ARE WE FUNDAMENTALIST?

ARE WE FUNDAMENTALIST?

or

Evangelicals?

or

"New Evangelicals

Can't we be just "believers?"

Fundamentalism: It’s a term that is used in so many ways. The term is not in the bible. Really. But the term is used in the media and the term is used to describe many of us.

Aren’t we just a believer? Well yes, but we need to take a side on the issues. “I have fought a good fight. We need to take a side in this fight for Biblical Christianity. Stand where the Bible stand.

FUNDAMENTALIST are those who believe in the five Fundamentals

1. Inerrant of Scripture: that is the Bible has NO errors.
2. Deity of Christ. Christ is God
3. Virgin Birth
4. Substitutionary Atonement
5. Christ’s Physical Resurrection and Bodily Return.
   
   

Distinctive of Fundamentalism:

1. The Bible as the Inspired Word of God.
2. Embraces the “the five fundamentals”
3. Militant opposition to apostasy: willing to battle liberalism and modernism because it is apostasy. "Fight the good faith."
4. Separation is a major distinctive.
5. Prominence of Pre-millennial interpretation of the end times.

Now that I am again the Shepherd of a local church, I need to ask myself, "will I stand firm for the five fundamentals of the faith?" As I have examined churches and ministries over the last four years and have seen the changes I don't want to get caught up in the trends of today. I want to have discernment about ministry, I want to stay faithful to the Word of God.

I want to be careful about buzz words today. I would rather try to use biblical words and terms. For example: Senior Pastor has been replaced with Team Leaders. Exective Pastor rather than Asso. Pastor. The term Pastor is not used as much today. Baptist has been removed. The pulpit has been removed. Sunday Evening and Wednesday have been removed.

The term "fundamentalist" is not a Biblical word. And the word has often been abused. The media has really used the term to describe the worst of people. The average person who hears that term is really turned off. And as a result terms change to made the movement sound better. Some keep trying to change terms of movements and people in order to give the same impression's in a new way.

Some will use different terms to adjust the meaning.

1. Evangelicals
2. New Evangelicals
3. Emerging or Evergent

All these groups can be ministries who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, they will put their heart, soul, time and money into the cause of Christ. They love to see people saved, they want to see their churches grow, they want to see their members grow is Christ, they love their neighbor. There are some really godly preachers and people out there doing a work for Christ as they see it. But sometimes they get caught up in means that are not biblical in principle. I am sure I have in the past, and need to be very careful in the present to understand the lastest trends of the church today.

Photo of us when I returned to FBC in their new church bulding in 2006.

Footnote: Charity is in Kansas for a few days, and she is unable to proof read this post. That could mean a few errors, but please accept my post anyway. I will try to do my best, here, but Charity is my left hand help. Thanks for your understanding.