Biblical Fundamentalism

Full Reports on the Bible & Theology Course - 2004

Challenges of Biblical Fundamentalism today

Religious fundamentalism has become a universal phenomenon and taken deep roots in almost all the religions of the world, especially in the different Christian denominations including the Catholic Church. The emergence of a number of Christian sects underlines this fact.

According to an article in the Newsweek of April 16, 2001, the author David B. Barret, who is the co-author of the famous World Christian Encyclopedia, writes that there are currently 33,800 different Christian denominations and sects in the world. He further states that the fastest growing groups are the independents that have no ties with historic Christianity. Across Africa, as many as 1200 new churches spring up every month, which have such names as "Celestial Church of Christ", "Redeemed Evangelical Mission", etc. No wonder, the British scholar Paul Gifford has said: "Christian missions are perhaps the biggest industry in Africa."

Of late, fundamentalism has been making significant inroads in the Roman Catholic Church with hundreds of Catholics entering fundamentalist churches regularly. Statistics say that 60,000 Catholics in America defect to Protestant denominations every year with 40,000 of them joining fundamentalist sects.

The Catholic Church in India has not been spared. Reports state that several members of the Archdiocese of Bombay joined different Pentecostal sects in 1990.

Of all the fundamentalist sects, the most predominant one is the Jehovah's Witnesses that has its origin in America. Many Catholics who join this sect without realizing its real doctrinal positions find it very difficult to come out.

In Kerala, two recent sectarian movements namely "The Covenant Community" and "The Spirit in Jesus" have attracted a number of followers. The first group has a good following among the well-to-do families of central Kerala. The second sect has made its foray into the economically poor classes in the High Ranges of Devikulam in Idukki district. This second group has already been banned by the Bishop of Kothamangalam for its erroneous teaching and practices.

Below is a brief look into the above two groups in Kerala:

THE COVENANT COMMUNITY: Mr Jose Anathanam from Kanjirappally in Kerala is the founder of this group. He and his followers broke away from the Catholic Church to form this sect. The origin of the group was a prayer hall that they call the "upper room". Now their headquarters is in Kottayam. They deny all doctrines and traditions of the Catholic Church. They reject the Hierarchy, and Marian devotion. They do not believe in the Eucharist, Priesthood, and other sacraments. They never keep the statues or pictures of Jesus, and saints. The group's members believe only in the Bible and they follow a literalistic understanding of the Bible. They even go to the extent of worshipping the Bible, which is called bibliolatry. Catholics do not worship the Bible; instead they venerate the Bible - they give high respect to the Bible.
(This group has been banned by the Bishop of Kanjirappally.)

THE SPIRIT IN JESUS: Mr Tom Zacharia is the founder of this group. They publish a monthly in Malayalam, namely "Ita Ninte Amma" - "Behold Your Mother". They claim to be preaching the Word of God to the spirits of the dead and believe that they can bring salvation to these spirits. According to the group, it is the imprisoned spirits who are responsible for mental diseases, epilepsy, alcoholism, suicides, broken families, sexual aberrations, accidents and calamities, etc. They say that if the imprisoned spirits can be freed, all these evils can be solved.

Introduction   Biblical Fundamentalism   Challenges Today
Book of Rev. & Fundamentalism   Jehovah's Witnesses   Teachings of JWs
Pentecostal Churches   Characteristics of Pentecostals

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