Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism

by George Marsden

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1991

Overview

In this historical overview of American fundamentalism and evangelicalism, Marsden introduces the growing religious movements and a deeper analysis of two themes that have been especially poignant in these traditions—science and politics.

Contents

Top Highlights

“A more precise statement of the same point is that an American fundamentalist is an evangelical who is militant in opposition to liberal theology in the churches or to changes in cultural values or mores, such as those associated with ‘secular humanism.’” (Page 1)

“A fundamentalist is an evangelical who is angry about something.” (Page 1)

“One of these was the Moral Majority, arising from the unexpected quarter of separatist fundamentalism. Jerry Falwell was in fact a reformer of fundamentalism, whose role in some ways paralleled that of Graham and his new evangelical cohorts of the 1950s. ‘Neo-fundamentalist’ is an appropriate term for Falwell’s movement. While holding to the fundamentalist heritage of ecclesiastical separatism (and hence remaining distant from Graham), Falwell tried to bring fundamentalists back toward the centers of American life, especially through political action. Politics meant making alliances. Stricter fundamentalists, like Bob Jones III, condemned Falwell as a pseudofundamentalist. Falwell, nonetheless, proved that the fundamentalist militant ‘either-or’ style suited the political mood of the era.” (Page 76)

“Outwardly Protestantism prospered. Few Protestants doubted that theirs was a ‘Christian nation.’ Though religion in America was voluntary, a Protestant version of the medieval ideal of ‘Christendom’ still prevailed. American civilization, said Protestant leaders, was essentially ‘Christian.’ Christian principles held the nation together by providing a solid base of morality in the citizenry. Without principles to govern individual and social responsibility, democracy would be impossible and the nation would fall into tyranny and ruin.” (Page 10)

Product Details

• Title: Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism
• Author: George Marsden
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 1991
• Logos Release Date: 2016
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Fundamentalism › History; Evangelicalism › United States--History; Machen, J. Gresham (John Gresham), 1881-1937
• ISBNs: 9780802805393, 0802805396
• Resource ID: LLS:NDRSTNDNGVNGLCL
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:46:09Z

About George Marsden

George Marsden (b. 1939) has been the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame since 1992. He teaches American Religious and Intellectual History along with other related subject matters. His Fundamentalism and American Culture was named one of 100 “Books of the Century,” by Christianity Today. His Jonathan Edwards: A Life won the 2004 John Pollock Award for Christian Biography.

(From Theopedia.com. Freely redistributable under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.)