Pharisees and Fundamentalists

Any of us who have spent some time reading the gospels know that the Pharisees were spiritually blind and judgmental. Gradually over time they went from the respect of the laws of God to creating their own rituals, rules, and acts of conduct. At the time of Christ they had basically forsaken all God’s laws in exchange for their own doctrine. Jesus exposed their waywardness for all the world to witness what happens when man’s ideas and ways supersede God’s purpose and commands. And most of us think how foolish the Pharisees were.

Yet today, history being what it is, a repeater of itself, we find the Pharisees alive and well within the Church. Both Pharisees and fundamentalists base their beliefs on a literal interpretation of the Bible. It says so, so it must be absolute! Today’s Fundamentalists adhere to their strict interpretation of doctrine or a certain set of principles which they have accepted as a must follow. But I ask, where did their interpretation come from? And you might ask, “Where did I get my right to question their interpretation?” A valid point.

Let me explain. All my life I have been told by those in authority that the “Fear of the Lord” means to respect Him. Yet when I look up the definition of respect, it means to admire. I believe the “admiration” of God does not do the relationship justice. Searching the many Hebrew and Greek words that our word fear is used for, we will come up with a multitude of meanings. Fear can mean reverence. But it can also mean terror and dread. Rage, anger, trembling, timidity, frightened, terrified, to be cautious, to be afraid, to be pained, are all words from Scripture which we replace with the word fear. But not once is the word respect used to describe fear.

Misinterpretation of Scripture is one the costliest failures that believers can do. Many of us have given up seeking God and have settled for whatever our pastors or teachers say is the gospel truth. That’s a lazy way of following Christ. We must all search out the truth of God’s ways separately and share together. When you read your Bible ask God to reveal His truths to you. If you do not then you are stuck with one person’s interpretation alone. Be a seeker, not a listener only.

The destructive force behind fundamentalism is that it is so strict that no one is able to firmly follow all the rules. Frustration sets in and a believer will reject the rules and run from God. I have witnessed it and it seems nearly impossible to get them back to God. Is it because the rules are wrong or our leader’s fundamental demands take all joy from following Christ? Jesus warned us about them in Matthew 23: 4-5 (NASB), “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. They do all their deeds to be noticed by men.” Fundamentalists pressure us and judge us for not following or obeying their rules. Some even say we are not followers of Christ if we don’t submit to their beliefs. Please don’t bend.

What say you?