Tag: evangelicals

True Fundamentalists and the Pretenders

~ Bob Hayton ~ 3 Comments

Dr. Dave Doran comments on the two errors to avoid when it comes to separatism. The neglect of a biblical separatism on the one hand, and an excessive “free-for-all” approach, “where any perceived disobedience [becomes] the basis for excluding someone from true fundamentalism”.

I have seen both errors. And both are errors. The fundamentalist extreme though, can get downright dirty. Each fundamentalist group claims to be “true fundamentalists”, and they dig up all the dirt they can on the “pretenders”, those they allege are merely pretending to be true fundamentalists.

Doran Continues:

…It is necessary to separate from professing believers who persistently disobey God’s command to mark and turn away from false teachers/teaching. It is not necessary, though, to separate from those who are committed to this truth, but apply it differently. The application of biblical truth is always situational. One brother is prepared to act now, while another is waiting a little longer. One brother weighs actions differently than another, resulting in a different conclusion. The GARBC men came out in1932, while the CBA men stayed in until 1947. Some separatists worked within the National Association of Evangelicals until the early 50s, while other separatists opposed it from its start in the early 40s. The idea that men of separatist principles and convictions all agreed with each other straight down the line on matters of application is a myth””a myth that usually is wielded by the true fundamentalist crowd in order to marginalize those they want to paint as pretenders. I think I have even been guilty of doing it from time to time over the years.

Frankly, I have no illusions of restoring fundamentalist unity. That ship sailed a long time ago. What I am burdened about is restoring a proper biblical emphasis on the matter of separation from false doctrine and those who teach it. That is such a serious issue that it impacts our relationship even with professing brothers who persistently refuse to obey God on this matter. John R. Rice and those who followed his lead were wrong on this. They abandoned a biblical truth that must not be abandoned. That same truth, though, has also suffered at the hands of those who abused it and produced one schism after another, often for purely partisan reasons. It is crucial, I think, for us to avoid both of these errors so that we guard ourselves from the non-separatist and hyper-separatist ditches on the left and right sides of the road.

[emphasis added]

I’d encourage you to read Doran’s entire blog post, “The Fragmenting of Fundamentalism”. And if you haven’t had a chance yet, read the interesting exchange between Doran, Minnick and Bauder that I shared earlier.

I couldn’t agree more with Doran on his point. This is where I think much of fundamentalism fails badly. It’s not that separatism isn’t important. It’s that separatism takes many shapes and requires discernment. Just because some haven’t joined the fundamentalist camp yet (and many are largely unaware it exists), doesn’t mean they aren’t attempting to apply the biblical teaching on prizing the Gospel so much that one is ready to fight for it’s truths and separate from apostasy.

Often, I’ve found, so-called “true fundamentalists” stand ready to insert an evil motivation of their imagination behind every choice made by the pretenders or the conservative evangelicals (that the “true fundamentalists” disapprove of). Just because these other men didn’t ask you first, doesn’t mean thy didn’t think through the issue carefully.

Essential Reading on Fundamentalism

~ fundyreformed ~ 4 Comments

I don’t have time now to get in depth, but I wanted to at least give you the link.

9 Marks Ministries‘ March/April e-journal is on the topic of fundamentalism and separation.

Some of the very issues, I’ve been debating about recently here are covered (including article’s I’ve referenced by Albert Mohler and Wayne Grudem). There are other new articles and thoughts on this topic from Ian Murray, Mark Dever and others. And they include David Doran and Mark Minnick with a fundamentalist perspective. Ben Wright, of Paleoevangelical, also contributes.

Again, I’m pressed for time, so I’ll just give you the link to the PDF copy as well as a link to the page that introduces the journal and provides html links to the articles.

PDF / HTML

Why Evangelicals Support Huckabee over Romney

~ fundyreformed ~ 23 Comments

No. It’s not because Romney’s Mormon and Huckabee’s Baptist. I contend Huckabee’s evangelical support goes deeper than that. The roots of his support are grounded in concepts the political punditry and main-stream media can’t seem to comprehend.

Evangelicals are a multi-faceted bunch. We are controlled by a Scriptural, and highly moral ethic. And politics is just a side-focus to us. We’re mainly about the Gospel and Jesus, and so political ties are held somewhat tenuously. It’s not enough to just slap “pro-life” on your chest, evangelicals do care about the whole package that comes with that.

I recently stumbled across a post by Josh Reighley which sums up this point very well:

Huckabee’s primary support has come from Evangelical Christians. In the past, we have voted for candidates based on one or two issues. Knowing this, the Republican party has outright pandered to us on these two issues, and earned a lot of support. We care about a lot more issues, and the Republican party largely ignores them.

There is a biblical mandate to protect life. The GOP attempts to do this, but they tend to do it in a cold and heartless way, causing the country to look at the proponents of life as theocratic tyrants.

There is also a biblical mandate to protect the poor. There is a biblical mandate to be good stewards of the environment. There is a biblical mandate to fight greed and corruption. These are part of the true evangelical heart.

He goes on to claim that Romney is a “plastic candidate” blatantly pandering to Evangelicals based on his pro-life and pro-family stance. I totally agree. Josh goes on to explain just why Huckabee appeals so much to us Evangelicals.

We don’t have to choose from the lesser of two evils. We have a very articulate, warm hearted evangelical who cares about the same things that we care about and doesn’t have to pander to anybody. He cares about the environment. He cares about the poor. He is not beholden to corporate interests or to political interests. He knows the struggles of the everyday American family, and he wants to make their life better.

This is why I and others I know support Huckabee. And this train of thought is why several prominent Christian bloggers do as well: Justin Taylor, Matthew Anderson, Joe Carter — (see joint endorsement here) and Randy Alcorn.

Alcorn in particular illustrates the Biblical mindset that favors a candidate like Huckabee:

Today, I am less enthusiastic about political parties than I’ve ever been. I’m a Republican largely because I adamantly oppose abortion. But my concern for the poor, racial justice and the environment””all of which have a strong biblical basis””make me sometimes identify more with the concerns of Democrats (though I don’t always agree on their proposed solutions). But I could never be a Democrat as long as that party remains hostile toward the rights of unborn children. Yes, there are prolife Democrats, but they are a small minority. And by the way, if I had a choice between voting for a prolife Democrat and a prochoice Republican, I’d vote for the Democrat in a heartbeat….

In my opinion, Huckabee doesn’t just know the words; he knows the music. You can see the authenticity in him. I heard him say, “I do not spell G-O-D G.O.P.” That means he’s a follower of Christ before he’s a follower of the Republican party. He’s not overbearing in his spiritual beliefs, but he never apologizes for them. He’s humble and self-effacing. He’s not in your face, yet he’s firm in conviction. I actually think this guy says what he believes and believes what he says. And I have to say, I don’t think that about most politicians. He says some things that are unpopular and will lose him votes and he says them anyway””I love the courage that reflects….

And evangelicals shouldn’t be afraid to support Huckabee. The political pundits are wrong: Huckabee is McCain’s toughest competition–and Romney is just siphoning votes away from him. (You’ve got to read Joe Carter’s excellent post on pundit-based reality vs. voter-based reality.)

Personally, I’d much rather cast a vote for McCain than for Romney– because McCain at least has integrity and is honorable. So chalk me up for one who wouldn’t mind a McCain-Huckabee ticket. I just wish Huckabee was on the top of that ticket!

Bonus: for an explanation of why I think Romney is untrustworthy, check this older post, or Joe Carter’s recent one here.