Fundamentalism in the Tabernacle

"Nowadays there appears to be in some minds a forgetfulness of the Father. Christ is loved, for He died, but many seem to look upon the Father as having no share in the wondrous work of redemption" C.H.S.... This lack of theocentric belief came to have a serious effect upon the content of the gospel message; too often forgiveness was presented as though that, rather than knowing and glorifying God, was the end of salvation. Similarly the manner in which the message was presented to men underwent a change. In their eagerness to 'win' men to Christ', evangelists tended to overlook the the fact that for sin to be measured in its true light men must know that they are creatures - dependent upon and obligated to the Creator. In the interests of 'successful evangelism' the emphasis was no longer upon the declaration of the character of God and the claims of His holy law, but upon encouraging men to 'open their hearts' to Christ. The apostolic phrase 'repentance toward God' dropped out of common usage and 'deciding for Christ' became the new comprehensive term.

There is no more serious charge to be brought against the 'Fundamentalist' school of Christianity than that it bred a generation of evangelicals who were largely without reverence for God and whose familiarity with Jesus was too often the product of ignorance."

The above is taken from "The Forgotten Spurgeon" by Iain Murray, pages 232-233.

In this chapter Murray was reflecting on the terrible influence that Fundamentalism had on the Metropolitan Tabernacle after Spurgeon's death, especially under the ministry of Dr. A.C. Dixon. Fundamentalism changed the Tabernacle for the worse, so much so that Spurgeon's personal secratary, J.W. Harrold, a man whose theology mirrored Spurgeon's, was forced out of his ministry there and out of the Tabernacle entirely. How sad. We can see today the effects of Fundamentalism on the gospel message. Where is repentance and the remission of sins preached? How often is the sinner directed to the question "Do you want to go to Heaven?" rather than to the fact that they are sinners that will one day stand before a thrice holy God to give an account of their sins? Where is the terribleness of the sufferings that Christ HAD to endure, to pay for the sins of man preached? What about the glorious resurrection of Christ three days later, and how that the converted sinner can now walk in newness of life as servants of God?