on the label "Fundamentalist"

Am I a fundamentalist?

Those of you who have read much of this blog will probably be able to tell me if I am or am not. I'll go ahead and say that I think I am a fundamentalist, and that is why I started this blog post. While writing it, I came across an article, though, that has caused me to think again about the term. In his article, http://www.bidstrup.com/religion.htm, Scott Bidstrup asserts his definition of "fundamentalist" in his first paragraph:

In my view, a fundamentalist religion is a religion, any religion, that when confronted with a conflict between love, compassion and caring, and conformity to doctrine, will almost invariably choose the latter regardless of the effect it has on its followers or on the society of which it is a part.

Well, according to the definition above, fundamentalists seem like heady, heartless people. I can't imagine I'd like such people. How, then can I still hold that I identify myself as a fundamentalist, if the definition is so clear. Well, for one, I hold a different definition of fundamentalist:

It seems to me that the word fundamentalist is tied to the word fundamental. I'll define a fundamentalist as someone who understands, believes, and applies the fundamentals of some set of knowledge, principles, or doctrine.

Allow me to provide an example: There is a textbook called : Fundamentals of Biochemistry. Suppose a professor of Biochemistry assigned this as the text for a class he was teaching. On the first day of classes, one of the new students storms into the classroom, points a finger at the professor and yells "You're a loveless fundamentalist! You're trying to indoctrinate us with your fundamentalist agenda! I'm never coming to class again." Imagine the absurdity of this. The word "Fundamentals" as used in the title of the textbook is synonymous with "basics" or "essentials". This is the same as I use it in the word "fundamentalist". A fundamentalist is someone who understands, believes, and applies the basics or essentials of some thing.

It should be easy to see from my definition how I can hold the word "fundamentalist" without contempt. The word itself is morally neutral. There can be and are good fundamentalists. Consider students of the Biochemistry professor above. Some of them would grow up to graduate and become practicing Biochemists. Now, if these Biochemists are any good, they still would understand, believe, and apply the fundamentals of Biochemistry they learned in college. These Biochemists can be understood to be Fundamentalist Biochemists. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact it is what defines them as being good at what they do if they know, believe, and apply the essential parts of their profession. Thus there can be good fundamentalists. This also shows that it is not the fundamentalism which is necessarily good or bad, but the principles or doctrine which governs this fundamentalism.

I am a Christian fundamentalist. I realize that there are people (even many Christians) who have qualms with these terms in such close proximity. I'd like to ask those people, "Do you not believe in the fundamentals of Christianity?" or, "Does your Christian belief not have anything which is fundamental to it?". I've already asserted in a previous post that I hold Jesus' role as Savior and Lord are essential to Christianity. They are fundamental. It is the fundamentals of my faith which lead me to correct action. It is Jesus who instructs me that I should love.

Mark 12:
28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

I am not a fundamentalist who has had his heart surgically removed (thanks to Scott Bidstrup for this vivid picture). In fact, it is the very fundamentals of my faith which have changed my life. I have a heart of flesh and not a dead heart of stone because Christ has made me alive. I know how to love others because God tells me in His word what love is and how to do it. The fundamentals of my faith lead me to love, compassion, and caring. Let's put the "fun" back into "fundamentalist". OK, I had to say it. Aside from the jokes, though, I hold that fundamentals are important... that's why we call them fundamental.

Credo for Today?

While on a date at our local bookshop, my wife and I settled into comfy chairs and did some reading. Always interested in what God is doing in other branches of Christianity, I picked up "Credo for Today ~ What Christians Believe". I am a Christian, so I generally like books which talk about what I and my fellow Christians believe. This book was written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI of the Roman Catholic Church. It seemed to be an exposition on the Creeds of the Roman Catholic Church.

The first thing I turned to was the index. I skimmed down to something which I would find interesting. I flipped to Chapter 3, which is titled "Creation: Belief in Creation and the Theory of Evolution". I was expecting to discover a contrast made between the belief that Christians hold and the theory of evolution. For those of you familiar with my blog, you'll remember that I hold that God literally created the world and believe in a young earth model. I am a Creationist. I was shocked to discover that Cardinal Ratzinger was not affirming the biblical account of creation, but was seeking to reconcile it with a man-made theory. In the short read I had of the chapter, I learned that he dismissed the importance of how God created the world. His emphasis, instead, was that God created the world. He believed (and asserted that all Christians believed) that it doesn't matter if God created the world in the way He said He did, it only matters that He created it. I think this has a profound significance on one's view of God and how that God reveals Himself. If God reveals Himself in falsehood, is he a good God? So, from the first chapter I read, I disagreed with the pope. This was not looking good.

I read on. I was looking for something with which I could agree. I turned back to the index. I saw that there was a chapter entitled "Jesus: The Only Begotten Son of God". At last! A chapter I thought I could agree with. Five pages devoted to our savior. Then I noticed the next chapter, which is entitled: "Incarnate of the Virgin Mary: 'You Are Full of Grace'". This particular chapter was 19 pages. Five pages for the savior, 19 pages for his mom. I decided to put down this book. I'd need to look somewhere else to find something on the topic of "What Christians Believe".

on the label "Christian"

"Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?"

It's a question that most people are familiar with. In some, it stirs up feelings of annoyance. In others, it stirs guilt or even anger. The question has been asked so much that it may have become cliché. Nevertheless, it is the most important question a person will ever answer. Christians are those who have personally accepted and ever seek to maintain Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Saved from what?
If every Christian believes that Jesus is their savior, then they must believe they were in danger of something from which they needed to be saved. What would be the purpose of a savior if there was nothing to be saved from? Christians are saved from their sins. Put simply, sins are bad things done or good things left undone. Ultimately, God defines what is sin and God hates sin. When Christians say that they are saved from their sins, they are usually referring to being saved from the punishment due their sins. Christians believe that sin is punishable by an everlasting sentence in hell. Literally. Christians believe they are saved from hell and saved to everlasting life. The way that Christians become saved is called the gospel. I'll cover this in detail when I talk about "Evangelical". For now, suffice it to say that a person is saved by Jesus. We see this clearly at the beginning of Matthew's account of the gospel: Matthew 1:21

...you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

What now, My Lord?
Christians have Jesus as Lord of their lives. This is not commonly used terminology today. When I was growing up, I recall hearing the phrase "what now, my Lord?" when I played "Lords of the Realm". In this video game, I would play the part of a ruler of several provinces. I would manage labor, raise armies, grow crops, and attack and conquer neighboring territories. (I was especially good at the conquering). I had control over my lands and the people that lived there. They did what I wanted them to (except when I didn't feed them and they rioted...). The point is, Jesus is Lord of the Christian's life. They do not make decisions for themselves without first seeking to know what Jesus would have them do. Consider this well known psalm:

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Most people who know this psalm know of the soothing phrases "he leads me beside still waters" and "He restores my soul". It is important to see these in context, though. The Lord is the Christian's "Shepherd". The Christian is led by Him in paths of righteousness. This is for his name's sake, the Christian doesn't do things from selfish motives, but for Jesus' sake. This is affirmed in the Great Commission at the end of Matthew's account of the gospel: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But wait... there's more!

There are other things, too, that are true among Christians. Christians hold the bible to be the word of God. Christians believe in the true and living God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (called the Trinity). Christians worship God. Christians are baptized. Christians are members of a local Church. Christians love one another. I'll explain what I mean with these in later posts as I am able. For now, I'll suffice it to say that Christianity is about Christ, what He has done to bring man to God and what He calls men to do in light of this.

Applying the label.
I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that he has saved and will save his people from their sins. I believe that he has saved me from my sins through his perfect life on earth, death, and resurrection.

If the above were a mere assent and ended here, it would be nothing but a dead theology. A living theology leads to change in a person's life.

I hold Jesus to be the Lord of my life. I'm in no way a perfect servant, but I seek to do his will in my life daily.