Fundamentalism, Separation, Charismatics, and Northland

Before we get into the post, I want to do some housecleaning here.  Four things.  First, our book, A Pure Church, is to the printer, final proofs approved now for over a week.  You can still get a pre-publication price here (less for multiple copies).  It's a good book, worth reading and owning.  Second, we have the Word of Truth Conference, our fourth annual, and we will be starting a new topic or issue and a new book.  The title is I-Magination:  The God of Truth Replaced in a Day of Apostasy.  We've got some excellent material coming together.  It is November 7-11 this year, Wednesday to Sunday.  Why not give it a shot?  More details will be coming for you.  It's beautiful in Northern California that time of the year.  Let us know in advance if you're going to come.  And then third, we've just downloaded more sermons on our church website with series on 1 Corinthians, Luke, 2 Kings, and Exodus (Dave Sutton).  Four, before the election, I will do a multi-part series talking about the candidates and how I'm going to vote, and why, so stay tuned for that. Now for the post.

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Northland International University in Dunbar, WI is a self-professing fundamentalist Christian organization, that was once Northland Baptist Bible College, supported by many fundamentalist churches, where is Northland Camp and Conference Center and their annual Heart Conference, where the speakers and attendees are almost exclusively fundamentalists.  The president of Northland is Bob Jones University graduate, Matt Olson.  Recently Matt Olson visited a Sovereign Grace Church (SGC) in Philadelphia that he reported in glowing terms at his blog.  This particular article and the activity of Olson was dissected at the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship blog, Proclaim and Defend, by Don Johnson in light of Northland's statement of doctrine and practice.  The Johnson post was answered by Olson, and a huge discussion ensued at SharperIron (here and here).  If you were to read everything to which I linked (which will likely not want to do--it will take a very long time), you would be up on what has happened.  The Johnson post does the best to present what occurred.

What this whole incident shows me is how messed up fundamentalism is.  There is no way to be a fundamentalist and be obedient to Scripture.  No way.  That should be the concern here.  They can't be consistent with what the Bible teaches.  This is not to say, however, that you should be an evangelical---they are even worse.  You can be an independent, Bible-believing church, and have plenty of fellowship both in and outside of the church, without being either a fundamentalist or evangelical.

This Northland situation shows where fundamentalist "unity," separation, and politics will get you.  Sovereign Grace Churches are Charismatic (Johnson quotes from their doctrinal statement).  Olson says he was there to fellowship with this Sovereign Grace church, and that they had what matters most.  He said, "They get what matters most" and "they focus on Christ in all they do."  There are so many problems with Olson's attempt on how we get along and how we separate that it would take 5 or 6 posts to deal with them, he is so far off (read A Pure Church for a clear, biblical presentation).  I wanted you to see how things were and where they are headed with fundamentalism.  They now fellowship with Charismatics.  They are on their way to being like evangelicals on this.

What Johnson is pointing out is true, but it becomes difficult for the FBFI (Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International) because of their former president's appearance with Jack Schaap at Clarence Sexton's Baptist Friends conference.  A lot of fundamentalists are heavily under the influence of the SGC song writers.  The trap of Charismatic influence and the SGC come from the acceptance in Together for the Gospel and John MacArthur, both who fellowship and promote C. J. Mahaney.  Bob Kauflin of SGC leads the singing at the Together for the Gospel conference that major fundamentalist leaders attend.

I think that fundamentalist leaders see that this is where everything is headed and that nothing that they teach can combat fundamentalism from arriving where evangelicals are.  Some are moving there already.  I expect others to join.