What do you think?
Rate this book
The Church of the Fundamentalists: An Examination of Ecclesiastical Separation in the Twentieth Century
Fundamentalism did not arise out of a single event or in a single generation. The belief system that surrounds "the fundamentals" was born, at least in part, out of an ecclesiology that sought to be obedient to God's Word. The issue and especially the application of ecclesiastical separation were at the heart of the division that occurred between evangelicalism and fundamentalism in the middle of the twentieth century. While much has been written on the histories of these movements, the theological basis of that division has frequently been overlooked. Examine within the pages of The Church of the Fundamentalist how the ecclesiologies of mid-twentieth century fundamentalists and evangelicals affected their views of separation and how those views led individuals to establish, abandon, or modify their application of ecclesiastical separation. The Church of the Fundamentalists explores one theological basis for the division of fundamentalism and the new evangelicals of the mid-twentieth century-the doctrine of the church.
216 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2016
About the author
Larry R. Oats
5 books3 followersDr. Larry R. Oats has earned three master’s degrees and a PhD in Systematic Theology. As one of Maranatha Baptist University’s most distinguished alumni and frequent conference speakers for both the University and Seminary, he has been involved in Christian higher education for over 45 years. Dr. Oats has written numerous theological papers and is an authority on Baptist fundamentalism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Read
October 29, 2016I am always glad for a new book that promotes the good history of fundamentalism. Oats’ (long time professor at Maranatha Baptist University) proposition is that fundamentalism’s history is a history of separation, and that the history of separation is intrinsically related to the doctrine of the church. Though this history is primarily of the 20th century, Oats rehearses the history of separatist groups through the centuries and then applies that to the 20th. He writes, “The fundamentalists did not make separation their primary function; separation for them was a result of their desire to maintain obedience to the Word of God and the purity of the church. It was not the fundamentalists alone who saw a distinctive ecclesiology to be at the heart of the division between fundamentalism and the new evangelicalism” (p. 112). Later he adds, “Both movements agreed, for the most part, that there was a spiritual universal or invisible church which was composed only of believers, while the local church was composed of a mix of saved and lost. The evangelicals were willing to live with this mixture, while fundamentalism sought to purify both local churches and denominations or leave them because of their failure to obey Scripture. The evangelicals were more willing than the fundamentalists to tolerate unbelief in their churches and denominations” (p. 164). Oats explains that the evangelicals put so much emphasis on the universal church which is always pure in God’s eyes, that they didn’t need to worry about sin in the local assemblies. But fundamentalists saw the local church as the pillar and ground of the truth and the only earthly witness to the body of Christ. Therefore it was necessary to practice purity, or separation, where it can be seen.
This history is often complicated and full of twists and turns over 100 years and that is why I enjoy another writing of it. One drawback that some (of us) may see is that he uses Bob Jones senior and junior, and John R. Rice as his primary representatives of fundamentalism, especially in the periods of 1926-1940, and also of 1940-1980. He mentions others (including the GARBC) but leaves out totally Central Seminary and the BBFI. He gives a good history of Carl McIntire and J. Gresham Machen and the Presbyterian split. He also gives good information about the history of the NAE, Billy Graham, and major evangelical figures. However, every author has to narrow the focus when writing on the whole century. He acknowledges that those histories are well represented in other good histories. For example, he mentions Bauder and Delnay and their history of the NBC and GARBC (p. 14). This is a good book and adds good information to the on-going knowledge of fundamentalism.
link: See my web site for more book reviews
This history is often complicated and full of twists and turns over 100 years and that is why I enjoy another writing of it. One drawback that some (of us) may see is that he uses Bob Jones senior and junior, and John R. Rice as his primary representatives of fundamentalism, especially in the periods of 1926-1940, and also of 1940-1980. He mentions others (including the GARBC) but leaves out totally Central Seminary and the BBFI. He gives a good history of Carl McIntire and J. Gresham Machen and the Presbyterian split. He also gives good information about the history of the NAE, Billy Graham, and major evangelical figures. However, every author has to narrow the focus when writing on the whole century. He acknowledges that those histories are well represented in other good histories. For example, he mentions Bauder and Delnay and their history of the NBC and GARBC (p. 14). This is a good book and adds good information to the on-going knowledge of fundamentalism.
link: See my web site for more book reviews
September 9, 2016
Within the narrow focus of the book, which is the twentieth century, the author does do a good job of examining the ecclesiology of fundamentalists and neo-evangelicals. The book is clearly more history and descriptive, not prescriptive, although I would have liked another chapter or two on his view of a Biblical doctrine of the church.
The author begins with a chapter on "Varieties of Ecclesiologies" which goes from early church fathers to the reformers through various early denominational factions up to more modern views of the church. The second chapter is on a brief history of fundamentalism and evangelicalism. Chapters 3 and 4 are on the fundamentalist and evangelical views of the church. The author knows the subject material, as it's well documented throughout with footnotes at the bottom of pages and a good bibliography of sources at the end.
There are a few typos/grammar issues which a good editor would have cleaned up.
The author begins with a chapter on "Varieties of Ecclesiologies" which goes from early church fathers to the reformers through various early denominational factions up to more modern views of the church. The second chapter is on a brief history of fundamentalism and evangelicalism. Chapters 3 and 4 are on the fundamentalist and evangelical views of the church. The author knows the subject material, as it's well documented throughout with footnotes at the bottom of pages and a good bibliography of sources at the end.
There are a few typos/grammar issues which a good editor would have cleaned up.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews