Fencing in Fido: Fundamentalism's Tendency to Devalue Discernment

I recently came across two must read articles on fundamentalism and discernment. I underlined “must read” so go read the articles!    Okay, I guess I’d better give you the links if I expect you to follow my advice.    Both articles are by Buffington Powers of Truth Matters,  and you can view them by clicking on their titles: “Fence Building and Dog Training: Fundamentalism’s Dearth of Discernment” and “Discerning Dogs and the Masters Who Train Them: Developing Christian Discernment” (HT: Donette).   When you are finished, come back and we’ll discuss them a little.

I really think you should read the articles before continuing with my post, but I will summarize the main gist of the articles for you  before proceeding.

The articles paint a picture of two dogs: Well-Trained T-Bone and Fenced-In Fido. One dog is given a fence and the other was trained to follow his master. The dog who was trained lives life to the fullest, while constantly depending on his master. The dog behind the fence does not really need to depend on his master for anything. He also becomes discontented with his plot of beautiful green grass, preferring instead to focus on his fence and what lies beyond. For the whole story, I refer you again to the articles, but let me  quote a few paragraphs which provide the lesson from Powers’ parable.

You see, the problem is that Fenced-in Fido is dependent upon the fence for his safety. There is no thought required. The fence was imposed by someone who could not possibly be with Fido every waking hour. That is, the fence required no relationship between the builder of the fence and the dog. Much like the fences imposed by some pastors, churches, schools, and even parents, they require no thought and no relationship. If pastors, or parents, or schools represent the fences, the day will come when they will not be there. What then?

Well-Trained T-Bone, on the other hand is dependent upon his master. When he comes to a curb, he sits and looks for the approval of his master before he continues. He tunes his ears to the voice of his master and returns to the circle of safety after each Frisbee toss. He tunes out the barks and challenges of other yipping dogs. He is constantly under the control of his master.

Fundamentalism builds fences and does not train for discernment. Instead of teaching how to approach dogs, it just builds the fence — “No CCM.” Instead of teaching how to approach curbs and cars, it just says, “No parks.” Is there nothing to be gained from evangelical pastors like Swindoll, Piper, MacArthur, Warren, Hybles, Stanley, Evans, etc.? Should we just make them off limits or should we teach people how to be discerning? Is there no worship to be had in the lyrics and songs written by Smith, Patty, Green, Chapman, Paris, Third Day, Go-Fish, Mercy Me, etc.? Should we just make them off limits or should we teach people how to be discerning? By the same token, is every person, book, song and lyric that comes from Greenville, Pensacola, Watertown, Dunbar, Detroit and Lansdale infallible and worthy to be trusted without discernment? Is everything Bob Jones says to be accepted unchallenged while everything John Piper says is to be rejected unquestioned “by association” ?

Sure, you can keep your dog safe by building a fence and you can keep your dog safe by training him well. Which dog is happiest? Similarly, pastors, churches and schools can keep their children “safe” by building fences; but how does that enhance their relationship and walk with their master?

I am afraid that Fundamentalism is creating a breed of “Christians” who think they are navigating the world while simply enjoying the safety behind their fences; when in reality they need know nothing of the dependence upon the voice of their master.

You should know that Buffington Powers  goes beyond mere critique. He does discuss ways to build discernment and deals with Scriptural texts which encourage discernment. But his critique is worth listening to.

I think his critique is spot on. I can certainly see many ways in which fundamentalism in general, and hyper fundamentalism in particular devalues discernment.

I understand the desire behind legislating standards, particularly with regard to children and teenagers. Fundamentalists want to shelter and protect them from wrongdoing. Avoiding evil is commendable and fences can help us do that. But more often than not when fences are legislated, the fences become the focus. The practical “in”s and “out”s and the “how to”s and such concerning the fence  are all that is communicated. The reasoning behind the fence  is unclear.

Fences become a crutch. It is easy to measure yourself by your adherence to the fences. It is easy to measure others by their level of conformity.    Soon the fences are the indicator of spirituality in an unhealthy way. If anyone questions the fence they are viewed as spiritually deficient or even as  a threat to the authority. But remember, fences are not explicilty demanded by the Bible, rather they are a human  attempt to apply the Bible’s prinicple to a given situation.

Take the typical fundamentalist Bible college, for example. (I  am thinking more  along the line of  IFBx or hyper fundamentalists, but I believe the criticisms can apply  in  a lesser degree to  any  fundamental Bible college.) The  students are not usually guided into right decisions, they are forced into them. They receive a rule book a mile long. Emphasis is given as to what exactly constitutes the breaking of rules rather than on the Biblical rationale behind the many rules. Demerits fly left and right, and there is usually some form of a “gestapo” in place defending the rules and policing the students. In many hyper fundamentalist colleges, the young adults are treated like junior highers in many respects. They leave home with independence and endorsement from their parents that they are prepared to be responsible adults yet they arrive to find that the college does not trust them to leave campus and go to Walmart to buy a toothbrush on their own! Back to kindergarten they have come. Rather than seeking to empower and help the students through their choices as responsible adults, the leadership suspects the worst of them and does their best to erect a 50 foot high fence rimmed with barb wire to keep them away from any negative influences.

At many such colleges you are more apt to hear discussions concerning different standards end with “well, preacher says…” than with a well thought out position based on Scripture. This might reflect the fact that the preacher is constantly making blanket statements such as, “If you do external behavior A or do not do external behavior B you will never do anything for God!” Never mind that behaviors A and B are not explicitly addressed in Scripture and that the preacher has not given a Biblical defense as to how he comes to his conclusion about A and B–no he prefers to “pontificate”, if you will. The preaching, then, tends to reinforce the devalueing of discernment.

Censorship and isolationism have their roles in this system as well. Intentional censorship attempts to keep people away from certain authors or books, while the unintentional censorship of isolationism keeps people away from other ideas and approaches to Christianity.

The end result  in one sense looks great. People look and act the same and they know which standards to emphasize! But the result comes with a price. People often stay because they are pressured into staying and they conform in order to achieve acceptance  or recognition. They only know the environment they are in and this tends to make room for a dead orthodoxy. Discernment is only needed as far as discerning what preacher’s position is on any topic, and thus the healthy dependence on Christ and the searching of His word that discernment creates are absent. An environment where people can look good and be branded as good and which requires little heart worship is scary indeed.

I do not say that such an environment is only to be found in IFBx circles, we all must watch out for it. And I admit that I may be overstating my case a bit. I am sure it is not alwasys quite so cut and dry as I make it out to be. Yet, I believe the over emphasis on fences found within fundamentalism contributes to the scenario described in the articles linked to above  being played out far too often. When the young person finds the fence is removed momentarily, they rush out into the world only to get hit by the first truck that rumbles down the street.

Any other thoughts on this tendency of fundamentalism? Any suggestions for how to cultivate Christian discernment?