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I saw street preacher in a heavily trafficked tourist area last fall. He was telling passersby “Repent or Perish.” He told them to be ready that we won’t know when Jesus will come again. Most people passed by without any sort of acknowledgement. Others mocked. One of the girls I was with didn’t like it one bit. She said, “Religion is a private thing. People shouldn’t be on the streets shoving it down our throats.”
Personally, I felt uplifted to see someone out there trying his best to follow Jesus. I admired his boldness. I said to the the girl I was with, “You may not like his approach, but you can’t deny the message he was bringing.”
Isn’t that what Jesus, John the Baptizer, and the apostles did? Wasn’t “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand” their main message? Weren’t they street preachers also?
That is what those who controlled the narrative that eventually was recorded thoroughly believed and made sure was perpetuated in the writings. It is NOT the Holy Spirit of agape love and forgiveness that Jesus personally revealed and demonstrated unambiguously on the Cross under egregious circumstances that should never have been misunderstood, IMO. The "OR ELSE" mentality is anathema to the Gospel (truly Good News) of Jesus.
That is what those who controlled the narrative that eventually was recorded thoroughly believed and made sure was perpetuated in the writings. It is NOT the Holy Spirit of agape love and forgiveness that Jesus personally revealed and demonstrated unambiguously on the Cross under egregious circumstances that should never have been misunderstood, IMO. The "OR ELSE" mentality is anathema to the Gospel (truly Good News) of Jesus.
Two things stand out in my mind from 9/11; well, lots of things, but these two were in rapid succession: when I got to midtown, a young woman thrust a flyer at me informing me that I could get $2 off per yard of fabric at a nearby wholesaler who was open to the public that day. The World Trade Center was in smoking ruins a couple miles south, but hey, SALE! On the next corner was a man in a top hot and long black coat yelling REPENT! and claiming that Judgment Day was here.
It is just a weird juxtaposition in my memory, the two of them.
Two things stand out in my mind from 9/11; well, lots of things, but these two were in rapid succession: when I got to midtown, a young woman thrust a flyer at me informing me that I could get $2 off per yard of fabric at a nearby wholesaler who was open to the public that day. The World Trade Center was in smoking ruins a couple miles south, but hey, SALE! On the next corner was a man in a top hot and long black coat yelling REPENT! and claiming that Judgment Day was here.
It is just a weird juxtaposition in my memory, the two of them.
I lived a few miles from the ferry when 9/11 happened. I had to go into the city frequently for my job.
We are suppose to have over 200 million Christian folk in America. We have over 1000 bible schools of higher learning. Churches all over the place.
The family unit has pretty much been disolved. I use to work with poor black children in the ghetto. It is not uncommon for the young men to have 15-20 children by as many young woman as they can. These children would then raise themselves on the streets with many killed or in prison.
This pretty much occurs all over now and is not limited to african american housing projects. It is the American norm now.
It is a valid word, not an insult, for those who adhere to the beliefs in the set of essays called The Fundamentals, which basically laid out the belief that the Bible is to be taken literally and as the actual Word of God.
A lot of other Christians don't agree with fundamentalism and may use the word fundamentalist to describe those Christians, but it's not in and of itself unkind.
It can be divisive, though, because it separates one group of Christians from another.
I have used "literalists" instead at times. Do you take offense at that one? Just curious.
I'm sure a positive image comes to mind when people use the term... NOT
I don't know who you think you are fooling with that response. Not me...
You are correct in saying it's divisive... absolutely correct. Think about it - people are divisive for a reason - and it's because they want to disassociate themselves from an offending party.
You have never heard me be divisive regarding any Christians specifically because I realize that whether I like a person who is a believer or not - they are part of the family of God. We are spiritually related. I will dispute positions and make points - but I purposely am not divisive.
I have had Christians on here call me plenty of names during my time on C-D - and had to separate myself from one who called me a bigot on the P&C forum. We are supposed to be family. We can have disagreements... but not like that.
I know how the term fundamentalist is used around here. Most of the time I roll my eyes and move on with life. That's the other person's issue - not mine.
Unkind and hate are not the same. People can be unkind in a clueless manner.
I think being called a fundamentalist is unkind and divisive, but not hateful. Doesn't seem to stop people in this forum...
He means me. I said elsewhere that I'm not a fundamentalist and he said that was divisive. But a fundamentalist Christian is simply a Christian who holds to a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible and holds to the fundamentals of the faith. It's a legitimate term and distinguishes a fundamentalist from a more theologically liberal Christian.
He means me. I said elsewhere that I'm not a fundamentalist and he said that was divisive. But a fundamentalist Christian is simply a Christian who holds to a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible and holds to the fundamentals of the faith. It's a legitimate term and distinguishes a fundamentalist from a more theologically liberal Christian.
Yep
But other people on the forum do use it in a more derogatory way and intend it as an insult (the same as liberal/heretic can be used in the same way )
We may not mean to be insulting but unfortunately this is what happens because of the different views, opinions, perspectives and how language is used and also changes over time
He means me. I said elsewhere that I'm not a fundamentalist and he said that was divisive. But a fundamentalist Christian is simply a Christian who holds to a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible and holds to the fundamentals of the faith. It's a legitimate term and distinguishes a fundamentalist from a more theologically liberal Christian.
I've been on here for over decade. You are just the latest person to use the term on me.
You've been called that in the past as well.
We are one in Christ regardless of what you want to call me. So why am I different from you?
My siblings and I disagree on plenty of stuff. They are still Rob's like I am - and will be as long as we are on the earth.
Question - do you categorize or distinguish your Christianity?
I'm sure a positive image comes to mind when people use the term... NOT
I don't know who you think you are fooling with that response. Not me...
You are correct in saying it's divisive... absolutely correct. Think about it - people are divisive for a reason - and it's because they want to disassociate themselves from an offending party.
You have never heard me be divisive regarding any Christians specifically because I realize that whether I like a person who is a believer or not - they are part of the family of God. We are spiritually related. I will dispute positions and make points - but I purposely am not divisive.
I have had Christians on here call me plenty of names during my time on C-D - and had to separate myself from one who called me a bigot on the P&C forum. We are supposed to be family. We can have disagreements... but not like that.
I know how the term fundamentalist is used around here. Most of the time I roll my eyes and move on with life. That's the other person's issue - not mine.
Well, obviously it doesn't bring a positive image to mind when fundamentalist Christians spew nastiness to other Christians. I have been on the receiving end of that. But remember, nobody else gave fundamentalists the name. They called themselves that.
I will be the first one to say that not all fundamenalist/literalist Christians on here have been unkind, though. Not even the majority. Unfortunately, when one of any group does something bad, it tends to unfairly smear the rest.
As far as divisiveness goes, it exists, unfortunately, when there is such a gap in the beliefs that a conversation cannot even be conducted, or when a person hides behind their belief to justify hurting another. That's a fault of humanity, not of Christianity.
I am not Catholic. I will never become a Catholic. And yet, the person I know who has lived her life closest to the way Christ said to to do is Catholic. Divisions are all man-made.
I've been on here for over decade. You are just the latest person to use the term on me.
You've been called that in the past as well.
We are one in Christ regardless of what you want to call me. So why am I different from you?
My siblings and I disagree on plenty of stuff. They are still Rob's like I am - and will be as long as we are on the earth.
Question - do you categorize or distinguish your Christianity?
Just as all scientists are scientists, there are different fields of science and there are different designations for those fields. Not all scientists are in the same area of science. And so it is with Christians. All Christians are Christians, but not all Christians have the same beliefs. And so you have designations such as fundamentalist, liberal, Protestant, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, non-denominational, Preterist, futurist, etc.
Being offended or upset by the term fundamentalist is silly. It simply describes your belief-set as a Christian.
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