE FIT. God saw fit to give us His words to live by and obey Matt 4:4, Js 1:22.
We have freedom only to correctly understand and interpret Scripture II Pet 1:19-21. Scripture is more black and white than you portray.
You said nothing in this article. You herald the need to correctly apply Scripture and yet you expounded not a single verse. You state the obvious, no man has the right to impose standards that are not in Scripture. Yet, standards should be based on God’s word which produces conviction (Rom 10:17). It seems like you are paranoid of legalism, maybe you followed “rules” that were not real convictions to you. This article tends more toward explaining away having biblical standards that a person does not see fit to apply, than toward encouraging people to be less and less like the wicked world.
“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” I Jn 5:19
Maybe you think it is your “service to the body of Christ” to critique the practices of God’s churches (I Thess 2:14). Who set you up as an authority to critique the biblical standards of holiness practiced in God’s churches?
I am not trying to be unkind, but this is my question.
Instead of crticism why not use your blog to expound verses of Scripture, here are a few to start with:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this…and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
II Cor 7:1
For there are certain men crept in unawares…turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness…
Jude 4
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
James 3:1