The Fundamentals of a Recovering Fundamentalist: Reorienting Towards the True, Good, and Beautiful
Ebook
As recovering Fundamentalists we often find ourselves unknowingly remaining within the Fundamentalist worldview. We think that if we enter into Progressive Christianity we're leaving behind the irrational, hurtful, racist, and untrue theological worldview we were brought up in. But what if Fundamentalism is really a kind of Progressive Christianity? And both of these twin children of modernity are inherently racist, anti-Jewish, and colonial, and therefore antithetical to the brown Jewish Incarnation of the God of Israel? What if instead of leaving Fundamentalism we've really just changed the garbs of the Northern European Enlightenment rather than truly reorientating our whole lives towards the True, Good, and Beautiful? In this book we will examine a need for former Fundamentalists to be reintroduced to the Christian faith. One that looks backwards towards Christianity as it existed before the Enlightenment and even the Reformation. One that de-centers Christian traditions which originated out of Northern Europe by centering Christian traditions rooted in such places as Southwest Asia and North and East Africa. By criticizing modernist white Christianity the reader is guided into a Christianity that isn't merely the other side of the same coin but looks radically different.
“Fundamentalists have not gone away—they are still part of various segments in the Christian community. Rather than dismissing or disregarding their claims, this book aims to shed light on the reasons behind their beliefs and offers guidance on how to critically examine their ideas. The reader is left with a better understanding and ability to respond to the perils of Fundamentalism. This is a must-read for those who feel trapped in this movement.”
—Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, assistant professor of New Testament, Vanguard University
“This book reflects on core Christian commitments by drawing on a diverse array of Christian sources, both geographically and historically. In so doing, this text offers a lamentably rare theological discussion that draws on a more full sampling of the global body of Christ. Given the era of social, political, and theological fragmentation in which we live, this book offers timely and constructive steps on how to enter into the process of construction, de-construction and re-construction.”
—Vince Bantu, assistant professor of church history and black church studies, Fuller Seminary
“Gabriel Gordon’s searing—and occasionally compassionate—critique of American and Northern European Fundamentalism and progressivism reveals his heartfelt journey into pre-enlightenment Christian theology and orthopraxy. Most significantly, he argues that the Jewish roots of Christianity must be reaffirmed and reincorporated into the church’s spirituality in conversation with Jewish disciples of Yeshua. As a Jewish evangelical, I may not agree with all he asserts, but his arguments are challenging and worthy of deep reflection.”
—Lee Spitzer, historian, Baptist World Alliance
“In Gabriel Gordon’s book, The Fundamentals of a Recovering Fundamentalists, he serves up a thoughtful and scholarly feast for us all. Gordon takes us back to the very core of understanding Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and the role of his faithful followers. Anyone interested in finding a challenging new way to understand an ancient faith, should be reading this great work!”
—Randy Woodley, author of Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview
“In The Fundamentals of a Recovering Fundamentalist, Gabriel Gordon invites us into the often painful and difficult journey of shedding the Fundamentalist ideology that many of us grew up in and that has caused a great deal of confusion, disorientation, and, at times, damage, in the world of faith. The journey we are invited into leads us to become more aware of, and engage with, a wide diversity of voices in the Christian world.”
—Jared King, lead pastor, Missio Church
“Over the years I have known Gabriel Gordon, we have had innumerable theological conversations, whether he was my teaching assistant or we were simply dialoguing as friends. I have had a front-row seat to significant aspects of his ‘recovery’ from Fundamentalism. He has always made me think and reflect on what I believe. His passion and transparency are heartfelt and contagious. I am thrilled that he has put into writing where his journey has taken him—thus far. I pray you find challenge and hope for your own journey of discipleship with Jesus of Nazareth.”
—Daniel L. Brunner, professor emeritus of Christian history and formation, Portland Seminary
“Gabriel Gordon takes readers on a fascinating journey to rediscover the beauty, Jewishness, and radical love of the Christian faith. This journey is historical, as Gordon engages many early Christian writers. The journey is thoughtful, as Gordon interacts with contemporary thinkers on a variety of topics. The journey is also deeply personal, as Gordon shares not only what he has learned but how he learned it. There will be much to ponder and discuss upon engaging with Gabriel Gordon’s work, and we will be better for it.”
—Dennis R. Edwards, dean, North Park Theological Seminary
“Gabriel Gordon’s book is a courageous and daringly self-revealing witness to the way the God of Israel is still taking hold of the world, even in the twilight of our present culture. It’s a young book: fresh, filled with clear images, riven by the internal combat of someone seeking the truth of God, and, through all kinds of struggles, reveling in the God who has first sought him. We should thankfully read Gordon’s story because, in a basic way, it is all of ours in its promise and wonder.”
—Ephraim Radner, professor of historical theology, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
“Gabriel Gordon admits he doesn’t know what kind of book he has written here. I confess that, having got to the end, I’m not exactly sure either. This book recklessly trespasses the boundaries of spiritual biography, theological treatise, socio-cultural analysis, and prophetic proclamation. Yet what I do know is that, if we are on the verge of one of those every five-hundred-year revolutions in thought and society that he predicts, and if we are to avoid therein worsening the already dire effects of modernity (and the “endarkenment”) on Christian faith and life, we desperately need the themes broached and questions raised by this book. Highly recommended.”
—Geoffrey Ready, director of Orthodox Christian Studies at Trinity College, University of Toronto
- Title: The Fundamentals of a Recovering Fundamentalist: Reorienting Towards the True, Good, and Beautiful
- Authors: Gabriel Gordon, Thomas Dahlman
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666785708, 9781666785692, 1666785695, 9781666785685, 1666785687, 1666785709
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666785708
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-07-04T20:39:55Z
Gabriel Gordon is a Jewish Anglo-Orthodox Episcopal follower of Yeshua. He has a master’s in biblical studies from Portland Seminary and a bachelor’s from Oklahoma Baptist University where he studied anthropology and missiology. He is currently a graduate student at Marquette University where he studies historical theology with a focus on early Greek and Syriac speaking Christianity. He lives with his wife, Hannah, and their dog, Karl Barth, in Milwaukee.