Missionary Broadcasting.com

A good friend recently sent along an e-mail commenting on our Settle for This? post from March 18. By way of response, I sent this additional information that might help others who have read the article. Here is a slightly modified version:

I correspond/keep up with many people in the ministry. Recently I have been nothing short of alarmed by the authors and teachers they are recommending. It is not a matter of these men having nothing profitable to say at all, but more a case of their materials being vastly inferior to others written/provided by fundamentalists.

These pundits usually have one thing in common; they are popular. Some have sold hundreds of thousands of books and operate very large ministries. These guys are usually highly intellectual and pragmatic. They are higher class neo-evangelical types that operate on “sophisticated” outreach plans, usually relying on observation of the culture - then development of a ministry philosophy - then systematic execution. They discount our - preach God’s word faithfully and pray the Holy Spirit works in hearts - method as old-fashioned, unsophisticated and (worst of all) unsuccessful.

What’s the common denominator? Problematic, poorly formulated and many times unquestionably wrong doctrine.

There are some fantastic fundamentalist ministers around today. They are found at small Bible colleges, medium sized churches, and remote mission fields all over the world. Their teachings are more difficult to find, I understand, but the power of God shines through their every word. They give testimony of simple faith, consistent Bible teaching, and love for people. Their ministry is not accomplished by pragmatic methodology and study of cultural relevance, but rather by the power of God’s word in the heart’s of Holy-Spirit-prepared people.

Therefore, when I am asked to endure the heady research and intellectual formulation of another doctrinally questionable evangelical heavyweight, I ask myself, do I have to settle for this?

All that to say I generally agree with your statements on the subject. There is sometimes no harm at all in recommending a book by an author that violently disagrees with us. In fact, some of them are likely more Godly people than we are! To me, that’s not the main point. I am instead weary of being told that the “best and brightest” Biblical thinkers of today reside far outside fundamental circles. I find that notion unquestionably wrong and bordering on laughable.

We have made an attempt to clarify our position in the past few days by presenting the preaching of Dr. Rick Flanders. He makes the connection between belief and philosophy as well as anyone we have ever heard on the topic.

By way of follow-up to our most recent post on foundational ministry principles, I wanted to link you to a related article. Dr. Rick Flanders offers some very interesting perspectives of fundamentalism in an entry published by Sharper Iron on May 3, 2006. Its editor’s note gives us a clue as to how widely endorsed his philosophies may (or may not) be within fundamental Christianity.

While many of today’s generally conservative ministers bristle at Dr. Flanders’ assertions about (what he calls) young fundamentalists, I would rather tend to agree. Many critics of “how things used to be done” grew up in the fundamentalist movement, and have personal stories of dismay with individuals in their past. These emotional ties too often cloud the real issues and set people on a crusade to right perceived wrongs. This is a principle reason otherwise strong men of God look outside fundamentalism for input on ministry methodology.

I am not a product of the movement to which Dr. Flanders refers. Preachers I grew up admiring were generally old-fashioned, hellfire and brimstone types that sang hymns, knocked doors, and read from the King James Bible. All were Southern Baptist, though they didn’t particularly associate themselves with the convention at large, but rather held to Biblical conviction and called out compromisers no matter what label they wore. Did they get some things wrong? Definitely. Is it my job to correct their mistakes? Definitely not.

The fact of the matter is, most of the convictions they helped form in me came directly from scripture. Certainly I have chosen to do many things differently over the years, but I have never asserted the need for reforming their general methodology based upon changing cultural dynamics or my own inflated sense of sophistication. We are not smarter than those that came before us, and we do not live in a world that is so radically different that it should cause us to jettison proven philosophy and technique. Those insisting otherwise should take a very serious look at their motivation for doing so. They should also set out to prove their ways are measurably better, based on Biblical standards.

Today I am an independent, Baptist, fundamentalist with a traditional and conservative ministry philosophy. While I am frustrated I even have to list these qualifications, I fear it is all too often necessary in framing discussion. Unfortunately it is not enough to simply call yourself a fundamentalist today, as the range of thought among us is sometimes too “broad” to unite us.

I have recently expressed concern that many Baptist pastors and missionaries are enthusiastically promoting speakers, authors and teachers that are sub-par in doctrinal and (consequently) philosophical understanding. This week I was grieved again by three further examples, as those calling themselves fundamentalists justified the blunders and missteps of their favorite evangelical pundit.

This morning I clicked play on a message that helped focus my concerns. As I compared it with those I’ve heard from the “leading Christian thinkers” of our day, I discovered a monumental difference. These words resonate with conviction and assurance that only consistent and deliberate study in God’s word can bring. Talk of cultural dynamics and the psychological processes of the post-modern mind were conspicuously absent; praise God.

Dr. Rick Flanders was featured at the Conference on Baptist Fundamentalism last month at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. He spoke on an historic mistake by fundamentalists, and in doing so defined a chief problem today. It is one of the best sermons you will ever hear on foundational principles for ministry philosophy. I thank God for men that stand firm against the tide! Please make time to listen.

Download A Mistake by Fundamentalists

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!