My early life was shaped by an Anglo Catholic sensibility, and my ministry had been deeply affected by both the Evangelical Resurgence taking place in England in the middle of the Twentieth Century, and the Charismatic Renewal. I was fortunate to be working as a Curate in an English parish that was undergoing significant renewal, but my own prayers were causing me to focus more and more on that portion of the English population that was outside the established church's ministry.

Some among us seem to think nothing needs replacing, so long as the "rotten leaders" are replaced. Some think old scores from previous disagreements need to be settled, then all will be alright. Others have long nurtured hopes for minor improvements on the ages. "Tuck here, let out there." There are few who seem to see the situation as requiring dramatic reformation. I am one.

For Bass, this discrediting of Nicaea "was like a dagger through the heart." She understood Clark's point: "the business of the Holy Spirit writing the creed, miraculously guiding the church to particular words explaining Christ, was better understood in terms of political consolidation of imperial power."

So Nicaea "wasn't a miracle" but "about people and power and privilege. About controlling outcomes and getting your way. About sin and writing history so that you are the hero."

More a mindset than a set of doctrines

But are there common features of a fundamentalist mindset to be found in these varied expressions? Consider these eight tell-tale signs:

First, fundamentalists of all stripes tend to reflect black and white thinking. They have little place for ambiguity. Certainty must be established.