What is a fundamentalist? Certainly, it is a term of abuse. It conjures up a picture of a black-suited bloke with a big floppy Bible who regurgitates doom-laden texts in King James English.
The term originated in the United States in the second decade of the 20th century and began as an intellectually respectable label for those who wished to stand up for the ‘Fundamentals’ of the Christian faith against the liberalising trends of German biblical criticism.
However, by the mid-20th century the word became a term of abuse as Fundamentalism became associated with an intellectual retreat from modern society, and particularly from any truck with evolutionary theory, and a disengagement from aspects of modern culture such as the cinema, social drinking, and, in females, the use of make-up.
More recently, it has also become associated with the Christian Right in the United States and with various scandals involving tele-evangelists.
A fundamentalist is now most definitely a bogey-man and unfortunately the term is now used to cover anybody with an authentically Christian view of biblical authority, whatever their political affiliations and however they reconcile biblical teaching on the God-created nature of the universe with evolutionary theory. That person will not necessarily have retreated from modern culture, may well enjoy a pint down at his local, and, if female, may well use lipstick and eyeliner. But because they consider that the Bible, as God’s Word, stands above culture and determines what in the culture the Christian can and cannot accept, they are labelled as a fundamentalist.
So, if the culture decides to baptise serial divorce or the blurring of God-given differences between men and women or practising homosexuality or the multi-faith agenda, the person who objects to these trends on biblical grounds, however graciously and reasonably, is one of those dreadful fundamentalists.
Significantly, the theology of the Church of England, as defined by our 39 Articles of Religion, could be labelled as ‘fundamentalist’, for our formularies describe the Bible as the ‘Word of God’, which is supreme over church traditions (Article XXXIV); Christian creeds are only valid if they can be proved by the ‘most certain warrants of holy Scripture’ (Article VIII); and the books of the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, are described as having ‘authority (Article VI). Indeed, the importance of the Bible in authentic Anglicanism is shown with powerful symbolism when ministers are ordained. When I was ordained, I was not handed a candle, or a communion wafer, or a newspaper, but a Bible. ‘Receive this book, as a sign of the authority given you to speak God’s word to his people’, I was told.
So, the term ‘fundamentalist’ is now effectively a term of abuse for an authentic Christian who wishes to engage with modern culture but who believes that the Bible stands over it. In the Anglican tradition, it includes those of us who hold to authentic Church of England theology and teaching. We must bear this abuse with gentleness and humility and perseverance, for our Lord Jesus warned his followers that they would face persecution for righteousness’ sake and that people would say all kinds of evil things unjustly against them (see Matthew 5v10-11). ‘Rejoice and be glad,’ he said, ‘for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you’ (Matthew 5v12).
With all Christian good wishes to you and your loved ones,
Julian Mann
Vicar