The World Congress of Fundamentalists, which met in Edinburgh, 1976, defined fundamentalism with the following definition:

"A Fundamentalist is a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who...

1. Maintains an immovable allegiance to the inerrant, infallible, and verbally-inspired Bible;

2. Believes that whatever the Bible says is so;

3. Judges all things by the Bible, and is judged only by the Bible;

4. Affirms the foundational truths of the historic Christian Faith:

5. Practices fidelity to that Faith and endeavors to preach it to every creature;

6. Exposes and separates from all ecclesiastical denial of that Faith, compromise with error, and apostasy from the Truth; and

7. Earnestly contends for the Faith once delivered."

There is a sort of refined, distinguished-ness about being labeled by such a term. After all, doesn’t everybody long to belong to a "members only" elite-type group? There is a rather vast body of conservative American Christians who think well of themselves and claim to be Fundamentalists; yet warning lights are flashing, and bells are ringing which seem to imply otherwise.

Could Lot have been considered a fundamentalist? He was a believer. The filthy conversation of Sodom "vexed his righteous soul from day to day." Yet, according to the very definition of fundamentalism, Lot could not have been included, because he did not practice Biblical separation; he was not a contender for the faith in his own family. He was not included in that hall of faith -- that hall of -- should we say -- Fundamentalists in Hebrews 11? But from Sodom’s perspective, was Lot a fundamentalist? That’s an entirely new perspective – from Sodom. How many people esteem themselves fundamentalists because the world calls them so!

Martin Luther said, "If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest expression every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Chris, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

Is a man a fundamentalist who cleverly avoids addressing the issues of the day, while boldly affirming what the devil would not at that moment deny?

Is a man a fundamentalist who glories in his weekly expositional treatises on John 3:16, while remaining silent to the devil’s attack on Genesis 1:1...?

Is it fundamentalism that is failing today? or is it a vast body of self-professed fundamentalists, who want to wear the tag, without having to bear the reproach? Is it a comfortable, lazy church, that wants to wear the crown without having to bear the cross? Is it a backslidden, spineless, fully-entertained club that wants to shout victory without ever having to go to battle? Perhaps the family is an indication: it was for Lot.

Those mentioned in the Bible, great men who stood for God’s truth, were never called anything greater than men of Faith.

The Bible says, "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land" (II Chron. 7:13-14). Does this passage include Fundamentalists? Who would deny that it does?

Oh you flaunting and flamboyant fundamentalists who assume and expect God’s major hand of work in your minor framework of Christianity; you who, like the Roman Catholic Church, which claims God’s authority in their visible system, and like Landmark "Baptists." who claim God’s authority in their invisible line of supposed succession-- you claim God’s authority and power in your system of fundamentals. Just remember that the Lord Jesus Christ said, "I will build my church." And perhaps all of His Jephthahs, Gideons, Samsons and Baraks won’t fit into your framework.

Oh you factitious fundamentalists who cleverly claim that you believe in an inerrant, infallible and verbally-inspired Bible, when you really don’t believe one has ever existed. Since you maintain that only the original autographs of each individual book of the Bible were inerrant and infallible and that every copy produced from them was fallible, you can never claim an inerrant, infallible Bible since it took thousands of years for all sixty-six books to be added to the Canon. You don’t believe an inerrant, infallible Bible ever, ever, ever existed – no, not one!

Oh you fruitless fundamentalists who promote birth-control on Friday and soul-winning On Saturday -- whose fool would you have God to be?

Oh you fictitious fundamentalists who, like Lot, haven’t been able to keep your own kids out of hell; so you decide, worse than Lot, to practice on others’ kids!

Oh you fleshly fundamentalists who think that after thirty years your daughters can wear the same attire worn back from Woodstock and not be the same kind of daughters produced by Woodstock! Don’t you know that perversion in dress produces perversion in society, all you faddish fundamentalists whose grandmothers used to wear dresses! Who changed? Will you now let your fragile men wear their grandmothers’ dresses with zippers in the front? You inconsistent cross-dressers!

Oh you feeble fundamentalists who express outrage against the world putting women in military combat, when you put them in the work force!

Oh you faulty fundamentalists who glory in your stand against women preachers, but you send them to the state where they exercise authority over other wives’ husbands!

Oh you flippant fundamentalists whose pant-wearing, short-haired daughters are well prepared for entrance into the Charismatic movement with its accompanying music – you traitors! God will hold you older generation more responsible for the perversion in society than the newer generation: You saw the riot, rebellion and revolution of the sixties; you saw your women put away their dresses and put on their husbands’ pants, and you wiped your mouths and said, "We have done no wickedness?" But your children will reveal your theology!

Oh you feminine fundamentalists of whom, like Israel, it could be said, "As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths" (Isaiah 3:12).

Oh you fainting fundamentalists who don’t have enough fortitude to rule your own houses well, pulling your children out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh -- will you call yourselves part of the church militant?

Oh you formal fundamentalists who exclude and separate yourselves from the fearless, forthright fundamentalists, as your fathers did! Don’t be surprised if Christ separates from you!

Oh you fit, fat and frail fundamentalists who assume health, wealth and prosperity are the signs of God’s blessing and approval upon you and your churches! Your covetousness will find you out!

Oh you forlorn fundamentalists who assume building programs and church growth in days of apostasy are signs of God’s blessing, when Noah knew better! And you turn around and say you believe these are the last days, and are waiting to be raptured away in Elijah’s whirlwind to heaven! What audacity! -- God is not mocked, you followers of Norman Vincent Peale!

Oh you fake fundamentalists who love your local prestigious and gorgeous Cathedrals, lavish church facilities, grounds, camps, fleets, chandeliers and padded pews, who would rather spend twenty thousand dollars on a church bus, to bring ghetto kids to inflate your church (rather than having the loving church folk voluntarily pick them up), than to publish God’s Word in newspapers in major cities around the nation and reach millions of educated masses with the same amount of money in one day’s time! What will you have when God takes away all your fading glitter and fools’ gold, you foibled investors who claim to be out to fulfill the great commission?

Oh you fashionable fundamentalists who adorn the front of your church facilities with the latest in church sign technology and lighting, but never dare to put a Bible verse on that sign. You think your little poems and ditties will do better than the old-fashioned, divisive, narrow Word of God! You betray the very gospel you profess, you Neo-Evangelicals!

Oh you funny fundamentalists who glory in your qualifications of five or ten fundamentals of the faith, while rejecting the thousand other commandments of Scripture!

Oh you fearful fundamentalists who don’t have enough guts to stand alone, but must run in packs; who are afraid to be labeled as peculiar people; who are ashamed of the cross of Christ and its accompanying ignominy reproach, scorn, scoffing, ridicule, and contempt by the world; and who resent being thought of as the off-scouring of the earth! Choose you this day whom ye will serve, you faltering fundamentalists!

Oh you futile fundamentalists who think you can broaden the narrow road to let more into heaven than God ordained! Your own converts will testify against you on the day of judgment!

Oh you foaming fundamentalists, just remember, "Not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth" (II Corinthians 10:18).

"If my people [the ones called by my name], shall humble themselves [rend your women’s pants, put your lady-like dresses back on, and grow out your masculine hair], and pray [without hypocrisy, in earnest sincerity and fervency], and seek my face [not your mission board’s face, or your preacher’s face or your boss’s face], and turn from their wicked ways [rip down those unregenerate sports figures off your kids’ walls, bash in their rock music tapes and charismatic music, burn your daughters blue jeans, along with their harlot supply kits, turn off the hellevision programs, and give your children The Pilgrim’s

Progress]; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Just maybe, you might get God’s attention that you really mean business. "Who can tell," said a king of old, "if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not?" (Jonah 3:9) And if you don’t have enough righteous indignation to take your stand against the evil perversions of the day; if you aren’t willing to be crucified to the world, bearing its shame, ignominy, reproach, scorn, scoffing, ridicule and contempt; if you aren’t willing to be among the off-scouring of the earth, then don’t call yourself a Fundamentalist! Go ahead, acknowledge you’re really a Neo-Evangelical at heart!

The gospel still rings out loud and clear: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt. 7:13-14) -- Oh how very, very few, faithful, fruitful, flourishing fundamentalists! "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8b). Perhaps he will find some fancy, festive and frolicking "fundamentalists" who are famous for nothing more than flipping up into the air!

Lord, Thou art a good God, gracious, merciful, longsuffering and full of compassion. Thou hast not treated us as we have deserved, nor rewarded us according to our sins. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is Thy mercy toward them that fear Thee. Oh Lord, we say we want revival, but I wonder if we really mean what we say. Are we prepared for Thy refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap?

We say we want revival, yet we have rejected the very theology that has produced all the past revivals.

We say we want revival, yet we cast aspersion and doubt on Thy Holy Word, questioning its very authenticity and thus its authority. Yea, we laugh at those who trust in Thy preserved Word; we mock and ridicule those simple plowboys who stand without apology for Thy wholly-preserved, inerrant and infallible written Word -- but we say we want revival.

We say we want revival, yet we glory in the appearance and dress of our women who parade themselves in the same attire of the rebellious sixties, from Woodstock itself-- but we say we want revival.

We say we want revival, but we spend our Wednesday evenings involved in shows, productions, recreation and entertainment, and some of the few women who do go to church wax eloquent speaking out in the church, which thing Thy Word expressly forbids -- but we say we want revival.

We say we want revival, but we have cast aside the Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs that were born out of the revivals of yester-year for the contemporary, more-easy-to-understand slush of today -- yet we say we want revival.

We say we want revival, yet we limit Thy calling according to --the size of the church, the programs it offers and the benefits we’d receive -- but we say we want revival.

We say we want revival, yet we dare to enter the dark public schools and agree not to teach the Bible; like Billy Graham, we enter closed communist countries and agree not to proselytize; we willingly subject ourselves to and desire education from Neo-Evangelical, liberal, and worldly institutions of higher learning which teach everything but the Truth.

Lord, we don’t need revival; we’re O.K. -- We’ve got it all figured out; we don’t need to repent, we have our own religion -- one that we have fashioned to ourselves. A religion of form and ritual and ceremony; a religion of piety, tears and decisions; a religion of intellect, cleanliness and beauty. One that begins and finishes on time, with checks and balances. Why do we need revival, Lord? You’d mess it all up. We’ll allow you to leave us alone; we’re doing just fine without you. In the name of Him who has done the very best that He could do, Amen.