Fundamentalist Conservatives: Stop Apologizing For Being One

It’s amazing how few churches and “Bible Belt” fundamentalists truly are conservative. Of course the term “conservative” is a comparative term, so please allow me to define it.

When I say fundamentalist conservative, I mean what some might consider “old fashioned” but not quite. There are several key aspects to conservative fundamentalism.

I mean someone who holds to a high view of scripture–meaning they believe in not only inspiration but preservation. Many would say they take this view, but limit it to the original manuscripts. This is double talk. We know none of the originals still exist; therefore the preserved copies allegedly no longer exist and all existing copies and bible translations are by de facto unpreserved. This view is descended from apostate liberals such as the English clergymen Wescott and Hort and has been propagated sadly by many fundamentalists  and religious institutions.

The propaganda is so vast yet so wrong and frankly ludicrous. It is a direct attack on the authority of scripture, the person of Christ and I believe Satan’s  greatest assault on the church from within. This war of truth is rampant, overwhelming and waged by religious elites who use  dishonest and deceitful tactics. It highly resembles political mudslinging. (for more on this topic, see David Sorenson’s “Touch Not The Unclean Thing.”)

Another characteristic of a fundamentalist conservative is they take the proverbial high ground towards religious worship. The Scriptures are clear and emphatic that God is to be worshipped in a reverent way that places the focus on Him and not us; it does not resemble the style and methods of the world, but is sacred and reserved for God.

Of all the issues in this discussion, this is the most heated and most sensitive among younger believers. Music is important in worship, but is nowhere near the importance of preaching; but those on the fundamentalist left love to bring music up to the level of preaching or even above it.

As if that flawed idea wasn’t enough, the music of choice is decreasingly that of hymns, but CCM and the emerging power house of Sovereign Grace Music (SGM). Besides their obvious imitation of worldly styles and blasphemous “worship,” I have real difficulty understanding how a fundamentalist could advocate using music of a new evangelical – charismatic organization which attempts to use worldly styles to market their product. It’s absolutely impossible for me to reconcile such a dichotomy. Simply ignoring the issue of SGM is not enough; there is an increasing number of churches and organizations that refuse to name SGM and stand against it. This is weakness and perceived as consent.

The younger generation cries out for that style. And sadly, some of the older generation are all too ready and willing to give it to them. No wonder students come out running to SGM and CCM. The Old Testament shows time and time again where the younger, foolish generation demands the old generation to give in to their whims and fancies toward worldliness. The older generation needs to step up and do the hard, but right thing and hold firm to the ancient landmarks. As a young man, I plead that they would choose the latter over giving in to foolish young people, who historically have been attracted to the world. Wisdom must prevail over whims; principle must trump preference.

Music is a sensitive issue that permeates deep into our person–and is therefore a natural weak spot. Music is often. Trojan horse by which liberalism can sneak in so deeply it is almost impossible to root out.

I have said this in the past and will again reaffirm that once people give in to the modern bible version lie, music is next.

The final issue could also be considered the underlying issue of conservative fundamentalism: separation. If fundamentalists get this one right, it is very likely they will get the rest right. If we understand that biblical separation is mandated and is clearly explained, we would not have to with Wescott, Hort or SGM.

The number one complaint, or as I call it–cop out–is this: “we need to have more love and less focus on externals.” This is such a lame attempt towards liberalism. We know God looks on the heart, but He also commands external obedience and separation.

The funny thing, at least to me, is the people crying loudest are ones who should just admit they are liberals and new evangelicals. Why pretend to be a fundamentalist? Just save yourself the grief and leave the camp. Quit playing games and pick your side. People like that will jump all over me for saying this, but at least I am openly a fundamentalist conservative. Don’t play the liberal game of pretending and being a chameleon.

In closing, we need to do three things:

1. Acknowledge the battle exists and is here to stay.

2. Understand the liberals vastly outnumber the conservatives and will use every lame excuse and tactic imaginable and that we are fighting those who truly don’t believe our current bible is inerrant and preserved. (Why should we be surprised at anything they believe and push?)

3. Boldly draw the line between liberal and conservative and stand. Call liberals out for who they are and quit the chameleon games. The first thing they will say is “we are being divisive and causing division in the church.”

I end with this: such a charge is a lie and ludicrous. Such was the charge Ahab made to Elijah. Ahab accused Elijah of troubling Israel. Elijah pointed out correctly and without playing the word game that Ahab was the one trolling Israel because he had departed from the Word of God, His commandments and led the people in a way of worship that replaced God and offended Him.

So there it is. We as fundamental conservatives must stop apologizing for being conservative and stop tiptoeing around liberal fundamentalists and call them out on what they are and what they are pushing.

Fundamentalism Could Die With My Generation

Fundamentalism is an intriguing term. It once referred solely to the universal group of believers who held to and defended certain fundamental beliefs and doctrines that could not be removed or compromised without repudiating true Christianity. Now the term “fundamentalist” could refer to Muslims, Hindus, etc. For the purposes of this post, I am speaking of the historic, Christian fundamentalists or Fundamentalism.

Now that we know what we are focusing on, another issue is this: “Is Fundamentalism a group or a set of beliefs?” To save us some time, I borrow from former BJU Science faculty Dr. Henson when he said, “Fundamentalism is Biblical truth.” Understand that he made the statement after four weeks of explaining exactly which doctrines were Fundamental and after giving a detailed history of Liberalism and its ties with Modernism and Humanism.

To be a Fundamentalist is primarily to identify oneself as a believer that holds to the historic and traditional cardinal doctrines of Scripture and make it known that he will not compromise on or depart from those doctrines. The prime example is the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Dr. Henson confirmed, the chief goal of theological liberals is to make Christ less God-like and more human. After all the lame excuses and double-talk is over, that is what they are doing, and have been doing since their movement began.

Fundamentalism is certainly not perfect. Being an Fundamentalist preacher, writer, church or school does not mean infallibility. We certainly are all aware of mistakes made on all those named levels. However, it is Fundamentalism overall in the grand scheme of history that has been the primary beacon of Biblical truth and fundamental doctrine in the United States and Europe.

Many young people today are leaving Fundamentalism. It is a sobering reality, but we had better face facts. Many college grads who were in Fundamentalist churches and homes before enrollment leave either as a liberal or uninterested in religious matters altogether. Why? I humbly submit the following possibilities:

1. They were never Fundamentalists to begin with. It is quite possible they received little to no direct training in the home or their church on the issues of Fundamentalism and Liberalism. The Bible stresses in numerous places the need of educating children and young people in the way of godliness and the fundamentals of the faith; this makes the teen and young adult years much easier. However, many parents find themselves to busy or I fear negligent to really drive in to their children’s minds the fundamental doctrines of Scripture. Perhaps this is credited to the parents’ belief that weekly church services and Christian education are somehow sufficient. The failure of the church and the school is irrelevant; the parent is primarily responsible. Maybe the parents did a decent job but the church or school did not back them up. This happens often, sadly too often. One way or another, the vast majority of Christian youth grow up spiritually deficient of Scriptural soundness and firm foundations in Biblical truth.

2. They were changed at college or during their college years. Because of the attractiveness of secular institutions, many young people flock to them–only to become brainwashed with humanism and atheism. We know from the case of Daniel that we do not have to be products of our environment. Daniel was captured by the most wicked kingdom of his day and was still the most bold and loyal man to God in his day.

On the other hand, perhaps they attended a sound, Fundamentalist university. It is entirely possible, though scary, for a student to go through four years of rigorous spiritual instruction, chapel services, evangelistic meetings, peer relations and church attendance and come out as apostate as the pope. Although this is not the norm, it does happen–much to the distress of Christian educators and pastors. Pastors and teachers can only do so much. They cannot force someone to believe something and live accordingly. Each person must and will choose to either accept or reject.

Perhaps they were introduced to new philosophical or religious influences outside of the class room; the dangers are vast and rampant.

 

So having these possible explanations before us, what can we do to prevent our youth from flocking out of the Biblical and just camp of Fundamentalism?

I assert foremost that we teach them to respect and  trust the authority and accuracy of the Word of God. This in my mind is the primary avenue of danger for Fundamentalist young people today. The danger lies in the Satanic strategy of planting seeds of doubt in one’s mind of the Bible’s accuracy or authority that leads to a devaluing of the Word of God and will be followed by a devaluing of Jesus Christ and the Christian faith altogether. The Psalmist tells us that “if the foundations be removed” the righteous can do nothing. Satan is a crafty and brilliant tactician. He does not need to attack every area of the Christian faith to prove effective, he only needs to assault the Word of God. That was the first tactic he used in the Garden of Eden; and as you can probably tell, it worked! “Hath not God said?” was the first assault on the Christian faith; and make no mistake, it was on Scripture itself.

Every time I hear a preacher or teacher say something like “the Bible translators goofed here” or “a better translation would be….” it only hurts me in the knowledge that whether they realize it or not, they are aiding God’s archenemy in his evil plot to undermine Scripture. On a side note, I realize the Authorized Version is not the Greek and Hebrew text, but it is the best and most faithful to the original Received and Masoretic texts. (My position on the TR and MT are made perfectly clear on this blog.) So, know that I am not at all teaching a KJV only position, but a TR position. My motive is not to cause strife or attack those who uphold the Critical (Alexandrian) Text, but is rooted in fierce loyalty to the accuracy and authority of Scripture–by the way that God promised it would have until the end of time. God inspired every single word and not merely the concepts. I am passionate about the Scripture and the manuscript issue because IT IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR FAITH and if we can’t get that right, then we are men most miserable and most doomed. I am not making accusations or causeless charges, I only remember too well the terror I once felt when I heard someone teach me that the Bible had some “minor mistakes” in it. I am a highly analytic person and could not put such a statement behind me. There can be no such thing as a minor mistake in God’s Word.

So I reiterate the great trust we as spiritual leaders have to the Word of God. We must not, willingly or through ignorance, cast doubt upon the authority and perfect preservation of each “jot and tiddle” in the Scriptures.

When the Bible is attacked, the standards and music will shortly follow. And before we know it, our entire generation could be lost to theological liberalism. This is why the Bible issue is foremost.

 

There are many other things we can do to prevent mass departure from Fundamentalism, but this is my heart’s primary burden and the reasoning and motive behind my defense of the preserved, inerrant Word of God.

 

Sincerely,

KW

 

 

What I Believe: A Series-based Doctrinal Statement (Part II)

About Scripture

God has spoken to His creation (man) through His holy word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that every single word of Scripture was breathed out by God, though penned by human authors and was verbally, plenarilly inspired without error. The Scriptures also say that it is completely without error and has been preserved inerrant. The Scriptures are the words of God, not men. He preserved each word, not mere concepts as erroneously taught in many religious institutions.

God has providentially preserved the original words of Greek into the English language through the Textus Receptus and NOT through the heretical and apostate work of men such as Wescott and Hort and their Critical Text used in popular translations such as the NIV and the NASB (Alexandrian Text.) While a King James Only position is erroneous, because the only two translations from the Textus Receptus are the KJV and the NKJV, the best English translation has been and still is the King James (Authorized) Version. I believe the KJV is God’s preserved choice for the English-speaking people.

Sadly, textual critics and opponents of the Received Text attempt to slander and defame the intelligence and scholarship of the TR crowd by accusing them of being King James Only–which states that the KJV can be used to correct the original manuscripts. This is an obviously flawed position, but it is used as a brand to rid the TR crowd from credibility.

Also sadly, most proponents of the Critical Text (of course it is no longer referred to as such) or the Alexandrian text do not realize that Bible translations come from either the CT or the TR.

So I conclude with this confident proclamation that in the Authorized Version, we have the entire, inerrant, preserved Word of God! Hallelujah! Let us never doubt or question the promises of God in the eternal preservation of His precious Word, and let us resign ourselves to defend it against all foes.    I quote the Psalmist: “If the foundations be removed, what can the righteous do?”

The Textus Receptus is backed by Scriptural promises of inerrancy, preservation and eternal endurance and by history. It is the text that was accepted by the Church without question until the 1800′s when the modern methods of textual criticism and humanism introduced the Alexandrian text–mainly produced by the English apostates Wescott and Hort.

To ignore the overwhelming evidence for the authority and authenticity of the Textus Receptus and the apostate and humanistic Critical Text would be to ignore historical facts, Scriptural truths and to enter very dangerous ground.

Thoughts on BJU Bible Conference 2011

I have been attending Bible Conferences at Bob Jones University for eight years; four in the Academy and four in the University. While there have been conferences where a particular sermon stood out as powerful and memorable, never before in my eight years of attending have so many powerful and convicting messages been preached in a single week, and all with the same underlying theme.

The speakers were assigned no theme, but each message pointed us back to the power and sufficiency of the Word of God.

My favorite sermons were:

Jeremiah - Bud Steadman – The text was Jeremiah 1, a passage the Lord has used in my life many times. Jeremiah was chosen before birth as a prophet to Israel and the nations. The Lord chose him to spend 40 years preaching repentance and coming judgment, knowing that no one would repent. Jeremiah had hesitations about his calling–saying he was too young and inexperienced. The Lord comforted Jeremiah with the fact that He was with him and was the true source of his message.

Jeremiah’s Message – Bud Steadman – Jeremiah 7-10 was the text. This sermon focussed on the message of Jeremiah and his audience’s response. Jeremiah ministered faithfully for 40 years, suffering imprisonment, mistreatment, deportation, forsaken by family, friends, rejected, ignored, despised and depression. Most men today, even in our circles, would have considered Jeremiah a total failure. He never saw a revival, a response, an altar call, a mission board’s founding, a church built; he did however get two books written–Jeremiah, the record of his “failure” of a ministry and Lamentations, his weeping and wailing over Israel’s rejection of God’s warning.

Men of God  - Bob Potter – Psalm 78 – This message hit the proverbial nail on the head. The single most destructive and rampant weakness in Fundamentalism and the church in general is the lack of godly fathers who lead their homes spiritually and make sure their children are brought up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

The Living Word of God – Rev. Innes – Hebrews 4:12 – This was the most convicting message to my heart. To see an elderly man so filled with passion and energy just over the fact that God’s Word is alive! How moving! So often we approach the Bible routinely and forget that it is literally alive with power–to either feed us and grow us in Christ-likeness or to expose and reveal the wickedness of our hearts. The Bible can pierce the deepest strongholds of the human mind and heart–cutting apart our pride and excuses with razor sharp precision. This message will be my most memorable  in eight years of Bible Conferences.

In addition to the blessing this message was to me, Dr. Bob Jones III said it was the confirmation in his heart of the Holy Spirit’s coordination of the theme “The Word of God” for the conference. He also said he was greatly moved and convicted by it and that he believed the Lord was telling us that we need to return to the old landmarks; he said that perhaps we have been too engaged in the culture and had lost our bearings.

I believe we and the church overall has been too concerned that we fit into the current culture and we do need a shift back towards the old landmarks. We must stop worrying about offending the culture and stay true to the Scriptures in spite of the culture.

This last week was a tremendous blessing to me, students, faculty and staff and I believe was specifically orchestrated of God to bring about reform and a return to the “old paths” spoken to us by the prophet Jeremiah.

Holiness Series: Part 1

The other day I was looking through my dad’s old library and I found a book of topical references written by A. W. Tozer. I thought that book book would make a great resource for doing topic studies.  Hopefully I will have time to write out my own personal findings and thoughts on each of the several dozen references on HOLINESS.

Here are the first two references.

Romans 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

This passage is a great companion passage to the one below. I hope to discuss Ephesians 1:4 in more detail.

Ephesians 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Note: This is a “proof” text for Reformed theologians who argue for unconditional election and predestination.

Though I once believed that, I am convinced now that the emphasis is on what we as God’s chosen children are chosen to: “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” If I simply and objectively read this text, I cannot come up with unconditional election or double predestination, but I can say without doubt or question that you and I as God’s children were predestined to be holy and without blame before him in the love of Jesus Christ. Even in the Geneva Bible’s notes, the Reformed commentators note plainly that the ultimate point of this text is to emphasize our choseness unto holiness.

I am convinced even more that the Reformed doctrine of predestination double takes the point away from the holiness and Christlikeness God’s forknown children are to have and shifts the focus to elect or reprobate. I don’t see God in this passage as choosing one to Hell and one to Heaven; I see God knowing all those who would come to Him in response to His free gift of salvation for all and then predestinating them unto holiness and becoming conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

What a precious truth! God has not chose some unto life and others unto death! He has freely offered eternal salvation unto all. He has also predestined those who will come unto Him to be conformed to Christ and live holy lives.

Please don’t be angry at me for saying this, but I see a trend in modern Reformed circles on trying to focus on people being reprobated or elected and not preaching on practical holiness and separation from the world.  I realize that many in the Baptist Church could also be accused of not being holy or separate, and that is a shame and a disgrace both to the historic Baptist Church and to Christ, but I am saying that I see a general and typical lack of holiness and practical separation from the Reformed and a shift of focus to the doctrines of “Grace.” I try not to offend you if you are Reformed, but my point is that they are not focusing on the point of the issue of predestination and are focusing on the invented doctrine of Augustine–who was neither right doctrinally or regenerated.

I trust that we as God’s children will focus not on man-made doctrines but on the fact that God has offered salvation unto all and has predestined all those who come to Him to be holy and separate from this vile world.

This call to holiness is one that convicts and challenges me every day. I wish I was as obedient as I want to be and know I should be. I am humbled and shamed at times. Oh that God would give us a holy dissatisfaction with the things of Earth and an insatiable desire for holiness unto Christ. Amen.