A comment that I made in the News forum clearly offended several members of the Board - and that was not my intent.
To those of you who were offended by my statement that fundamentalism fosters certain undesireable characteristics - I apologize.
To clarify my intent, it was not trying to call anyone here names. Many of you are my friends and you are all my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is my strong belief that the theological movement that many of you follow does, indeed, pander to certain base and unhealthy instincts. My understanding is that many of you believe the same about me and the other professing liberals on the Board.
My challenge has been and will continue to be to find ways to have dialogue about what I consider to be the considerable weaknesses of fundamentalism without attacking any of you individually. Again, that was not my intent in this case, but since it was perceived as such I sincerely apologize.
Joshua
[ December 02, 2002, 12:09 PM: Message edited by: Rev. Joshua ]
Apology and Clarification
Discussion in '2000-02 Archive' started by Rev. Joshua, Dec 2, 2002.
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Joshua --
I did not seee what you mention here, since I read
only a few threads--time is the prevailing factor.
But I have wondered if I am a fundamentalist, and
according to a little challenge a while back, it was
decided that I am. Your post here, then, makes
me wonder: what, specificaly, is dangerous about
being fundamentalist? 8o) And I think you can
answer this without fearing that I will jump down
your throat!
As a proposed fundamentalist, although not
schooled specifically in fundamentallism, this is
what I believe:
* That there is one God, one Son, and the Holy
Spirit
* The virgin birth of our Messiah
* That the Bible was inspired by our God
* That the Bible is true and that those allegories
included in it point to specific Truth
* That all prophecies within it will be fulfilled to the
letter
* That our God expects us to live by the Book
* I believe in two eternal places: one with our God
and one of eternal punishment
* I believe that without the saving blood of our
Messiah, there is no redemption
8o) I don't know if I have covered it or if there is
more! Oh, well! Can you answer what, of these,
is problematic in your opinion? -
Abiyah, please see the thread on this forum I started called "Unfundamentalist Christians?" I asked him the same question in the thread in the news section, and carried it down to the new one here as it was being closed in the am.
Gina -
Thank you, Gina!
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Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>Site Supporter
Apology accepted, but not really warranted, IMHO. -
Baptist Believer Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
1.) As far as prophesies go, I think that most prophesies will be fulfilled according to the way God needs/wants to direct the stream of human history. For one example, certainly Jonah's prophecy of Ninevah being destroyed in 40 days was not fulfilled. But I can agree with you that everything God sets out to do He will complete.
2.) As far as living by "the Book" goes, I believe we are to live by the Spirit and use the Book as guidance. The Book is certainly the most objective guide to Christian faith, but it is not the focus of our divine calling. Jesus calls us to "Follow Me!" -
Thank you Joshua, I forgive you.
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Way to go, Joshua. Appreciate the good spirit.
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In my opinion you were just stating the obvious. Apology accepted...but not necessary.
You were right...and I will add that extremism in any form can take on negative attributes whenever there is a human associated with it. -
Sherrie -
In light of what Joshua has begun, it is coincidental that I am doing a "bias paper" for my Teaching in a Pluralistic Society on CBF Baptists. I do confess to Joshua, David Cooke, RHonneycutt, and others of like mind that I have been biased against you guys because of some of your beliefs and practices, and hope that you will forgive me for these biases. Part of this paper also requires me to decide how I will overcome this bias.