Fundamentalism, as I understood it growing up, seems to have taken on a different shape in recent years. When I was younger, I understood it to be anyone who believed in the fundamental doctrines of Christianity; i.e., the virgin birth, the inerrancy of Scripture, the blood atonement of Christ for our sins, etc.

Generally, 45 years ago, those who held those tenants to be true also had adopted a certain set of standards by which they chose to lead their lives. It was a way of living separately, apart from the world. Those lifestyle choices created an apparent distinction between those who were Christians and those who were probably not. (Notice I did not say they were definitely unsaved. I’m not trying to rile anyone up.)

However, over time, one has to wonder if those lifestyle distinctions did not become judging instruments with which to gauge the spirituality of other Christians. This would obviously be a perversion of the original intentions.

In a backlash to the “judgmental, hypocritical Christians” we now see a huge leap away from ANY kind of standards, either in regard to dress, music, television viewing, movies, reading material, church attendance, etc. In addition, being called a Fundamentalist is almost an insult.

Yet, there is nothing wrong with holding to the truths of Scripture….being a fundamentalist. One could theoretically be a fundamental Presbyterian or a fundamental Methodist. So then, the question: Is it bad to be a fundamentalist? No.

But the stigma of being a fundamentalist in 2009 is no longer a good one. It is associated with domineering family leaders, hypocritical flocks, and oppressive pastors, at best, and thanks to the news media, being a terrorist at worst.

Personally, I think it is a very sad commentary on Christianity that in order to appear non-hypocritical, we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, eliminating any distintive marks between the Christian and the lost world.

I don’t want to live like the lost. I don’t want to watch their movies, drink their beer, smoke their cigarettes, cuss like they do, dress immodestly like they do, or any of a host of other activities that embodies a lost world. I don’t understand why any truly born-again Christian would.

Yet, that’s where we are. We are watching our churches shrink in favor of cafe churches where you pick what you want and pass by what you don’t. When I was a kid, a preacher could list a whole long line of stuff that was sin; now folks say, “What is sin?” So then, how can a “modern, cafe Christian” lead a soul like that to the Lord? If there is nothing wrong and everyone does that which is right in their own eyes, who needs saving? If there is no distinction between the lost and the saved, how does a lost man find a true Christian and ask him the way of salvation?

Because of the negativity associated with it, severing ties with fundamentalism can seem to be an appropriate thing to do in our era. However, if in so doing, we are merely creating a carnal church, is that what Christ would have us to do?

~Matt
http://regawworld.wordpress.com