Fundamentalism Betrays the Bible?

Fundamentalists proclaim themselves to be the True Defenders of True Christianity. They are adamant that they and only they have a correct understanding of what Christianity is. Some argue, though, that the fundamentalist conception of Christianity is actually dangerous to Christianity.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports on comments by Rev. Steve DeFields-Gambrel of Sanctuary at Garfield Park Christian Church in Santa Cruz:

Jesus was all about reflection and change, says DeFields-Gambrel. "If you’re convinced that the Scriptures must always agree and can never be changed, then you just can’t hear what Jesus is saying. This is why Jesus had an ongoing battle with the Pharisees. They couldn’t hear God asking them to take new steps in faith. The failure of the Pharisees and the failure of Christian fundamentalism is an unwillingness to keep growing, to keep maturing in faith, because that means change." ... DeFields-Gambrel believes fundamentalism inevitably results in a harsh, unloving religion, just the opposite of what Jesus intended.

Modern fundamentalism owes at least as much to modern "scientific" attitudes as it does to ancient religion. Fundamentalism as we know it couldn't have developed a couple of centuries ago.

It's possible that the popularity of fundamentalism may be declining:

According to the National Election Studies Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior Poll in 2002, ... [there was a] 23 percent decrease in the number of respondents who said they believe the Bible is the literal word of God, with a 25 percent increase in those who believe it is inspired by, rather than dictated by, God.

This might seem like positive news to some, but fundamentalists aren’t the only threats and liberty and democracy. Very conservative evangelicals aren't classified as fundamentalists, but they are often eager to impose their interpretations of biblical doctrines on others through the political process and they are not averse to using fundamentalist rhetoric in order to bolster their position.

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