"And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, 'Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?'” - Mark 7:5
Great post! So much good food for thought! I’d love to hear more of your thoughts and possibly even examples of Hyper-fundamentalism that resembles the Sadducees.
It’s, of course, not a one-to-one comparison with the Sadducees, because, for instance, the Sadducees rejected the resurrection of the dead and the spirit realm entirely. Which is not the case with fundamental Christianity. But it is only fair to say that there ARE forms of legalism on the fundamental side. So I wanted to briefly include that with a loose comparison. I think of things like KJV only, no alcohol, no dancing, etc. things the Bible does not command, but leave up to personal conviction. My husband grew up in a church like this. It becomes about works just like the Pharisees’ religion by creating a set of rules that CAN be adhered to and deceive people into thinking “because I do X, I am saved.” Except the rules of the H-F tend to manifest more as a physical law derived from an overly literal reading of scripture (like the Sadducees) while the H-C usually creates a law out of extra-biblical revelation, as the Pharisees did. That was my point in making the sadducee/Pharisee comparison. :)
To tag on that, it would probably be helpful to know the difference between a weaker brother and a hyper-fundamentalist. Would love to hear your thoughts on that as well. (Sorry, I’m a bit off topic, but that portion of you article really piqued my interest.)
I think a hyper-fundamentalist is going to be more of the mindset that others are supposed to be doing what they do. Just like how hyper-charismatics think you aren’t baptized by the Holy Spirit if you don’t speak in tongues. Again, going back to works religion. Whereas a weaker brother would just personally abstain from things as a matter of conscience without making it a salvific issue for his brothers.
Great post! So much good food for thought! I’d love to hear more of your thoughts and possibly even examples of Hyper-fundamentalism that resembles the Sadducees.
It’s, of course, not a one-to-one comparison with the Sadducees, because, for instance, the Sadducees rejected the resurrection of the dead and the spirit realm entirely. Which is not the case with fundamental Christianity. But it is only fair to say that there ARE forms of legalism on the fundamental side. So I wanted to briefly include that with a loose comparison. I think of things like KJV only, no alcohol, no dancing, etc. things the Bible does not command, but leave up to personal conviction. My husband grew up in a church like this. It becomes about works just like the Pharisees’ religion by creating a set of rules that CAN be adhered to and deceive people into thinking “because I do X, I am saved.” Except the rules of the H-F tend to manifest more as a physical law derived from an overly literal reading of scripture (like the Sadducees) while the H-C usually creates a law out of extra-biblical revelation, as the Pharisees did. That was my point in making the sadducee/Pharisee comparison. :)
I think it was a great connection! I actually didn’t know that much about the Sadducees. Those are helpful examples and I definitely agree.
To tag on that, it would probably be helpful to know the difference between a weaker brother and a hyper-fundamentalist. Would love to hear your thoughts on that as well. (Sorry, I’m a bit off topic, but that portion of you article really piqued my interest.)
I think a hyper-fundamentalist is going to be more of the mindset that others are supposed to be doing what they do. Just like how hyper-charismatics think you aren’t baptized by the Holy Spirit if you don’t speak in tongues. Again, going back to works religion. Whereas a weaker brother would just personally abstain from things as a matter of conscience without making it a salvific issue for his brothers.
That definitely makes sense and is a helpful way of looking at it.