Wednesday, February 01, 2012


Resisting fundamentalism - a dreadful poster

Resisting fundamentalism - a dreadful poster

J. Michael Povey
Povey Prattle Blog
http://jmichaelpovey-retiredpoveinsarasota.blogspot.com/2012/01/resisting-fundamentalism-dreadful.html
January 27, 2012

This poster has gone viral on the internet today. I find it to be utterly appalling. It makes me feel embarrassed to be an Episcopalian.

It is of course historically inaccurate on two counts.

First: We have not resisted fundamentalism since 1784. Fundamentalism as a major factor in American Protestantism did not emerge until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Second: The assertion that Jesus "resisted the Pharisees" is a rather simplistic interpretation of scripture. What we see in the gospels is that Jesus had disagreements with some of the Pharisees.

In fact his only encounter with a named Pharisee - Nicodemus - shows a Jesus who is gracious and thoughtful. Never did he resist the Pharisee Nicodemus.

Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org

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