Fundamentalism was the name given to an interdenominational movement in the American church that focused on a return to so-called "fundamental" doctrines of the Christian faith.
Origins
The movement, although not the name, sprang out of the evangelicalism of the 19th century. It was focused against the liberal/modernist transitions that the mainstream was seen as making, especially around the turn of the century. It was distinctive in that it had subscribers in most, if not all, of the denominations of the church who felt that maintaining a conservative stance on theology was wise.
The name "Fundamentalism" began to come into vogue in the late 'teens and early twenties, when a series of books called "The Fundamentals" was published, funded primarily by Lyman Stewart
Key Figures
Key figures in the Fundamentalist movement included:
Fundamental Principles
- The inspiration of the Bible by the Holy Spirit and the inerrancy of Scripture as a result of this.
- The virgin birth of Christ.
- The belief that Christ's death was the atonement for sin.
- The bodily resurrection of Christ.
- The historical reality of Christ's miracles.