If you care about the future of Protestant fundamentalism—if you think its principles, at least, are worth saving—then you must read every post by Kevin Bauder in this comment thread.
No offense to the other posters (I particularly enjoyed this one, from a young pastor who credits Bauder with, well, you just have to read it), but I suggest you take the time to read just Bauder. Here’s a link to every significant comment he made:
Here are just a few sample quotes that stuck with me:
One of the worst things that has happened to Fundamentalism during the last half century is that we have only talked to ourselves, never allowing our ideas to be tested in the public square. That failure has left some very bad ideas unchallenged, while it has permitted the best ideas to seem weaker than they really are.
….
When I came into the FBFI, it became an ecclesial home to me. Because it is now my home, I don’t intend just to walk away from it. Furthermore, because it is my home, I have a duty to take responsibility for cleaning it up (especially since I was drawn in by the FBFI’s own professed desire to clean up). But you can’t clean up without occasionally hauling out the trash. In other words, nonsense that I could tolerate without comment from a distant FBFI is now intolerable to me as a member. Since I am a member, I don’t see it as anybody else’s job to address it. I see it as mine. ¶ It’s not my responsibility to fix the SBC, the NRB, or the NAE. Those organizations have plenty of problems, some of them worse than the problems in the FBFI. I am quite willing to point out those problems from time to time. But I don’t have to live in the SBC, the NRB, or the NAE. I live in the FBFI. When I see people in my home who insist upon leaving the toilet seats up, whose dirty dishes are cluttering the sink, and whose refuse litters the floor, I’m going to try to tidy up.
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