Differences between Fundamentalism and other Christian Conservatives?

[Norm d'Plume]

Hi. I was wondering what members consider to be some of the differences between Christian Fundamentalists and other Christian Conservatives.

Thank you.
Norm

 

[Albion]

Interesting question. Fundamentalists are a more narrowly defined group. They insist upon several points that are not automatic or expected of "Conservative Christians."

1. Sola Scriptura and Scriptural inerrancy.
2. An enthusiastic commitment to evangelizing, and
3. An unwillingness to cooperate, religiously, with Christians who do not accept the Fundamentals.

 

[Norm d'Plume]

Interesting question. Fundamentalists are a more narrowly defined group. They insist upon several points that are not automatic or expected of "Conservative Christians."

1. Sola Scriptura and Scriptural inerrancy.
2. An enthusiastic commitment to evangelizing, and
3. An unwillingness to cooperate, religiously, with Christians who do not accept the Fundamentals.

Thank you, Albion. I've read they have very strict rules around dating between young people, with only chaperoned dates and no kissing until marriage. Oringally, that made me give up on using Fundamentalism for my future world, but it occured to me that the teens in my story will always be chaperoned by adult guards, so I can let them go off-world without a problem. The only problem I have left is two of my teen characters hold hands in public and make out while off-world. Also, four of the teens drink alcohol, although they are considered sufficiently old enough (16+) to moderate their own drinking. I'm sure you can guess what happens next.

What are the conservative (non-Fundamentalist) views on holding hands and kissing while courting? And alcohol?

Thanks
Norm

 

[Albion]

Thank you, Albion. I've read they have very strict rules around dating between young people, with only chaperoned dates and no kissing until marriage. Oringally, that made me give up on using Fundamentalism for my future world, but it occured to me that the teens in my story will always be chaperoned by adult guards, so I can let them go off-world without a problem. The only problem I have left is two of my teen characters hold hands in public and make out while off-world. Also, four of the teens drink alcohol, although they are considered sufficiently old enough (16+) to moderate their own drinking. I'm sure you can guess what happens next.

What are the conservative (non-Fundamentalist) views on holding hands and kissing while courting? And alcohol?

The definition of a Conservative Christian (for purposes of this forum) is pretty well constructed, I'd say. Take a look at that definition/explanation in the permanent posts here for this forum (the tinted ones at the top of the list of threads), if you have not done so previously. It was fashioned with more care than might now be thought, and it laid out the idea that certain basics are involved which include both Catholics and Protestants.

"Fundamentalism" is something else (and you can see their statement on that forum, too), such that I'm not sure it's even a good exercise to try to make one fit the other or that we should consider one as a subsection of the other.

I'm thinking that maybe you should take your inquiry straight to the Fundamentalism forum, since it is that perspective, more than that of Conservative, Traditional Christianity, which seems to be the focus of your questions.

 

[Norm d'Plume]

Thanks. Yes, I previously read those posts. I think I land somewhere between Fundamentalism and Conservatives. I'll figure it out.

Thank you.
Norm

 

[classicalhero]

Just look at the five fundamentals, or elementary principles that every Christian should have to be a Christian.
The inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures.
The deity of Christ.
The virgin birth of Christ
The substitutionary, atoning work of Christ
The physical resurrection and personal bodily return of Jesus Christ/

I am pretty sure the vast majority of conservative Christian will fit into this category.

 

[Job8]

Just look at the five fundamentals, or elementary principles that every Christian should have to be a Christian.
The inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures.
The deity of Christ.
The virgin birth of Christ
The substitutionary, atoning work of Christ
The physical resurrection and personal bodily return of Jesus Christ/
I am pretty sure the vast majority of conservative Christian will fit into this category.

The so-called Five Fundamentals should be fundamental to all Christians. However, Fundamentalism is much more than the Five Fundamentals. It rejects many other teachings which are held by conservative Christians, and holds to the absolute necessity of the New Birth, believer's baptism by immersion, Dispensationalism and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and does not substitute the Church for Israel. However, a word of caution. Even true Fundamentalism has been seriously diluted, and it is now the position of a very few Christians (relatively speaking). Most of the Fundamentalist Bible schools and seminaries have been compromised, and many who pretend to be Fundamentalists are false teachers.

 

[outsidethecamp]

"Fundamentalism stumbles at the consubstantial relation between the free continuous act of God's self-communication and the living content of what He communicates, especially when this is applied to divine revelation in and through the Holy Scriptures. It rejects the fact that revelation must be continually given and received in a living relation with God i.e., it substitutes a static for a dynamic view of revelation. ...The practical and the epistemological effect of a fundamentalism of this kind is to give an infallible Bible and a set of rigid evangelical beliefs primacy over God's self-revelation which is mediated to us through the Bible. This effect is only reinforced by the regular fundamentalist identification of biblical statements about the truth with the truth itself to which they refer. ...The living reality of God's self-revelation through Jesus Christ and in the Spirit is in point of fact made secondary to the Scriptures." (Thomas F. Torrance, Reality and Evangelical Theology. Westminster Press. 1981. pgs 16,17,18).

 

[1watchman]

Certainly, God never called Christians to be fundamentalists, conservatives, or anything but scriptural. The problem for many in christendom is they do not know their Bibles and do not know what the scriptural Church is. They thus become blind to the mind of God, by holding to their innovations and religious preferences. Notice how often we hear people say ---even here on this site, they are looking for a church to meet their criteria and what they hold. Its like the saying: "do not confuse me with facts, for my mine is made up"

 

[outsidethecamp]

Certainly, God never called Christians to be fundamentalists, conservatives, or anything but scriptural. The problem for many in christendom is they do not know their Bibles and do not know what the scriptural Church is. They thus become blind to the mind of God, by holding to their innovations and religious preferences. Notice how often we hear people say ---even here on this site, they are looking for a church to meet their criteria and what they hold. Its like the saying: "do not confuse me with facts, for my mine is made up"

Could it only be that they don't know their Bibles? Christianity is not a book-religion. You need the Spirit of God who will lead you whether you are a bible scholar or not.

 

[Albion]

The so-called Five Fundamentals should be fundamental to all Christians. However, Fundamentalism is much more than the Five Fundamentals. It rejects many other teachings which are held by conservative Christians, and holds to the absolute necessity of the New Birth, believer's baptism by immersion, Dispensationalism and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and does not substitute the Church for Israel. However, a word of caution. Even true Fundamentalism has been seriously diluted, and it is now the position of a very few Christians (relatively speaking). Most of the Fundamentalist Bible schools and seminaries have been compromised, and many who pretend to be Fundamentalists are false teachers.

It's true that some fundamentalists have insisted upon adding required beliefs to the original fundamentals, thereby diluting the meaning of fundamentalism. Still, it's probably safest just to say that most fundamentalists (as defined by the original meaning of the word) are Conservative Christians but most Conservative Christians are not fundamentalists.

 

[YESLORDIWILL]

I've read they have very strict rules around dating between young people, with only chaperoned dates and no kissing until marriage.

Oh yes, but realize not everyone follows the rules

A 28 year old courting couple enter the church, gasps can be heard in the hallway. Wide eyed, my friend turns and whispers in my ear...can you see they are holding hands! .....Scandalous, simply scandalous!

Edit *slight exaggeration for effect ...but a true story

The problem for many in christendom is they do not know their Bibles

Could it only be that they don't know their Bibles?

I don't know...after all Paul said, It is good for a man not to touch G680 a woman. 1 Corinthians 7:1

 

[outsidethecamp]

Oh yes, but realize not everyone follows the rules

A 28 year old courting couple enter the church, gasps can be heard in the hallway. Wide eyed, my friend turns and whispers in my ear...can you see they are holding hands! .....Scandalous, simply scandalous!

Edit *slight exaggeration for effect ...but a true story





I don't know...after all Paul said, It is good for a man not to touch G680 a woman. 1 Corinthians 7:1

Could it be, that many don't have the Spirit? They just "walked the aisle, prayed a prayer and got their ticket punched", and now were "Christians". I hear many testimonies through the years of people that thought they were Christian but then realized they just acted out a ritual but they never truly repented and were born-again. When you have the Spirit of God indwelling you, you learn how to walk by the Spirit (love God and your neighbor) and you understand that Christianity is not rules and regulations or a book religion, but a walk of the Spirit. His "laws" are written in your heart and you know if some behavior you are thinking of exhibiting is not pleasing to God or is defrauding your neighbor, so you don't do it and you certainly don't have to look it up in your "rules and regulations".

 

[ToBeLoved]

Could it only be that they don't know their Bibles? Christianity is not a book-religion. You need the Spirit of God who will lead you whether you are a bible scholar or not.

That's how fundamentalist can go seriously wrong. When one reads scripture and KNOWS the perfect interpretation and it's complete meaning with 100% clarity and/or strictly follows a specific teaching as the ONLY way then the Holy Spirit cannot teach because they are not open to being taught.

 

[ToBeLoved]

That's how fundamentalist can go seriously wrong. When one reads scripture and KNOWS the perfect interpretation and it's complete meaning with 100% clarity and/or strictly follows a specific teaching as the ONLY way then the Holy Spirit cannot teach because they are not open to being taught.

Ever go to a church where the congregants think everything Pastor John says is true and they have direct spiritually insight and are held up as the only good teaching? Yup. Those ones.

 

[YESLORDIWILL]

You can say that again! Sorry, I just couldn't help myself

 

[outsidethecamp]

That's how fundamentalist can go seriously wrong. When one reads scripture and KNOWS the perfect interpretation and it's complete meaning with 100% clarity and/or strictly follows a specific teaching as the ONLY way then the Holy Spirit cannot teach because they are not open to being taught.

Yeah, that is because when one or more of their church doctrines captures their heart and it becomes an idol they are no longer open to truth, especially any truth that might threaten their idol. That is why we have so many churches of Christians who say they are brothers but don't act like it. They are all protecting their idols, and have forgotten about Christ and other Believers.

 

[ToBeLoved]

You can say that again! Sorry, I just couldn't help myself

I just noticed that.

 

[classicalhero]

The so-called Five Fundamentals should be fundamental to all Christians. However, Fundamentalism is much more than the Five Fundamentals. It rejects many other teachings which are held by conservative Christians, and holds to the absolute necessity of the New Birth, believer's baptism by immersion, Dispensationalism and the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and does not substitute the Church for Israel. However, a word of caution. Even true Fundamentalism has been seriously diluted, and it is now the position of a very few Christians (relatively speaking). Most of the Fundamentalist Bible schools and seminaries have been compromised, and many who pretend to be Fundamentalists are false teachers.

The church does not replace Israel, but we are partaker of the spiritual blessing of the covenants, not over takers of the covenant.

 

[Purge187]

Norm's post at #3 highlights one of the biggest issues I have with Fundamentalism, and Evangelicalism as a whole. They seem all too happy to pass on the Gnostic genophobia that was started by people like Origen and Augustine. I hate Joshua Harris.

I tend to take anything that Fundamentalists say with a grain of salt, no matter what religion they subscribe to.