What is "Hyper-Fundamentalism"?

Characterized by: KJVOnlyism, legalism on dress and other interpretive standards, authoritarian top down dominance of the assembly (which btw will more and more go hand in hand with KJVOnlyism), and quite often, though not always, a Hyles style of evangelism.

 

http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg2143.htm

 

legalism

hyperfundamentalism


I hate subjective, emotionally charged nonsense terms that "everyone" just knows automatically what they mean. What a great pigeon hole to put anyone who is KJV only (by conviction), or who doesn't attend Rated R movies, or preaches against lascivious dress, or generally disagrees with the majority (Non-hyper?) on the degree of application of personal liberties concerning gray areas. Guilty by association. Jack Hyles! Peter Ruckman! Gail Ripplinger!

Please keep me out of your pigeon holes, thank you very much!

Dr. Bob, thanks for asking the question. But If I get called a hyperfundamentalist, I'm complaining to the moderater.

Lacy

 

Lacy, I don't think you are a hyper-fundamentalist.

You are more of the hyper-hyper-fundamentalist sect. Sorry 'bout that.

 

hmmm~let's see... If BroLacy is of the hyper-hyper-fundamentalist sect, then I must be of the super-double-hyper variety. WOW! Praise God! I love it!

 

YES!!

 

You are correct. I used to be hyper-hyper but I have mellowed to semi-hyper-hyper-fundamentalist. Actually I am socially hyper-hyper and economically semi-hyper-hyper.

Lacy

 

Hyper-anything is taking anything further than where the Bible goes with it. The defining issue of fundamentalism, distinguishing it from conservatism and orthodoxy, is the principle of separation.

Hyper-fundamentalism is taking the Biblical principle of separation to a non-Biblical practice. I.e., separating over non-essentials and minor issues. Of course, the very real difficulty is discerning between essentials and non-essentials. I think some fundamentalists become "hyper" when they major on separation as the theme of their ministry. Such a philosophy of ministry will almost aways result in separating over non-essentials.

Andy

 

Dr Pepper

 

Sometimes I wonder if my four and five year daughters are "hyper" fundamentalists...

 

Extra-Biblical "doctrines of man" are sinful. I agree. But we don't need an overly subjective extra-Biblical term to describe these doctrines. I find that most of the time I am tempted to use terms like "hyper" it just means that the person I am describing takes it further than I take it. I would hope that we could debate the real issues (esp. true, honest, gray areas)and doctrines rather than bandy about meaningless and often hurtful terms.

I don't teach that a woman should never wear pants but let me tell you something. If a precious Godly woman or girl wants to submit to that (very debatable) rule because of deep felt conviction, I shut my mouth. I have been wrong too many times about too many things and I know that my flesh would, more often than not, tend to err toward being too worldly and not too separated.

And perhaps we will tend to swing the other way at times and become "proud" and "holier than thou", but that's just the bath water that needs to be thrown out!

Strong preaching against going to rated R movies and wearing skin tight skirts with slits up to your armpits. . . now that's the baby. Don't throw out practical holiness in the name of trying not to be "hyper-something-or-another!

Lacy

 

Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Dt. 5:32

Dr. Bob, you have asked a good question and I can only give you my best shot at this:
The way I see it, departing to the left is the denial of what is scripture;
Departing to the right is adding what is not in scripture.
To the left: liberalism: Denial of the miracles of the Bible, the virgin birth, sin is no longer sin, etc.
To the right: The insistance on things that are not in the Bible. From some things I have seen on this board: Women wear only dresses, KJVO: even to the point where people has their Bible inspected, to make sure it is a KJB when they enter the church. Adhering to things like this is where a person and/or church crosses the line into hyper-fundamentalism.
NOTE: The case has been made that KJVO's are not fundamentalists. Now for these, other than Dr. Bobs KJVO #1's (they simply PREFER the KJB), I must agree. They are not fundamentalists because they have added something that isn't scriptural.

[ March 09, 2004, 02:13 AM: Message edited by: Watchman ]

 

I pretty much agree with you, at least as far as hyper-fundamentalism is concerned. I've never seen that term used by anyone who didn't have a distain for some aspect of fundamentalism. On the other hand, Calvinist will often use the term hyper-calvinist to refer to those who don't believe in a universal proclamation of the gospel. But for the most part, unless you know what a person means by “hyper,” it’s a pretty meaningless term, used more to ridicule than anything else.

I agree whole-heartedly. If fundamentalism concentrated too far in the past on externals, then today we have swung too far the other direction by ignoring them or mocking those with differing standards.

Pride is a sin that all groups struggle with. People often take pride in their position, whether the position is restrictive standards or less-restrictive standards. I think the right approach is to strive to be as Biblical and God-pleasing as possible, while being strict with yourself and gracious towards others.


Andy

 

Very well said,

Lacy

 

I have always viewed hyper-fundalmentalism as having extreme spiritual pride. The hyper sect tend not to love the sinner and hate only the sin.

 

Dr. Bob said:

How about George Bush 1 and 2 ?

Ouch !! Hey !! Ouch!! Gosh, you're supposed to throw ouch tomatoes, ouch, not bricks !!

 

it's a funny thing about humility
as soon as you know you're being humble, you're no longer humble

it's a funny thing about pride, when you're being proud you should be ashamed

-T-Bone Burnett

How are you able to look inside a man's heart and see his motivations like "lack of love" and "pride"? I'd be very very careful.

Lacy

The only way to know if a man is proud is to ask him, and then it only works if he is humble enough to tell you "yes".

 

Good points. Christ said that we would be known by our works. I'm apologize if I've painted a broad stroke on Hyper-fundalmentalism. My only point of reckoning are the ones in our church that claim this. Maybe legalistic would be a more proper term. The Gospel is for all yet this particular group frowns upon the lost who visit or services who may gay, don't wear the "appropriate dress", may not be as mannerly as expected, or may have an extensive criminal past.