If You Wish to Speak Against Fundamentalists, Read Fundamentalists
Posted by Pastoral Musings on May 12th, 2011
A the top of the Biblioblog top 50 is Jim West. I happen to think that Jim is an intelligent and nice guy. We’ve had a few good exchanges, and I hope to read his book on Zwingli when it is released. Sadly, Jim has an issue with Fundamentalists and is myopic in that he thinks all Fundamentalists are the same. That is sad, because it prevents us from having the relationship that Christian brothers should.
Though somewhat strongly worded (I know no other way to deal with it), I’m hoping that the statement below will cause Jim to reconsider his words.
a fundamentalist in iowa is the same as a fundamentalist in islamabad.
Sorry, Jim. Christian Fundamentalism is not Islamist fundamentalism. After all, the term Fundamentalist came out of the Niagara Bible Conference. It is first of all a Christian term. You can read some brief articles about Christian Fundamentalism here.
You may use it as a pejorative, yet you do so either in ignorance or with spite. I make no assertion which it is.
I distinctly recall someone saying that one needs to read theologians of other traditions before condemning their theology.
What is at stake here? A misrepresentation of historical Fundamentalism. Christian charity. Something that we need more of.
It’s time to stop the skewering of those who disagree with you, Jim. Disagreements don’t have to be fights. Straw men don’t help us fellowship. It’s also time to stop acting like the extremists that you call fundamentalists: those dudes don’t walk in the footsteps of the historical Fundamentalists such as Machen, Torrey, and G. Campbell Morgan. While despising them, acting like them brings you to their level.
NOTE: This is not about fighting with Jim. It is about hoping for reconciliation by Jim giving us the same courtesy that he expects to be given to himself and to others.
Related articles
- Fundamentalist Hermeneutics (pastoralmusings.com)
- Book Review: The Sword of The Lord (pastoralmusings.com)
- Fundamentalism and Hate (pastoralmusings.com)
- Historic Fundamentalism and Young Earth Creationism (pastoralmusings.com)
