Difference between revisions of "Fundamentalism"
(add a reference. By the way, Consensus among all leading scholars supports this statement. Such religious studies scholars make a sharp distinction between Christian Fundamentalists and fanatics.) |
(+The Shaping of Religion in the United States) |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
'''Fundamentalism''' is a theological tendency seeking to follow and preserve what are believed to be the essential fundamentals of a [[religion]] or ideology. Followers of fundamentalism often seek to prevent what they perceive to be the liberalization of these fundamentals. | '''Fundamentalism''' is a theological tendency seeking to follow and preserve what are believed to be the essential fundamentals of a [[religion]] or ideology. Followers of fundamentalism often seek to prevent what they perceive to be the liberalization of these fundamentals. | ||
| − | Often the term "fundamentalism" is used in a pejorative way by opponents of [[Christianity]].<ref> Chapter 19 "The Fundamentalist and Neo-Evangelical Traditions" in [http://books.google.com/books?id=e7BXpAsDXh0C&pg=RA1-PA352&vq=Fundamentalist+fanatic&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1 ''American Religious Traditions''], Richard E. Wentz, Fotress Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8006-3616-3</ref> | + | Often the term "fundamentalism" is used in a pejorative way by opponents of [[Christianity]].<ref> Chapter 19 "The Fundamentalist and Neo-Evangelical Traditions" in [http://books.google.com/books?id=e7BXpAsDXh0C&pg=RA1-PA352&vq=Fundamentalist+fanatic&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1 ''American Religious Traditions: The Shaping of Religion in the United States''], Richard E. Wentz, Fotress Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8006-3616-3</ref> |
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 15:45, December 13, 2008
Original Fundamentalism article
Fundamentalism is a theological tendency seeking to follow and preserve what are believed to be the essential fundamentals of a religion or ideology. Followers of fundamentalism often seek to prevent what they perceive to be the liberalization of these fundamentals.
Often the term "fundamentalism" is used in a pejorative way by opponents of Christianity.[1]
References
Original Fundamentalist article
Fundamentalism is a movement which began within Protestant Christianity in the late 19th century in opposition to the emergence of modernism within several denominations. The term itself was popularized by R.A. Torrey when he published his book The Fundamentals in 1917. Fundamentalism stresses several points:
- The inerrancy of the Bible
- The Virgin Birth of Christ
- The bodily resurrection of Christ
- The substitutionary atonement of Christ on the cross
- The literal nature of the Biblical accounts of Christ's miracles, the Creation account in Genesis, and so on
Fundamentalism held to these points in opposition to such trends as higher criticism and the increasing acceptance of Darwinism, which were popular among modernists. Fundamentalist movements were found in most Protestant denominations by the early 20th century, with the debate between fundamentalists and modernists especially strong in Presbyterian and Baptist churches. The term fundamentalism would later come to be closely associated with dispensationalist beliefs, belief in the impending Second Coming of Christ, and with Evangelical Christianity in general.
Today the term is used by the liberal media to attempt to marginalize strong Christians, and is used as a pejorative by atheists and liberals to criticize Christianity. It could also be applied to other religions, such as Islam and Hinduism, but the use of the term against those religions is much less frequent in the media. The media do refer to "radical" Islam when referencing Muslim terrorists, but the media generally do not use the term "fundamentalist" or "radical" to refer to any beliefs other than Christianity.
External Link
- ↑ Chapter 19 "The Fundamentalist and Neo-Evangelical Traditions" in American Religious Traditions: The Shaping of Religion in the United States, Richard E. Wentz, Fotress Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8006-3616-3