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I have begun to recognize a disturbing trend among some fundamentalist pastors and missionaries, though I was careful to make note of a large number of examples before I dared call it a trend. Some of best informed ministers I know have made excuses for it, perhaps even admitted its potential harm, then chosen to forge ahead despite the warning signs. They have offered a disclaimer beforehand, a litany of justifications during, and a tepid approach at regret afterward; all the while failing to admit it was actually a bad idea from the beginning. This “trend” has forced me to my knees and laid upon me a burden to know why.

How should a Godly minister determine what kind of Pastors, authors and speakers they recommend to others in the ministry? More specifically, should we promote, extol the virtues of, and heartily endorse those that deny fundamental Christian theology? These questions have weighed on my heart as I have been encouraged to embrace the teaching of prominent evangelical thinkers that, in some cases, reject sound doctrine and see the world through a lens that is anything but Biblical.

As a man who has spent a number of years in vocational service, only recently becoming convinced of a calling to the Pastorate, I am eager to hear the thoughts of those more experienced along this path. Therefore I pay close attention to fellow-laborers offering advice on philosophy and method. All too often however, I am pointed to materials written by men of questionable doctrinal foundation. “He may not agree with us doctrinally” they say or write, “but he’s got some good ideas about how we can reach people”.

Three specific examples come to mind in which the phrase “doesn’t agree with us doctrinally” was used. In the first a simple Google search revealed a nationally credible magazine article in which the author in question emphatically denied a six day creation and labeled conservative Christians (basically) dangerous. The second author/Pastor was criticized widely for using profanity in the pulpit, and the third writes openly of his acceptance of sign gifts and rejection of Biblical separation.

I have taken great pains to be vague, because all of these men’s ministries would be moderately recognizable and it is not my intention to call them on the carpet here. I am rather more concerned that respected fundamentalists find their philosophies more enticing than those with which they actually agree.

Can someone please explain to me (leave a comment) when doctrinal beliefs became irrelevant in the shaping of outreach philosophy? Are we to be persuaded that a lack of understanding or blatant rejection of orthodox Christianity has no bearing on a person’s methodology? Is a man that cannot even come to grips with the simplest matters of righteousness and doctrinal truth at the same time capable of grappling with the complexities of post-modern outreach theory?

You can answer these questions yourself without my even suggesting there is one, simple, definitive answer. I am instead concerned about a groundswell of support for questionable evangelical pundits by conservative friends and colleagues. Good rarely, if ever, comes of these bizarre endorsements, though I can recount situation after situation when they have caused confusion and dismay.

We have limited time in the day, and more importantly, limited time in life. Can we not instead direct young, eager-to-learn ministers to those who have first developed principled fundamentalist belief? Let’s reject the smug facade of “sophistication” and choose our endorsements and personal influences with care.

One final statement: doctrinal integrity will always lead to Biblical methodology, while doctrinal ambiguity leads astray.

One of the most wonderful things about internet technology is the ability it gives us to read, hear, and see things that would otherwise be unavailable because of geography. While I was on the Maranatha Baptist Bible College website recently I noticed a banner announcing a Conference on Baptist Fundamentalism. I really wanted to attend; unfortunately, I livein Alaska and Maranatha is in Wisconsin.

Today, two days after the conference ended, I got my chance. All of the sermons from the event were already posted online, complete with outlines, photos, etc. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to participate (long distance) in what must be one of the finest gatherings of its kind in the country. I’ll be working my way through the eighteen conference messages for days on end!

Our pastor asked that I fill in for him during the Sunday morning service last week, as he was out of town visiting family. I chose to preach on the subject of forgiveness, from the story of Joseph (Genesis 37 through 50). Play, or download the message below. The congregation had just finished singing “Is Your All on the Alter”, therefore I began by discussing how its lyrics related to the topic.

Download The Forgiveness Perspective MP3

Much of the material for this sermon was gathered while preparing our daily devotions series from Genesis. Download a PDF copy from our Catalog page.

I am, by any measure, a conservative and traditional Christian. Growing up in church I attended a Sunday morning and Sunday evening service, along with a Wednesday night prayer meeting; all at which we sang hymns, and heard old fashioned preaching from an old King James Bible. On frequent occasions, we would also do some traditional ministry outreach, such as handing out tracts and (as we called it) knocking doors. If you’re waiting for me to explain how I have “matured” to the point of believing many of these things are irrelevant in modern culture, you can forget it! I am rather becoming more and more convinced that what we did back then is just exactly what is needed today.

That is why I was so wonderfully encouraged by an article I read yesterday, written by a man I have never met. His name is Travis Snode, and he serves the Lord as a missionary in Northern Ireland. I can’t explain just exactly why I was so touched by his post entitled Don’t Knock It, except to say that it brought back memories of knocking on an unknown door, at an unknown house, on an unknown street. It reminded me of the unknown response I would recieve from an unknown man or woman as I made a feeble attempt at either a gospel presentation or a church invite. I could almost feel the lump in my throat as I rapped on the first door, then could just as easily feel the calm setting in as I walked up the second, third, and fourth driveway. For certain it gave me a nostalgic moment, but it also caused me to remember the very real sense of accomplishment I felt when a lost soul showed up on Sunday because of my efforts. It was during those times that I first felt God’s leading into His full-time service!

If you wonder why I am bothering to explain in such emotional terms my reaction to a simple article, expressing nothing more than the everyday efforts of a faithful missionary; let me clear up the confusion. I am grieved to the point of tears over an attitude that is gaining ever-increasing momentum in some fine, doctrinally-sound churches. It shows no outward signs of rebellion, but makes slow and deliberate movements in anything but a traditional direction. It pats young men like myself on the head, and in condescending tones tells us to “get with the times”.

Well…after hearing me express the virtues of the traditional, you may also feel I should modernize. Remember you are reading a blog entry, written by a 31 year old man, who has spent the entirety of his adult life laboring passionately in the field of technology. Then acknowledge it is not simply the “new” that the traditionalist fights against. It is the replacement of the old with something that is not, by any Biblical standard, better.

Does anybody want to go out and knock some doors with me?