Barriers of Exit: Fundamentalism & Restorationism
The following article is part of my “Barriers of Exit” series. These barriers are cognitive hurdles that make it extremely hard to question or leave the Message. For a questioning individual, they may have not considered or clearly identified these issues. Seeing them is useful in understanding why the Message makes it painful to leave.
Always Looking Back
Although not unique to the Message, Fundamentalism & Restorationism are part of the fabric of being a believer in William Branham’s message. The affect these have on your thinking, and your ability to leave the message, is significant. Let’s take a look why.
First, it’s important to understand the meaning of these terms. In making the concepts simple (and perhaps oversimplified), both of these are essentially a state of always ‘looking back’ to the way things were, how things used to be done and striving to re-establish those former ways.
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is the premise that there is a core truth – the “right way” of doing things – and this is ‘fundamental’ to the way we should be living. Those who are “Fundamentalist” are defenders of the status quo of years gone by. They look back to the way things were, and adamantly decry the plodding modern changes that move away from those core ideologies, traditions and lifestyles that were once embraced by our forefathers and generations past.
Fundamentalism grew in prevalence especially in times where culture began a rapid shift towards modern values. Advances which impacted lifestyles, the way we worked, technology, medicine, education, gender roles and even the attitude of culture (clothing, entertainment, etc) – these are all threats to traditionalists. Fundamentalism is a reaction to changes, and cries out against the things which are esteemed as “progress”.
Christianity is inherently fundamentalist because the Bible is a holy text which is looked back upon. It establishes a moral guide for a godly life, and as society changes, the nature of adhering to scripture becomes an area of concern. To what extent a sect of Christianity is ‘fundamentalist’ will vary.
The Message, of course, is voraciously fundamentalist. The modern world is an abomination. If Message believers were to strictly follow the teaching and opinion of William Branahm, they shouldn’t subscribe to Netflix. They shouldn’t have television screens to play movies on. The women shouldn’t be driving – regardless of arguments for convenience. And the list could go on. Clearly, even in the message, you will find a spectrum of adherence to the fundamental values William Branham promoted, and the justifications will differ from church to church.
Restorationism
In holding fundamentalist values, a restorationist is someone who seeks to restore the church to a pure, original form of Christianity. Many historical denominational movements were born from an attitude of restorationism. There would come a breaking apart of churches because one group felt they needed to re-establish the path “back” in a purer, truer way.
In the Message, the appeal to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers is a core teaching. There’s a constant cry to go back to the “old time religion”, and to return to the faith of the Pentecostal fathers.
Why This is a Barrier for Leaving
If you are a questioning message believer, or someone who has recently left, you can’t just unplug yourself from this fundamentalist mental framework. The Message has espoused itself to the idea that it is the ONLY restored form of faith. It is the “original seed” come to maturity; a recreation of the original church.
I am not even going to debate the merit of fundamentalism; I think we often all carry elements of it. Sometimes it’s nostalgia that makes us look back to our childhood when things seemed “simple”. It’s why you often hear older folks lament the modern world, and how there is loss of community, decency, morality, etc. Personally, I see the value of cell phones. But gosh, do I miss the days when they didn’t exist, and we weren’t attached to them.
However, understanding the impact fundamentalism has on leaving a structured group is crucial. You have a huge barrier of fear to face. The idea of compromising everything you’ve held “fundamental” is terrifying. You’ll feel or appear weak (to message believers), you’ll risk salvation, you’ll put yourself in extreme discomfort.
When looking to attending non-message/denominational churches, your tendency will be to evaluate them by their degree of fundamentalism. Do they sing old hymns – or only these modern songs? Do they have drums and modern worship teams? Is a woman on or leading the worship team? Are the women wearing pants, makeup or heels? Do they talk too much before and after the service in the foyer? Do they or don’t they do _________???
Any minor detail that hints at a more ‘modern’ version of practice, the sensors go off, the inner critic rises, while your heart looks back and compares it to the familiarity of The Message – and your mind will questions if it maybe the Message was true. Fundamentalism is a harsh, cold, unrelenting critic.
Even apart from the church, it becomes difficult to imagine a life away from the strictness, the lifestyle, the community of fundamentalist thinkers. Why? Because this has become a fundamental part of who you are. You don’t know how to have community with people who think or live differently.
Summarizing
The challenge is that you will be told that this is proof that the message is “right”.
None of this addresses the contention that William Branham made false claims, misrepresented himself, and ultimately established himself as an authority over your life (which your pastor/message community continue to bind you by). The barrier is one of fear; to risk the possibility of ‘change’, which is the antithesis of fundamentalism.
Separate the concerns against William Branham with the pull towards fundamentalism. They are separate issues to work out. You can have a desire for old-fashion values – AND believe that William Branham’s message is false.
Could some one break it down for me to a child like story so I may understand what exactly the writer is trying to inform us/ me of here.. Please some body with the same exact mi f as the writer – better still, the writer himself, please!
Not a problem.
Please note, this article is for people who are leaving the Message, so – if you aren’t, it may be a difficult concept to understand. However, for someone who is leaving, this will make sense.
Fundamentalism teaches us to hold onto the past. In a sense, it tells you to be afraid of the world around you. In leaving the Message, many people will feel afraid to live outside of a community that tells you to think, live, dress, act according to the way the world was decades / centuries ago. It could make people think it is better or safer to stay in a false church, even if they know William Branham is false, rather than risk leaving and trying to figure out how to adapt to life apart from the Message. It makes it difficult for many people to leave, despite their honest concerns about the message.
Hopefully this answers your question, and best wishes on your journey!
By “The Message” you mean what William B. taught. It’s not the gospel you’re talking about. I think that is what confused some. I love “Kingdom Preppers”who prepare people to enter the Kingdomwhich is coming as ourKing brings it and rules it. Praise Yah