Fundamentalism as a Practice

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Reminders_of_Baptist_History 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.

BristoriaBaptistCrawford 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.

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FOUR THINGS YOU NEED IN FINDING GOD’S WILL
by: Dr. Steve Heidenreich

I want to thank God for soul-winning people. A soul-winning pastor and a deacon came by our country farmhouse on a Thursday night and led my wife to Christ. They then returned on the following Saturday morning to lead me to Christ. Those will be the greatest days of our life. We should always remember those days to keep us excited through the years of living for Him! We were blessed to have a pastor lead us in our Christian growth. After going to church and following the Lord in baptism, we were able to...{READ MORE}

IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER!

2 Samuel 23:5, “Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not grow.”

May I pen these words to all of the imperfect people? May I write these words to those of you to whom everything has not turned out as you had wished or hoped? May I intrude into the world of those of you who have not lived up to your own expectations? May I dedicate this article to those of you for whom things have not turned out as you dreamed and planned?...{READ MORE}

IS YOUR LIFE A MASQUERADE PARTY
by: Sandy Domelle

Masquerade parties go back to the 17^th century with the purpose that people would show up wearing costumes and masks to hide who they were and keep people guessing until the end of the party.

In recent months, as I have helped different ladies, two common sayings I hear are...{READ MORE}

IT’S TOO HARD FOR ME
by: Cindy Crutcher

I married my high school sweeheart! He was my prince charming and I couldn’t wait for our “happily ever after.” Almost 32 years ago, I was expecting my first baby (I was 21 years of age at the time). It was an exciting time. I had dreams of her being the “perfect little child.” I could hardly wait for...{READ MORE}

BE CAREFUL, YOUR TONGUE CAN WORK THROUGH YOUR FINGERS!
by: Bette Owens

When we think of gossip, we think of the phone or whispering; but how about texting, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Faithout, Lifespace, Fundamental Forums or any social networking or so-called Christian networking? Now our tongue isn't the only member that can...{READ MORE}

TRUSTING GOD WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HIM
by: Tim Trieber

One of the foundational principles of any relationship worth having in life is that of TRUST. Relationships cannot thrive and flourish into what they could be or should be without trust. Take into consideration what the following relationships would be like if trust were absent:

Marriage - The Bible tells us in the book of Proverbs that, “...the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.” Standing at the altar, you trusted and still do trust, that the vows your spouse made will be kept, as does your spouse with you.
The Parent-Child Relationship - The child should trust that, though Mom and Dad are not perfect, they are doing what they believe is in the best interest of their child.
The Employer-Employee Relationship - When an employer reviews the résumé of a perspective employee, undoubtedly he will ask himself whether or not this individual is trustworthy. {READ MORE}

DOCTRINE AND HISTORY ARE IMPORTANT
by: Gregg Nash

Famed 19^th Century Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, firmly believed the following:

We believe that Baptists are the original Christians. We did not commence our existence at the Reformation, we were reformers before Luther or Calvin where born; we never came from the Church of Rome, for we were never in it, but we have an unbroken line up to the Apostles themselves.

Indeed, before the end of the 19^th Century, virtually all Baptist historians believed that the Baptists began in the time of the early church. Of course, some non-Baptist historians disagreed, but interestingly, some non-Baptist historians have agreed, including Methodist historian John Clark Ridpath, who wrote the following in the 19^th Century: “I should not readily admit that there was a Baptist church as far back as 100 A.D., although without doubt there were...{READ MORE}