Culture, Fundamentalism, and Evangelicalism

  These thoughts were spawned in part by the quote below which I came across on Andy Naselli's blog:

I think it fair to say that the main difference between Fundamentalism and what we would now call historic Evangelicalism is as much cultural as anything else and is particularly an American phenomenon.(Christopher Catherwood, Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious (2nd ed.; Wheaton: Crossway, 2007), 196)

  Good, bad or indifferent, I would agree with the point of this quote.  The major difference between the two movements, from my perspective, appears to be what do you do with culture... this is part of the point of some of Kevin Bauder's recent writings.  Bauder appears to be championing a view in which we see most culture as largely, though not completely, negative (except for older, European-based, Christianized culture.)   Meanwhile, evangelicals generally seem to see culture as redeemable and valuable, particularly if we are willing to be incarnational in our approach and seek out the positive aspects of the culture.

 In my understanding, the way issues of culture are typically approached from the fundamentalist perspective is that what enters a person's ears, touches his body, enters his mouth, or passes before his eyes is inherently defiling (unless it happens to be on the particular institution's/individual's approved list).  I am not trying to be sarcastic here.  On the evangelical side, the perspective seems to be more along the lines that none of these things can defile us... unless we get too carried away with them, then maybe.  Praise God that the actual practice of local bodies of believers is more balanced than such stereotypes!

 So, the call is to return to the Scriptures.  On the one hand, we must recognize that it is not what goes into our mouth/ears/eyes/hands that defiles us: Jesus touches the leper while under the Law and cleanses him without defilement.  On the other hand, we must realize that the pollution of the world easily clings to our souls unless we are watchful in purifying ourselves.  To put this in the context of one of the NT discussions, is meat that has been offered to idols inherently defiling or only potentially defiling?  If we say the former, we slide away from our liberty in Christ, but to say the latter cannot be an excuse to forget that there is potential defilement.  May God give each of us grace in our community of believers to walk circumspectly in both holiness and freedom!