Does This Sound Familiar?

Here is a quote from a great warrior for the Faith, a Fundamentalist who stood when it was not popular to stand. His assessment sounds all too familiar in today’s Fundamentalism.

There is a serious effort today to redefine Fundamentalism to make it more acceptable to the “New Evangelicals” and religious compromisers. This effort really goes beyond redefining Fundamentalism to reshaping Fundamentalism. To do this requires rewriting history, ignoring facts, and sacrificing truth. The result of all this, if successful, would be the obliteration of biblical Fundamentalism and the substitution of “New Evangelicalism”—under the name of Fundamentalism—to take its place. This is being promoted largely by those who desire the support and influence of the “New Evangelicals” and, at the same time, recognition as leaders among Fundamentalists. Such a goal is unrealistic and unobtainable. Those who by conviction are biblical Fundamentalists are independents and separatists and will not be caught up in such union. Others who are nominally Fundamentalist and involved with movements heretofore considered Fundamentalist will be turned to the “New Evangelical” position. These will be men unaware of the issues, untaught on scriptural principles, or weak and unwilling to pay the price of standing for an unpopular cause. They are not men who are Fundamentalists at heart; but some of them, except for the pressures being put upon them, might have become convinced Fundamentalists eventually. As far as the Fundamentalist cause is concerned, they will not be a great loss, for such men are not likely ever to become aggressive, unwavering, and forceful. They love the parade ground but dread the battlefield. They would swell the numbers of Fundamentalism but would not ever be likely to strengthen its ranks.

I am burdened for my brethren, and I am grieved for the cause. If the Lord tarries another twenty years, I daresay there are going to be few places left that take a really biblically stand. I think this is what the Lord means when He asks if He will find faith on the earth upon His return.

Somebody has to hold the line. Somebody has to raise up the banners and mark out the frontiers. It is not a pleasant task. To be misunderstood and misjudged, not by the Liberals and open compromisers (men for whose opinion I have no regard whatsoever) but by friends of long standing, is not an easy thing. To be accused of being bitter and of hating men, of being unloving and unbrotherly and unkind is not pleasant. But Christians must remember that these painful experiences do not matter now and will eventually bring a reward.

Are we not commanded when men speak all manner of evil against us falsely for Christ’s sake to “rejoice and be exceeding glad,” for great is our reward in heaven? The godliest men I have known had weaknesses, sometimes petty vanities, and even little jealousies or prejudices, but they were not weaklings or traitors.

Dr. Bob Jones Jr. penned these words in 1985 in his book, Cornbread and Caviar: Reminiscences and Reflections. They are just as true today as when he penned them 26 years ago. Dr. Bob noted, “There is a serious effort today to redefine Fundamentalism to make it more acceptable to the “New Evangelicals” and religious compromisers. This effort really goes beyond redefining Fundamentalism to reshaping Fundamentalism. To do this requires rewriting history, ignoring facts, and sacrificing truth.” We are seeing this played out before our eyes as represented by Dr. Kevin Bauder’s articles over the past two years or so. Dr. Bauder’s articles on Proto-Fundamentalism and his more recently ended series on the differences between Fundamentalists and Conservative Evangelicals demonstrate the effort that is afoot to “reshape Fundamentalism.” Far too many Fundamentalists have the vain notion that a course correction for Fundamentalism which makes Evangelicalism acceptable is the right course correction. History has shown repeatedly, that those who have taken this tack in the past have ALL capitulated and have gone into full blown Evangelicalism (insert here, Falwell and his ministries, Jack Van Impe as two of the more well known examples). It is foolish indeed, that anyone would try to think that somehow this will not happen to them if they take the same course. In navigation, if you leave point A on a certain heading (say 90 degrees) to get to point B, then everyone else leaving point A heading 90 degrees will also get to point B. These Fundamentalists who desire a course correction are leaving point A heading to point B and want us to think that really we are heading to point C which is actually on another compass heading. Are there course corrections to make? Sure there are, but not with a heading toward openness and acceptance of Evangelicalism.

Fundamentalist, whether young or old, we must hold the ground that men who have gone before us have sacrificed to claim. We are standing on that hallowed ground and must continue to stand for the faith once delivered to the saints, earnestly contending.