The Doctrine of Ecclesiastical Separation is Being Lost—We Cannot Let It Happen

Last night, I sat with some GenZ college students and talked about the history of fundamentalism. We talked for two and a half hours. I tried to answer every question and be as candid as possible about the strengths and weaknesses of biblical Baptist fundamentalism over the past 100 years. The conversation is typical of others that I have had lately. I came away with some observations I would like to share.

These sincere young men told me that they had never even heard of the doctrine of ecclesiastical separation, even though they had grown up in fundamental Baptist churches, went to fundamental Christian Schools, and were attending a fundamentalist Christian University. They knew what a theological liberal was, but they had never heard the history of the fight of the early fundamentalists for the gospel and the church’s purity. They eagerly listened as I narrated the story of the German Liberalism that permeated colleges and seminaries in the early 1900s, the battles that ensued in the denominational structures in the 1920s, and the separation that occurred in the 1920s and 1930s. We talked about the doctrines we call the fundamentals of the faith. These young men did not know that the creed that they recite in chapel every day is a memorized list of those fundamentals.

We moved on and talked about the philosophy of the New Evangelicals of the late 1940s and into the 1950s. We talked about the tremendous gospel preaching of Billy Graham and the horrible ecclesiastical compromise that undermined the message. And we talked about the new challenges we are facing today, not only in ecclesiastical relationships but also in dealing with the sins of the culture.

I am surprised that the schools that were born out of the fundamentalist/modernist controversy have not even bothered to tell the story of their own roots—the reason that they exist. This problem is not confined to only one school, it is generally true of every school in our own fellowship. I hope that part of their education is yet to come. These GenZers are eager to hear both the theological foundations for the doctrine of biblical separation, and how it was put into practice over the last hundred years. They are longing for a biblical paradigm to enables them to deal in a principled way with the confusing theological landscape they are facing.

One of the young men exclaimed, “Shouldn’t they be teaching us this stuff in college? I have never heard this before at all!”

I came away from the conversation committing myself to teach it in private conversations as often as I can to any young person who is willing to hear it. We need to be honest about the weaknesses of fundamentalism over the last 50 years especially—the failure to develop and implement, reverent, God-focused, Spirit-filled worship services—the lack of vibrant, effective, evangelism and discipleship—a practice of sanctification based upon a list of rules rather than a growing relationship with God through the Holy Spirit—and the King James Only movement which has served as a lazy way of dealing with the “good church/bad church” question.

For too long we have let our voices trail off as naysayers roll their eyes at the idea the practice of biblical separation continues to be relevant. It is not only relevant—it is essential.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone. Matthew 23:23

Audio version of this post: The Doctrine of Ecclesiastical Separation is Being Lost — We Cannot Let It Happen (substack.com)

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