Looking Back -
Looking Forward
©FOUNDATION
Magazine, March April 1995 Volume XVI
A Magazine of Biblical Fundamentalism
THE WORD "FUNDAMENTALISM" is used with increasing frequency.
Unfortunately it is all too often mis-interpreted, mis-applied, mis-understood and
incorrectly defined. While it is true that "Fundamentalism" as a movement came
into being in the early part of this century, the term "Fundamentalist" is in
reality just another way of identifying old-fashioned, Bible Believing, Bible obeying
Christians; and it is important to realize that God has raised up and preserved a faithful
remnant of His people in every generation regardless of the name which might be applied to
them at any given time. We read in Acts 11:26 that the new believers were first called
Christians at Antioch "and we see the believers in Berea commended because they
"searched the scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11). True believers have always given
the Word of God priority over the words of men; they have always preached the one true
Gospel; and they have always identified, exposed and separated from false teachers,
disobedient brethren and the things of the world.
Evangelicals versus the Modernists
When liberal theology was introduced into the Protestant churches in the early part of
the l9th century, the term "evangelical" was most often used to differentiate
between Bible believers and Bible doubters. However, during the last part of the 1800's,
several major Satanic attacks were launched against the very foundational truths of the
Christian Faith. First there was a rapid increase of unbelief (first called modernism;
later liberalism; and finally ecumenism) which originated in the theological
schools and was gradually disseminated by unbelieving teachers and pastors in most of the
mainline Protestant denominations. In this same time period, Charles Darwin's theory of
evolution found ready acceptance among both religious and secular scholars. These scholars
had been looking for some explanation of the origin of man and the universe since they
rejected the inspired record of creation given in God's Word, the Bible. Furthermore, in
this very same time period, deceived religious scholars launched a major attack upon the
verbal inspiration and infallibility of the Scriptures which came to fruition in the
preparation and promotion of the Westcott/Hort Greek text of the New Testament. From this
polluted Greek text came polluted English translations beginning with the English Revised
Version in 1885 and American Standard Version of 1901. The proliferation of dozens of
later polluted Bible versions is documented in our leaflet, "Modern Bible Versions
Are Dangerous-Watch Out For Them."
With the dawning of the 20th Century, the power and influence of Modernism (religious
liberalism) had grown so fast that Christian leaders who were sound in the faith began
speaking out publicly concerning the dangers of this unbelief which had infiltrated the
churches, denominations, colleges, universities, seminaries and missionary organizations.
The Fundamentals Drew the Line
In 1909, God led two Christian laymen to set aside a large sum of money for issuing
twelve volumes which would set forth the fundamentals of the Christian faith. These were
called The Fundamentals,and consisted of messages written by well-known defenders
of the faith from several different denominations. These twelve volumes of The
Fundamentals were mailed free to over 300,000 ministers, missionaries and other
Christian workers in different parts of the world. The response was far beyond any
expectation. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) through its publication, The
King's Business printed additional copies to meet the demand and finally combined the
volumes into a four volume set which was also widely circulated.
From that time on, those who believed in the fundamentals of the faith were glad to be
called "fundamentalists," and various organizations using the word
"fundamentalist" in their name were organized and fellowships were established
to combat the growing menace of modernism (liberal theology) within the churches. The
World's Christian Fundamentalist League was established and brought together hundreds of
Bible-believing, Bible-preaching pastors and leaders. Moody Bible Institute of Chicago and
the Bible Institute of Los Angeles were established and became strongholds of Biblical
fundamentalism.
It was in this time frame that M.H. Reynolds, Sr. became a student at the Bible
Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) where he was taught the Word and given a love for lost
souls. Sitting under the ministry of fundamentalists like Dr. R. A. Torrey and Dr. T. C.
Horton, and enjoying the ministry of other outstanding fundamentalists from around the
world who lectured and spoke there, he came to understand the necessity of absolute
fidelity to the Word of God. Upon graduation, he joined the BIOLA staff where he had the
two-fold privilege of enjoying further fellowship with some of the outstanding
fundamentalists of the 1920's and of helping to organize evangelistic activities in which
BIOLA students could participate. He also pastored the San Gabriel Union Church and began
a radio ministry. The words "fundamental" and "evangelistic" were
coupled in his heart and ministry from the very start.
In those early days, BIOLA’S major publication, The King's Business and the
Moody Monthly magazine published by Moody Bible Institute kept Christians informed
about the deceitful, dangerous words and programs of liberal leaders and denominations,
much the same as Foundation magazine does today. They trained hundreds of faithful
pastors, missionaries and Christian workers who were both fundamental and evangelistic. In
those early days, BIOLA and Moody enjoyed close fellowship and cooperation in preaching
the Gospel and contending earnestly for the faith. Jude 3, 4.
Early Inroads of Modernism
However, in the last half of the 1920’s, liberal theology infiltrated BIOLA in the
person of Dr. John MacInnis who was chosen to serve as Dean, succeeding Dr. R.A.
Torrey.
Almost immediately, controversy arose over a book Dr. MacInnis had written, Peter the
Fisherman Philosopher. The subtitle read, "A Study in Higher
Fundamentalism." In truth, however, this book was a clever presentation of liberal
theology disguised by the use of evangelical terminology. Dr. MacInnis' book was
copyrighted and published by the Bible Institute of Angeles (BIOLA) in 1927.
Pastor M. H. Reynolds, Sr., along with many other fundamentalists across the country,
found it impossible to remain silent about this promotion of liberal theology from the
president of a school which had become known for its stand for the truth and fearless
exposure of error. The controversy over Peter the Fisherman Philosopher spread
rapidly. Fundamentalists were forced to take sides. By that time, M. H. Reynolds, Sr. had
been on the BIOLA staff for 12 years but he could not remain silent on such an important
issue. As a result, he prepared and circulated a 30 page analysis which he titled,
"Is 'Peter the Fisherman Philosopher' True to the Scriptures?" It was a fearless
exposure of D MacInnis’ liberal theology based upon a comparison between what
MacInnis had written and the Word of God.
The immediate result was that M. H. Reynolds, Sr. (the fundamentalist) was fired by the
BIOLA Board of Directors and Dr. MacInnis (the liberal) was retained and given a vote of
confidence. The long range result was that the Fundamental Evangelistic Association was
organized in 1928 which remains today a straightforward, unyielding testimony of Biblical
fundamentalism, whereas BIOLA began to walk the path of compromise which soon removed it
completely from the fundamentalist, separatist position and transformed it into the
compromising, new-evangelical institution it is today.
Dr. Charles E Fuller, who later became so well known through his "Old Fashioned
Revival Hour Broadcasts," was another casualty of the BIOLA compromise. Dr. Fuller
and M. H. Reynolds, Sr. had been close friends and had exchanged pulpits on several
occasions. Both men were among the pioneers in Gospel radio broadcasting. But Dr. Fuller,
who was on the BIOLA board at the time of the MacInnis controversy, voted with the
majority of the board to fire M.H. Reynolds, Sr. and to retain the liberal BIOLA Dean.
From that time on, Dr. Fuller no longer remained in the fundamentalist camp. Instead,
following years of gradual but growing compromise, he eventually founded Fuller
Theological Seminary in 1947-a school which was founded on a platform of theological and
positional compromise. Its first president was one of he leading exponents of evangelical
compromise, Dr. Harold John Ockenga.
Today, Fuller Theological Seminary is one of the most dangerous theological
institutions in the world. While still appealing for support from old-timers who remember
Dr. Fuller's early broadcasts and clear fundamentalist, old-fashioned Gospel messages,
Fuller Theological Seminary now boasts of its diversity, and fellowships with Roman
Catholics, charismatics and apostate Protestants. It has become a chief trainer and
promoter of so-called Christian psychologists and an advocate of what has been called the
"Third Wave of the Holy Spirit" (so-called power evangelism accompanied
by signs and wonders) which they consider essential to the conversion of lost sinners.
While it is true that Fuller Seminary's size and worldwide influence has grown
tremendously, this growth has been at the expense of obedience to the Word of God. Today,
48 years after its founding, Fuller is not training defenders of the Faith, but rather
perverters of the Faith. A terrible price is now being paid for earlier compromises.
Advocates of Compromise Arise
But the outstanding example of what happens to fundamentalists who compromise is Dr.
Billy Graham . There were fundamentalist roots and influences in his early training and
ministry. However, his studies at Wheaton College and affiliation with Youth for Christ as
its first full-time traveling representative were influences in the opposite direction.
Although Billy Graham had conducted a number of citywide revivals in various major
cities around the USA during 1947 and 1948, the actual beginning of the Billy Graham
Crusades is reckoned from the Los Angeles crusade held in 1949. It was here that Graham
first gained national attention and recognition largely through the help of the Hearst
newspapers. The background of this Crusade is worthy of special note.
The Christ for Greater Los Angeles Committee extended the invitation for Graham to hold
a three-week revival in Los Angeles. Representing over 1000 churches in the Southern
California area, this committee succeeded in bringing together a "mixed
multitude" of pastors and leaders from a wide variety of evangelical and
quasi-fundamental groups on the basis that the "time was ripe for evangelism"
and it was "necessary to come together" to accomplish this task. Only a few
fundamentalists (including M. H. Reynolds, Sr. And Jr.) refused to cooperate, recognizing
that doctrinal differences could not be set aside for any reason, not even in the name of
evangelism. Although Graham reportedly refused the support of the very liberal Los Angeles
Church Federation at that time, such a policy was not to be continued for very long as the
crusades grew in size and number.
The Billy Graham Los Angeles Crusade of 1949, originally scheduled for three weeks, was
extended time and time again until it lasted eight full weeks. Several important Hollywood
celebrities as well as gangster Mickey Cohen professed faith in Christ. With the
nationwide publicity given by the Hearst Newspaper chain, Graham became a celebrity
overnight and the Billy Graham crusades were off to a running start. Significantly. the
next Graham crusade was held in Boston at the invitation of Dr. Harold John Ockenga, often
referred to as "the father of new evangelicalism."
In the early days of the crusades, Billy Graham's positions and public statements
seemed for the most part to be Biblical and fundamental. He said he could not have
liberals on his crusade committees; he expressed reservations concerning the direction in
which the World Council of Churches was going; he made it clear that he thought communism
was satanic; and he recognized that Roman Catholics needed to hear the Gospel rather than
to be partners in preaching the Gospel . However, as Graham's popularity grew and the
attendance at his crusades increased, he fell prey (as have many others) to the deadly
spirit of compromise which greatly expanded the areas of cooperation but limited the
opportunities of giving the God-commanded warnings about false teachers.
Today, Billy Graham's attitude toward error has completely changed. He works with
liberal leaders of the National and World Councils of Churches; he praises the pope as one
of the world's great evangelists and speaks of Roman Catholics as though they were true
believers; he has become one of Communism’s best friends as he parrots the communist
propaganda line just as religious liberals have been doing all these years. In fact, Billy
Graham now speaks against Biblical separation and advocates unscriptural cooperation with
the workers of iniquity-a complete about-face from his original position 46 years ago!
Many additional examples could be given of institutions and leaders who started out as
fundamentalists, but who, through repeated compromises and unscriptural fellowships with
false teachers and disobedient brethren, have lost all spiritual discernment and are now
giving aid and comfort to the enemies of Christ and the Gospel. It is a great heartache to
see so many of these groups which were founded by fundamentalist "Come-outers"
now following the path of compromise. This weakening of position and practice has put them
on the downward road toward the unscriptural positions and fellowships which their
founders had repudiated and from which they had separated.
Those who seek to negate the current testimony and position of Biblical fundamentalism
are often heard saying that the early fundamentalists were not "separatists,"
claiming it is only the extreme fundamentalists who take that position today. Such a
statement shows a complete lack of understanding concerning the history of fundamentalism.
The only reason early fundamentalists remained in their denominations was because they
thought they could sound the alarm, rally the Bible believers, and put the liberals out.
When they were unable to do this, genuine fundamentalists separated from apostate
denominations and formed true-to-the-Word churches, denominations, schools and mission
agencies. It was at this time that groups such as the General Association of Regular
Baptists (GARBC), the Independent Fundamental Churches America (IFCA), the Bible
Presbyterians, Bible Methodists and other similar denominations came into being.
Of course, many books have been written on this subject, but in this brief summary our
thought has been to give God's people a more personal and hopefully a more clear
understanding of what fundamentalism is all about. Those who fail to understand the
absolute necessity of fidelity to the Word of God, coupled with the consistent, continual
exposure of those who depart from that Foundation, are bound to reap a tragic harvest. 1
Corinthians 15:33.
The F.E.A.-Standing Firm for Sixty-Seven Years
The sixty-seven year history of the Fundamental Evangelistic Association clearly
reveals how wonderfully God provides for the needs of those who obey God rather than men
in their lives and ministries. Just a year after its founding in 1928, America's economic
system collapsed and the great financial depression followed. Yet, God supplied every need
and the F. E. A. work continued to grow. Periodically, efforts were made by religious
liberals to stop evangelistic efforts because the FEA would not join ecumenical agencies
nor be silenced concerning the rapidly growing apostasy of mainline Protestant
denominations. Several times, the Federal Communications Commission sought to silence our
radio broadcasts because we would not agree to their mandates which would have greatly
restricted free speech on radio and given religious apostates freedom to preach their
damnable heresies without public exposure.
The path of Biblical separation is not always easy on the flesh. Pastor Reynolds, Sr.,
first paid a price as a young minister when he resigned from the Northern Baptist
Convention (now the American Baptists) because of their liberalism 72 years ago. Then, he
paid the price of losing his position at BIOLA because he refused to remain silent when a
wolf in sheep's clothing not only crept in but occupied the top position . Taking a stand
all these years against Billy Graham’s unbiblical, ecumenical crusades has not been
easy either, because so many have not yet seen the issues involved and have criticized the
watchmen who sounded the warnings.
But what a comfort it is to me ( M. H. Reynolds, Jr.) to realize that because my own
dear father and other fundamentalists like him refused to compromise Biblical principles
so many years ago, we have been delivered from the religious confusion that abounds
everywhere today. Many leaders have frankly admitted that they have changed their
previously held positions and standards. I am glad to be able to stand today, right here
where my father stood 67 years ago-and where fundamentalists of every generation have
stood. I would like to encourage others today to "stand" and keep
standing (Ephesians 6: 10-18). Thank God for the firm foundation He has provided for us (1
Corinthians 3:7-11) "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of
Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19).
The Fundamental Evangelistic Association has always been in the minority and there is
no reason to believe that it will be anything different in the days ahead . Throughout the
Old Testament, the faithful servants of God were always in the minority. Think of Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Nehemiah, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and so many others who
believed God and spoke His Word faithfully even though it was opposed by the false
prophets and ridiculed and rejected by the majority. Think of the heroes of faith
mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 11, many not even mentioned by name but all being faithful
unto death. Think of those faithful ones throughout church history who stood up for the
truth and spoke out against error. God was faithful to all of them and their reward will
be great in heaven.
The Current Controversy
How close are we to the rapture? Only God knows, but this much is certain-we have been
left here to "occupy" (do business) for our Lord until He comes. Satan
and his angels of light have succeeded in beguiling many unstable souls. Sadly, however,
few clear-cut warnings are being sounded today by most evangelicals and many
fundamentalists with the result that the most dangerous enemies of the cross of Christ are
being welcomed as partners in prayer, worship and evangelism. Evangelical leaders of world
renown like Billy Graham and Bill Bright are praising the pope and blinding the minds of
millions of believers to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is a false cult-not a
part the true body of Christ.
Dr. Jack Van Impe, a former fundamentalist, completely reversed his separatist position
several years ago and wrote a book Heart Disease in Christ’s Body in which he
explained his new agenda. In the past, he was greatly used of the Lord as an evangelist,
and thousands came to Christ through his ministry. However, since he determined to
practice a much wider fellowship than the Scriptures allow, his spiritual discernment has
deteriorated to the place where now praises the pope and joins hands with new evangelicals
and charismatics who are moving rapidly toward Rome. Dr. Van Impe has become a major
factor in promoting unscriptural fellowships and programs by means of his greatly expanded
television programs and videos.
Charismatic deceivers like Paul Crouch, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn, Rodney
Howard-Browne, and many others are misleading millions through their around-the-clock,
around-the-world television and radio programs . Mixing truth and error which God’s
Word specifically forbids (2 Cor. 6:14-18) has allowed the development of unprecedented
programs of deception, the latest being an ecumenical, charismatic program called Promise
Keepers. This unscriptural program is finding a ready acceptance in many churches
which have not yet realized how truth and error are mixed together; and, they are not yet
aware that Promise Keepers' ultimate goal is a false church unity which will include
liberal Protestants, Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Mormons and others who preach a
false gospel. This ecumenical approach to unity at the expense of sound doctrine and
practice is the same policy adopted by the Modernists so many years before. What is
amazing, though, is how this current movement is being embraced by those who claim to be
conservative-even fundamental! - Bible-believing Christians. As in former days, man's
programs are taking precedence over conformity to God s precious Word.
The desire of this ministry is to be of help and encouragement to other faithful,
separated, remnant testimonies across this land and around the world who are of like mind
concerning the need for standing firm and true. Throughout the 67-year ministry of the
Fundamental Evangelistic Association, we have sought to be faithful watchmen for the Lord
according to Ezekiel 33:1-33; 2Timothy 3:1-5; 4:1-5. Realizing that believers have been "put
in trust with the gospel" ( 1 Thessalonians 1: 4), and that all who preach any
other gospel must be exposed and separated from (Galatians 1:6-10), our desire has been
and is to be faithful to the Lord and to His Word ". . . till He comes. "
We close this brief history with a word of encouragement to all of God's faithful
remnant-pastors, evangelists, Bible teachers, missionaries and other Christian workers.
Our encouragement must be "in the Lord," but we can and should encourage
and pray for one another. Let us all redouble our efforts to reach the lost with the pure
Gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone. Let us all feed our souls on the pure
Word of God in the KJV, keeping our eyes on the Lord rd and seeking to make every moment
of every day count for eternity. The battle for faith and freedom can only grow more
intense, but our strength in the Lord will enable us to do His will and finish the work He
has given us to do. 2 Timothy 4:7, 8. Call on us; we want to be of help if we possibly can
be.
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M.H. Reynolds, Jr.-
Founding Editor, FOUNDATION Magazine |
Dennis W.
Costella
-Editor FOUNDATION Magazine |
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