Fundamentalism

The world did not automatically embrace all these modern ideas without resistance. The Catholic Church, followed by conservative Protestants, became alarmed by the onslaught of this liberal secular attack on the power of their institutions and traditional Christian orthodoxy. What disturbed them the most was the rate at which these new ideas took hold. They could feel their grip on control slipping and desperately tried to stop it.

They were concerned with the optimistic worldview that everything modern was better than the past. Hegel(1770–1831) was a very influential philosopher in his day and espoused a philosophy based on historical consciousness that reflected the optimist colonization attitude of his day. He believed that the Protestant modern industrial world was the apex of human and... more and SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more even deified this perspective. The higher Biblical criticism challenged the legitimacy of scripture, while Darwin’s theory of evolution based on natural selection provided an attractive alternative belief system. Upheaval was everywhere one looked. The race to modernism was a flight from Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more authority. However, people and institutions do not typically relinquish control without a fight.

The Roman Catholic Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more reacted by doubling down on their reliance on traditionThis word comes from a Latin term meaning “to hand down,” that originally referred to the teaching of the apostles as handed down in the churches they founded, which led to these churches gaining authority of other locations due to... more and centralizing power under the papacy. In the past, the papacyThe office of pope in the Roman Catholic Church which is the highest office in its hierarchical structure. more was in a tug-of-war with the bishops, who asserted control through councils, with monarchies holding tightly holding to secularOf the world in contrast to the divine. more power while they encroached on the Church’s ecclesiasticalFrom the Greek word ecclesia, meaning church or congregation and is used to refer to both separate Christian congregations and to the whole body of Christians. more turf. By the nineteenth century, the popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more had secured his position as the supreme leader of the Catholic Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more. So when the Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more was threatened, it was a threat to the papacyThe office of pope in the Roman Catholic Church which is the highest office in its hierarchical structure. more itself. Consequently, the Ultramontanism movement emerged and pushed the Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more in 1870 to formally declare that the Pope was infallible when he officially spoke about issues of doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more, faithIn word for belief and faith is the same in Latin and most European languages, but in English faith often denotes an active believe, one that inspires action based on a belief. For Luther, faith and belief generally meant the... more and morals.

Pope Pius IX(A.D. 1792–1878) Also known by the Italian form of his name, “Pio Nono,” pope from 1846–1878, the longest reigning pope in history, who defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, promulgated the Syllabus of Errors in 1864, and... more (1792–1878) was the longest-serving popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more in the Church’s history from 1846 to his death in 1878. During his reign, the Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more lost both religious and political ground to these modern intellectual and secularOf the world in contrast to the divine. more forces. His 1870 loss of temporalIs a technical term used in theology referring to this mortal physical existence in time as opposed to eternal divine existence outside of time. more control over the papal states to the Italian government was emblematic of the effect modern ideas had on the Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more. He counterattacked by waging war against modernism in all its forms.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX(A.D. 1792–1878) Also known by the Italian form of his name, “Pio Nono,” pope from 1846–1878, the longest reigning pope in history, who defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, promulgated the Syllabus of Errors in 1864, and... more declared the medieval doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more of the Virgin Mary’s immaculate conception to be official Catholic dogma without consulting the bishops. Throughout the history of the Catholic Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more, only councils of bishops had declared doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more, which the popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more would later ratify or denounce. No popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more had ever acted sua sponte (on his own authority) to declare doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more. This created quite a stir among competing forces within the Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more. In response, the popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more exercised his muscle and issued a formal encyclicalrefers to a papal document setting forth a major teaching that holds much weight but is not necessarily considered infallible. This term was derived from a Greek word meaning “circular” and was used because the pope would circulate the letter... more (official letter to all of the bishops) to which he attached his Syllabus of Errors(A.D. 1864) Pope Pius IX publishes the Syllabus of Errors, which denounce many modern beliefs such as freedom of religion. more, condemning modernism in great detail. He even condemned such fundamental modern ideas as: freedom of religion, freedom of the press, the sovereignty of the people, and the right to democratic rule.

He then convened the First VaticanAn independent city-state within the broader city of Rome. Vatican City is ruled by the Pope, the Catholic Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. more Council in 1869, asking the bishops to formally declare his infallibility. There was some opposition based on the fact that the pope’s authority had grown over time. No popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more had ever convened the early formative church councils, only emperors. Many of the prior popes’ edicts had been overturned by subsequent councils and popes, and no popeThe Roman Catholic bishop of Rome who is regarded as the successor of the chief apostle, Peter, and as the Vicar of Christ is the holder of the Apostolic See and head of Christ’s church on earth. more ever claimed infallibility for the first thirteen centuries of the Church’s existence. Regardless, the proposition was overwhelmingly approved.1

Subsequent popes followed the same fundamentalist course set by Pius IX(A.D. 1792–1878) Also known by the Italian form of his name, “Pio Nono,” pope from 1846–1878, the longest reigning pope in history, who defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, promulgated the Syllabus of Errors in 1864, and... more. In 1914, Pope Pius X declared that the medieval writings of Thomas Aquinas(c. A.D. 1225-1274) Dominican friar, teacher at the University of Paris, central figure of medieval scholasticism, and the most authoritative theologian of the Roman Catholic tradition; known for his use of Aristotelian philosophy and his conception of supernatural grace. more formed the foundation of Catholic doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more. He stated:

The capital theses in the philosophy of St. Thomas are not to be placed in the category of opinions capable of being debated one way or another, but are to be considered as the foundations upon which the whole science of natural and divine things is based; that the teachings of the Churcha term translated from the Greek word “Ecclesia” which means an assembly called together and is sometime translated as a congregation. A church is an organized group of believers who adhere to a set of core beliefs. The Church in... more cannot be understood without the basic philosophical underpinnings of Thomas’s major theses.2

Pope Pius X vehemently denounced the nineteenth-century movement known as modernism as a dangerous heresyComes from a Greek term meaning “sect,” and was used by the early Church theologians to identify doctrines that they rejected as not orthodox. The term does not refer to unbelief but ideas held by some baptized Christian that was... more. In his 1907 decree titled “A Lamentable Departure Indeed,” he formally condemned sixty-five modern propositions from Catholic writers regarding the divinity of Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more, revelationThe divine disclosure to humans of future events, God’s will or his nature. more, biblical exegesis, and the nature of the church. He then issued the encyclicalrefers to a papal document setting forth a major teaching that holds much weight but is not necessarily considered infallible. This term was derived from a Greek word meaning “circular” and was used because the pope would circulate the letter... more “Feeding the Lord’s Flock,” where he condemned modernism for being the “synthesis of all heresies.” He added teeth to his decreesThe concept that God orders specific things to occur. This concept is influential in Calvinist theology which maintains that everything that happens is ordained to happen due to an eternal resolution of God’s will, even if it is to permit... more by ordering all clergyconsists of the priest, ministers and pastors of Christian churches. In the medieval church this term referred to both regular priest who were monks subject to a rule (regula) of a monastic order and secular priest who were not monks... more and seminary students to take the Antimodernist oath, Sacrorum Antistitum, under threat of excommunicationis a Christian church’s formal expulsion of a baptized member from that religious community. The term is derived the official act of refusing a person to participate in communion of the Lord’s Supper. In the early church bishops often excommunicated... more. He even created an internal network of secret informants to weed out this virus within the church.

Neo-Thomism became the dominant worldview within Catholicism. Resistance to the antimodernist positions was largely constrained until the Second Vatican CouncilA.D. 1962–1965 The Second Vatican Council provides measures for reforms within the Roman Catholic Church and increased ecumenical offerings to non-Roman Catholic Christians. more in 1960, which reversed these policies and embraced many modern ideals.

A distinguishing characteristic of Protestantism is its fluidity leading to its diversity. New ideas emerge and gain traction, leading to groups splitting over the dispute. Some movements crossWas an agonizing method used by the Roman Empire to execute slaves, rebels and others major offender to the order of the empire. In fulfillment of prophecy, this was the means by which Christ was crucified. Even though some early... more denominational boundaries and merge with other trans-denominational movements. We reviewed how the MoraviansAre members of a Protestant group who fled persecution in the 1720s and settled in an area in modern-day Czech Republic known at that time as Moravia. Their theology focuses on the incarnation of Christ and his suffering. They engage... more influenced both SchleiermacherFriedrich Schleiermacher (A.D. 1768–1834) German theologian and philosopher, minister in the Reformed church, professor at the University of Berlin (A.D. 1811–1834), and founding figure of Protestant liberalism. He was the most influential Protestant thinker of the 19th century. In response... more and the advent of liberal theology, as well as Wesley(A.D. 1703–1791) Anglican priest, revival preacher and organizer, and together with his brother Charles, a founding figure of Methodism, whose theology combines Arminianism and Pietism and is known for a strong emphasis on sanctification, including the expectation that believers will... more and the revival movement of the early nineteenth century. We observed how the revival movement helped launch the Adventist and Holiness movements which overlapped in the last half of the nineteenth century. This premillennial dispensationalismA theological movement popular among conservative, evangelical Christians in the 19th and 20th centuries that divides history into a series of time periods called dispensations in which God dispenses a different covenant or relates to his people in a different... more spawned two distinct movements in the early twentieth century; Fundamentalismgrew out of 19th century American evangelicalism that felt liberal Protestantism was abandoning the fundamentals of the faith. Specifically this term applies to a movement beginning around 1920 that is characterized by a high regard for scriptural infallibility, and often... more and Pentecostalism. Fundamentalismgrew out of 19th century American evangelicalism that felt liberal Protestantism was abandoning the fundamentals of the faith. Specifically this term applies to a movement beginning around 1920 that is characterized by a high regard for scriptural infallibility, and often... more ran with the intellectual biblical study arm of the revival movement while Pentecostalism ran with the emotional spiritual aspect. These two radically different movements morphed and merged in the 1950s to become the mainstream evangelicalComes from the Greek term, evangelion, and means good news or the Gospel. This term was use in the 16th century to refer to Protestants and is still used this way in Germany to this day. In England and the... more movement we know today.

The PentecostalA modern evangelical movement named after the day of Pentecost when there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Its distinctive characteristics involve extensive influence of the Holy Spirit including the speaking in tongues (glossolalia) which acts as evidence of... more phenomenon has grown to into the fastest growing direction of Christianity worldwide, with well over half a billion followers. However, fundamentalism only gained traction in the United States, with its influence waning until it reinvented itself and reemerged as part of the evangelicalComes from the Greek term, evangelion, and means good news or the Gospel. This term was use in the 16th century to refer to Protestants and is still used this way in Germany to this day. In England and the... more movement during the second half of the twentieth century. Scholars surmise that fundamentalism did not spread beyond America’s borders because of the United States’ unique historical religious beginning. Religion played a significant role in the founding and growth of the United States. The early European colonists came for religious freedom. There were the English Puritans, the Scot-Irish Presbyterians, and the Dutch Reformed. They all were branches of the Calvinist Reformed traditionThis word comes from a Latin term meaning “to hand down,” that originally referred to the teaching of the apostles as handed down in the churches they founded, which led to these churches gaining authority of other locations due to... more, which had always focused on a rational doctrinal approach to religion. Calvin’s seminal work Institutes of the Christian Religion laid out a doctrinal worldview based on biblical interpretation. This emphasis on biblical study remained a constant influence in the Reformed movement and its progeny. The greater diversity of religion in Europe diluted this emphasis on doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more and biblical study.

The nineteenth-century higher biblical criticism, which challenged the accuracy of the Bible, triggered a strong response by conservative theologians in America. This response became even more pronounced as Darwinism further undermined the public’s respect for the Bible. The same Protestants who were criticizing the excessive enthusiasmwas originally used as a pejorative term applied to those who believed in personal revelation from God, primarily Quakers, indicating self-delusion due to religious fanaticism. more of the revivalists found themselves defending their rational approach to religion because of European intellectual concepts attacking the foundation of their belief system, the Bible. Charles HodgeCharles Hodge (A.D. 1797–1878) was an American theologian and advocate of an orthodox Calvinist theology, arguing that the Bible is the literal word of God. Many of his ideas were later adopted by Evangelicals and Christian Fundamentalists in the 20th century.... more (1797–1878), the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary and Reformed PresbyterianA religion controlled at the local level by an assembly of elders or selected representatives. See polity and presbyters. Mainstream of English Puritanism in the 17th century were Presbyterians who sought to revive the original form of church government based... more theologian, became a leading proponent of the inerrancy and authority of the Bible.

HodgeCharles Hodge (A.D. 1797–1878) was an American theologian and advocate of an orthodox Calvinist theology, arguing that the Bible is the literal word of God. Many of his ideas were later adopted by Evangelicals and Christian Fundamentalists in the 20th century.... more advocated using the Bible as the basis for a “scientific” approach to establish truth. HodgeCharles Hodge (A.D. 1797–1878) was an American theologian and advocate of an orthodox Calvinist theology, arguing that the Bible is the literal word of God. Many of his ideas were later adopted by Evangelicals and Christian Fundamentalists in the 20th century.... more was assisted by his successor, Benjamin Warfield (1851–1921), who carried this torch into the twentieth century. They argued that the Bible was a set of factual propositions that one should accept as indisputable and that one could analyze to establish the truth of anything that it addressed. If scientific observations contradicted biblical facts or findings of truth, then the scientific data was simply a theory or an error. They claimed that the apparent contradictions in the Bible were the result of mistranslations and scrivener’s errors.

However, they were blind to the fact that their inerrant literal approach ignored the reality that many of their “factual propositions,” including the foundation of their understanding of God, were based on an allegorical reading of the Bible, not a literal one as they insisted. The allegorical approach is the only way that the postapostolic theologians were able to explain the many anthropological references to God in the Bible in order to make the Bible conform to the more “reasonable” Platonic concept of deity.

Hodge’s “scientific” approach tied in nicely with the premillennial dispensationalists’ examination of the Bible to discover its hidden codes and keys to understand and date the signs of the times before Christ’s second coming. In 1903, Warfield and other scholars from Princeton formed the Bible League of North America. Even though there were major theological differences between the erudite Presbyterians and the dispensational evangelicals, they untied in this league to defend the Bible and oppose liberal theology.

The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly a struggle against the world, whose spiritual aroma is religion. Religious suffering is at the same time an expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creaturerefers to everything except God who is the Creator who created all things. more, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of a soulless condition. It is the opium of the people.3

Marx adopted Hegel’s idea that society’s consciousness (worldview) was a real force that transforms our temporalIs a technical term used in theology referring to this mortal physical existence in time as opposed to eternal divine existence outside of time. more existence and history. His plan to transform the world was based on the assumption that changing the way people viewed reality would automatically change the world. Marx believed that religion was the primary obstacle preventing humanity from realizing a higher level of consciousness and corresponding material state of existence.

Scholars point to Descartes’s radical doubt, and his epiphany that his personal consciousness confirmed existence, as the beginning of modern thought, along with its philosophy based on consciousness. Marx challenged this paradigm by doubting the reality envisioned by one’s consciousness. He, followed by NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), declared that God is dead, and the intellectuals of his day had killed him. With the death of God, nihilism was born. more and Freud, postulated that humans mask reality through their consciousness in order to deal with their deep pains or illnesses. For Marx, this sickness was an unfair economic system. Religion was not just some inane philosophical concept scholars could debate; it was the product of a sick system used to perpetuate its dominance over humanity. Religion was a symptom of social and economic inequality and of the class conflict arising out of this injustice. Religion hid the root cause of the problem, and with it the social and economic dynamics causing this suffering, which perpetuated this condition.

But because religion was a byproduct of this unfair system, simply eliminating religion would not solve the problem. Since the whole world was infected by this disease, the state in essencethe English word generally used for the Greek term ousia, that is also translated as “being” or “substance” and refers to that which makes something what it is such as human nature is the essence of a human being. This... more was also a form of religious institution. Consequently, society needed to eliminate the state in order to eliminate religion.

Marx wrote about this issue in his essay On the Jewish Question. In Christendom, Jews were not considered citizens of the state because they were not Christians. With the rise of nations, the question arose as to what legal rights the Jews should enjoy. A young Hegelian named Bruno Bauer argued that the Jews would never become equal until the state was no longer Christian. Marx said this was insufficient. Religion, Christianity in particular, was too engrained in society, making the very form of the state into a religious instrument. The state itself needed to be eliminated and replaced with a whole new political and economic dynamic.

Marx explained this concept by arguing that the state serves as an intermediary between humanity and liberty just as ChristDerived from a Greek term meaning anointed and is equivalent to the word “messiah” from Hebrew roots. The anointing references the act of installing a new king similar to the modern custom of crowning a king, so the term “Christ”... more acts as the intermediary between man and the promised equality to be found in heaven. Marx pointed out that the equality Paul(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 64) Apostle and early Christian missionary, whose letters are the earliest documents contained in the New Testament and thus the first extant writings in Christian theology. more promised in the Bible would only be realized in a purported afterlife.4 In this life, Paul(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 64) Apostle and early Christian missionary, whose letters are the earliest documents contained in the New Testament and thus the first extant writings in Christian theology. more sustained slavery.5 He equated this phantom promise with the false promise of equality by the modern state. Marx explained that individual freedom does not create universal freedom but isolates people and protects those in power from justice. True equality would never be realized until everyone was on the same economic footing. The abstract emancipation and equality promised by the modern state simply was not enough because inequality continued to exist in the real world. Marx put it this way:

In 1910, the PresbyterianA religion controlled at the local level by an assembly of elders or selected representatives. See polity and presbyters. Mainstream of English Puritanism in the 17th century were Presbyterians who sought to revive the original form of church government based... more Assembly brought charges of heresyComes from a Greek term meaning “sect,” and was used by the early Church theologians to identify doctrines that they rejected as not orthodox. The term does not refer to unbelief but ideas held by some baptized Christian that was... more against various PresbyterianA religion controlled at the local level by an assembly of elders or selected representatives. See polity and presbyters. Mainstream of English Puritanism in the 17th century were Presbyterians who sought to revive the original form of church government based... more scholars for disagreeing with the Princeton school regarding biblical inerrancy. This assembly set down five points of doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more they claimed were so fundamental that those who did not believe them could not legitimately claim that they were Christians. These five fundamental points were:

• The inerrancy of the Bible;
• The virgin birth of Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more;
• Christ’s substitutionary atonementA term referring to how Christ’s suffering and death on the cross expiates sin and reconciles humans with God. There are various theories regarding how the atonement of Christ functions, including, ransom theory, substitutional or satisfaction theory, the moral influence... more (He died for our sins);
• The physical resurrectionThe doctrine that Jesus’ spiritual essence was reunited with his physical body and that other humans will likewise live again with their spirit or soul reunited with their material body. This term does not refer to the doctrine of the... more of Jesus; and
• The authenticity of the miracles in the Bible.

Later, the premillennial doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more regarding Christ’s second coming before the millennium replaced the point involving biblical miracles. These five points became known as the fundamentals.

In 1909, Lyman Stewart, the founder of Union Oil, and his brother Milton funded the publication and distribution of ninety essays in a total of twelve volumes (one per quarter) titled The Fundamentals(A.D. 1910–1915) Publication of The Fundamentals, a series of books from which the Fundamentalist movement took its name. more: A Testimony To The Truth, published between 1910 and 1915. They were republished in 1917 by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. These essays expanded the discussion regarding fundamental Christian doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more beyond these five points of doctrineis derived from the Latin word for teaching, doctrina, and is an important aspect of Christianity more so than other world religions because Christianity focuses on the teachings and nature of Christ. more and attacked other threats to their view of orthodoxy, including liberal ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more theology, higher biblical criticism, Catholicism, Mormonism, and socialism.

In 1919, Bell Riley formed the World’s Christian Fundamentalist Association. Even though over six thousand people attended its first conference, it struggled with internal conflicts and never gained major traction. Regardless, the fundamentalist title stuck and was universally applied to ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more Christians who adhered to the five fundamentals set forth earlier.4

An intense debate raged on between the conservatives and liberal Protestants regarding who was entitled to call themselves a Christian. In 1922, a liberal BaptistThe first English Baptist congregation is created (A.D. 1609) out of a Puritan Separatist congregation that is meeting in exile in the Netherlands. This tradition grew out of the English Puritan Separatist movement in the 17th century and later spread... more pastor named Harry Fosdick(A.D. 1878–1969) Harry Emerson Fosdick was an American Baptist minister who also worked interdenominationally. He was a major player in a schism between fundamentalist and modernist camps in American Protestantism. Fosdick was an outspoken proponent of modernist views and interpretations. more delivered a fiery attack on conservatives titled “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” which was answered by Princeton University professor J. Gersham Machen’s essay “Christianity or Liberalism.”

It all came to a head in 1925 with the famous Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee regarding the teaching of evolution in the public schools. It was actually a publicity stunt set up to embarrass fundamentalist Christians, and it proved disastrous to them in large measure because of the satirical reporting of atheistA person who denies the existence of all deity. more journalist H. L. MenckenH. L. Mencken (A.D. 1880–1956) Controversial American journalist and critic renowned for his biting critiques of provincialism and prudery in American society. His scathing portrayal of fundamentalists during the Scopes “Monkey Trial” generated a cultural stereotype that persists to this... more. He was successful in portraying fundamentalists as ignorant back-country yokels who were completely out of touch with the times and with reality.

One eventful exchange during the trial occurred when the state called the defense attorney, three-time Democrat presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, to the stand as an adverse expert witness. Bryan, one of the most prominent religious figures of his day, was asked if he believed the literal word of the Bible. After affirming this belief, he backtracked when asked if he believed that the world was created in six twenty-four-hour days. He admitted that he believed the reference to “days” in the creation story found in Genesis actually referred to time periods, not literal days. His credibility was shot, along with that of the fundamentalists who insisted on an inerrant Bible. This trial became a watershed moment, causing the general public to look at fundamentalist Christians as antimodern and antiscience.5

The 1950s saw a resurgence of ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more evangelicalismHistorically this term refers the religious movement beginning in the 18th century that emphasized conversion that was often communicated through revivals and to the religious traditions that grew out of that movement (typically Methodist and various branches of Calvinism and... more, primarily through the efforts of one man, Billy GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more (1918–2018). He was a likable fellow with a gift for preaching. When he was only twenty-three years old while attending Wheaton College, he was invited to preach at the United GospelEnglish translation of the Greek term evangelion, used in the New Testament meaning “good news.” This is a central term in Luther’s theology that emphasized the contrast between Law and Gospel. The Law condemn while the Gospel justifies believers through... more Tabernacle church. They kept asking him to return until they hired him as their pastor. A couple of years later, he seized the opportunity to take over a struggling radio program with his congregation’s support and turned it into a great success. In 1948, he became the youngest college president in the United States when he was hired to presided over Northwestern Bible College, a position he held for five years.

Even while he served as the president of the college, he continued to preach. In 1949, he set up tents in a large Los Angeles parking lot to hold a three-week revival. It was such a success that it lasted eight weeks and attracted attention from the Hearst newspaper empire. The publicity made him a national celebrity overnight.

GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more tapped into early evangelicalComes from the Greek term, evangelion, and means good news or the Gospel. This term was use in the 16th century to refer to Protestants and is still used this way in Germany to this day. In England and the... more roots and held “crusadeswere a series of wars instigated or approved of by the pope in the Middle Ages principally directed against the Muslim empire that controlled the Holy Land. more” in large venues where he preached a universal ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more message of salvation and invited his listeners to accept Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more as their Lord and Savior. Unlike the earlier fundamentalists who focused on defending fundamentalist doctrines and attacking other Christians for their wayward ideas, Billy GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more preached a crusade of personal salvation.

Without abandoning his principles, he dropped the reference to fundamentalism and Pentecostalism. Billy GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more grew up as a PresbyterianA religion controlled at the local level by an assembly of elders or selected representatives. See polity and presbyters. Mainstream of English Puritanism in the 17th century were Presbyterians who sought to revive the original form of church government based... more and became an ordained BaptistThe first English Baptist congregation is created (A.D. 1609) out of a Puritan Separatist congregation that is meeting in exile in the Netherlands. This tradition grew out of the English Puritan Separatist movement in the 17th century and later spread... more minister. He ignored the turf wars between the various ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more denominations and focused on the ProtestantContrary to popular belief, the term does not refer to protest against the Roman Catholic Church. The term original refers to a formal protest lodged by Lutheran princes against an unfavorable decision made by the imperial Diet of Speyer in... more message of salvation through the graceIs a term used to identify unmerited assistance by God primarily to redeem and transform human beings. In the early and medieval church it also referred to God’s influence throughout existence. Redemptive grace is important to Augustinian theology which has... more of Jesus(c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 30-33) Also known as Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and Savior of the World. He is the founding figure of Christianity and accepted by Christians as the Son of God in the flesh. He taught... more ChristDerived from a Greek term meaning anointed and is equivalent to the word “messiah” from Hebrew roots. The anointing references the act of installing a new king similar to the modern custom of crowning a king, so the term “Christ”... more. Unlike typical evangelists who preached to build up their own congregations, GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more told his listeners to stay where they already attended church and get involved in building their congregation, garnering support from local preachers.

Billy GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more also tapped into early progressive evangelicalComes from the Greek term, evangelion, and means good news or the Gospel. This term was use in the 16th century to refer to Protestants and is still used this way in Germany to this day. In England and the... more roots, which generally supported the abolition of slavery. He openly spoke against racism and championed racial civil rights. This educated, reasonable and passionate young preacher shattered the caricature MenckenH. L. Mencken (A.D. 1880–1956) Controversial American journalist and critic renowned for his biting critiques of provincialism and prudery in American society. His scathing portrayal of fundamentalists during the Scopes “Monkey Trial” generated a cultural stereotype that persists to this... more had painted of fundamentalists during the Scope trial as ignorant, bigoted extremists. Billly GrahamBilly Graham (A.D. 17 Nov 1918–21 Feb 2018) One of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th Century. He was an ordained Baptist minister who became very known evangelist drawing crowds of tens of thousands to his services and... more became the face of a religious movement that brought fundamentalism back into the mainstream of society under the evangelicalComes from the Greek term, evangelion, and means good news or the Gospel. This term was use in the 16th century to refer to Protestants and is still used this way in Germany to this day. In England and the... more umbrella.

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