In the past few hundred years, a huge label has been given to certain people. Many call them Christian Fundamentalists. Originally, Christian Fundamentalism came about due to a renewed interest in pursuing the fundamental truth of the Bible and therefore true Christianity. Over time, its definition changed so that it was more along the lines of bigoted fanatical Republicans. Intelligent design activists and anti-gay activists got thrown into the mix as well.

Here’s the issue.

Christian Fundamentalism is a turn-off. To some “outsiders,” it can be a political power based on unreasonably forced values, hence the existence of the phrase “the Christian right.” To others, it is of the same material that has caused the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades and the justification of slavery for so many centuries. To others, it is an excuse to justify an arbitrary marginalizing system. That’s why I hate it.

On the other hand, Christian Fundamentalism at its root is essentially a return to original Christianity. Its original function was not to be original in any way, or unique in any way, or rude in any way, but it was to once again recognize the Gospel as true and applicable. It was to point the Church to God. That’s why I love it.

Why is Christian Fundamentalism so polarizing? Perhaps, it is because God himself is polarizing. And to this I say, “No!” I think that it is this very suggestion that turns people away from God in the first place.

Let’s talk about polarization. Why is anything polarizing? Why is Bill O’Reilly or Peyton Manning or Coca-Cola polarizing? I can think of two ways that produce these polarizations.

1) People have different experiences and preferences and tastes. It is only natural that people have disagreements over different things because people are different.

2) Communication isn’t perfect. Somewhere along the lines, things will get misrepresented, and people just have a knack for getting fired up over the slightest slip of the tongue. I can still remember when I heard that the food coloring Yellow 5 can have negatives effects on males, notably in relation to their reproductive system. As a result, I went through several years barely drinking any Mountain Dew at all, which previously was my favorite soft drink. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that the whole thing was a myth. I had positioned myself against Mountain Dew for reasons that had no validity.

Now, let’s put God into the picture. Why is God polarizing? I don’t think Reason #1 applies anymore. God claims to provide eternal satisfaction and joy for every single human being. Every human being was wired to be in such a relation with God. There cannot exist a human being who can accurately reject God because of preferential differences. To not have a preference for God, according to the Bible, is to not be human, essentially. The only polarizing reason would be Reason #2. It seems that the only reason people reject God is because communication isn’t perfect, and God is misrepresented. I can think of no other way people reject God. For many people, God is unable to save. For many people, God is unwilling to save. For many people, God does not need to save. Whatever the reason, there is a discrepancy between truth and belief, and that has caused billions to turn away from Christianity and even religion in general.

What does that mean? It means that the problem with Christian Fundamentalists isn’t that they are too fundamental, but it is that they are not fundamental enough. If the Bible is true, then every single thing about Christian Fundamentalism that has been a turn-off to the “outsider” is not even a part of Christianity at all. (Note: Of course, part of the turn-off is also due to the individual who is doing the rejecting, because all individuals are fallen beings, and conflict is inevitable because of that fact [Matthew 10:34]. But I am categorizing this ignorance of the human condition as a miscommunication as well.)

I was re-reading my favorite chapter (Confessions) in Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller last week, and here’s something I found. “For so much of my life I had been defending Christianity because I thought to admit that we had done any wrong was to discredit the religious system as a whole, but it isn’t a religious system, it is people following Christ; and the important thing to do, the right thing to do, was to apologize for getting in the way of Jesus.”

I resonated so strongly with that line. Yesterday, some of us were discussing Romans 1:16, where Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” We were going around talking about what it was about the gospel that caused us to be ashamed of it, and I said that what made me ashamed the most were the people who have misrepresented it to the world. I was thinking about that today, and I realized that I didn’t even answer the question. I wasn’t ashamed of the gospel. I was ashamed of the followers the gospel. But I had tied the gospel so strongly with its followers that I didn’t even notice the difference. And the fact of the matter is that the very thing that separated the gospel from its followers was that the followers weren’t following the gospel enough.

So here is the conclusion.

The Crusades happened because of a lack of fundamental Christianity. The Spanish Inquisition happened because of a lack of fundamental Christianity. The justification of slavery happened because of a lack of fundamental Christianity. People picketing at the funerals of soldiers and people holding signs that say “God hates gays” do what they do because of a lack of fundamental Christianity. The shame I have, the hatred that has been incurred, the polarization that exists, are a result of people not following the gospel enough. The solution is not less fundamental gospel, but more fundamental gospel.

Is there such a thing as a true Christian? Is there anybody who can claim to be an accurate follower of Christ? Can a person not stain the label of Christianity? No. And that is why God entered this world. He came to show us how to live, proving once and for all that nobody is good enough, and he died so that we can be redeemed, proving once and for all that God loved us nonetheless. That is the gospel.

– Larry