What Are the Fundamental Doctrines of the Faith?

Introduction Fundamentalism had a pronounced impact in American religious life in the early-to-mid-twentieth century. Its effects are still felt as a movement that lives on today. Most Christian historians and theologians include a section on fundamentalism in their writings,1 though their perspectives about its beliefs and its value vary a great deal. What has distinguished…

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Life and Books and Everything – Where Have All the Fundamentalists Gone? | RSS.com

With two smart British historians—one from Oxford (Andrew) and one from Aberystwyth (David)–and one curious American pastor (Kevin), you might say that this episode puts the “fun” back in fundamentalism. How did fundamentalism become a pejorative putdown? Are evangelicals and fundamentalists really all that different? What is a fundamentalist anyway? And, to paraphrase Harry Emerson…

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Historical Fundamentalism: A Personal Word

My personal ecclesiastical heritage stems from what I would call historical fundamentalism. While those two words together may not be the first phrase out of my mouth to describe myself or my church’s history to a guest at my church, it can be a helpful phrase to use if one has the time to give…

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Fundamentalism vs. Evangelicalism | Roger E. Olson

Evangelicalism, Fundamentalism, and New Evangelicalism – what’s the difference? (Guest Post by self-identified fundamentalist Rev. Don Johnson) “We suggest that those who still cling to the great fundamentals and who mean to do battle royal for the fundamentals shall be called ‘Fundamentalists.’” This sentence appeared in The Watchman-Examiner, a Christian paper edited by Curtis Lee…

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The Fundamentals of Sanctification and Cultural Fundamentalism

Previously, I posted a piece called, “The Fundamentals of Sanctification.” The basic proposition of that article is that the Bible gives us a fundamental understanding of sanctification: sanctification means putting off the old man and putting on the new man, it means separating from the world and clinging to God, it means rejecting the old…

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The Fundamentals of Sanctification

Why is it that conservative, Bible-believing churches will have similar stands on cultural expressions and social behaviour? No two churches are exactly alike, but if churches hold a high view of the Bible, emphasize obeying the Scriptures, seek to preach what the Bible says, and so on, they will tend to hold to similar “standards,”…

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What’s “Fundamental” to “Fundamentalism”?

Any discussion of Fundamentalism should begin with an understanding of the word “fundamental.” There is much confusion in the religious world and especially among Bible-believers as to what constitutes a belief or teaching as being “fundamental.” Many erroneously believe that everything about which they have strong convictions is therefore “fundamental.” Not so! Let’s take a…

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The Ever-Changing Definition of a Fundamentalist

Our mouths are moving. Our tongues are wagging. The words coming out of our mouths sound familiar to each of us, but we do not seem to be communicating. Part of the problem is that we have the same vocabulary, but different dictionaries. Curtis Lee Laws is credited with coining the term fundamentalist in the…

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