A Call For Protestant Separatism

This is not a call for an extremist separatism or a return to Fundamentalism.  In case you have not noticed America is not exactly Christian and Evangelicalism is not exactly transforming the culture.  We need something between Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.  It needs to be distinctly Protestant in the line of the Reformers and the Puritans.  We need a return to classic Protestantism, which is Biblical Christianity.  

Fundamentalism became extremely separatist and legalistic.  It became anti intellectual and withdrew from the world.  While Fundamentalism was not of the world, it was also not in the world.  Evangelicalism set out to reform Fundamentalism.  But it became too accommodationist and lacked doctrinal distinctiveness.  Without the theological distinctiveness it could not sustain itself. Evangelicalism has been said to be a mile wide and an inch deep, it has become shallow. Evangelicals seem to think that they need to become like the world in order to reach the world (a distortion of Biblical teaching).  Some have even commented that Evangelicalism has managed to be of the world but not in the world.    

The call for Protestant separatism is needed. It may just be the case that we must get smaller in order to become more effective in the long run.  It must be distinctively Protestant and separate from other groups that are not.  

Mainline or liberal Protestants should be separated from.  As Machen said liberalism is not Christianity at all.  The liberal Protestants have no right to use the name Protestant either.  Evangelicals and Catholics together sounds nice but the divide is too wide.  The Roman Catholic Church does not even get the gospel right.  Some seem to think we can unite with the Mormons.  But Mormonism is a Christian heresy with its many gods.  The emergent church, the seeker sensitive movement, and the prosperity gospel should all be avoided too.  

We need to stop trying to be like the world and start being the church.  Protestants must separate from the world.  I mean to be in the world but not of the world.  We must also separate from false and erroneous teaching which pervades the modern church.  We need a distinct Protestantism to proclaim truth to the world and to be an example to it.  We must not water down our doctrine in order to partner with other groups.  

We must recover our confidence in the authority and sufficiency of the Bible.  We must hold to the gospel of grace, salvation is the work of God and not the work of man.  We must also recover our sense of the greatness of God.  We must focus on the holiness, majesty, and transcendence of God. 

We must hold to Biblical Christianity and not compromise it.  Classic Protestantism represents true Christianity.  We must hold to Protestant distinctives to reach and influence the world.  We must have intellectual vigor along with heart felt devotion.  We must love God with our minds and our hearts.