*Posted by Everett Berry. This piece originally appeared at All Things New.
Before I begin to offer my initial thoughts on this question, a little reminiscing is probably in order. I was born in Fort Worth, TX and was raised in an Independent Baptist church that was part of a larger Fundamental Baptist coalition.
Needless to say then, I grew up in an extremely conservative environment. So much so, my church and its denominational affiliates proudly embraced many of the typical labels indicative of the Baptist flavor of Fundamentalism such as King James Only-ism and Landmarkism. To be completely fair though, unlike many others who have stories to the contrary, my experience in this climate was not overwhelmingly negative. While it was true that I did occasionally encounter some forms of legalism and folk theology that are intrinsic to some Fundamentalist circles, I heartily confess that the people who personally invested in me were genuinely committed to the gospel, discipleship, evangelism, and holiness. Even today there are many people in Fundamentalist contexts who are my dear friends and brothers/sisters in the Lord. All in all then, the Fundamentalist ethos did not harm my spiritual pilgrimage. In many ways, it nurtured it. Continue reading
