It’s hard not to miss it. There’s been a significant resurgence in Calvinism in both evangelicalism and fundamentalism. Blogs, websites, books, conferences—Calvinists are popping up everywhere.
At Bob Jones University where I received undergraduate and seminary degrees, dozens of men were going in with Arminian or middle-of-the-road leanings and coming out four- or five-point Calvinists. The trend was unmistakable, especially among the seminary guys and often after taking Systematic Theology. You might be suspecting that this was the result of the persuasive arguments of an unflinching five-point Calvinist faculty, but for most part the faculty members warned against the dangers of Calvinism—at least the five-point kind.
Here’s his closing paragraph (remember that this a parable):
While the true fundamentals of the gospel must be defended, God hates the sowing of discord among brethren, and dogmatism on disputable matters is a clear violation of Romans 14. When are the leaders of the Amish community going to stand up and deal with this catastrophic problem in their group? When are they going to set aside time to read broadly and educate their consciences to get to the radical center on every issue? When are they going to get aggressive about helping their people do the same, and make the changes that need to be made? When are the leaders going to step up and band together to stop being intimidated by the radical, right-wing fringes of the movement? How can they possibly justify separating themselves even from the leaders within the Mennonite community and other godly Christians around the world? When are they going to shake off the paranoia of purity, get off the slippery slope of disunity, and fight their way back toward oneness and interdependence with the rest of the body of Christ-or die trying? That decision may mean that the Amish institutions would lose so many members that they would end up folding financially and the power brokers lose all their control, but as an Amish leader once said, ‘Our institutions do not have to continue to exist, but we do have to do what’s right.’ Pastor Don, the Amish are a group of people I can never stop caring about. I dearly love them all. But I hate that blasted Amish hyper-separation heresy—with all my heart!”
Imagine having this woman in your church: 71 years old, a member since 1959. Struggling with knee and hip replacements, she winters in Florida.
According to the Hillsdale (MI) Daily News, however, that same woman, Karolyn Caskey, was handcuffed and escorted from Allen Baptist Church on Sunday, June 17th.
The paper reports that while in Florida, Caskey had received a letter from the church, informing her that “the congregation no longer wanted her to be a member.”
When she returned home to Michigan, she attended her church on Sunday, just as she had for the past 48 years. This Sunday was different. The Daily News gives few details regarding what exactly went on within the church, only that the woman had allegedly “interrupted services” that Sunday and previously. The police arrived and attempted to escort Caskey willingly from the building. She refused, and the officer was forced to handcuff her for trespassing. She was booked and fingerprinted, and released after paying 10% ($62) of her bail.
Without a few more details, it’s difficult to evaluate the situation; still, there are questions that arise from such a story.
Why was her membership suspended? How much effort was put forth to resolve the situation, in terms of discipleship?
With the information provided, this incident does not seem appropriate. Attempts to clear the membership registries should not generally end in trespassing arrests.
Whatever the motivation or reasoning, it is up to us to learn what we can from the situation.
Evaluating the procedures we’re given in Scripture leaves us with quite the box of tools for approaching wayward members. The story doesn’t tell, but I’m curious to hear how those tools were used.
Almost more interesting would be seeing whether or how the relationship between Karolyn and Allen Baptist is restored.
This move has created no small stir in the Fundamentalist world, where Joe was respected as a musician, leader, and teacher. Joe received an undergraduate degree from Bob Jones University, a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Pensacola Christian College, and taught at Northland Baptist Bible college as professor of Theology, Biblical Studies, and Counseling for ten years. He was also a senior pastor of a Fundamentalist church for eight years.
Here are some Fundamentalist responses and discussions:
Soulforce (Wikipedia), a gay activist group based in Lynchburg, is currently traveling across the country in two groups on an Equality Ride with plans to visit 32 colleges and universities that do not allow homosexuals to attend. Its most recent stop was at Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist school located in Greenville, SC whose stand on the inspiration and authority of the Bible is well known. BJU refused to allow Soulforce members on campus because of their stated purposes and because of the University’s commitment to following the clear teaching of Scripture on sexuality. Nothing Soulforce could do or say would cause BJU to change their convictions or policies.
Instead of coming on campus to engage students in discussion (though three tried and were arrested, fined, and released), the activist group was left with no choice but to stand in front of the campus and protest. Along with a letter from President Stephen Jones, BJU provided lunch for the members of the group, but they refused the act of kindness and gave the food to a homeless shelter. Another group gathered on the other side of the main entrance to the campus to protest the protesters (and BJU for its failure to actively oppose Soulforce). BJU made clear that it had no connections with the preachers wearing signs and proclaiming condemnation through bullhorns, nor did it approve of their actions.
Many who have grown up in Christian fundamentalism want something different. Some reject fundamentalism altogether. Yet others desire to see the movement change. Such is the case with Bob Bixby, Mike Durning, Tom Pryde, Bob Snyder, Joel Tetreau, and Roger Willis, who are heading up an effort to work toward positive change.
A one-day conference is scheduled for March 6, 2007, at Lighthouse Bible Church in Simi Valley, CA 93063. Find out more at www.achristlikefundamentalism.org.
It’s hard not to miss it. There’s been a significant resurgence in Calvinism in both evangelicalism and fundamentalism. Blogs, websites, books, conferences—Calvinists are popping up everywhere.
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Imagine having this woman in your church: 71 years old, a member since 1959. Struggling with knee and hip replacements, she winters in Florida.
