THE EXPIRATION OF A MOVEMENT {PART 1}
FUNDAMENTALISM AS A PRACTICE
by: Gregg Nash
I realize that what I am about to say must be taken as a whole. If any part is taken out of context it could easily fulfill Proverbs 26:7-9, and what happens when a fool takes up a parable. The purpose is to retool your mind. If your identity as a Baptist is cloudy, your direction is also cloudy. So, let us proceed with sword drawn seeking to regain precious ground as independent Baptists.
Hebrews 5:12 – 6:3 says, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.”
To begin our journey we should start with one of the greatest stories of the American experience, the crucible of Isaac Backus. Most Americans cannot comprehend what it was like to live in the colonies under an established church that you were forced to support with taxes. You were not allowed to refuse to have your infant baptized, and you were not allowed to attend church anywhere that was not supported by the state. We have been taught that America is the land of the free and home of the brave, and that because the pilgrims came seeking religious liberty and were granted it immediately upon arrival. What you need to understand is that people in the colonies were beaten, banished, and hung because they did not fall in step with the established church.
Isaac Backus was a Congregational preacher caught in the whirlwind of the Great Awakening of the 1740’s. After hearing a sermon from Eleazer Wheelock, Backus acknowledged his disparate condition before God, turned to Jesus Christ for his only remedy and was born-again by the Spirit of God. Backus thus became one of those derisively called, “New Lights,” because he had embraced the Saviour and had a conversion experience.
He now began a search of the Scriptures to see if there was any evidence of his former religious state. That is, he wanted to know exactly what he was scripturally when he was a christened member of the Congregational Church, but not yet a Christian. Ah, what John Clarke and Roger Williams insisted when they said, “Christening maketh not Christians,” became large in Backus’s mind. Clarke and Williams suffered for this affirmation as did Obadiah Holmes and many others. Without infant christening, the New England colonists were not citizens. There was still a residue of this in Backus’s time.
After a period of much study, Backus simply came to the logical conclusion that infant sprinkling was not found in the Bible. Since the practice of infant sprinkling was not scriptural and had no warrant to be done, it simply expired. That is, it simply was a fiction and did not exist. We see the classic movement of historic Fundamentalism in the same light. I want to bring three issues to your attention: Fundamentalism as a practice, Fundamentalism as a classic movement, and Independent Baptist Fundamentalism as a culture.
FUNDAMENTALISM AS A PRACTICE
We could define fundamentalism as a practice as: the active defense of the fundamentals of the faith. All Baptist Christians should agree that we are to earnestly contend for the faith. I think we can see that contending is synonymous with fundamentalism as a practice. Fundamentalism as a practice is what the Apostle Paul commands us to do in Jude 1:3, “…it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” So, in this sense, we are commanded to fundamentalism, that is fundamentalism as a practice. If we define fundamentalism as, “contending for the faith,” it will always be a part of our walk.
Some may refer to this as “militancy,” as one Baptist writes:
“…to claim that Fundamentalism was NOT characterized by militancy for truth, to claim that fighting and separating have NOT been a significant aspect of historic Fundamentalism, is to fly in the face of history.”
The Five Pointed Creed of Fundamentalism
Concerning a creed, the movement of Fundamentalism militantly defended a number of essentials, usually encapsulated by the declaration of the 1910 General Assembly of the Northern Presbyterian church. They are:
1. Inerrancy of the Scripture (in the original languages)
2. Deity of Christ
3. Blood Atonement
4. Bodily Resurrection
5. Christ’s Return
As a principled Baptist, I would say there is quite a bit missing from the short list of fundamentals. Principles of repentance and baptism immediately come to mind. While the 5 tenets are certainly good points of doctrine, it is an incomplete set of beliefs. It is believed that articulation of basic fundamentalist beliefs can be traced to the Niagara Bible Conferences, and in 1910, to the General Assembly of the Northern Presbyterian Church. It was there where a declaration was made which became known as the "Five Fundamentals.” The fundamental creed of 5 tenets is accepted almost universally. George M. Marsden, in "Fundamentalism and American Culture," (1980) part III says this about the five points of the creed:
“The first formulation of American fundamentalist beliefs can be traced to the Niagara Bible Conference and, in 1910, to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church which distilled these into what became known as the ‘five fundamentals’:
- The inspiration of the Bible and the inerrancy of Scripture
- The virgin birth of Christ
- The belief that Christ's death was the atonement for sin
- The bodily resurrection of Christ
- The historical reality of Christ's miracles”
In John Rice’s book, “I am a Fundamentalist, he stated the five points with slight variation.” Curtis Hutson also with little difference acknowledged this five pointed creed in his book, “Who is a Fundamentalist.”
The five point creed of Fundamentalism has long been ingrained in the language of the independent Baptists. We have been socially engineered to accept its incomplete set of five tenets. This has devalued the first principles and caused a disregard for the ordinances of the New Testament local church.
Primary Principles Devalued
Hebrews 5:12-6:2
1. Repentance and faith
2. Baptisms
3. Laying on of hands (ordination)
4. Resurrection
5. Eternal Judgment
If you doubt this, consider the following four examples:
International Baptist Network
This fellowship was founded in the year 2005. Their website provided the basis of their unity in their fellowship: “What will hold together the International Baptist Network is fundamental doctrine. And what Doctrine is fundamental to Christianity? First, the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God without error, and is the only authority for Christians and churches. Second, Jesus was born of a virgin and is the God-Man. Third, the sinless Son of God died a substitutionary death for sinners and those who believe in Him can be forgiven of their sins and guaranteed a home in eternity with God. Fourth, the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead gives new life to all believers. Fifth, the bodily return of Jesus Christ at the end of this age will complete God’s plan and purpose on this earth.”
So, to be clear, the new IBN is a Fundamentalist organization, based on the five tenets of fundamentalism.
John Piper
John Piper, the famed pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has gone on record diminishing the primary principles. Several years ago, Piper led his independent Baptist church to adopt a new constitution. Since the church had a large contingency of Reformed persons, it was debated whether to allow believers who had not been properly baptized to become members. Piper addressed his congregation on the matter: “The most obvious change…is allowing the possibility that a person may become a member who has not been baptized by immersion as a believer, but who regards the baptismal ritual he received in infancy not as regenerating, but nevertheless (as with most Presbyterians) in such a way that it would violate his conscience to be baptized as a believer. The elders are proposing that under certain conditions such persons be admitted to full membership. After more than three years of study and prayer and discussion of this issue, the Council of Elders believes that membership requirements at Bethlehem should move toward being roughly the same as the requirements for membership in the universal body of Christ”
“It is troubling that we require agreement on the doctrine of baptism, but not on more important matters like the nature of God’s sovereign grace, the way of salvation by effectual calling, the gift of faith, the nature and power of depravity, the freedom of the will, the work of God in the perseverance of the saints, etc.”
After reading the above points of Calvinism to his congregation, Piper said, “All of those things are more important than agreeing on the time and mode of baptism in my judgment. All of them…the great reformed truths that we love.”
So the tenets of a 16th century Augustinian monk (John Calvin) hold more value than the words of God in the mind of John Piper. Congratulations Mr. Piper, you no longer pastor a Baptist church.
Baptist Friends International
When the website Baptist Friends International appeared, it included a statement of faith. The statement of faith was a re-statement of the five fundamentals. Pastor Beller wrote (I am sure he was not the only one) a letter to the site and stated: “Not trying to be unkind, but, since your statement of faith says nothing about the practice of baptism, are we to assume that Presbyterians and Methodists can be ‘Baptist Friends’ too?”
To my readers, I truly am not trying to be difficult here, but does this not illustrate how we continue to be severed from our roots? Especially severed from the first principles as outlined in Hebrews 5:12 - 6:2?
And, what was the answer to Pastor Beller’s inquiry? Baptist Friends International simply removed the page that featured their statement of faith.
Clayton Reed’s Church Works Network
Clayton Reed co-authored a book on church polity entitled, Church Works. It was released in 2009 on the heels of extensive research on the part of Reed. Since the release of the book, Reed has launched the Church Works Network, an effort to help Independent Baptists plant churches.
In early 2011, after reading the statement of faith and reading a few of Clay Reed’s posts on his church blog, Pastor James Beller emailed him to ask a very simple but pointed question. They exchanged several communications. Here is what transpired:
JAMES BELLER: Bro. Reed, in contemplating several of your posts on your blog, I have a question: Is baptism by immersion fundamental to Christian faith?
CLAY REED: I believe baptism by immersion is fundament to Baptist faith.
JAMES BELLER: I didn’t ask if baptism by immersion is fundamental to the Baptist faith, I asked: Is baptism by immersion fundamental to Christian faith?
CLAY REED: Have a great ministry, brother.
In looking at Clayton Reed’s writings, he explains his position on ecclesiastical separation based on the five fundamentals, citing the old-time fundamentalists. The primary principles of Hebrews 5:12-6:2 are disregarded. A man who has launched a ministry to direct young independent Baptist preachers in the vital area of church planting is not sure baptism is fundamental to the faith. Again, this diminishes the first principles. I suppose we should not be surprised, knowing Clay Reed’s education and his experience in the Fundamentalist movement.
We have looked at Fundamentalism as a practice. In the next article we will look at Fundamentalism as a classic movement, and then Independent Baptist Fundamental culture. Please stay with me on these articles. For proper understanding, you will need all three to put it together.
Gregg Nash
Assistant Pastor
Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church
Martinsburg, WV
www.nashpublications.com
