YOU MIGHT BE A FUNDAMENTALIST

Reflections on Marsden’s “Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.”

In an attempt to better understand what distinguishes fundamentalism and the Wesleyan-holiness way of following Jesus, or more importantly, how fundamentalism may have influenced Wesleyan/holiness people, I am reading a variety of things. 

As I complete them, I will reflect on what I’ve observed. I’ve chosen a “Foxworthian” approach to the subject, if you know what I mean. So, from George M. Marsden’s perspective, consider this:

1. If you are in “militant” opposition to anything you deem “liberal” and that it’s your responsibility to “correct” it . . . you might be a fundamentalist. p1

2. If you tend to be “separatist” especially as it relates to liberalism, Pentecostalism, and most Wesleyan-holiness groups, you might be a fundamentalist. p.4

3. If your “central organizing fear” is that someone somewhere might actually prefer a theistic evolutionary interpretation of the Scripture, you might be a fundamentalist. p.147

4. If you or the peeps you hang with are adamantly opposed to cultural change, you might be a fundamentalist. p.66

5. If you hold a strict dispensational pre-millennial interpretation of history, and there is no or little to no tolerance for a differing or conflicting world view, you might be a fundamentalist. p.67

6. If you are ambivalent or down-right suspicious of denominations or para-church organizations you might be fundamentalist. p.67

7. If you tend to be anti- intellectual”, you might be a fundamentalist. p.72

8. If you have little to no interest in partnering with other churches and are skeptical of denominational cooperation, you might be a fundy. p.74

9. If you think you can’t be a Christian and be politically liberal, you might be a fundamentalist. p.74

10. If you take a “word only” posture toward the gospel and are suspicious toward a “social” gospel, you must might . . . well, you know. p.75

11. If you prefer churches that are more authoritarian in their organizational structure and operation, you just might be! P.115

12. If you have only two crayons in your box . . . black and white . . . and you tend to over-simplify complex issues (like origins and homosexuality and the poor) you might be a fundamentalist. p.117 

13. If you put a lot of stock in the enlightenment view that all “facts” will lead to “truth” . . . p.118

14. And if you view the bible as primarily a collection of precise propositions as opposed to a meta-story that is inerrant in all things relative to faith and practice, you are a fundamentalist.

So, what do you think about Marsden’s views? And where do you line up here? And more importantly, how do Wesleyan-holiness people differ from these 14 observations?  (or do they?)