The Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism provides a comprehensive picture of a widespread, populist, socioreligious movement that emerged in twentieth-century Christian Protestantism, generally known as Fundamentalism. For Fundamentalists, the only viable faith was one organized around a literal interpretation of the Bible. They identified it as the sole, supreme inerrant conveyor of divine truth, and adhered to the hermeneutical principle that its religious truth must not pass through a filter of human interpretation but was unambiguously communicated by a transcendent power, and must be understood as such, and claimed.While some Fundamentalist-like assumptions can be found in most, if not all, religious traditions, Fundamentalists advanced an absolutist claim to religious truth that starkly demarcated them from other religiously inspired actors of their era. Fervent, exclusive, religious clarity achieved via an erasure of doubt (justified by the claim that the Bible was the inerrant Word of God) was the hallmark trait of religious Fundamentalism.Historically, Fundamentalism was closely correlated with the rise of modernism and the accompanying rationalization of public life. In the realm of religion, the Fundamentalist movement was a popular means of revolt against modernism by traditional Christians at serious odds with the dominant values of a rapidly developing modern, technological, capitalistic society, and often squeezed out of meaningful participation in it as well. Religious Fundamentalists resisted the tolerance of religious pluralism intrinsic to the civil society that modernity brought, and maintained that the compromises of religious truth necessary for the modern state to exist were blasphemous, and must be rejected. The encyclopedia's emphasis is on Protestant fundamentalism in the United States, but, in a more international sense, the volume also covers conservative religious, social, and political movements in Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. This volume is a companion to another volume in the Religion & Society series, the Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity edited by Stanely M. Burgess. Although the two movements separated early in the twentieth century, they are often confused. Side by side, these two volumes explain the differences between these two major religious movements of the contemporary world.

This thought-provoking study examines the clash between traditional religious beliefs and modern secular values in the early 20th century. Vanderlaan argues that the rise of fundamentalism and the rejection of modernism has had a profound impact on American culture and politics that continues to this day. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Old-Time Religion Embracing Modernist Culture focuses on the founding generation of American fundamentalism in the 1920s and 1930s and their interactions with modernity. While there were culture wars, there was also an embrace. Through a book culture, fostered by liberal Protestants, and thriving periodicals, they strengthened their place in American culture and their adaptation helps explain their resilience in the decades to come. The most significant adaptation to modernist culture was the embrace of the modern, secular university as a model for evangelical higher education. After political battles along sectarian lines in the twenties, fundamentalists learned to compete in a pluralist society. By the thirties they were among the strongest supporters of Jews and began working with Catholics to fight communism. In politics and higher education they encountered issues of race, gender, and class. While opposing higher critics of the Bible, their approaches to texts were in some cases similar: a focus on the original languages, commitment to scholarship, ambiguities about both the role of reason and the interpretation of key doctrines. Several had graduate training, some even in European universities. With their views of end times, they continued innovative approaches to prophetic texts from nineteenth-century dispensationalists. In response to evolution and prophetic texts, in a time-conscious age, they also had innovative ideas about biblical time. Fundamentalists engaged in debate with Freud and, while rejecting his ideas, absorbed elements of psychology. Some understood William James’ effort to accommodate religion and modern ideas. Although rejecting John Dewey’s pragmatism, fundamentalists found value in studying modern philosophy. They tapped a secular, Enlightenment philosophy to defend their supernatural Christianity. Between the wars they even participated in the interest in Nietzsche. Usually dismissed as fractious, they rose above core differences and cooperated among themselves across denominational lines in building organizations. In doing so, they reflected both the ecumenism of the liberal Protestants and the organizational impulse in modern urban, industrial society. This study, the first to focus on the founding generation, also covers a broad spectrum of fundamentalists, from the Northeast, Midwest, the South, and the West Coast, including some often overlooked by other historians

Many American's today are taking note of the surprisingly strong political force that is the religious right. Controversial decisions by the government are met with hundreds of lobbyists, millions of dollars of advertising spending, and a powerful grassroots response. How has the fundamentalist movement managed to resist the pressures of the scientific community and the draw of modern popular culture to hold on to their ultra-conservative Christian views? Understanding the movement's history is key to answering this question. Fundamentalism and American Culture has long been considered a classic in religious history, and to this day remains unsurpassed. Now available in a new edition, this highly regarded analysis takes us through the full history of the origin and direction of one of America's most influential religious movements. For Marsden, fundamentalists are not just religious conservatives; they are conservatives who are willing to take a stand and to fight. In Marsden's words (borrowed by Jerry Falwell), "a fundamentalist is an evangelical who is angry about something." In the late nineteenth century American Protestantism was gradually dividing between liberals who were accepting new scientific and higher critical views that contradicted the Bible and defenders of the more traditional evangelicalism. By the 1920s a full-fledged "fundamentalist" movement had developed in protest against theological changes in the churches and changing mores in the culture. Building on networks of evangelists, Bible conferences, Bible institutes, and missions agencies, fundamentalists coalesced into a major protest movement that proved to have remarkable staying power. For this new edition, a major new chapter compares fundamentalism since the 1970s to the fundamentalism of the 1920s, looking particularly at the extraordinary growth in political emphasis and power of the more recent movement. Never has it been more important to understand the history of fundamentalism in our rapidly polarizing nation. Marsen's carefully researched and engrossing work remains the best way to do just that.

The Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism is the third volume of the acclaimed Religion & Society series. The Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism follows a broad definition of fundamentalism and covers fundamentalism across time and place, although the emphasis remains on its primary manifestation: Protestant fundamentalism in the United States. It draws upon the work of historians, sociologists, religious scholars, anthropologists, political scientists, and others.