The Virtue of Being Suspicious

The Virtue of Being Suspicious

As contrary as it runs to popular perceptions, Fundamentalists were not fools. In fact, their powers of discernment make contemporary Evangelicals, who have supposedly advanced beyond Fundamentalists’ defense of simple verities, look downright gullible.

Fundamentalists knew they were in a battle, that the church is always being threatened with false teachers and members with “itching ears.” They took the New Testament seriously when its writers charged the early church to be on the lookout for those who would lead God’s flock astray.

Fundamentalists also knew that the greatest danger to the church invariably came from within her ranks. J. Gresham Machen was a great example of such skepticism. In 1926 he wrote:

“Last week it was reported that the churches of America increased their membership by 690,000. Are you encouraged by these figures? I for my part am not encouraged a bit. I have indeed my own grounds for encouragement. . . . But these figures have no place among them. How many of these 690,000 names do you think are really written in the Lamb’s book of life? A small proportion, I fear. Church membership today often means nothing more, as has well been said, than a vague admiration for the moral character of Jesus; the Church in countless communities is little more than a Rotary Club. . . . It will be hard; it will seem impious to timid souls; many will be hurt. But in God’s name let us get rid of shams and have reality at last.”

In a day when Protestants seem to be as easily impressed by smooth-talking television preachers, beautiful liturgies administered by women and gays, or smart popes, we could use Fundamentalist suspicion.

(Excerpt from “A Pastors' and Theologians' Forum on Fundamentalism,” held March/April 2008, 9Marks)

[TBC: What is instructive about this forum is that although a number of liberal pastors contributed short essays to this, they almost without except praised the high regard for Scripture held by Fundamentalists. They summarized their conclusions regarding what can be learned from Fundamentalists, as follows:

1. To contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).
2. To evangelize.
3. To insist on the importance of penal substitutionary atonement.
4. To vigilantly guard against false teaching.
5. To work for the moral and doctrinal purity of the church.
6. To separate from those who teach a false gospel.]