I'm A Fundamentalist, Not A Traditionalist!

I'm A Fundamentalist, Not A Traditionalist!

This blog post has content that has been weighing heavy on my mind for quite some time. Whether you like what I have to say or completely disagree with me, the Word reigns true! Just so you know, that's what I'm basing this entire post on, as well as my teachings, preachings, and the life that I lead. Am I a Fundamentalist? Absolutely, you better believe it. Yet because of some who have misinterpreted and illegitimately labeled themselves such, I never know how someone will perceive me when I say I'm a fundamentalist, yet I am one. As I look at the world, social media, the news media, I see propaganda thrown around condemning the fundamentalists and I see false assumptions as to what a true fundamentalist is! So I asked myself why? Why does the world view us this way? All I had to do was look around! Traditionalists call themselves fundamentalists! The two are polar opposites, especially in my world! I'm a Free Will Baptist, a fundamentalist movement, but I am NOT a traditionalist! A true fundamentalist believes the following, the inerrancy of the scriptures(The original Greek and Hebrew, not the KJV!), the virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, the literal resurrection of Christ, the second coming, and the literal interpretation of scripture! The traditionalist believe that their traditions are right and everyone else is wrong! I get so fed up when a traditionalist screams "look to the old paths"(Jeremiah 6:16) without context in view. They scream this proclaiming, not what the scripture means which is to turn from idols and back to the one true God, but that we should live and worship exactly like mamma and daddy when worship has changed throughout the centuries, not the essence, which is in God alone, but in the form it is manifested! You can agree or disagree but I can guarantee that you don't worship with an ephod on, burn incense, sing gregorian chants, have ever heard a psaltry played, much less had one in your church. Your style of worship hasn't been around forever, at one time it was contemporary! Your style of music hasn't always been, gospel style came out of the streets, southern gospel and bluegrass came out of the honky tonks. By the way, today's contemporary christian music has more biblical weight in their lyrics than the traditional! I better move on or I'll be on this subject all day, lol. A traditionalist wants you to wear what they grew up wearing to church, non biblical, they want you to worship with the same style of worship they grew up with, non biblical, they are always more worried about the superficial instead of the spiritual! I'm pretty sure Jesus Christ called someone like this a Pharisee and a Sadducee! Whited sepulchers, beautiful on the outside yet full of dead men's bones! How can we spot the traditionalist and the fundamentalist? I'm glad you asked.....

The Traditionalist will condemn you for what you wear to church, the fundamentalist will clothe the naked!

The traditionalist will condemn you for eating in the church, which David did by the way, the fundamentalist will feed the hungry!
The traditionalist will condemn the rapist, the fundamentalist will visit them in prison!

The traditionalist will condemn your style of worship, the fundamentalist will worship along with you!

The traditionalist will bash the homosexual, the fundamentalist will love them and lead them to Christ through love to which they will respond and turn from that sin(seen it happen)!

The traditionalist will condemn the depressed for not having faith, the fundamentalist will comfort them and lead them to the peace of Christ!

The traditionalist will condemn people for not coming to church yet have never stepped foot in their neighborhoods to love and invite them, the fundamentalist is ALWAYS looking for ways to love people and lead them to the knowledge of Jesus Christ!

Please let me clarify, unfortunately some have taken my statements to the extreme. I'm not saying or implying you should wear anything, go anywhere,  do anything and anyone who knows me understands that. Just look at the graphic, those are lies. I'm just saying don't condemn others cause they don't worship and look like you, your mamma, or your daddy!

Am I a fundamentalist? YES! A traditionalist? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I'm not saying integrity should be compromised but integrity comes not by what we wear, or how we worship but simply in how we abide in these two commandments, love God with all you heart, soul, mind, and might, and love your neighbor as yourself!

I may listen to contemporary music, wear shorts from time to time, enjoy going to the beach, have a praise and worship team at my church, have a youth group, have a children's church, associate with other denominations than my own but I'm still a fundamentalist Christian with conservative views, I still believe and am anointed by the Holy Ghost, I'm still a holy roller, I'm still a bible thumper, I'm still a born again Christian, I still shout, I still run the aisle, but most importantly, I'm doing what God said do, LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS!

Matthew 23:27King James Version (KJV)

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Matthew 22:35-40King James Version (KJV)

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 15:1-9King James Version (KJV)

15 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.