Observations on the Life of a Fundamentalist

Phil is a pastor friend of mine from Norman, Oklahoma who sent me a comment via email, believing it too long to post on this blog. I read Phil's words and believed that he articulated quite well some observations he has made on 'Fundamentalism' over the years. Please understand that I believe the kingdom of God, including the Southern Baptist Convention, is plenty big enough to have our share of men and women who hold to the views of Fundamentalism. I not only do not begrudge their views on life and spiritual matters, I would never insist they themselves change. The rub comes if and when our Southern Baptist Fundamentalist brethren take leadership roles in the SBC and then DEMAND everyone be like them.

After you read Phil's comment, which I have made as a post of its own, you might let us all know what you think about whether or not some in the SBC are in danger missing the purpose of our convention (cooperative missions) by attempting to make sacred that which the Bible never calls sacred, and accusing people who don't agree of being in 'sin.' My father preached an excellent message this morning on the difference between the 'function' and 'form.' He rightly concluded that the New Covenant Scriptures are primarily concerned with the 'function' (purpose) of life . . . but the various 'forms' (the methodologies) in how the life of Christ is lived out in the world should be as fluid and flexible as the number of unique individuals the Spirit has converted. It is my hope that we Southern Baptists always put our emphasis on our cooperative purpose and give freedom to others in the manner in which they fulfill that purpose. Here's Phil's observations . . .

I was a Chaplain at a children's Home and Pastor outside of McAllen Texas. I live on the Children's Home campus.

When Lester Roloff was killed, his large children's home in Corpus Christi. the Rebecca Home had to lay off more than a hundred workers within a month or two. These people had no money to leave the Valley to return to Ohio and Indiana areas from where they came. We hired about twenty-five of the men who brought their families to live on campus with them.

With the Roloff people we ended up with a mix of Bob Jones U., Hyles Anderson U, Tennesse Temple, and Liberty U people with some self taught people. It was a strange mix. All of them were what we called King Jameist. The Valley from Brownsville to Rio Grande City is a virtual hot bed of Fundamentalism. The main listening religious channel in the Valley was and probably still is KJAV on your dial. The MC of the radio program would not allow any guest on the talk station who even compared a modern translation with the KJV.

After conducting chapel every morning or after the regular weekly worship services, there would be five or six "Preachers" outside my office door armed with their KJV and ready to do battle because I had quoted out of the NASB or Phillips.

I litterally loved it. I have a mean streak in me that is covered over by good looks and a lovely personality. I was as mean as one should be with Fundamentalist and that is mean. I think during those times I was the sweetest Dad, husband and pastor of my life as I vented my hostility on those narrow between the eyes, so narrow in fact, their glasses are all unifocals and both eyes see out of the one glass.

A few of the things the Fundamentalist brought to our table while we trying to help them recover so they could find where they wanted to go:

1. No television whatsoever. We had televisions in all seven homes for the eighty in-service children and they began an immediate movement to make us get rid of them..

2. No processed sugar of any kind in any food. Our kids loved candy.

3. No caffeine of any kind such as chocolate, soft drinks, tea and coffee.

4. No versions of the Bible but the King James Version.

5. No limbs to show at any time which meant that men in one hundred plus temperature had to wear long sleeve shirts at all times while working on our two hundred and seventy acres.

6. No women in authority over men and manhood usually began at twelve, fourteen and sixteen depending on which group you battled.

7. No compromise on any thing at any time. Compromise was considered worst than lust, adultery, stealing, murder or reading or teaching using a modern translation which were almost cardinal sins of unforgiveness.

8. Females can never wear pants or slacks at any time or any age including toddlers, even if the hips were twice as wide, zipped up in back or side unlike men's pants. After twenty minutes on the play ground, slides, monkey bars, our boys could tell what color panties all the girls were wearing and would tell us so.

These people had very little joy in the Lord and seemed to have as their primary mission the destruction of everyone else's joy. I must say the Falwell people were the broader minded among the five groups and were called "Liberals."

If you want to know the main reason for home schooling within these Christian groups, look no further than female teachers in the Junior High and Senior High public schools. Women must never take authority over men.

At times I felt they did more damage to the cause of Christ in few minutes than all the demons of Hell could do in a full years work.

God bless,


Phil in Norman.