There have been some who would cast aspersions upon the men pictured here on the left. For various reasons these men are not held in esteem by some who claim to be Fundamentalists today. One must ponder where these critics would be if these men had not come before them. A legitimate and forceful argument could be made that they would not be in their current positions if it were not for the ministry of these and many other men who have fought for the Fundamentals of the Faith.
Were these men perfect? Of course not, and if they could speak, I daresay to a man they would echo that assessment. Nor are we perfect. Did these men have idiosyncrasies, sure they did, and SO DO YOU! Too many seemingly wish to micro-manage Fundamentalists, both past and present.
Two passages of Scripture come to mind to this preacher, Philippians 2:3 and I Thessalonians 5:12, 13. In Philippians we read, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Then in I Thessalonians 5:12, 13, "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves." I understand that today these men do not in any physical, literal sense, "labor among us and are over us," however, their ministries, while they have passed from the scene, do continue in another sense. We would do well to honor and remember these men for the work they did for the cause of Christ within Fundamentalism. I had the honor of meeting only one of these men but their ministries have affected me for the better over the past 36 years of my Christian life.We who serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ today stand on the foundation that these and many other men laid for us. We would do well to remember and honor them and their labors.
4 comments:
Brian:
Thanks for this reminder of men from our Fundamentalist heritage. With so many who identify themselves with fundamentalism happily besmirching these men and their legacy your article is a refreshing change. You'll never see this kind of article at SI.
My family and I spent a week with Dr. Bob, Jr. at a missions conference in Ohio not long before his home going. Was a blessing to all of us.
Lou
Brian:
In 2009 this is the kind of language Kevin Bauder used against his fellow fundamentalists, Jones, Jr. and Rice, evidently chiefly against Rice: "pugilistic and bellicose," "alpha males," "the big boys," "bullies," "chieftains," etc.
Those remarks appeared in his three part unprovoked attacks against these men from his blog and the SI site. Of course SI's moderators happily supported and defended Bauder's incendiary remarks.
Lou
Thanks for your comments, I have fond memories of Dr. Bob Jr. during my school days, hearing him in chapel, Sunday mornings, preacher boys, and then meeting him away from campus in was always a delight.
Brian,
Though I never had the privilege of attending BJU, I too have fond memories of my exposure to Dr. Bob Jr. I heard him preach many times, and we always had great fellowship. Being from a Jewish background, he once told me that I had the map of Palestine on my face, Mt. Sinai being the most prominent feature.
I remember in 1983 when the World Council of Churches was holding their international conference in Vancouver, BC. A local pastor organized a protest against these apostates. Among the speakers was Dr. Bob and Ian Paisley. What fire-power! Great memories. Dr. Bob did much to encourage me to be on the firing line for the Lord and stand for Biblical Fundamentalism. I am forever indebted to him. Thanks for this timely reminder.
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