Who Will You Be After You Recover?

Introduction

One of the greatest misconceptions about this website is that I created it to be a Recovering Fundamentalist knockoff. To be completely transparent, I hate this assumption. I made this website for the purpose of pushing people to think. So if pushing people to think is anti-fundamentalism, then I suppose that is a damning statement about the fundamentalist movement. Nonetheless, this was never my intention in creating ThePokingStick; however, I do have a place in my heart for my brothers and sisters who consider themselves recovering fundamentalists. Before we move forward, I want to make a distinction. I recognize that there is a podcast called The Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast, but I also want to acknowledge the movement that has spawned from that podcast. I do not see the podcast and movement as synonymous, but I do see the movement as a product of the podcast.

I Was There When It Was Written

When it comes to the fundamentalist movement, I understand many of the complaints/concerns people have. Trust me when I say that I get it. I sat through lectures on how true Baptists do not accept women wearing pants. I have been told that my entire theology is corrupt because I am not King James only. I have received backhanded comments like “you look like you go to a Hillsong church.” Like what does that even mean? I did not hear the words “Christian liberty” until I was in college, for crying out loud.

Just like me, there are plenty of other folk who know similar experiences. My recovering fundamentalist brothers and sisters have a place in my heart because I can sympathize with the hurt they have experienced. I have had to put on a show and pretend to be someone I am not. I have known the fear of “what if they find out what I really think.” Sadly, I have experienced seasons of bitterness toward fundamentalist circles — bitterness which I had to repent of. Whether I sympathize with them or not, people have experienced genuine hurt in the fundamentalist movement, and these are not isolated incidents. We cannot deny that a culture within fundamentalism has propagated harmful behavior.

On the topic of sympathy, I vehemently oppose the idea that I have to experience something to have an opinion on it. Anybody could say what I am about to say and deserve to be heard, But Paul understood that being a Roman citizen had its perks; therefore, I am going to cash in on speaking as an insider. I know the issues of the fundamentalist movement, and as I write this, that knowledge rests at the front of my mind.

Why I am Not A Recovering Fundamentalist

So, why was ThePokingStick never designed to be a statement against fundamentalism? Frankly, because I was never a recovering fundamentalist myself. I did listen to the podcast for a season, and I have respect for much of what they had to say, but I never saw the need to join the movement. I wholeheartedly believe that public sin is fair game for public ridicule. Jesus was not nice to the Pharisees, and Paul called people out by name. There is a Biblical way to speak up. I do not see the podcast or the movement as inherently divisive. They mean well, and it was not the alleged divisive nature that kept me away from the movement.

I do understand that because of this alleged divisive nature, the recovering fundamentalist movement has become an ecclesiastical boogeyman for many fundamentalists. It was seen as an attack. As if movie theaters and mixed bathing were not enough, now old-time religion must combat these recovering fundamentalists. Keep in mind that I was, until recently, a part of the fundamentalist circle. I saw firsthand the recovering fundamentalist movement gain traction, and I witnessed the opposition to the movement. I also witnessed some believers stay in fundamentalist circles to proselytize others into the recovering fundamentalist movement. All of these factors began to compound and gave the recovering fundamentalist movement a stigma, but it was not the stigma that kept me away.

The reason I am not a recovering fundamentalist, and intentionally refuse to associate with the movement, is because I believe it is an identity crisis. When you get into the discussion of fundamentalism, you really need to distinguish what constitutes as fundamental. Your preference for Bible translations is not fundamental. Your view on alcohol is not fundamental. Your experience in the church is not fundamental. Honestly, much of what the podcast/movement spends their time discussing are not fundamentals. The deity of Christ, the Trinity, the inerrancy of Scripture, and any true doctrine of the church are fundamentals. This creates a problem because it raises the question of what you are recovering from. Are you recovering from the teaching of the Trinity? I understand the heart behind the title, but if we are being honest, the recovering fundamentalist movement is primarily about escaping legalism and discovering what you are not.

The movement really has little to do with the proper fundamentals. I guess “The Recovering from A Bad Experience Podcast” does not have the same ring. Regardless, my primary concern is the issue of identity within the movement.

The Kingdom of God Is

The Bible is a positive book when it comes to identity. What I mean by this is that you often find Scripture speaking about what something or someone is, rather than what they are not. For example, Jesus discusses the Kingdom in positive terms. “The Kingdom of heaven is like” is how Jesus discussed the kingdom. Jesus did not spend the majority of his time discussing what the kingdom was not. Paul is the one who spoke about the Kingdom in negative terms (i.e. saying what it is not), but follows up with a clarification. For example, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” (1 Cor. 4:20) This is important because when you speak in positive terms, you are leaving little room for confusion about what you are affirming.

If Jesus were to spend his ministry discussing what the Kingdom was not, then that would leave his disciples scrambling to figure out what it was. The Bible does not make your identity a process of elimination. Ephesians 2 begins with what we were, but by verse 10, Paul establishes what we are in Christ. My point is, identity goes beyond knowing what you are not. When I started ThePokingStick, I was intentional in only describing it in positive terms. I did not want to describe my website as “not this,” but rather I wanted readers/listeners to know exactly what the Stick is. The recovering fundamentalist movement seems to be heavily based on what you are not. You are no longer a fundy. You are no longer in a cult. You are no longer in the fundamentalist movement. In regards to the podcast, you can even join the Ex-fundy movement. This is all for the sake of recovering from what you used to be/experience; however, recovery goes beyond admitting what you do not want to be.

True recovery establishes a goal. If you read Paul’s epistles, you will quickly find that with every problem there is a solution. Ephesians 5:1-4 is a prime example of this. Paul begins his thought with the reality that since we are forgiven, we can walk as children of God (Eph. 5:1-2). But Paul continues by giving a laundry list of what we should not be. (Vv. 3-4a) We should not be fornicators or have vulgar speech, and we should not be covetous or have unhelpful conversations. All of these are given in negative terms, but Paul finishes on a positive. Paul finishes his thought with an alternative. Instead of being all of these carnal things, we should be thankful. (v. 4) Certainly, Paul used negative terminology. His readers could walk away saying “children of God are not these things,” but they could ultimately conclude what a child of God is. I support the recovering fundamentalist movement in the sense that they want to pull people out of bad philosophies, but I fear that the movement is not pushing people into who they are in Christ. They want you to recover, but I am asking who will you be after you recover? What/who will define you?

Movement Mentality and Gnosticism

Compounded with the lack of identity, there is the danger of movement mentality. One of the factors that contributed to the downfall of fundamentalism was that it became a movement. Movement Fundamentalism is the proper term for what we see today. Fundamentalism began as an opposition to Modernism, but as time went on, the definition of fundamentalism kept changing. Soon, fundamentalism meant not going to the movie theater or wearing circle frame glasses. The credentials to be a fundamentalist kept getting more specific. Soon, the movement became something like the He-Man-Woman-Haters-Club. It did not take long for the movement to carry the masses away from what fundamentalism really is. It became less about the fundamentals of Scripture and more about not being like everyone else. As a whole, fundamentalists defined themselves by what they were not. They were not worldly, they were not Southern Baptists, they were not modernists, and so forth. As the requirements for being a fundamentalist got more and more specific, legalism became more vicious. One of the great sins in the Independent Baptist circle was not being like everyone else in the club.

The parameters for being a fundamentalist were set and they were strictly enforced. With this in mind, I will be quick to say that the recovering fundamentalist movement is at risk of following a similar path. I support individuals wanting to get out of bad situations to find their identity in Christ, but I do not support making a movement out of that. Allow me to explain, the beauty of Christian liberty is that we all fall on different points on the spectrum. As people get out of bad situations and find their identity in Christ, they will have the liberty to fall where their conscience permits. So my question is, can anyone get into the club? For example, if a relevant topic in recovering fundamentalism is partaking in drinking, then can I be a teetotaler recovering fundamentalist? Can a woman get into the club, but only wear skirts? What happens when recovering fundamentalism means not looking like the fundamentalists?

Make no mistake, legalism can happen on either end of the spectrum. If we are not careful, then recovering fundamentalism may develop its own legalistic culture. Don’t believe me? I have known people who have been told that they are dressed too nice for church. Who is to say that some people may not be recovered enough to be in the movement? As ideas become movements, parameters are created. As parameters are created, polarization begins. At what point is someone considered an Ex-fundy? With movement mentality, there is nothing stopping someone from looking at me and saying “You look like you go to a Hyles church.” The tables can turn quicker than we realize. This is why everyone needs a healthy dose of take heed lest you fall (1 Cor. 10:12).

Another danger of movement mentality is the desire for secret knowledge. The Gnostics built their entire belief system on the idea that they had obtained some sort of secret knowledge that only they had. In Christianity, this is called heresy. Within any movement, there is always a risk of that Gnostic mentality. In this case, there is certainly a risk of the recovering fundamentalist movement becoming this group of enlightened believers who have ascended beyond fundamentalism. I have heard the conversations. I have sat down among recovering fundamentalists and heard the hateful comments about their fundamentalist counterparts. Just like the fundamentalist preacher who lectured my class on how true fundamental Baptists reject women wearing pants, recovering fundamentalists can begin to look at other legitimate preferences as fraudulent or unintelligent. How long until a generation of preachers begin speaking about true recovered fundamentalists? Is it really as simple as signing up to join the Ex-fundy movement or do I have to fit their mold too? And if you have to fit the mold, then who is to say that you will always be able to keep up with the movement?

Liberty Is A Two-Way Street

I hope that everyone can agree that Christ is King. With that in mind, I hope we can all agree that the Word of God is our authority; therefore, our lives must fit the parameters of Scripture. If someone twists Scripture to fit their biases, then they have sinned by propagating false doctrines; however, we must understand that there is liberty in Christ. There is liberty to partake and there is liberty to abstain. There is liberty for women to wear pants and liberty for women to wear skirts. To preach that the Bible states that women cannot wear pants is a sin. These are what we call preferences, and preferences are not equal to Scripture. Nonetheless, preferences are to be conformed to Scripture.

Everyone has their own preferences. Some preferences are determined by culture, some by experience, and others by prayer and careful study of the Scriptures. Unfortunately, it seems that the preferences of some are more respected than others. In fundamentalist circles, those who choose to partake are seen as liberal heathens. In recovering fundamentalist circles, those who choose to abstain are seen as legalists. If we are being honest, many of us are often trying to figure out who the weaker brother is. I may hold a different position from my fundamentalist brothers and sisters, but their preferences (so long as they are understood as preferences) are equally legitimate. Why do women only wear skirts and believers choose to abstain from alcohol? Because they are free to. Why do women wear pants and believers choose to partake? Because they are free to. However you use your liberty, it will not commend you to God (1 Cor. 8:8). What unifies us is Christ and Christ gives us liberty. Both sides need to recognize that we are all free in Christ — free to live according to Scripture, not our movement.

Conclusion

I do not write any of this to say that being a recovering fundamentalist is inherently wrong. I do, however, believe that this growing movement deserves a word of caution. The movement mindset corrupted fundamentalism almost 100 years ago. Your movement is not infallible. Podcasts are not your pastor. Let Scripture lead. Keep Christ as King. If you need to recover, then recover, but consider my questions. Is your identity found in what you are not? Are you looking for recovery or a movement? How will you view those who are free to stay in fundamentalism? Who will you be after you recover?