| Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism in America | | | | that, through the years, religion has survived quite |
| seem to go hand in hand. Evangelicalism and | | | | well in a pluralistic setting. Instead, it should be |
| fundamentalism in America both stress life based | | | | seen as a religion that can adapt to the changing |
| on the bible, repentance, and a personal | | | | ideals of modernity. Protestantism uses |
| relationship with God. No one would deny the | | | | evangelicalism and fundamentalism in America as |
| massive influence that fundamentalism had on | | | | their way of relating to modernity. For example, |
| evangelicalism or the similarities between the two. | | | | modern society has placed an emphasis on choice |
| Although some historians would suggest that | | | | making and individuality, while at the same time, |
| evangelicalism was experiential and sectarian while | | | | evangelicalism preaches a personal religious |
| fundamentalism was conservative and | | | | experience and fundamentalism stresses freedom, |
| anti-modernist, it is clear that fundamentalism | | | | usually from government. As we emphasize |
| would never have survived as long as it has if it | | | | voluntarism, evangelicals respond by recruiting |
| was not able to adapt to modernity and exist | | | | more followers and creating institutions to ensure |
| within a pluralist society. | | | | the development of the church's place in |
| American Protestantism struggled in the 1920's | | | | everyday life. |
| with the issues of biblical criticism, sources of | | | | Evangelical movements, in the past, have |
| authority in Christianity, and the theory of | | | | consistently adapted to the world in which they |
| evolution. Presbyterians and Baptists experienced | | | | were operating. In fact, they have even benefited |
| splits in their denominations as the events of this | | | | from the forces of social change. The Puritan and |
| decade began to chip away at fundamentalism. | | | | Pietist awakenings that took place in the |
| For example, John T. Scopes was put on trial for | | | | seventeenth century stressed a personal |
| the teaching of evolution, which violated a | | | | experience of God during a time of growing |
| Tennessee state statute. The growing | | | | literacy, literature, and experimental science. After |
| controversy between Fundamentalists and | | | | the American Revolution, populist revival |
| Modernists as to biblical criticism and evolutionary | | | | preachers began to challenge older denominations |
| theories is not what is important in analyzing | | | | in their interpretation of the Bible and encouraged |
| American Fundamentalism. It was this split in | | | | people to read the Bible and form church's for |
| Christianity that made many people believes that | | | | themselves. Finally, in the late nineteenth century, |
| fundamentalism should have died out seventy | | | | Dwight L. Moody, along with many other |
| years ago. But fundamentalism survived and there | | | | evangelists looking for innovative ways to |
| has been a recent resurgence in its' popularity. | | | | perform, developed the fundamentalist |
| Moving to the post World War II era, the | | | | perspective around a religious life that welcomed |
| evangelical coalition began to appeal to the older | | | | all people during a time when urban Protestantism |
| generations, to the Hollywood population, and to | | | | was not welcome to the common people. |
| leaders in Washington D.C. Soon after the war, | | | | Out of all the factors that have influenced the |
| the religious conflicts that infected fundamentalism | | | | evangelical movement in the past, fundamentalism |
| in the 1920's were no longer relevant. | | | | has had the most powerful impact. Not only did |
| Protestantism, in its mainline form, had become | | | | fundamentalism dominate evangelicalism in the |
| much more evangelical in it's' nature and its' sects | | | | twentieth century, but it also permeated other |
| became much more interested in becoming | | | | traditional religious sects. The dispensationalist |
| recognized publicly. Pentecostalism, which | | | | movement was created within the Southern |
| fundamentalism was an offshoot of, and Southern | | | | Baptist Convention and many Wesleyans |
| Baptism were two of several other religious | | | | accepted the fundamentalist interpretation of |
| influences existing after the war, but it was mainly | | | | biblical inerrancy. Fundamentalism, after surviving |
| the fundamentalists who led the postwar religious | | | | the controversies of the 1920's and rising as a |
| revival. | | | | charismatic movement in the 1960's, has |
| The modern interpretation of religion is that it is | | | | undoubtedly had the strongest influence on |
| always in decline because of modernization. As | | | | American evangelicalism. In the second half of the |
| most people agree, modernity leads to | | | | twentieth century, Billy Graham, who has become |
| secularization and secularization leads to religious | | | | the most prominent evangelical leader in modern |
| apathy in certain circles. This belief is caused by | | | | times, led the neo-fundamentalist movement. The |
| the experience that history has taught us. | | | | pattern in this rise and fall tends to be pieces that |
| Christianity was once the intellectual, spiritual, and | | | | overlap and pieces that change and |
| ethical guidebook for all of life. The church used to | | | | fundamentalism is no different. This was a |
| play an essential role in almost all public affairs. | | | | movement that survived through hardships and |
| The secularization of faith has forced Christianity | | | | adapted to welcome every human being, but it |
| to compete with other powerful religious and | | | | appears that it will remain mainly a twentieth |
| nonreligious worldviews. An analysis of the revival | | | | century phenomenon as new forms of the |
| of American fundamentalism is the key to | | | | pattern take its' place. |
| understanding why this common belief is false and | | | | |
