Why do I call it “funda-gelicalism?” Good question. It’s not original to me—I read it somewhere. I know it probably bothers some Christians who identify as evangelicals but do not want to be associated with fundamentalism. I think they feel like the part of the family tree that sort of made it over the wall, went to college, obtained a good paying job, and like having a glass of wine every now and then. I get that. Likewise, I’m sure... Read more
Growing up in the fundamentalist/evangelical world, I was told there were enemies “out there.” This would have been in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s—even into the 90’s. Here were some of those “enemies”: Rock music and hidden messages: We were told that rock music was intrinsically evil. In other words, even if the lyrics were “Christian” or even wholesome, it was still evil. The music style and drum beats were seen as animalistic, and even sexual in some... Read more
Joel Belz, the founder of World Magazine (conservative evangelical publication), is a signer of the Nashville Statement and he wonders why more evangelicals have not signed the statement. Indeed, many have noted their problems with the statement, even some coming from conservative quarters. You can read some of those here, here, and here. So, I’ll bite. Mr. Belz, here is why I would not sign the Nashville Statement: 1. You write: “…But for an issue said by some Christian leaders... Read more
Most of us don’t go from one paradigm to another quickly, or in one move. Some have, but most don’t (my opinion). I know it was a slow process for me (maybe I’m just slow!). It was a series of awakenings over time. In popular culture, we talk about “gate-way” drugs. Supposedly, some moderately dangerous drugs lead to more dangerous ones. The Reformed tradition and theology were, for me, a “gateway” theology leading, not to something more dangerous (although, maybe…)... Read more
The Unfundamentalist Christians blog on Patheos has published another submitted post of mine. You can read it here. If you like it, agree, or find it helpful, please don’t hesitate to share it on social media. And I just want to say how much I appreciate each one of you who is following this blog. I may not know you, but I am very thankful for you and humbled by your attention. Blessings and cheers. Read more
The great irony of fundamentalism is its delusional belief it is something that conserves or protects the “old” ways or hearkens back to the early church (or some pristine time after the Reformation). Nothing could be further from the truth. But this is why part of the DNA of fundamentalism is a nostalgia for what they believe were once the, “good old days” or the way we “used” to worship, preach, and believe the Bible. And of course, this spills... Read more
Given the events of this week, Charlottesville, Trump’s response, Bannon’s departure, one might see it as a moral event, one that mirrors in some fashion the upcoming eclipse. There were signs within the moral universe of some sort of tremor or rumbling—some sort of sign in the heavens. It seemed to portend something, a reckoning perhaps. The dictionary gives some interesting definitions and meanings for the word “reckoning.” We are told it is has to do with accounting, a bill... Read more
In the throes of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said this: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Too many white Christians in that time did not stand and be counted when it mattered. They may have been friends in faith, but they decided to remain silent while their black brother or sister in Christ was beaten, attacked with dogs, and water-hosed... Read more
One of the critical moments for me, one of those “woke” moments, facilitating my journey out of funda-gelicalism (FG), was realizing how modern FG was. It was the opposite side of the same coin of modernity with all its either/or concrete dichotomies. I began to realize that the young-earth-creationist arguing with the atheist/philosophical naturalist, were really the same person in more ways than either would care to admit. They were just opposite sides of the same coin. They came to... Read more
We heard it during the 2016 Presidential Campaign. “I just like the fact he speaks his mind and he’s not politically correct.” Oh really. So, you like that quality in a leader? If I’m hearing this from a Christian, it always makes me wonder: What do they really believe about women and minorities? Gays? Immigrants? What is it they really want to say about women, the LBGT community, immigrants, and people of color, but feel they shouldn’t, because of “political... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In