Theological Term of the Week

prayer
“An offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins,and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies”:1 personal communication with God;2 speaking with God.

• From scripture:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior … .  (1 Timothy 2:1-3 ESV)

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Theological Term of the Week

church discipline
Corrective measures taken church leaders or a congregation regarding a matter of sin in the life of a member, with the goal of the loving restoration of the fallen member, if possible, and the strengthening of the church for the glory of Christ.

• From scripture:

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17, ESV)

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV)

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Theological Term of the Week

Fundamentalism
A movement that emerged following WWI in opposition to modernism and liberalism in Protestant denominations. “The name is taken from The Fundamentals, twelve volumes of essays published from 1910 to 1915 … defending core Christian doctrines … .”1 Currently, the term is commonly used with a negative conotation to refer to legalistic or combative conservative Christianity.  

• From Michael Haykin (Honoring Fundamentalism):

The term “Fundamentalism,” for many in our culture a word with exclusively negative associations, was birthed in the 1910s and 1920s in connection with a desire to affirm the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith in the face of the 19th and early 20th century liberal denial of various orthodox doctrines. As such, Fundamentalism points us to the important task that confronts the Church in every generation, namely, the vigorous assertion without compromise of such key truths as the Trinity, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, his bodily incarnation and resurrection from the dead. The passion for the Truth gripped the early Fundamentalists and it needs to grip us as well. 

Alongside a passion for the Truth, early Fundamentalism was also shaped by a desire to know the reality of that text in Ephesians 5, where we read that Christ’s great work includes the sanctification and purification of the Church (verses 25-26). Early Fundamentalists were keenly aware that purity of doctrine was a key part of our Lord’s sanctifying and purifying work and that Christians cannot walk hand in hand with those who flagrantly deny the essentials of the Faith. In this connection, they were also desirous of heeding another related text, namely, that “pure and undefiled religion in the presence of God, even the Father, is this…to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). These desires—seeking purity of doctrine and church reform as well as living holy lives—should also be central to our Christianity. 

Yet, as Fundamentalism pursued these passions, all too frequently it found itself getting sidelined in debates about tertiary issues and becoming a movement that fostered schism rather than reformation. At times it seemed to forget that theological orthodoxy in and by itself cannot revitalize Christian communities: the coals of orthodoxy are vital, but there must be the life-giving flame of the Spirit as well.

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