Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Chapter 13: The Traditional Method

A LL THREE OF the methods have a unique history. The Traditional Method can be traced to the splintering of Protestantism in the 1800s (see Appendix 5, “The Splintering of Western Protestantism”). Liberal Protestants, who desired to see Christian faith accepted among the intellectual elite, gave up Reformation beliefs about the authority and veracity of Scripture ( cropping Jesus out of the picture in their own way). Those who stayed faithful to Reformation views of Scripture and other historical tenets of faith were called “conservatives.” By the early part of the 20th century, liberals and conservatives hadmostly separated fromeach other. However, among conservative Protestants, debate continued over how long the list of essential elements of Christian faith should be. During the first half of the 20th century, “fundamentalists” suggested the list should be long, even if it meant excluding others or isolating themselves from the rest of the Church. Fundamentalists sought to prevent Jesus from being cropped by holding siege against attacks to their views of historic faith. “Evangelicals” believed the list of fundamentals should be short in order to reach as many people for Christ as possible. By World War II, fundamentalists had retreated within themselves, devoting their energy to defending their view of orthodoxy. Evangelicals formed a consensus of various factions who became committed to two non-negotiable essentials: the authority of Scripture (The Bible) and an emphasis on Jesus’ substitutionary work of atonement through his death and resurrection (The Cross). The Traditional Method was born out of this evangelical consensus. Adherents vigorously defended

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