As we study the history of religions, we find that in each major religious community, there are varieties of expression and interpretation of the particular beliefs of the group. This variety prevents each faith group from functioning as a cohesive unity. For example, in Judaism, we have Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism. People in each particular category consider themselves Jews, thought they differ from their sisters and brothers from the other groups as to what constitutes the correct interpretation of what it means to be Jewish. We find the same thing in Islam. There are Shite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims, Nation of Islam Muslims, etc. They each claim to be Muslim, but with a different understanding of what it means to be Muslim.
The Christian faith is no exception. There are varieties of expressions in the faith. There are Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians. And then there are Christians who do not identify with either of these major groups and prefer to consider themselves as "independent" or "non-denominational" Christians. Like in every other faith community, there are reasons for the differences and divisions that we find in the Christian Church.
One of the factors that has resulted in division within the Christian community has been that of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism can be defined as the demand for a strict adherence to orthodox Christian doctrines, i.e. the doctrines that were supposedly taught by Jesus and passed on to His Apostles, and to those who came after them. Some would refer to this set of doctrines as "the faith that was once delivered to the saints."
Those Christians who adhere to these doctrines believe that one must adhere to them in order to be considered a true follower of Jesus and to have a relationship with God. They believe that there are five "fundamental" teachings to which one must subscribe in order to be "saved." These doctrines were declared as "fundamental" at the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1910 and have become the official doctrinal position of other Christian denominations. These particular "fundamental" doctrines are as follows:
1. The inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures. Those Christians who believe in this doctrine believe that the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is therefore, inerrant and infallible in everything that is said and taught in them.
2. Virgin birth of Jesus. Christians who believe in this doctrine are of the conviction that the virgin Mary did not conceive Jesus as a result of sexual intimacy with her husband Joseph, but rather as a result of the Holy Spirit impregnating her.
3. Christ's death as atonement for sin. Fundamentalists believe that Jesus's death was a satisfactory penalty paid on our behalf to God since none of our deaths would have been satisfactory enough to compensate for our disobedience to God.
4. Historical reality of the miracles of Jesus. Fundamentalists believe that we are required to take the miracle accounts in the Gospel accounts literally and not metaphorically.
5. Bodily resurrection of Jesus. Fundamentalist Christians believe that Jesus's resurrection was physical and not spiritual or symbolic.
Some fundamentalist Christians may add a sixth "fundamental" doctrine that requires Christians to believe in a literal return (Second Coming) of Jesus to earth.
In this article, I do not intend to either promote or discourage adherence to these five or six points of doctrine. That, in the final analysis, is a personal choice, which hopefully will be based on a serious examination of the historical and theological foundations of these doctrines, as well as serious engagement with the traditions of the Church. My intention is rather, to point out the dangers and irrelevancy of the requirement that one must adhere to them in order to be considered Christian.
The demand, expectation, and requirement that one must adhere to them are dangerous because:
1. Nowhere do we find Jesus saying in the Gospel accounts, that for anyone to be considered His follower or to enter the reign of God, that one must subscribe to these doctrines.
2. Nowhere do we find the Apostles promoting the idea that one must subscribe to these teachings in order to be included in God's beloved community.
3. To require adherence to this particular set of teachings as the criteria for who is or is not a Christian, is a reflection of spiritual arrogance and presumptuousness, putting oneself in the place of God to determine "who's in and who's out."
4. To make adherence to these doctrines a requirement for church membership and salvation, is to tamper with the sovereignty of God, who alone determines what the requirements for divine-human relationships are.
The dangers of these requirements are compounded by the irrelevancy of the demands. I say that they are irrelevant because humanity is faced with a number of pressing issues. The issues that we face include international conflict, environmental pollution, unemployment, lack of quality medical care, inadequate and inferior housing, mediocre education, issues of discrimination based on class, gender, race, and sexual orientation, as well as issues of institutionalized, structural, and systemic oppression and dehumanization. I am not arguing for or against the importance of the doctrines themselves. What I am saying is that to make the social issues that I have mentioned above secondary and subordinate to the requirement that one must adhere to these doctrines is both preposterous and theologically unsound. To even begin to believe that God is more concerned with adherence to the doctrine of the Virgin Birth than He/She is with human suffering goes against the contents of the biblical witness. When God spoke through the prophets to the people of Israel, the demand was not for doctrinal orthodoxy or purity, but rather for justice and alleviation of misery.
I end this article by inviting you the reader to respond and share your perspectives on these issues.
Tell us where you stand and why. Your input is helpful and valuable. I look forward to hearing from you. Grace and peace.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
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