York wrote:

When people see the love of Christ in you, then they will be more willing to listen and to possibly get baptized. When that person becomes born again, it starts their journey towards fundamentalism, but it will take time.

Please quote some verses from Scripture that backs this up? Many came to John the Baptist to be baptized and he said to them: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” John was one of the most fundamental fundamentalists who ever lived and yet he ever so gently and compassionately told them what he thought of them. I suppose you would say this is not showing others the love of Christ in you. Indeed, Jesus, like John the Baptist, also referred to some people as vipers, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Mat 23:33). Would you say that Jesus was a Fundamentalist?

How do people see the love of Christ in you? What do you do to make the love of Christ in you visible to others? Do you also lovingly and compassionately call them a den of vipers, like John the fundamentalist Baptist and Jesus who is the Supreme Fundamentalist? Or do you tell them, like Stephan Joubert:

“‘We need to stand up for the truth.’ People like saying that. However, ‘standing up’ is equal to religious protest for some. It is to unmercifully [and tactlessly] tackle sin and injustice [like his friend, Trevor Hudson]. Does that help? No! I would be able to quote a couple of studies that show how those ‘standing up for the truth’ efforts of religious people have no real healing effect on society. It only serves to highlight the boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ It makes religious folks come across more judgmental than ever. But it does not embody Jesus’ words that we need to let our light shine before people in order for them to see our GOOD WORKS and glorify our heavenly Father [Matthew 5:16]).”

Please give me an example of what you mean by fundamentalism?

You said:

Yes I agree. Although what I am saying is that I used to try and “convert” people in my own string by telling them that “you must believe this, that, do this and that”. It doesn’t work.

Well, Jesus, Paul, Peter and the rest of the disciples told people exactly what to do in order to be saved. You don’t seem to agree with them.

Yes I agree. Although what I am saying is that I used to try and “convert” people in my own string by telling them that “you must believe this, that, do this and that”. It doesn’t work.

In fact in many cases the people who do this are insecure about their own relationship and sins.

When people see the love of Christ in you, then they will be more willing to listen and to possibly get baptized. When that person becomes born again, it starts their journey towards fundamentalism, but it will take time.

They say truth comes before love, but Jesus IS truth, He IS love.

Shoving fundamentalism down people’s throats can lead to atheism, because people find it suffocating.

I know many christians who have been put off God because their parents forced them to go to church 4 times a week, and twice on Sunday.

This is where legalism comes in.
Ascetism is the other problem.

Keep safe in Jesus name
Cheers

Fundamentalism means different things to different people. We cannot “convert” people to the faith through fundamentalism. We have to show the love of Christ, and then allow the Holy Spirit to do the work. Then whilst they grow in the faith they will be more willing to have a fundamental outlook on the bible, but it will take time.

If we make it sound as if being a christian is a huge check list of doctrines that need to be followed and rituals that need to be performed then we are going to lose those souls horribly.

People want to be set free from the bondage of religion with all of it’s rules. Christianity is a faith, not a religion.

This is not to say that fundamentalism is not important. Although it needs to be properly defined and understood.

Thanks
Cheers

Fundamentalism simply means to unashamedly proclaim the fundamental truths of the Bible so that lost sinners may be saved. If we don’t we are downright disobedient and do not deserve to be called the children of God. What is true love? Well, I’m sure you will agree that true love is to tell people the truth because it is the TRUTH that makes them free. God’s truth is a Person (Jesus Christ) and He has commanded us to do his will (John 14:15) and one of his most important commands is to follow and obey his doctrines. Anyone who as much as belittles his doctrines should test themselves to see whether they are truly saved.

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9)

Your words “People want to be set free from the bondage of religion with all of it’s rules” sounds so much like Psalm 2

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. (Psa 2:1-4)

“In his [Scot McKnight’s] book Finding Faith Loosing Faith he talks about a number of crisis that leads to de-conversion. I’ll order the book sometime, and will mention them more when I get the book, but form [sic] today’s talk Scot confirmed one thing: Fundamentalism creates extremely good soil for atheism to flourish in. I’ve been saying this for a long time now. The crisis that fundamentalism creates is that an expectation on infallibility [sic] of the Bible is created that cannot be met, and the text never intended to meet, when that realisation dawn on someone, it has the potential of leading to atheism.”

I have heard this before. I assumed that it meant that if people try and shove fundamentalism down people’s throats it will push them away from the faith.

Fundamentalism means different things to different people. We cannot “convert” people to the faith through fundamentalism. We have to show the love of Christ, and then allow the Holy Spirit to do the work. Then whilst they grow in the faith they will be more willing to have a fundamental outlook on the bible, but it will take time.

If we make it sound as if being a christian is a huge check list of doctrines that need to be followed and rituals that need to be performed then we are going to lose those souls horribly.

People want to be set free from the bondage of religion with all of it’s rules. Christianity is a faith, not a religion.

This is not to say that fundamentalism is not important. Although it needs to be properly defined and understood.

Thanks
Cheers