I spent six years of my life in the Fundamentalist movement. It is a sect that has drifted far from its original purpose—to defend historic Christianity in the midst of theological liberalism and modernism—that began in 1896. Like all social, political, or religious movements, Fundamentalism, changed over the decades as it was confronted with new issues, and as it mingled its philosophies with other religious and cultural movements of the day (like the holiness and temperance movements; segregation). It changed again in the 1920's and again in the 50's. I did not realize the damage the ideology had done to me until I had years of opportunity for self-examination and analysis of the movement after leaving the pack. Unless one has been in the gang, it is hard for people to understand its affects. Space is not available here to outline all of Fundamentalism's history or my personal experiences.
While Romans 1 might be a message to a nation, the entire book of Galatians is an epistle for Fundamentalists. Fundamentalists begin with a gospel of grace through faith but end with a message that emphasizes a list of rules. The just are no longer living a Christian life by faith, but by faith plus whatever the leader deems necessary to be measured as faithful. It is possible to hear a gospel message of salvation in a Fundamentalist church and become a believer, but impossible to function as a true Christian, motivated by grace, faith, and the Spirit; and that is because Fundamentalism preaches a hetero-gospel. What I am saying here is well-documented in books like Churches that Abuse by Ronald Enroth, Apparent Danger, and The Shooting Salvationist, both by David R. Stokes, In addition, countless stories can now be found on the internet, YouTube, and in some Fundamentalist rags about scores of injured people who have left the movement.
My own initial awareness of Fundamentalism's departure from the message of a transforming gospel began slowly in 1986 while attending one of their colleges. The chapel messages we heard left many of us with the impression that separation and following a list of rules came first, while Romans 12 clearly teaches that consecrating God in our hearts comes first, and God promises that He will complete His work in us from the inside out (Phil. 1:6; II Cor. 3:18). What begins in faith, ends in faith.
For most thoughtful people, Fundamentalism's problem and demise does not lie in holding on to beliefs such as God creating the world in six, twenty-four hour time periods; their emphasis on traditional church worship; Bible version choice; or personal dress standards. While matriculating through their school, I complied with their standards as a matter of integrity; I had signed an agreement. Fundamentalists expect their followers to abide strictly by those institutionalized standards in their personal lives and not to waver, and when they lay this expectation upon their parishioners, they begin to use those personal or organizational standards and lists to measure the faithfulness and genuineness of other Christians, calling people who have another point of view, “heretics,” “unfaithful,” “compromisers,” “disorderly.” When they do this, they cross a biblical line (I Cor. 8; Rom. 14-15). Their real problem with their current Fundamentalism is the culture they nurtured in which they vaunt about teaching the whole counsel of God, but in reality, present a partial and false god of terror and vindictiveness who is against the sinner in his struggle against sin and questioning; a culture of suspicion and superficiality in which they give people surface and quick answers to questions and struggles related to things like depression, growing up in single parent homes, suicide, or addictions. But, answers to questions and resolutions to problems similar to what I just listed, cannot be given by a quick walk down an aisle during altar call, signing a decision card, putting on a suit and a smile, or biting the bullet and determining harder to follow the rules. Jesus did say the way was narrow, but he did not mean by that that answers to some of life's most complicated problems-or the Christian way of life-is superficial. Herein lies their problem. The problem is not narrowness, it's superficiality. Fundamentalist culture has become toxic and superficial, and a lot of people are left with the impression that they cannot finish the course.
Contemporary Fundamentalism's problem is not with the historic fundamentals of the faith, but with their toxic culture and hetero-gospel. They wrote down the fundamentals, but they didn't let them affect how they related to one another in community. In the early 90's more documented evidence began to appear in books and their own periodicals about racism in their organizations, abusive behavior by their leaders in places like Hammond, Indiana, and appalling episodes across the nation-beginning in the 1920's-betwen John R. Rice and J. Frank Norris. Throughout these stories, any reader will notice common characteristics emerge:
The emphasis of a life lived by rules instead of reliance on Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Authoritarianism of a powerful, egotistical leader, instead of authority of scripture and careful and thoughtful biblical exposition.
Surrounding and protecting a leader or the “cause” when the cause, leader, or organization is criticized; and “politically surrounding the wagons” and turning the attack on the person raising serious questions or concerns.
A suspicion of other Christian people and an “us versus they siege mentality.”
An overarching and driving doctrine of separatism that—as they interpret it—goes from separation to isolationism if carried out to its logical conclusion.
Character assassination of other people.
Fundamentalists have built a movement and career on “reproving the unfruitful works of darkness” of others, but they cannot take reproof and learn from it. Therefore, the Fundamentalist culture should die. The fundamentals of the faith are strong enough to survive without their toxic culture.
When I was an eighteen-year-old teenager, I enrolled in one of their now defunct colleges, but I left a humiliated and devastated young adult after experiencing on-going bullying. After graduating I tried serving as a youth director in one of their Wisconsin churches. That church and its sister church in town, which had a Christian school, were embroiled in a controversy about music and personal standards, like so many of their institutions. That controversy led to a lot of anger from some parents and teenagers toward church authority because of the way they were trying to broach the topic; a split and church member migration occurred. Interestingly, what was happening to their day school and church leaked out into the community at large, and people thought it was silly that a group of people would ruin a school and church over issues like these, but the religious fundamentalists couldn't get it, and they kept fighting each other. Because I had graduated from one of their colleges, and represented church authority at the time, a lot of that teenage resentment was directed toward me by youth group members. After six years, I concluded that I was part of a slaughter house, not a faith community and that there was no end to the toxicity in their religious culture, so I left in search of authentic church life. As a young man I had questions about my own personal struggles, character, growing up years, faith in general; and I needed to find a safe environment to sort it all out. Sadly, I never found it. I spent the next 18 years adrift. I had been robbed. Their answer after their fight with each other was over? Forgive us. Their demand and expectation of forgiveness had the smell of entitlement and presumption to it. No one in the Bible ever demanded forgiveness. Contrite people asked for it humbly. To forgive is one thing. To restore the lost years that they took from me—and so many others—is impossible. So, the question for Fundamentalists now is, how will you live the rest of your lives to make sure you don't injury anyone?
At a time in my young adult life when so many issues were beginning to crystallize, and I had grown into a fully formed man, I really needed friends to help me sort it all out, but they were too busy destroying each other to care for each other. The devil had used a historic, religious, and at one time necessary movement to steal, to kill, and to destroy; and I'm not the only one. Many of my friends who journeyed through this want nothing to do with church and some have become atheists. My brother had left long before I would, though at the time I couldn't understand why he had. My mother died in the error of her Fundamentalism, and I was impelled to cross the threshold of one their churches to bury her. My post-funeral thought was that I could only hope that Mom had enough understanding to hang on to the gospel of faith that she once placed her hope in and not the mistrust of their hurtful message gone astray.
Somehow Fundamentalists in their apparent bid to search the scripture and teach the whole counsel of God skipped over Galatians 5:15, “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” Over the years, their attacks on each other took a toll, and they destroyed each other. For the past five years I have watched the survivors attempt a re-branding effort, melding into other conservative schools of thought, calling themselves, Biblicists, orthodox, or even Reformed. But, beware, people. A Fundamentalist by any other name is a Fundamentalist still the same if they sow their hetero-gospel and toxic culture. Discern their message, “try the spirits,” and flee their culture. My message to Fundamentalists is the same message that you have been preaching to other people for over 120 years, “Repent or perish.” Seeing that you do not show much contriteness or humility in
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