NeoFundamentalist

If we are going to love all that God loves, then it would necessarily follow that we must hate all that he hates. Just as loving all that God loves provides a better rubric for unity, this provides us with a much better rubric for understanding Biblical separation. These two ideas are not in tension or even competing, though they are commonly understood and presented that way. In the most general sense, they are both defined by the character and attributes of God: positively according to what God loves and negatively according to what God hates.

We do a great disservice to God’s people when we reduce matters of separation to a simple checklist of rules that should be followed, because we end up removing the focus from where it belongs (more…)

The second point for which we must be militant is the need to pursue an active unity with all that God loves. This truth leads us inevitably to the conclusion that we must also love those things in the same way and to the same extent that God loves them.

Unity! is the cry of the evangelical culture. It has become the rally cry for a generation of Christians, but unity has been re-defined in terms of setting aside differences in order to “get along.” In the process it has become an effective rhetorical bludgeon in the hands of so called Christians that want to follow after their own lusts while remaining in fellowship with God’s people. (more…)

We have begun a series that has, to this point, introduced five commitments and briefly explained that these are worth being militant about. In the next five articles, we will delve into each of the five commitments more deeply, and along the way we will demonstrate how each of these commitments relates to the person and work of Christ.

In the beginning, God created mankind to be dependent upon Him, but Adam and Eve decided they wanted to know, for themselves, what was right and wrong. In that one act, they declared their independence from God and plunged the human race into the bondage of sin. This necessitated the work of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, to reconcile man with God.

Some might wonder why “radical” is used in the label for this commitment, and that is a fair question. The main reason is that we are too satisfied with the level of our own dependence. To complicate matters, the self-sufficiency we do allow is often seen as necessary or laudable. Of course, we will readily acknowledge the need to be dependent upon God, but in practice we often lower the bar on what that should mean. Thus, the word “radical” leads us to look beyond the level of dependence that has satisfied us into our current complacency. (more…)

Anyone who may happen upon Neofundamentalist these days will most likely have heard of the recent controversy regarding the sermon preached by Dan Sweatt to the South Regional Fellowship of the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship. Ho hum stuff, really, and I am weary of the chest thumping critiques from all corners. The controversy has, however, given me an impetus to consider and think about the concept of militancy.

For our non-fundamental readers, you may or may not realize that the notion of militancy is an essential characteristic of Fundamentalism. In fact, it could be argued that it is the defining characteristic. As an aside, there is no need to get too bent out of shape at this term, it isn’t a reference to weapons or militias. Scripture is clear that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal; they are spiritual and are aimed at the spiritual battles that we face.

So, in keeping with the trajectory set in the previous post, I will be discussing where I am and where I am going, personally, as a “young fundamentalist”. Specifically, this post is aimed at explaining that there are some non-negotiable points that delineate both the scope of the fellowship that I can enjoy with others who claim the name of Christ and the ground that I am unwilling to concede under any circumstances. That means that militancy is next on the docket, since that is needed before I spend some time explaining the five commitments that I posted earlier. (more…)

My dear brothers in ministry,
This week has been full of turmoil for me as I have been considering the recent exchanges regarding Sweat’s sermon at the FBF. This has become particularly acute when considering the context of some conversations that I have been privileged to have with a few brethren in the ministry and also considering the particular ministry that God has given me.

When I began preaching, I made a commitment to the Lord that I would endeavor to preach what the Bible says, from the place where the Bible says it, and with the emphasis that the Bible gives (then sit down and shut up before my own opinions mess it up). This turns out to be a surprisingly challenging goal, and while I am sometimes more and sometimes less effective at this goal, it is this commitment that I continue to pursue now in our itinerant ministry.

It seems that many have become like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, elevating the teachings of men to the status of revelation, saying more than Scripture will bear, and placing those who follow them under the bondage of a system of rules that attempts to artificially manufacture sanctification and that often results in either defeat or hypocrisy. Others, in reaction to these excesses, have effectively nullified any application of the Lordship of Christ to more practical matters, so worldliness (in its truest sense) continues to be a problem for both the Evangelical and the Fundamentalist, though sometimes for very different reasons.

What follows is a brief manifesto regarding where and how I intend to stand, regardless of where others think I might be headed. This may mean that many will be certain that I am one of those pesky Fundamentalists, and it will likely mean that there are others that will be convinced that I am becoming one of those compromising Evangelicals. In summary, I am and will be committed to a ruthless and gracious adherence to the Word of God, in both my doctrine and my practice; I also intend to cultivate a love for God that is unwavering and is reflected in the things and people that I love and value.

This leads me to five main commitments that mark out the ground that I will not give up under any circumstances and that describe the manner in which I intend to fight for the glory of God (taken from Psalm 16).

1.) Radical dependence on God in every area
2.) Active unity with all that God loves
3.) Persistent separation from all that God hates
4.) Joyful submission to the Lordship of Christ
5.) Ruthless adherence to the authority of God’s revelation

It is critical to acknowledge that the above commitments are a direct fruit of the best examples of my own fundamentalist heritage, and I greatly appreciate the men who have encouraged me both personally and from the pulpit to value, respect, and obey the authority of God’s word, regardless of the personal cost. God helping me, I will remain true to that goal. If what this describes is Fundamentalism, then count me in, but whether it is or not is irrelevant. It is what God calls us to, and there can be no other response except endeavoring to faithfully follow His direction.

It has been such a long time since I have posted here, and for those who may be wondering, I have been posting regular updates on the blog for our Sermons in Song ministry. Over the last few years, I have been wondering what I should do regarding my writing online. This site still gets a rather large number of hits, even when I am not writing, so I didn’t want to simply close NeoFundamentalist.

For quite a while I have thought about how to best use the internet (and blogging in particular) for the purpose of encouraging others to know God deeply and fully. Some aspects of discussion boards are helpful, but all too frequently relative ignorance (or even incompetence) is louder than well reasoned writing. Of course, blogs can be very good to get one person’s opinion, but the Meta can often degenerate into a rhetorical brawl, with little being added to the conversation.

There are reasons why a peer-reviewed journal is more valuable as a resource than a blog-forum. The question I have had is this: what if we could have a blog that incorporated the best of both worlds. So I am going to be starting a new “blog” that is more aligned with this purpose. It will be called “Mental Splinters.” Stay tuned for more details…

Have you heard? Ray Boltz has announced he is a sinner! He has had a problem with deception for over 30 years. You should know, before entering into condemnation, that he was born this way. Of course, he does (wrongly) conflate that truth into the notion that God created him this way, and he has forgotten that in sin did his mother conceive him. However, this little self deception is understandable because his drive to lie is built into him as a child of this world, and he cannot be expected to do otherwise. We should all pity a man in this tortured state.

For thirty years, Ray has been living a lie, and now he has decided to tell the truth for a change. The life of a hypocrite has taken its toll, and he is relieved to finally announce his struggle to the world and inform his fans that he is no longer struggling. He is accepting who he was born to be. Of course, this isn’t the biggest sin that Ray has struggled with. There is another, far more insidious, sin that has plagued him for his entire life. (more…)