Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism

Kevin Bauder, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., John G. Stackhouse, Jr., Roger E. Olson, Andrew David Naselli, Collin Hansen

• Publisher: Zondervan Academic
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9780310555810
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

Understand the history, core values, and divisions as they've developed within the Evangelical Christian movement.

Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism compares and contrasts four distinct positions on the current fundamentalist-evangelical spectrum. Each contributor offers their case for one of four primary views:

• Fundamentalism – defended by Kevin T. Bauder
• Conservative/confessional evangelicalism – defended by R. Albert Mohler Jr.
• Generic evangelicalism – defended by John G. Stackhouse Jr.
• Postconservative evangelicalism – defended by Roger E. Olson

Each author explains and defends his position, which is critiqued by the other three authors.

The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

CHAPTER ONE
FUNDAMENTALISM

KEVIN T. BAUDER

Imagine the difficulty of explaining fundamentalism in a book about evangelicalism. Fundamentalism is generally treated like the crypto-zoology of the theological world. It need not be argued against. It can simply be dismissed.¹

Part of the fault lies with fundamentalists themselves. For a generation or more, they have produced few sustained expositions of their ideas. Perhaps a certain amount of stereotyping is excusable, and maybe even unavoidable. No fundamentalist has produced a critical history of fundamentalism.² Nor is any sustained, scholarly, theological explanation of core fundamentalist ideas available.³ By virtue of its length, this essay can provide neither. Instead, it offers a very brief introduction to fundamentalism. No one can speak for all fundamentalists. Consequently, this essay reflects my own vision of fundamentalism. I occasionally indicate areas in which I believe most fundamentalists would agree with me.

I am primarily addressing people who have had limited exposure to fundamentalism. I would like to introduce them to the movement. Therefore, my presentation takes the form of ecclesiastical show-and-tell. It is not so much a work of research as it is a personal perspective—perhaps even (in the best fundamentalist tradition) a personal testimony. This being the case, I must beg a measure of indulgence. I offer observations about fundamentalism that I cannot document statistically. Those observations, however, are informed by half a century of personal immersion in the fundamentalist movement and its idea. They are also tempered by education and conversation outside of fundamentalism.

In view of the foregoing, my stance toward fundamentalism is one of critical sympathy. I do not wish to excuse the blemishes of fundamentalists, but I see enough value in fundamentalism to attract me. Central to my discussion is a distinction between the idea of fundamentalism and the fundamentalist movement. Ideas are anterior to things, and words are signifiers, not merely of things, and much less of other words, but of ideas. This observation is particularly important in discussing intellectual movements.

Intellectual movements usually incarnate an idea. The incarnations, however, are rarely or never perfect. We often grasp the idea poorly. Sometimes we twist the idea to serve our own interests. We also tend to mix one idea with another, often unwittingly. The result is that the idea (in this case, fundamentalism) virtually never occurs in pristine form. These factors have resulted in a variety of fundamentalisms. Though I shall speak of “the fundamentalist movement,” fundamentalism has never existed as a single, unified phenomenon. The idea of fundamentalism has been understood differently by different fundamentalists.

In the following pages, I offer a guided tour of the fundamentalist phenomenon. First, I explore a fundamentalist theory of minimal Christian fellowship. Second, I develop a fundamentalist theory of maximal Christian fellowship. These two sections together summarize the idea of fundamentalism. The third section explores two forms of fundamentalism that distort the idea, and in the final section, I evaluate the present status of fundamentalism. I conclude with observations about the possibility of rapprochement between fundamentalists and other evangelicals.

The Idea of Fundamentalism and Minimal Christian Fellowship

Some analysts of fundamentalism believe that its primary motif is the purity of the church.⁴ While purity is important to fundamentalists, I do not agree that it is their most central concern. Strange as it may sound, the primary motive of fundamentalism is the unity and fellowship of the church. I believe that fundamentalism is a serious attempt to wrestle with the nature of the church as the communion of the saints.

Unity and fellowship do not exist in themselves. They are byproducts of something else. Unity is always a function of something that unites. Fellowship (koinônia) means joint ownership. Properly speaking, fellowship involves something that two or more persons hold in common. These insights are the mainspring of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is particularly concerned with Christian unity and fellowship. The question with which fundamentalism begins is, “What unites Christians? What do Christians hold in common?” Since Christian unity and fellowship may be greater or less, this question has both a minimal and a maximal answer.⁵ At the minimal level, some criterion must exist for differentiating Christians from other people. Otherwise, all humans would be recognized as Christians. What is this criterion?

The Gospel and the Church

In the New Testament, the locus of Christian unity is the church. The church is pictured as one flock (John 10:16), one new humanity (Eph. 2:15), and one body (Eph. 2:16; 1 Cor. 12:13). All Christians are united in this church. This unity is the work of the Spirit. The church has access to the Father by one Spirit (Eph. 2:18). The baptism of this Spirit unites Christians with the body and, indeed, with Christ himself (1 Cor. 12:12–13). The unity that Christians are to maintain is the unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3). When Paul states that “we … all” have been Spirit-baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13), he does not mean to include all humans. He includes himself, his readers, and all people everywhere who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:3). Evidently, the unity of which Paul speaks is related to the reception of the gospel.

In Ephesians 4:4–6, Paul names seven factors that unite Christians. The first two are the one body and the one Spirit. Paul then names one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. Clearly these uniting factors pertain only to people who have received the gospel. The gospel is pivotal to Christian unity.

Another way of viewing Christian unity is presented in Jesus’ parable of the sheepfold (John 10:1–16). In the parable, the fold represents national Israel, which possessed a form of unity that was visible, external, and tangible. This form of unity, however, was not necessarily internal, for the nation (the fold) included some people who were Jesus’ sheep and others who were not. In contrast to the external unity of the fold, Jesus says that he is going to lead his sheep “out.” An example of this leading out had already occurred in John 9, where the man born blind was cast out of the synagogue because of his loyalty to Jesus. What was already true of the man born blind would become true of all Jesus’ sheep. He would separate them from national Israel. Then he would bring his other sheep, sheep that had never been part of the fold, namely, Gentiles. These two groups of sheep would become “one flock” with “one shepherd” (John 10:16).

What would unite individual sheep into one flock? Jesus says that his sheep follow him because they know his voice. The flock is united by following the Shepherd. To follow the Shepherd can be understood as a metaphor for faith in the gospel. In contrast to the outward unity of Israel, the one flock would enjoy an inner, organic unity. Its unity would come through its trust in the Shepherd. Again, the gospel is pivotal to Christian unity.

As the foregoing shows, the church can be viewed in at least two ways. It can be seen as Christ’s body, constituted by the baptizing work of the Spirit. The church can also be viewed as a flock, constituted as Jesus’ sheep who hear his voice and follow him. From both of these perspectives, the essential unity of the church is invisible, inward, and organic. The church is created by, and the unity of the church consists in, the gospel itself.

What about Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17? Echoing the language of John 10, Jesus prays for those whom the Father has given him. He asks the Father to keep them in order that they might be one, just as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:11).

Jesus specifies that his request includes both the circle of the disciples and those who will believe through their word (John 17:20). Since Jesus places no terminus ad quem on this request, it apparently includes his followers today. Consequently, it implies a unity that stretches not only through space, but also through time. Jesus grounds his request in the unity that exists between him and the Father. He notes that the Father is in him and he in the Father (v. 21). He asks that his followers may also be one “in us.” The unity of Jesus’ followers has a purpose. They are to be made one in order that the world may believe that the Father has sent Jesus. In some mysterious way, the unity of Jesus’ followers is a necessary condition for the belief of the world. Very likely, the unity for which Jesus prayed is the same unity that comes from following Jesus (John 10). It is also the unity that comes from receiving Spirit baptism (1 Cor. 12:13). It is an inner, organic, invisible unity.

The fundamental unity of the church is invisible and intangible. It is an inward unity that comes with belief in the gospel. This observation does not imply that outward, visible unity is unimportant. Outward unity, however, can be enjoyed only where inner unity already exists. In sum, unity is always a function of what unites. Fellowship always involves something that is held in common. The quality of the thing held in common determines the quality of the fellowship or unity. The thing that is held in common by all Christians—the thing that constitutes the church as one church—is the gospel itself. Belief in the gospel is how people follow Jesus. Belief in the gospel is how people are Spirit-baptized into the one body. Consequently, the gospel is the essential ground of all genuinely Christian unity. Where the gospel is denied, no such unity exists. Even the most minimal Christian unity depends on common belief in the gospel.

The Invisible Church and Visible Unity

What all Christians hold in common is the gospel. The fundamental unity that comes from the gospel, however, is essentially invisible, for both faith in the gospel and Spirit baptism are invisible. This invisibility presents a problem for determining the boundaries of visible, external Christian cooperation. How can invisible unity be relevant for questions of visible cooperation and fellowship? The answer is that external manifestations of fellowship are grounded in the real, internal unity that already exists between all genuine believers. Christians do not have the obligation to contrive unity or fellowship. God graciously gives these things.

Paul explicitly grounds visible unity on invisible commonalities in Ephesians 4. Believers are supposed to endeavor to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v. 3). This external unity is founded in the seven invisible realities of one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father (vv. 4–6). The inner unity that believers have been granted ought to be reflected in their outer conduct.

How can Christians make judgments about Christian fellowship? Since God alone can see hearts, the test must be something other than perfect knowledge. God alone knows who genuinely possesses faith. What Christians can know, however, and what they must evaluate, is who professes faith. Christians are united by their faith in the gospel. When they profess the gospel, they announce their faith. Unless their profession is falsified by their behavior, they ought to be received as participants in the one flock and the one body.

Those who profess the gospel should be recognized as saints, provided that their lives do not contradict their professions. The Second London Confession, a Baptist document, states this principle: “All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the Gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ, according unto it; not destroying their own profession by any Errors everting the foundation, or unholyness of conversation, are and may be called visible Saints.”⁶ As visible saints, such individuals are presumed to participate in the communion of the saints.

Possession of faith in the gospel determines who really is a Christian. Profession of faith in the gospel determines who should be reckoned as a Christian. Profession of the gospel is the minimum requirement for visible Christian fellowship. The gospel is the boundary of Christian fellowship. The gospel defines fellowship, but that leaves another question: What exactly is the gospel?

The Gospel, History, and Doctrine

The gospel is the primary category for understanding Christian fellowship. Therefore, a right understanding of the gospel is extremely important. Among those who name the name of Christ, however, definitions of the gospel vary widely. How do we know what the gospel is? If we want a biblical definition, then we ought to seek a biblical text that aims to give a definition. We find such a passage in 1 Corinthians 15. The chapter opens with Paul’s statement that he intends to “make known” the gospel. In other words, Paul means to explain or define the gospel. What gospel? It was the gospel that he preached, that the Corinthians received and in which they presently stood, and by which they were being saved.

Its place in the epistle and, indeed, in the Pauline corpus underlines the importance of 1 Corinthians 15. Paul opens the epistle with a disquisition on the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 1:17–18, he explicitly ties the preaching of the gospel to the rationale (logos) of the cross. Unlike miraculous signs or human wisdom, the message of the crucified Christ has the power to save those who believe (1:20–24). In fact, Paul purposes to preach nothing but Jesus crucified so that people will trust God’s power and not place their confidence in human wisdom (1 Cor. 2:1–5).

Paul returns to the subject of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 9. There he insists that he will surrender any privilege that hinders the effective proclamation of the gospel (v. 12). His reason is that he is duty-bound to preach the gospel, for the preaching of which he holds an administrative trust (vv. 16–17).

Paul also contrasts his gospel with other gospels. In 2 Corinthians 11:4, he mentions people who preach a different Jesus, receive a different spirit, and accept a different gospel. In one of his earliest epistles, he warns the Galatians about those who wish to pervert the gospel of Christ (Gal. 1:6–7). He warns against being drawn away from the grace that is in Christ to a different gospel (Gal. 1:6–9).

Paul insists that his gospel is not one of human invention. He did not receive it from humans, but by direct revelation from Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11–12). Only after Paul had begun to preach the gospel among the Gentiles did he review its contents with the other apostl...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• ONE: FUNDAMENTALISM
• TWO: CONFESSIONAL EVANGELICALISM
• THREE: GENERIC EVANGELICALISM
• FOUR: POSTCONSERVATIVE EVANGELICALISM
• CONCLUSION
• SCRIPTURE INDEX
• ABOUT THE AUTHORS
• About the Publisher