1 A Questioning Faith: What is Fundamentalism?

What many think 2

The truth 3

4 Webster’s Dictionary “a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles.”

5 Dictionary of Christianity in America “A movement organized in the early twentieth century to defend orthodox Protestant Christianity against the challenges of theological liberalism, higher criticism of the Bible, evolution and other modernisms judged to be harmful to traditional faith.” Timothy Weber

Fundamentalists vs. Evangelicals “Militantly anti- modernist Protestant evangelicalism.” George Marsden 6

Definition of an Evangelical Classic doctrines of salvation Authority of scripture Crisis conversion Personal experience 7

8 Definition of an Evangelical All fundamentalist are evangelical, not all evangelicals are fundamentalists

Dynamics of Fundamentalism An embattled form of spirituality that is a response to a perceived crisis. They are in a battle with secular forces and policies that are hostile to religion. 9

Dynamics of Fundamentalism This is a cosmic struggle between good and evil. Fear annihilation, thus fortify themselves with selected doctrines and practices. 10

To avoid contamination they withdraw from mainstream society to create a counterculture 11

Phase 1- Forming Conservative Coalitions ( ) New Influential Forces (Modernism) 1. Higher Criticism of Scripture 2. Darwinism 3. Psychology/comparative religions 4. Jewish/Catholic immigrants 12

Reactions New Theology- Incorporate all new ideas Modernize traditional doctrines Social Gospel Focus on social injustices 13

Evangelical Reaction Rejected both options 14

15 Key Proponents Dwight L. Moody Urban Revivalism

16 Key Proponents Benjamin Warfield and Archibald Hodge Biblical Inerrancy

17 Key Proponents C.I. Scofield and John Nelson Darby Dispensationalism

Phase 2- Finding a Fundamentalist Agenda ( ) 1910 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America- Five fundamentals 18

19 5 Fundamentals Inerrancy of Scripture Virgin Birth Christ’s substitutionary atonement Bodily resurrection of Jesus Miracles Pre-millennialism (1919)

20 Phase 3- Battling Modernism in the Public Arena ( ) Inside the Church The Presbyterians “In 1923, the same year that the General Assembly reaffirmed the five essentials, Professor J. Gresham Mechen of Princeton Seminary published Christianity and Liberalism, in which he argued that because of radically different assumptions, liberalism was not Christianity at all…

21 Auburn Affirmation Liberals countered by issuing the Auburn Affirmation, in which they made a clear distinction between the facts of religion and the theological theories developed to explain them and called for an inclusive church in which doctrinal differences could be tolerated.”

22 Outside the Church The Scopes Trial (1925) Dayton, Tennessee John C. Scopes vs. State of Tennessee

23 Lead Attorneys Clarence Darrow William Jennings Bryan Tennessee and Bryan won battle Scopes and Darrow won the war

24 General Public Perception “As a result, fundamentalism became identified in the public mind with anti- intellectualism, combativeness, extremism and what was viewed by many as a ‘paranoid’ style.”

25 Phase 4- Establishing New Institutions ( ) Creation of a subculture Schools Publishing Companies Emphasis on sectarianism

26 Phase 5- Rebuilding and Regrouping (1945-Present) Rethinking after WWII Many unhappy with 20-30’s Call for a “New Evangelicalism”

27 Intellectual Integrity

28 Public Voice

29 Parachurch Organizations

Fundamentalist Reaction “Militant fundamentalists were not happy with these developments. They looked at new evangelicals as defectors and compro- misers who were willing to cut doctrinal corners and associate with people from apostate denominations.” 30

New Agenda’s Secular humanism Decline of traditional family values 31

New Agenda’s Feminism Legalized abortion 32

New Agenda’s The Homosexual Agenda Elimination of prayer in public schools 33

New Agenda’s Evolution vs. “Creation Science” 34

The Rise of Influence Rather than depicting themselves as the faithful remnant, their best-known representatives tagged themselves ‘the moral majority.’” George Marsden 35

36 Evangelical/Fundamentalist Diversity “While the most militant fundamentalists keep moving to the right, and left-wing evangelicals are heading back toward the mainline churches from which fundamentalism arose in the first place, fundamentalists and evangelicals closer to the center appear to be experimenting with new alliances which may give the fundamentalist tradition new opportunity to affect American society in significant ways.”

37 Final Thought: A Global Perspective “Fundamentalism is now part of the modern world. It represents a widespread disappointment, alienation, anxiety, and rage that no government can safely ignore.” Karen Armstrong