The Contemporary Fundamentalist

   So, I'm a Fundamentalist.

   Do you believe the Bible is 100% true?
   Do you believe Jesus alone is the Saviour?
   Do you believe God's plan doesn't change?

   Welcome to the Club.

   As so often happens these days, folks have changed the meaning of "Christian Fundamentalist".

   It now means (to the world at large) that you are a Republican, KJV-only, teetotaler who attends an independent Church pastored by an under-thirty graduate of Pensacola Christian College.

   I'm not a Republican, I just vote that way.

   If a man came up to me and said "You must either smoke this marijuana or snort this cocaine, or I'll shoot this puppy" I'd smoke the marijuana.

   That doesn't mean I'm a pothead, it's just the lesser of two evils.

(for the record, I wouldn't smoke the Marijuana, I'm just making a point here)

   I use the KJV, and don't much care for other translations, but I don't get uppity about it. If someone got behind the pulpit with a copy of "The Message^©", I might be moved to say something.

   I drink beer. Don't worry, it's not what you think. I was prescribed it for severe kidney stones, and I drink no more than two ounces at a time no more than three times (usually only once) a week. If you take NyQuil, you've got me beat on alchohol consumption.

   I attend a SBC Baptist Church. The fact is, most of the folks there believe the same way I do. I'd wager more of the folks at my current Church are true Fundies than at my previous "Fundamentalist" church. A rose by any other name, and all that. I joined that church because I liked it. Not only am I not there to change anything - I'll fight the person who tries.

   My current Pastor is not under thirty. He's a well-trained, well-taught, well-seasoned Pastor.

   Fundamentalism is getting a bad rap these days. Mostly because of those other Fundamentalists who keep trying to blow us up. Also because of folks like Fred Phelps who preach messages of hate while profiting by suing folks who disagree with them. Then, for some reason we get blamed for stuff the "Evangelicals" are doing. I gotta say - if you're in a 50k member church where the preacher wears blue jeans with holes in the knees and the music minister has all three of his ex wives in the congregation you're not a fundie. (If the pastor of a MegaChurch preaches that you can be a practicing Homosexual and attend his Church, don't be surprised when his boyfriend turns up.)

   I guess I should be glad folks have stereotyped us fundies as those folks in the little churches down the road - that makes it easier for us to be pretty much everywhere.