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Randal Rauser

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The Ten (or more) Commandments of Christian Fundamentalism

July 25, 2018 by Randal

In my memoir What’s So Confusing About Grace? I recount my experiences growing up fundagelical. The term “fundagelical” is (as you probably guessed), a portmanteau of “evangelical” and “fundamentalist,’ and in my opinion that descriptor ably captures the distinct characteristics of my religious and cultural upbringing.

So fundamentalism is a big part of being fundagelical. This morning I tweeted seven commandments of fundamentalism and I invited others to share their own proposed commandments. I received several intriguing responses (with more coming in) and have added a few of them to my original list.

  1. Thou shalt vote Republican
  2. Thou shalt oppose abortion
  3. Thou shalt protect gun rights
  4. Thou shalt support the military
  5. Thou shalt oppose gay marriage
  6. Thou shalt make America great again
  7. Thou shalt oppose evolution
  8. Thou shalt support Israel unapologetically
  9. Thou shalt only support abstinence-only sex ed
  10. Thou shalt deny climate change
  11. Thou shalt have no Creed but the Bible (which is a creed)

Not surprisingly, some of these are particular to the American experience (notably 1, 3, and 6, and to a lesser extent, 4), while others are of comparatively recent vintage (i.e. 5 and 10).

In What’s So Confusing About Grace? I note another “commandment” which could well be included on this list: Thou shalt read the Bible literally where possible.

Which other “commandments” would you include on a fundamentalist list?

Filed Under: The Tentative Apologist Tagged With: culture, fundamentalism

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