Just curious because I have read about them and they seem similar.
I Believe MalachiLad in right only in the fact of what the surface seems to show.
I believe as MalachiLad stated there are (generally speaking) the three classifications he mentioned. However I also believe that within Fundamentalism there are no less than two divisions, which I will mention shortly.
First, there are three points I wish to make: 1) true fundamentalists do are not militant, but do tend to be aggressive. That aggression is motivated be the absolute truth of God's word; 2) true fundamentalists do not promote hate. What fundamentalists do hate, is watching so-called scholars destroy the Christian faith by rewriting the Bible, this watering down the message of God; 3) the reason fundamentalists believe 90% of Christianity does not have the right view is because they have been duped into accepting false teachings by so-called scholars.
The two major divisions of Fundamentalism are: 1) those who are very conservative in their views, and aggressively proclaim and defend their belief that God perfectly preserved His word, even to this day; and 2)) those who hold very conservative views, but are less aggressive about the preservation of God's word.
Then there are conservatives, who have relatively conservative views; but are unaware of the changes that have been made to modern Bibles.
Then of course as MalachiLad stated, there are liberals who attend church more as a 'social' activity, than actual worship of God.
Jack
Thank you! I was worried that i would not explain so good and sound like a self-styled expert but i am glad that you seem to agree. I Think that conservative christians are most common and liberals are not as common and fundamental christians are least at number. I would consider myself a conservative christian but i take The Bible serius off course.
Greetings PraiseHisName9. You ak a very good question. My opinion is that all titles added to a Christian's name are confusing whether or not a Christian is a conservative or a liberal. I am a member of the Wesleyan Parish, a Methodist and a Nazarene, yet I am a fundamentalist. Although I am a fundamentalist in reading the Bible, I became less confused and more clear-minded by adhering to the title of being a Christian period.Just curious because I have read about them and they seem similar.
Conservative Christians - a forum for all Conservative Christians to discuss and fellowship.
A few things to know about us:
1. The Holy Scriptures are the inspired, written Word of God. The revelation of Scripture is completely reliable, inerrant and authoritative. Some conservative Christians also hold church tradition to be a source of authority.
2 Timothy 3:16
2. Human life is sacred from conception to death, though some conservative Christians accept that the death penalty is justified, by judicial process, in capital or other grave cases.
Exodus 20:13
3. We believe that the Nicene Creed is an accurate description of the nature of God.
4.We believe in the literal authenticity of Christ's miracles, and the historical accuracy of events described in the Bible.
Acts 2:22
5. We believe in the judgment of God, and in a literal Heaven and Hell.
Acts 10:42 ; Mark 16:19 ; Luke 12:5
6. We have a traditional Christian view of morality. We oppose sexual activity outside a traditional marriage between one man and one woman, abortion on demand and euthanasia.
Genesis 2:24 ; Psalm 51:5
Some conservative Christians also hold church tradition to be a source of authority.
The Fundamentalist Statement of Faith for this Forum pretty much says it all for me. Some Fundamentalists are KJV-Only, and some are not. I am not KJV-Only and appreciate those Biblical scholars who have gone back to the oldest reliable sources for their translations: NASB, HCSB, ESV, et al.
While searching the internet, I found the following examples of what is rerfered to as "ultra-fundamentalism":
1. Virtue – A dress code that makes the Christian people in the group holier than others. Women should all wear skirts and not pants. Shorts and swimwear is out of the question. Men should always have short hair and wear suits/ties (or at the minimum business casual). Jeans are evil.
2. Outrage and Superiority – that others in the Church would not conform to a leader’s groups standards that are not labeled in the Bible.
3. The Bible – The KJV is the only Bible one should use as a Christian – it (KJV 1611) is inerrant above and beyond the original translations in the original languages of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Anyone who believes otherwise is decieved.
4. Isolation – Limited access to the outside world and a prevalent sense of fear.
5. Loyalty – Unquestionable loyalty to leadership. Even when leaders do not follow their own rules and specifically go against Scripture.
I draw your attention to point #3.
I have seen this pop up here, just recently.
And they would be wrong. The Statement of Faith says nothing of a KJV-Only requirement. If so, everyone before 1611 would be in Hell. Within the KJV-Only Body of Believers there's an argument about which King James Bible is the true one. It has gone through many revisions since 1611. In addition, most people would get easily lost in the Old English used in the 1611 edition. I am glad the first Bible I read all the way through was a KJV, but I needed a commentary to help me along the way.Unfortunately, some fundamentalists will tell you that you're not a true fundamentalist unless you are KJV-Only.