Featured Is Fundamentalism Merely a Belief in “The Five Fundamentals”?

Not an especially edifying discussion on that thread.

Some reject the term Fundamentalist because of the non-fundamental accretions that have attached themselves to some of its its practitioners. Others gladly accept the appellation because it means they accept the fundamentals of the faith.

Me, I'm either a neo-fundamentalist or a classical evangelical. Heck, maybe even neo-orthodox with an emphasis upon the sovereignty of God and his absolute "otherness," the sinfulness of mankind and primacy of the Word of God and the word of God.

 

I think not. I know you too well to put you in the same category as Karl Barth.

 

Thanks for the vote of confidence. No, I'm not quite Barthian, but there are worse places to be in what passes for American Christianity these days, which often seems to be either bound to salvific ritualism, treats God as a cosmic ATM or wants to enlist the Everlasting for political purposes (and this is true on the right and left). Barth at least recognized that God is God and we are not. Sad that this elementary observation seems to be out of fashion.

 

There were originally 90 essays published as "The Fundamentals" by BIOLA in 1909-1915.

Those original essays were edited by A.C. Dixon, then later by R.A. Torrey.

The original essays were as much polemical (attacking false doctrine) as apologetic (defending true doctrine).

Some of the false doctrine attacked included Higher Criticism, Modern Philosophy, Modern Criticism, Modern Science, Evolution, Deutero-Isaiah, the Late Date of Daniel, Millennial Dawn (Jehovah's Witnesses), Mormonism, Christian Science, Modern Spiritualism, Romanism, Socialism and several others I can probably no longer remember.

But the original essays also emphasized a lot of things as being fundamental to the faith that we usually don't consider to be fundamentals. These would include Books necessary for every preacher's library, Prayer, Missions, the Sunday School, Pastoral and Personal Evangelism, Consecration, Satan and His Kingdom, Money, the Importance of Preaching, Daily Bible Reading/Study, and many others.

But what must be remembered is that the fundamentals did not fall from heaven complete, but rather developed over several decades centering on the Niagara Bible Conferences and its successors. At the 1883 Conference it was agreed that:

1. All prophecies are to be taken literally.
2. The second coming is imminent.
3. Romanism is the Babylon of Revelation.
4. Prophecy must be given a central place in theology, evangelism, missions, and personal living.

(A History of Fundamentalism in America, Dr. George W. Dollar, BJU Press, 1973, page 41)

Personal note: I put great stock in Dr. Dollar's writings as being historically accurate even though he may not have agreed with all that transpired at the Conferences. I had the privilege of sitting under his teaching and tutelage while he was Chairman of the Department of Church History and later Dean of Faculty at Central Seminary.

After seminary we remained friends until the time of his death from cancer at age 89. He was one of the most brilliant men I have ever known.

To be continued.

 

Continued:

At the 1886 conference the original affirmations were expanded to include:

1. A strict literalism in interpreting the bible, particularly its prophecies.
2. An all-consuming interest in the coming of the Lord and His Kingdom to be established on the earth.
3. A clear-cut picture of the enemies of prophecy in schools of spiritualizers, postmillenarians, and figurative interpreters.
4. A continuing exposure of Romanism as the great enemy of the Truth and the true Church, setting the stage for the coming of Babylon the Great.
5. The central place of Israel in the future Kingdom.
6. Increasing wickedness, with all the world heading toward the period of the Great Tribulation.
7. Judgments and rewards awaiting Christians.
8. A special study of the activities of Antichrist.
9. The peculiar delusions of the present day.
10. A constant rejection of men's opinions in all matters of truth and practice and constant reliance on plain scriptures.

On the last day of the conference these new affirmations were passed as a resolution in the following form:

1. Absolute authority of the word on doctrine and duty.
2. The literal fulfillment of the prophetic words about His second coming.
3. The second coming is "everywhere in the Scriptures represented as imminent and may occur at any moment."
4. The world will not be converted nor become a reign of peace before His coming but "only at and by His coming in power and glory will the prophecies concerning the progress of evil and the development of Antichrist, the times of the Gentiles, the ingathering of Israel, the resurrection of the dead in Christ, and the transfiguration of His living saints, receive their fulfillment, and the period of millennial blessedness its inauguration."
5. The duty of the church is to watch and pray, work and wait, to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature and thus hasten the coming of the day of the Lord.
6. "The doctrine of our Lord's premillennial advent, instead of paralyzing evangelistic and missionary effort, is one of the mightiest incentives to earnestness in preaching the Gospel to every creature until He comes.

(A History of Fundamentalism in America, Dr. George W. Dollar, BJU Press, 1973, page 44-46)

These Affirmations continued to be expanded year after year finally resulting in the 90 essays published by BIOLA.

So it is not improper to list 5 or 7 fundamentals as long as it is kept in mind that "The Fundamentals" did not limit the fundamentals of the faith to 5 or 7 or even 14.

And not all Christians who are "fundamental" would accept all of that which is expounded upon in "The Fundamentals."

More to come.