Thoughts on Fundamentalist Thought

CNN aired this interesting three-part documentary called Warriors for God this past week. Each evening's program dedicated two hours to one of the three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. While I thought the program was fairly unbiased, I know that many evangelicals would watch this program with disdain. There was a great interview with the author of The Myth of a Christian Nation, as well as some startling discussions with the late Jerry Falwell and Christian Zionist John Hagee.

But the interview with former President Jimmy Carter was striking to me. The program discussed how that he grew up in a Southern Baptist church and taught Sunday school and was the first "Born again" president to be elected by the religious right and the first the religious right turned against. President Carter commented on the sharp right turn the SBC had taken in the 1990s and how that he had separated himself from the church based on their stance against women in ministry and other social issues.

President Carter's most intriguing statement was something to this effect: "A Fundamentalist will never admit that he is wrong, because then he would have to admit that God was wrong." Does this mean that we cannot be assured in our faith? Or does this mean that we need to have the grace to admit that we do not always know the mind of God? Is God ever wrong or do we misjudge what the Spirit of God would say to the Church?

I have discovered that there are some Christians who would rather not be questioned about their faith, who would rather just be comforted in it. This CNN program put it clearly that for many people, the evolution debate is the crux of the faith issue. If Genesis is wrong than all the rest is wrong. I have long wondered why we get in a quandary over minutiae in the Bible, but have no problem glossing over the easy to understand portions of the Scriptures. Have we gotten so far from Christ's plan for the Church that we have become exactly who He preached against?

I wish that I had that luxury of being comforted by faith. I love the Lord and trust in Him, but I admit that I do not always trust the Church. I just wish that I could be as assured as I once was about things that really do not matter. At least then I was content in my obliviousness. And who were those sons of God and daughters of men mentioned in Genesis 6 anyway? I am afraid that if I do not find out today I will have a crisis of faith! ; )