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Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a
religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
movement emphasizing
biblical literalism Biblical literalism or biblicism is a term used differently by different authors concerning biblical interpretation. It can equate to the dictionary definition of literalism: "adherence to the exact letter or the literal sense", where literal me ...
. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and
American Protestants Protestantism is the largest grouping of Christians in the United States, with its combined denominations collectively comprising about 43% of the country's population (or 141 million people) in 2019. Other estimates suggest that 48.5% of the U ...
Marsden (1980), pp. 55–62, 118–23. as a reaction to
theological liberalism Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position ...
and cultural
modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
.
Fundamentalists Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishin ...
argued that 19th-century modernist theologians had misunderstood or rejected certain
doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...
s, especially
biblical inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error. The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelic ...
, which they considered the fundamentals of the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
faith.Sandeen (1970), p. 6 Fundamentalists are almost always described as upholding beliefs in
biblical infallibility Biblical infallibility is the belief that what the Bible says regarding matters of faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true. It is the "belief that the Bible is completely trustworthy as a guide to salvation and the life of faith ...
and biblical inerrancy, in keeping with traditional Christian doctrines concerning
biblical interpretation Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the broader field of hermeneutics, which involves the study of principles of interpretation, both theory and methodology, fo ...
, the role of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
in the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
, and the role of the church in society. Fundamentalists usually believe in a core of Christian beliefs, typically called the "Five Fundamentals". These arose from the
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
issuance of "The Doctrinal Deliverance of 1910". Topics included are statements on the historical accuracy of the Bible and all of the events which are recorded in it as well as the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christian and Islamic belief that Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his ascension to Heaven (which is said to have occurred about two thousand years ago). The ...
. Fundamentalism manifests itself in various denominations which believe in various theologies, rather than a single denomination or a
systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...
. The ideology became active in the 1910s after the release of ''
The Fundamentals ''The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth'' (generally referred to simply as ''The Fundamentals'') is a set of ninety essays published between 1910 and 1915 by the Testimony Publishing Company of Chicago. It was initially published quarterly i ...
'', a twelve-volume set of essays,
apologetic Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their fai ...
and
polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...
, written by conservative Protestant theologians in an attempt to defend beliefs which they considered Protestant
orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
. The movement became more organized within U.S. Protestant churches in the 1920s, especially among
Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
, as well as
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
s and
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
s. Many churches which embraced fundamentalism adopted a militant attitude with regard to their core beliefs. Reformed fundamentalists lay heavy emphasis on historic
confessions of faith A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds: ...
, such as the
Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith, or simply the Westminster Confession, is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it becam ...
, as well as uphold
Princeton theology The Princeton theology was a tradition of conservative Reformed and Presbyterian theology at Princeton Theological Seminary lasting from the founding of that institution in 1812 until the 1920s, after which, due to the increasing influence of t ...
. Since 1930, many fundamentalist churches in the Baptist tradition (who generally affirm
dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a Christian theology, theological framework for Biblical hermeneutics, interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God the Father, God interacts with h ...
) have been represented by the Independent Fundamental Churches of America (renamed IFCA International in 1996), while many theologically conservative connexions in the Methodist tradition (who adhere to
Wesleyan theology Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles ...
) align with the
Interchurch Holiness Convention The Interchurch Holiness Convention (IHC), formerly the Interdenominational Holiness Convention, is an ecumenical organization of denominations and congregations within the conservative holiness movement. Aligned with the conservative holiness m ...
; in various countries, national bodies such as the
American Council of Christian Churches The American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC) is a fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to the Federal Council of Churches (now National Council of Churches). The council's motto is Jude 3, "Earnestly contending for the Faith". Hi ...
exist to encourage dialogue between fundamentalist bodies of different denominational backgrounds. Other fundamentalist denominations have little contact with other bodies. A few scholars
label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
activist conservative associations who reject modern
Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...
in favor of more traditional doctrines as fundamentalists.Keating, Karl (1988). ''Catholicism and Fundamentalism''. San Francisco: Ignatius. . The term is sometimes mistakenly confused with the term ''
evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
''.


Terminology

The term ''fundamentalism'' entered the English language in 1922, and it is often capitalized when it is used in reference to the religious movement. By the end of the 20th century, the term ''fundamentalism'' acquired a pejorative connotation, denoting
religious fanaticism Religious fanaticism or religious extremism is a pejorative designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm that is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion – a form of human fanaticism that cou ...
or
extremism Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied sha ...
, especially when such
labeling Labelling or using a label is describing someone or something in a word or short phrase. For example, the label "criminal" may be used to describe someone who has broken a law. Labelling theory is a theory in sociology which ascribes labelling ...
extended beyond the original movement which coined the term and those who self-identify as fundamentalists. Some who hold certain, but not all beliefs in common with the original fundamentalist movement reject the label ''fundamentalism'', due to its perceived
pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...
nature, while others consider it a banner of pride. In certain parts of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, using the term ''fundamentalist'' with the intent to stir up religious hatred is a violation of the '' Racial and Religious Hatred Act'' of 2006.


History

The movement has its origins in 1878 in a meeting of the "Believers' Meeting for Bible Study" (
Niagara Bible Conference The Niagara Bible Conference (officially called the "Believers' Meeting for Bible Study") was held annually from 1875 to 1897, with the exception of 1884. History The Conference was founded as the Believers' Meeting for Bible Study in 1875 by ...
) in the United States, where 14 fundamental beliefs were established by evangelical pastors. Fundamentalism draws from multiple traditions in British and American theologies during the 19th century. According to authors Robert D. Woodberry and Christian S. Smith, However, the split does not mean that there were just two groups: modernists and fundamentalists. There were also people who considered themselves neo-evangelicals, separating themselves from the extreme components of fundamentalism. These neo-evangelicals also wanted to separate themselves from both the fundamentalist movement and the mainstream evangelical movement due to their anti-intellectual approaches. From 1910 until 1915, a series of essays titled '' The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth'' was published by the Testimony Publishing Company of Chicago. The Northern Presbyterian Church (now
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was a Presbyterian denomination existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year, the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North America. The new church was named the United ...
) influenced the movement with the definition of the five "fundamentals" in 1910, namely # The
inspiration Inspiration, inspire, INSPIRE, or inspired commonly refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, a Christian doctrine on the origin of the Bible * Inhalation, breathing in Inspiration and rel ...
of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
by the
Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...
and the inerrancy of Scripture as a result of this. # The virgin birth of Christ. # The belief that Christ's death was an
atonement Atonement, atoning, or making amends is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some othe ...
for sin. # The bodily
resurrection of Christ The resurrection of Jesus () is Christian belief that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, starting—or restoring—his exalted life as Christ and Lord. According to the New Testament writing, Jesus w ...
. # The historical reality of Christ's miracles. The
Princeton theology The Princeton theology was a tradition of conservative Reformed and Presbyterian theology at Princeton Theological Seminary lasting from the founding of that institution in 1812 until the 1920s, after which, due to the increasing influence of t ...
, which responded to
higher criticism Historical criticism (also known as the historical-critical method (HCM) or higher criticism, in contrast to lower criticism or textual criticism) is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts to understand "the world b ...
of the Bible by developing from the 1840s to 1920 the doctrine of inerrancy, was another influence in the movement. This doctrine, also called biblical inerrancy, stated that the Bible was divinely inspired, religiously authoritative, and without error. The Princeton Seminary professor of theology
Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theo ...
insisted that the Bible was inerrant because God inspired or "breathed" his exact thoughts into the biblical writers ( 2 Timothy 3:16). Princeton theologians believed that the Bible should be read differently than any other historical document, and they also believed that Christian
modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
and
liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
led people to
Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...
just like non-Christian religions did. Biblical inerrancy was a particularly significant rallying point for fundamentalists. This approach to the Bible is associated with
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
evangelical
hermeneutical Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...
approaches to Scripture, ranging from the
historical-grammatical method The historical-grammatical method is a modern Christian biblical hermeneutics, hermeneutical method that strives to discover the biblical authors' original intended meaning in the text. According to the historical-grammatical method, if based on ...
to
biblical literalism Biblical literalism or biblicism is a term used differently by different authors concerning biblical interpretation. It can equate to the dictionary definition of literalism: "adherence to the exact letter or the literal sense", where literal me ...
. The
Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension ...
, founded in 1924 in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, would have a considerable influence in the movement by training students who will establish various independent
Bible College A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christianity, Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for C ...
s and fundamentalist churches in the southern United States.Samuel S. Hill, ''The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 1: Religion'', University of North Carolina Press, USA, 2006, p. 77 In the 1930s, fundamentalism was viewed by many as a "last gasp" vestige of something from the past but more recently, scholars have shifted away from that view. In the early 1940s, evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians began to part ways over whether to separate from modern culture (the fundamentalist approach) or engage with it. An organization very much on the side of separation from modernity was the
American Council of Christian Churches The American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC) is a fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to the Federal Council of Churches (now National Council of Churches). The council's motto is Jude 3, "Earnestly contending for the Faith". Hi ...
, founded in 1941 by Rev.
Carl McIntire Charles Curtis McIntire Jr. (May 17, 1906 – March 19, 2002), known as Carl McIntire, was a founder and minister in the Bible Presbyterian Church, founder and long-time president of the International Council of Christian Churches and the Am ...
. Another group "for conservative Christians who wanted to be culturally engaged" was the
National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an American association of Evangelical Christian denominations, organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than ...
(NAE) founded in 1942, by
Harold Ockenga Harold John Ockenga (June 6, 1905 – February 8, 1985) was a leading figure of mid-20th-century American Evangelicalism, part of the reform movement known as "Neo-Evangelicalism". A Congregational minister, Ockenga served for many years as ...
.


Changing interpretations

The interpretations given the fundamentalist movement have changed over time, with most older interpretations being based on the concepts of social displacement or cultural lag.Reid, D. G., Linder, R. D., Shelley, B. L., & Stout, H. S. (1990). In Dictionary of Christianity in America. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Entry on ''Fundamentalism'' Some in the 1930s, including
H. Richard Niebuhr Helmut Richard Niebuhr (; September 3, 1894 – July 5, 1962) was an American theologian and Protestant minister who is considered one of the most important Christian ethicists in 20th-century America. He is best known for his 1951 book ''Chr ...
, understood the conflict between fundamentalism and modernism to be part of a broader social conflict between the cities and the country. In this view the fundamentalists were country and small-town dwellers who were reacting against the progressivism of city dwellers. Fundamentalism was seen as a form of anti-intellectualism during the 1950s; in the early 1960s American intellectual and historian
Richard Hofstadter Richard Hofstadter (August 6, 1916October 24, 1970) was an American historian and public intellectual of the mid-20th century. Hofstadter was the DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. Rejecting his earlier historic ...
interpreted it in terms of status anxiety, social displacement, and 'Manichean mentality'. Beginning in the late 1960s, the movement began to be seen as "a bona fide religious, theological and even intellectual movement in its own right". Instead of interpreting fundamentalism as a simple
anti-intellectualism Anti-intellectualism is hostility to and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectualism, commonly expressed as deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art, literature, history, and science as impractical, politica ...
, Paul Carter argued that "fundamentalists were simply intellectual in a way different than their opponents". Moving into the 1970s, Earnest R. Sandeen saw fundamentalism as arising from the confluence of Princeton theology and
millennialism Millennialism () or chiliasm (from the Greek equivalent) is a belief which is held by some religious denominations. According to this belief, a Messianic Age will be established on Earth prior to the Last Judgment and the future permanent s ...
.
George Marsden George Mish Marsden (born February 25, 1939) is an American historian who has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity and American culture, particularly on Christianity in American higher education and on American evangelicali ...
defined fundamentalism as "militantly anti-modernist Protestant evangelicalism" in his 1980 work ''Fundamentalism and American Culture''. ''Militant'' in this sense does not mean 'violent', it means 'aggressively active in a cause'. Marsden saw fundamentalism arising from a number of preexisting evangelical movements that responded to various perceived threats by joining forces. He argued that Christian
fundamentalists Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishin ...
were American evangelical Christians who in the 20th century opposed "both modernism in theology and the cultural changes that modernism endorsed. Militant opposition to modernism was what most clearly set off fundamentalism." Others viewing militancy as a core characteristic of the fundamentalist movement include Philip Melling, Ung Kyu Pak and Ronald Witherup. Donald McKim and David Wright (1992) argue that "in the 1920s, militant conservatives (fundamentalists) united to mount a conservative counter-offensive. Fundamentalists sought to rescue their denominations from the growth of modernism at home." According to Marsden, recent scholars differentiate "fundamentalists" from "evangelicals" by arguing the former were more militant and less willing to collaborate with groups considered "modernist" in theology. In the 1940s the more moderate faction of fundamentalists maintained the same theology but began calling themselves "evangelicals" to stress their less militant position.
Roger Olson Roger Eugene Olson (born 1952) is an American theologian and Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at Baylor University. Biography Personal life Olson was born on February 2, 1952, in Des Moines, Iowa. He is married and he and his wife ha ...
(2007) identifies a more moderate faction of fundamentalists, which he calls "postfundamentalist", and says "most postfundamentalist evangelicals do not wish to be called fundamentalists, even though their basic theological orientation is not very different". According to Olson, a key event was the formation of the
National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an American association of Evangelical Christian denominations, organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than ...
(NAE) in 1942. Barry Hankins (2008) has a similar view, saying "beginning in the 1940s....militant and separatist evangelicals came to be called fundamentalists, while culturally engaged and non-militant evangelicals were supposed to be called evangelicals." Timothy Weber views fundamentalism as "a rather distinctive modern reaction to religious, social and intellectual changes of the late 1800s and early 1900s, a reaction that eventually took on a life of its own and changed significantly over time".


By region


In North America

Fundamentalist movements existed in most North American Protestant denominations by 1919 following attacks on modernist theology in
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
and
Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
denominations. Fundamentalism was especially controversial among Presbyterians.


In Canada

In Canada, fundamentalism was less prominent, but an early leader was English-born
Thomas Todhunter Shields Thomas Todhunter Shields (1 November 1873 in Bristol, Gloucester, England – 4 April 1955 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) was a leader of Fundamentalist Christianity in Canada. A self-educated immigrant from England, Shields was the longtime p ...
(1873–1955), who led 80 churches out of the Baptist federation in Ontario in 1927 and formed the Union of Regular Baptist Churches of Ontario and Quebec. He was affiliated with the Baptist Bible Union, based in the United States. His newspaper, ''The Gospel Witness,'' reached 30,000 subscribers in 16 countries, giving him an international reputation. He was one of the founders of the international Council of Christian Churches.
Oswald J. Smith Oswald Jeffrey Smith (November 8, 1889 – January 25, 1986) was a Canadian pastor, author, and missions advocate. He founded The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928. Smith attended the Toronto Bible Training School, the Manitoba Presbyterian Co ...
(1889–1986), reared in rural Ontario and educated at
Moody Church The Moody Church (often referred to as Moody Memorial Church, after a sign hung on the North Avenue side of the building) is a historic evangelical Christian (Nondenominational Christianity) church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Il ...
in Chicago, set up The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928. A dynamic preacher and leader in Canadian fundamentalism, Smith wrote 35 books and engaged in missionary work worldwide.
Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
called him "the greatest combination pastor, hymn writer, missionary statesman, an evangelist of our time."


In the United States

A leading organizer of the fundamentalist campaign against
modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
in the United States was
William Bell Riley William Bell Riley (March 22, 1861 – December 5, 1947) was an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor who spoke against Liberal Christianity, modernism and evolution. He was known as "The Grand Old Man of Fundamentalism." Biography In 18 ...
, a
Northern Baptist The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline Protestant and Baptist Christian denomination. It is a reorganization from 1907 of the Triennial Convention. The Triennial Convention was renamed as the Northern Baptist Convention in ...
based in Minneapolis, where his Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School (1902), Northwestern Evangelical Seminary (1935), and Northwestern College (1944) produced thousands of graduates. At a large conference in Philadelphia in 1919, Riley founded the World Christian Fundamentals Association (WCFA), which became the chief interdenominational fundamentalist organization in the 1920s. Some mark this conference as the public start of Christian fundamentalism. Although the fundamentalist drive to take control of the major Protestant denominations failed at the national level during the 1920s, the network of churches and missions fostered by Riley showed that the movement was growing in strength, especially in the U.S. South. Both rural and urban in character, the flourishing movement acted as a denominational surrogate and fostered a militant evangelical Christian orthodoxy. Riley was president of WCFA until 1929, after which the WCFA faded in importance. The Independent Fundamental Churches of America became a leading association of independent U.S. fundamentalist churches upon its founding in 1930. The
American Council of Christian Churches The American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC) is a fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to the Federal Council of Churches (now National Council of Churches). The council's motto is Jude 3, "Earnestly contending for the Faith". Hi ...
was founded for fundamental Christian denominations as an alternative to the
National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is a left-wing progressive activist group and the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partners ...
. Much of the enthusiasm for mobilizing fundamentalism came from Protestant seminaries and Protestant "Bible colleges" in the United States. Two leading fundamentalist seminaries were the dispensationalist
Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension ...
, founded in 1924 by
Lewis Sperry Chafer Lewis Sperry Chafer (February27, 1871August22, 1952) was an American theologian. He co-founded Dallas Theological Seminary with his older brother Rollin Thomas Chafer (1868–1940), served as its first president, and was an influential proponent ...
, and the
Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...
Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, theological seminary in the Reformed theology, Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Prince ...
, formed in 1929 under the leadership and funding of former
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...
professor
J. Gresham Machen John Gresham Machen (; 1881–1937) was an American Presbyterian New Testament scholar and educator in the early 20th century. He was the Professor of New Testament at Princeton Seminary between 1906 and 1929, and led a revolt against modernist ...
. Many Bible colleges were modeled after the
Moody Bible Institute Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...
in Chicago. Dwight Moody was influential in preaching the imminence of the Kingdom of God that was so important to dispensationalism. Bible colleges prepared ministers who lacked college or seminary experience with intense study of the Bible, often using the ''
Scofield Reference Bible The Scofield Reference Bible is a widely circulated study Bible. Edited and annotated by the American Bible student Cyrus I. Scofield, it popularized dispensationalism at the beginning of the 20th century. Published by Oxford University Pres ...
'' of 1909, a
King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
with detailed notes which interprets passages from a dispensational perspective. Although U.S. fundamentalism began in the
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
, the movement's largest base of popular support was in the South, especially among
Southern Baptists The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Ch ...
, where individuals (and sometimes entire churches) left the convention and joined other Baptist denominations and movements which they believed were "more conservative" such as the
Independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (also called Independent Fundamental Baptists or IFB) are Christian congregations that generally hold to fundamentalist or conservative views of Evangelical Christianity and Baptist beliefs, such as believer's bapti ...
movement. By the late 1920s the national media had identified it with the South, largely ignoring manifestations elsewhere. In the mid-twentieth century, several Methodists left the mainline
Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
and established fundamental Methodist denominations, such as the
Evangelical Methodist Church The Evangelical Methodist Church (EMC) is a Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The denomination reported 399 churches in the United States, Mexico, Burma/Myanmar, Canada, Philippine ...
and the Fundamental Methodist Conference (cf. ''
conservative holiness movement The conservative holiness movement is a loosely defined group of theologically conservative Christian denominations with the majority being Methodists whose teachings are rooted in the theology of John Wesley, and a minority being Quakers (Fri ...
''); others preferred congregating in Independent Methodist churches, many of which are affiliated with the
Association of Independent Methodists Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
, which is fundamentalist in its theological orientation. By the 1970s Protestant fundamentalism was deeply entrenched and concentrated in the U.S. South. In 1972–1980
General Social Survey The General Social Survey (GSS) is a sociological survey created in 1972 by James A. Davis of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago and funded by the National Science Foundation. The GSS collects information ...
s, 65 percent of respondents from the "East South Central" region (comprising
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
, and
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
) self-identified as fundamentalist. The share of fundamentalists was at or near 50 percent in "West South Central" (
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
to
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
) and "South Atlantic" (Florida to Maryland), and at 25 percent or below elsewhere in the country, with the low of nine percent in New England. The pattern persisted into the 21st century; in 2006–2010 surveys, the average share of fundamentalists in the East South Central Region stood at 58 percent, while, in
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, it climbed slightly to 13 percent.


= Evolution

= In the 1920s, Christian fundamentalists "differed on how to understand the account of creation in Genesis" but they "agreed that God was the author of creation and that humans were distinct creatures, separate from animals, and made in the image of God." While some of them advocated the belief in
Old Earth creationism Old Earth Creationism (OEC) is an umbrella of theological views encompassing certain varieties of creationism which may or can include day-age creationism, gap creationism, progressive creationism, and sometimes theistic evolution. Broadly speak ...
and a few of them even advocated the belief in
evolutionary creation Theistic evolution (also known as theistic evolutionism or God-guided evolution), alternatively called evolutionary creationism, is a view that God acts and creates through laws of nature. Here, God is taken as the primary cause while natural cau ...
, other "strident fundamentalists" advocated
Young Earth Creationism Young Earth creationism (YEC) is a form of creationism which holds as a central tenet that the Earth and its lifeforms were created by supernatural acts of the Abrahamic God between about 10,000 and 6,000 years ago, contradicting established s ...
and "associated evolution with last-days atheism." These "strident fundamentalists" in the 1920s devoted themselves to fighting against the teaching of evolution in the nation's schools and colleges, especially by passing state laws that affected public schools.
William Bell Riley William Bell Riley (March 22, 1861 – December 5, 1947) was an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor who spoke against Liberal Christianity, modernism and evolution. He was known as "The Grand Old Man of Fundamentalism." Biography In 18 ...
took the initiative in the 1925 Scopes Trial by bringing in famed politician
William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...
and hiring him to serve as an assistant to the local prosecutor, who helped draw national media attention to the trial. In the half century after the Scopes Trial, fundamentalists had little success in shaping government policy, and they were generally defeated in their efforts to reshape the mainline denominations, which refused to join fundamentalist attacks on evolution. Particularly after the Scopes Trial, liberals saw a division between Christians in favor of the teaching of evolution, whom they viewed as educated and tolerant, and Christians against evolution, whom they viewed as narrow-minded, tribal, and obscurantist. Edwards (2000), however, challenges the consensus view among scholars that in the wake of the Scopes trial, fundamentalism retreated into the political and cultural background, a viewpoint which is evidenced in the movie ''Inherit the Wind'' and the majority of contemporary historical accounts. Rather, he argues, the cause of fundamentalism's retreat was the death of its leader, Bryan. Most fundamentalists saw the trial as a victory rather than a defeat, but Bryan's death soon afterward created a leadership void that no other fundamentalist leader could fill. Unlike the other fundamentalist leaders, Bryan brought name recognition, respectability, and the ability to forge a broad-based coalition of fundamentalist religious groups to argue in favor of the anti-evolutionist position. Gatewood (1969) analyzes the transition from the anti-evolution crusade of the 1920s to the
creation science Creation science or scientific creationism is a pseudoscientific form of Young Earth creationism which claims to offer scientific arguments for certain literalist and inerrantist interpretations of the Bible. It is often presented without ov ...
movement of the 1960s. Despite some similarities between these two causes, the creation science movement represented a shift from religious to
pseudoscientific Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...
objections to Darwin's theory. Creation science also differed in terms of popular leadership, rhetorical tone, and sectional focus. It lacked a prestigious leader like Bryan, utilized pseudoscientific argument rather than religious rhetoric, and was a product of California and Michigan rather than the South. Webb (1991) traces the political and legal struggles between strict creationists and Darwinists to influence the extent to which evolution would be taught as science in Arizona and California schools. After Scopes was convicted, creationists throughout the United States sought similar anti-evolution laws for their states. These included Reverends R. S. Beal and Aubrey L. Moore in Arizona and members of the Creation Research Society in California, all supported by distinguished laymen. They sought to ban evolution as a topic for study, or at least relegate it to the status of unproven theory perhaps taught alongside the biblical version of creation. Educators, scientists, and other distinguished laymen favored evolution. This struggle occurred later in the Southwest than in other US areas and persisted through the Sputnik era. In recent times, the courts have heard cases on whether or not the Book of Genesis's creation account should be taught in science classrooms alongside evolution, most notably in the 2005 federal court case '' Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District''. Creationism was presented under the banner of
intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins".#Numbers 2006, Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for it ...
, with the book ''
Of Pandas and People ''Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins'' is a controversial 1989 (2nd edition 1993) school-level supplementary textbook written by Percival Davis and Dean H. Kenyon, edited by Charles Thaxton and published by the Te ...
'' being its textbook. The trial ended with the judge deciding that teaching intelligent design in a science class was unconstitutional as it was a religious belief and not science. The original fundamentalist movement divided along clearly defined lines within conservative evangelical Protestantism as issues progressed. Many groupings, large and small, were produced by this schism.
Neo-evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
, the Heritage movement, and
Paleo-Orthodoxy Paleo-orthodoxy (from Ancient Greek :wikt:παλαιός, παλαιός "ancient" and Koine Greek :wikt:ορθοδοξία, ὀρθοδοξία "correct belief") is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, Christian theological movement in ...
have all developed distinct identities, but none of them acknowledge any more than an historical overlap with the fundamentalist movement, and the term is seldom used of them. The broader term "
evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
" includes fundamentalists as well as people with similar or identical religious beliefs who do not engage the outside challenge to the Bible as actively. Writing in 2023, conservative Christian journalist
David French David Austin French (born January 24, 1969) is an American political commentator and former attorney. He was formerly a fellow at the National Review Institute and a staff writer for ''National Review'' from 2015 to 2019. French is a former s ...
quotes a former president of the
Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission,
Richard Land Richard D. Land (born 1946) was the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina, a post he held from July 2013 until his retirement in 2021. Formerly he served as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission ...
, as identifying fundamentalism as "far more a psychology than a theology," with characteristics shared by competing Christian theologies and competing religions. According French, that psychology is one that shares "three key traits": certainty (of a mind unclouded by doubt), ferocity (against perceived enemies of their religion) and solidarity (of "comrades in the foxhole", a virtue surpassing even piety in importance).


= Christian right

= The latter half of the twentieth century witnessed a surge of interest in organized political activism by U.S. fundamentalists. Dispensational fundamentalists viewed the 1948
establishment of the state of Israel The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (), was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 (5 Iyar 5708), at the end of the 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine, civil war phase and ...
as an important sign of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and support for Israel became the centerpiece of their approach to U.S. foreign policy. United States Supreme Court decisions also ignited fundamentalists' interest in organized politics, particularly ''
Engel v. Vitale ''Engel v. Vitale'', 370 U.S. 421 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public school ...
'' in 1962, which prohibited state-sanctioned prayer in public schools, and ''
Abington School District v. Schempp ''Abington School District v. Schempp'', 374 U.S. 203 (1963),. was a Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court case in which the Court decided 8–1 in favor of the respondent, Edward Schempp, on behalf of his son Ellery Sc ...
'' in 1963, which prohibited mandatory Bible reading in public schools. By the time
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
ran for the presidency in 1980, fundamentalist preachers, like the prohibitionist ministers of the early 20th century, were organizing their congregations to vote for supportive candidates. Leaders of the newly political fundamentalism included
Rob Grant Robert Grant is an English comedy writer, television producer and co-creator of the ''Red Dwarf'' comedy franchise. Since ''Red Dwarf'', Grant has written two television series, ''The Strangerers'' and ''Dark Ages (TV series), Dark Ages'', and ...
and
Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch ...
. Beginning with Grant's American Christian Cause in 1974, Christian Voice throughout the 1970s and Falwell's
Moral Majority The Moral Majority was an American political organization and movement associated with the Christian right and the Republican Party in the United States. It was founded in 1979 by Baptist minister Jerry Falwell Sr. and associates, and dissolv ...
in the 1980s, the
Christian Right The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation ...
began to have a major impact on American politics. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Christian Right was influencing elections and policy with groups such as the
Family Research Council The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against access ...
(founded 1981 by
James Dobson James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelicalism, evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the m ...
) and the Christian Coalition (formed in 1989 by
Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023) was an American Media proprietor, media mogul, Televangelism, televangelist, political commentator, presidential candidate, and charismatic movement, charismatic minister. Rober ...
) helping conservative politicians, especially
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, to win state and national elections.


In Australia

A major organization of fundamentalist,
pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
churches in Australia is the International Network of Churches, formerly known as the "Christian Outreach Centre". A former influential group was the
Logos Foundation The Logos Foundation is a professional artistic organisation founded in 1968. It focuses on the promotion of new musics and audio related arts by means of new music production, concerts, performances, composition, technological research projects ...
. The Logos Foundation, led by
Howard Carter Howard Carter (9 May 18742 March 1939) was a British archaeologist and Egyptology, Egyptologist who Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered Tomb of Tutankhamun, the intact tomb of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty Pharaoh ...
, was a controversial Christian ministry in the 1970s and 1980s that promoted Reconstructionist,
Restorationist Restorationism, also known as Christian primitivism, is a religious perspective according to which the early beliefs and practices of the followers of Jesus were either lost or adulterated after his death and required a "restoration". It is a ...
, and Dominionist theology. They also actively campaigned for several candidates for
Queensland, Australia Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...
public office that shared their values (e.g., anti-abortion). The Logos Foundation disbanded shortly after an adulterous affair by Carter became public in 1990.Lyons, J., "God Remains an Issue in Queensland", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 18 November 1989.
/ref>Gregg Roberts, "Sex Scandal Divides the Bible Belt", Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 1990, p.74
/ref>


In Russia

In
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, Christian fundamentalism is often based around the
Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...
or the
Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church, Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church, ) is an Eastern Orthodox Church of the Old Believers tradition, which rejected the liturgical and canonical reforms of Patri ...
. Orthodox Christian fundamentalism was often connected strongly to a sense of
Russian nationalism Russian nationalism () is a form of nationalism that promotes Russian cultural identity and unity. Russian nationalism first rose to prominence as a Pan-Slavism, Pan-Slavic enterprise during the 19th century Russian Empire, and was repressed duri ...
, since the Russian Orthodox Church often has a strong connection to the
Russian state Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
. This Church-state connection has arguably existed since the time of
Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...
's conversion. In 2013,
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
Andrei Kormukhin and
athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...
Vladimir Nosov founded the Orthodox fundamentalist and conservative Christian organization known as the Sorok Sorokov Movement. The Sorok Sorokov Movement was founded in reaction to Pussy Riot's 2012 protests, which were themselves against increasingly Social conservatism, socially conservative policies in Russia, including moves towards Domestic violence in Russia#Decriminalization, decriminalizing wifebeating and Russian anti-LGBTQ law, criminalizing homosexuality. The Sorok Sorokov Movement has received support from many priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, most notably Clerical celibacy#Rules for Christian clergy, celebrate priest Vsevolod Chaplin. Chaplin in particular supported the creation of "Orthodox squads" in order to punish people from carrying out "blasphemous acts" in religious places. Some have argues that the Sorok Sorkov Movement has been involved in protecting the construction of Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow, though the facts have been hard to verify with this. Just as many sources have argued that these acts were more in line with violent vigilantism against LGBT people in Russia. The Sorok Sorokov Movement has also been connected to the Far-right politics in Russia, Russian far-right, including Neo-Nazism in Russia, neo-Nazis and Third Positionists. The Sorok Sorokov Movement has its own political party as well, called For the Family (political party), For the Family. Many Far-right politics in Russia, far-right Russian Christian nationalism#Russia, Christian nationalists have been highly supportive of Russo-Ukraine War, Russia's unprovoked war with Ukraine. One such group supportive of Russian Orthodox Christian fundamentalist-nationalism is the Union of Orthodox Banner-Bearers. Known for their book burnings and Political demonstration, political rallies, their primary goal is to see Monarchism in Russia, a return of the Russian Tsar as supreme autocrat of Russia. The group as a particular affinity for Nicolas II, Tsar Nicolas II. The group has at times referred to President of Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin as a modern Tsar, though it is unclear as to whether or not this is a message of support for Putin or not.


By denomination


Independent Baptist Churches

Bible Baptist Churches, Fundamental Baptist Churches or Independent Baptist Churches refuse any form of ecclesial authority other than that of the local church. Great emphasis is placed on the literal interpretation of the Bible as the primary method of Bible study as well as the
biblical inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error. The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelic ...
and the Infallibility of the Church, infallibility of their Biblical hermeneutics, interpretation. Dispensationalism is common among Independent Baptists. They are opposed to any Ecumenism, ecumenical movement with denominations that do not have the same beliefs. Many Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches adhere to only using the
King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...
, a position known as King James Onlyism.


Methodism

Fundamental Methodism includes several connexions, such as the Evangelical Methodist Church of America, Evangelical Methodist Church and Fundamental Methodist Conference, along with their seminaries such as Breckbill Bible College. Additionally, Methodist connexions in the
conservative holiness movement The conservative holiness movement is a loosely defined group of theologically conservative Christian denominations with the majority being Methodists whose teachings are rooted in the theology of John Wesley, and a minority being Quakers (Fri ...
, such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection and Evangelical Methodist Church Conference, herald the beliefs of "separation from the world, from false doctrines, from other ecclesiastical connections" as well as place heavy emphasis on practicing outward holiness, holiness standards.


Nondenominationalism

In nondenominational Christianity of the evangelical Christianity, evangelical variety, the word ''biblical'' or ''independent'' often appears in the name of the church or denomination. The independence of the church is claimed and affiliation with a Christian denomination is infrequent, although there are fundamentalist denominations.


Reformed fundamentalism

Reformed fundamentalism includes those denominations in the Reformed tradition (which includes the Continental Reformed,
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
, Evangelical Anglican, Reformed Anglican and Reformed Baptist Churches) who adhere to the doctrine of
biblical infallibility Biblical infallibility is the belief that what the Bible says regarding matters of faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true. It is the "belief that the Bible is completely trustworthy as a guide to salvation and the life of faith ...
and lay heavy emphasis on historic confessions of faith, such as the Westminster Confession. Examples of Reformed fundamentalist denominations include the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster.


Criticism

Fundamentalists' literal interpretation of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
has been criticized by practitioners of biblical criticism for failing to take into account the circumstances in which the Christian Bible was written. Critics claim that this "literal interpretation" is not in keeping with the message which the scripture intended to convey when it was written, and it also uses the Bible for political purposes by presenting God "more as a God of judgement and punishment than as a God of love and mercy." In contrast to the higher criticism, fundamentalism claims to keep the Bible open for the people. However, through the complexity of the Dispensationalism, dispensational framework, it has actually forced lay readers to remain dependent upon the inductive methods of Bible teachers and ministers. Christian fundamentalism has been linked to child abuse as well as corporal punishment, with a number of practitioners believing that the Bible tells them to spank their children. Artists have addressed the issues of Christian fundamentalism, with one providing a slogan "America's Premier Child Abuse Brand." Researchers find evidence anchoring Christian fundamentalism with beliefs in conspiracy theories such as modern flat Earth beliefs and linking extreme religious fervour with Mental disorder, mental illness. Fundamentalists have attempted and continue to attempt to teach
intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins".#Numbers 2006, Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for it ...
, a hypothesis with creationism as its base, in lieu of evolution in public schools. This has resulted in legal challenges such as the federal case of '' Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District'' which resulted in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruling the teaching of intelligent design to be unconstitutional due to its religious roots.


See also

* Bible Belt * Christian eschatology * Christian fascism * Christian fundamentalism and conspiracy theories * Christian nationalism * Christian reconstructionism * Christian right * Christian values * Christian Zionism * Conservative evangelicalism in the United Kingdom * A. C. Dixon * Evangelicalism * Glossary of Christianity * Hindu fundamentalism * H. A. Ironside * Islamic fundamentalism * Jewish fundamentalism * Dwight L. Moody * Moderate Christianity * Mormon fundamentalism * Plymouth Brethren * Reformed fundamentalism * Reformed Baptist * Religious abuse * Religious intolerance * Billy Sunday * R. A. Torrey * Traditionalist Catholicism * True Orthodox church * Zionism


References


Bibliography

* Alberta, Tim. ''The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism'' (2023) * Almond, Gabriel A., R. Scott Appleby, and Emmanuel Sivan, eds. (2003). ''Strong Religion: The Rise of Fundamentalisms around the World.'' * * Karen Armstrong, Armstrong, Karen (2001). ''The Battle for God.'' New York: Ballantine Books. . * Balmer, Randall (2nd ed 2004). ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism'' * Balmer, Randall (2010). ''The Making of Evangelicalism: From Revivalism to Politics and Beyond'', 120pp * Balmer, Randall (2000). ''Blessed Assurance: A History of Evangelicalism in America'' * David Bebbington, Bebbington, David W. (1990). "Baptists and Fundamentalists in Inter-War Britain". In Keith Robbins, ed. ''Protestant Evangelicalism: Britain, Ireland, Germany and America .'' Studies in Church History subsidia 7, 297–326. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, . * Bebbington, David W. (1993). "Martyrs for the Truth: Fundamentalists in Britain". In Diana Wood, ed. ''Martyrs and Martyrologies,'' Studies in Church History Vol. 30, 417–451. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, . * James Barr (biblical scholar), Barr, James (1977). ''Fundamentalism.'' London: SCM Press. . * Caplan, Lionel (1987). ''Studies in Religious Fundamentalism.'' London: The MacMillan Press, . * Carpenter, Joel A. (1999). ''Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism.'' Oxford University Press, . * Cole, Stewart Grant (1931). ''The History of Fundamentalism'', Greenwood Press . * * Dollar, George W. (1973). ''A History of Fundamentalism in America.'' Greenville: Bob Jones University Press. * Doner, Colonel V. (2012). ''Christian Jihad: Neo-Fundamentalists and the Polarization of America'', Samizdat Creative * Elliott, David R. (1993). "Knowing No Borders: Canadian Contributions to Fundamentalism". In George A. Rawlyk and Mark A. Noll, eds. ''Amazing Grace: Evangelicalism in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.'' Grand Rapids: Baker. 349–374, . * Furniss, Norman F. ''The Fundamentalist Controversy 1918–1931'' (Yale University Press 1954). * Hankins, Barry. (2008). ''American Evangelicals: A Contemporary History of A Mainstream Religious Movement.'' * Harris, Harriet A. (1998). ''Fundamentalism and Evangelicals.'' Oxford University. . * * Hofstadter, Richard. ''Anti–Intellectualism in American life'' (Knopf, 1964). * Hughes, Richard Thomas (1988). ''The American quest for the primitive church'' 257p
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(1980)
. ''Fundamentalism and American Culture.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. ; the standard scholarly history
excerpt and text search
* Marsden, George M. (1991). ''Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.'' * * McLachlan, Douglas R. (1993). ''Reclaiming Authentic Fundamentalism''. Independence, Mo.: American Association of Christian Schools. . * Mark Noll, Noll, Mark (1992). ''A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada.''. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 311–389. . * Noll, Mark A., David W. Bebbington and George A. Rawlyk eds. (1994). ''Evangelicalism: Comparative Studies of Popular Protestantism in North America, the British Isles and Beyond, 1700–1990.'' * Rawlyk, George A., and Mark A. Noll, eds. (1993). ''Amazing Grace: Evangelicalism in Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States''. * Rennie, Ian S. (1994). "Fundamentalism and the Varieties of North Atlantic Evangelicalism". in Mark A. Noll, David W. Bebbington and George A. Rawlyk eds. ''Evangelicalism: Comparative Studies of Popular Protestantism in North America, the British Isles and Beyond, 1700–1990.'' New York: Oxford University Press. 333–364, . * * Ruthven, Malise (2007). ''Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction.'' * Sandeen, Ernest Robert (1970). ''The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism, 1800–1930'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, * Leroy Seat, Seat, Leroy (2007). ''Fed Up with Fundamentalism: A Historical, Theological, and Personal Appraisal of Christian Fundamentalism''. Liberty, MO: 4-L Publications. * * Stackhouse, John G. (1993). ''Canadian Evangelicalism in the Twentieth Century'' * Szasz, Ferenc Morton. ''The Divided Mind of Protestant America 1880–1930'' (University of Alabama Press, 1982). * Trollinger, William V. (1991). ''God's Empire: William Bell Riley and Midwestern Fundamentalism.'' * Utzinger, J. Michael (2006). ''Yet Saints Their Watch Are Keeping: Fundamentalists, Modernists, and the Development of Evangelical Ecclesiology, 1887–1937'', Macon: Mercer University Press, * Witherup, S. S., Ronald, D. (2001). ''Biblical Fundamentalism: What Every Catholic Should Know'', 101pp * Woods, Thomas E. et al. "Fundamentalism: What Role did the Fundamentalists Play in American Society of the 1920s?" in ''History in Dispute Vol. 3: American Social and Political Movements, 1900–1945: Pursuit of Progress'' (Gale, 2000), 13pp online at Gale. * Young, F. Lionel, III, (2005). "To the Right of Billy Graham: John R. Rice's 1957 Crusade Against New Evangelicalism and the End of the Fundamentalist-Evangelical Coalition". Th. M. Thesis, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.


Primary sources

* Hankins, Barr, ed. (2008). ''Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism: A Documentary Reader.'' * Torrey, R. A., Dixon, A. C., et al. (eds.) (1917)
''The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth''
partial version at web.archive.org. Accessed 2011-07-26. * Trollinger, William Vance Jr., ed. (1995). ''The Antievolution Pamphlets of William Bell Riley.'' (Creationism in Twentieth-Century America: A Ten-Volume Anthology of Documents, 1903–1961. Vol. 4.) New York: Garland, 221 pp.


External links

* *
''A. C. Dixon, Chicago Liberals and the Fundamentals'' by Gerald L. Priest

Christian Fundamentalism and the Media






Online version of "The Fundamentals", not complete at 2011-07-26.
The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth


(A Confessional Lutheran perspective) {{Authority control Christian fundamentalism, Christian terminology, fundamentalism Christian theological movements, Fundamentalism Christian new religious movements, Fundamentalism Anti-Catholicism Protestantism in the United States Protestantism in the United Kingdom Protestantism in South Korea Discrimination against atheists Culture of the Southern United States