At the turn of the century, Liberalism was going strong, with much of their focus based on Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Fundamentalist forces banded together to oppose that movement. During the first two decades, they defined their theological positions. In the twenties, they engaged in a couple of intense battles with the Liberals. After the second major battle, which was the Scopes Trial in 1925, the Fundamentalists backed away to regroup. The thirties saw Fundamentalism grow as a result of Bible Conferences, Bible colleges, radio ministries, and a number of dynamic, individual ministries. Into the forties and fifties, Fundamentalists, while still remaining largely fundamental in their beliefs, started to split into what is now Fundamentalists and Evangelicals. Over the past forty years, the battle over biblical inerrancy has continued, with the Fundamentalists, the Liberals, and at times, even the Evangelicals involved.
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I. Biblical inerrancy is still an issue in 1997.
II. Largely because of Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, biblical inerrancy became a major issue at the turn of the century.
III. The first forty years of the century (1900-1940).
A. From 1900 until 1918, Fundamentalists defined their fundamentalist position.
B. Between 1918 and 1925, two major conflicts occurred, first between Pastors Henry Emerson Fosdick and Clarence Macartney, and then at the Scopes trial.
C. From 1925 until 1940, the Fundamentalists backed away and regrouped.
IV. The next forty years (1940-1980).
A. A further split, based on different views for opposing Liberalism, led to the development of the Fundamentalists and the Evangelicals.
B. A conflict within the Southern Baptist Convention during the seventies led to a separation into conservative and liberal Southern Baptists.
V. For the last seventeen years (1980-1997), the battle has continued.
VI. Just like at the turn of the century, Fundamentalists, in 1997, wish for others to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
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Inerrancy as an Issue in the Fundamentalist Movement: 1900 to the Present
Biblical inerrancy takes into account the accuracy, inspiration, and authority of Scriptures. In Theology for Today, Dr. Elmer Towns writes that "verbal plenary inspiration and its sister doctrine, inerrancy, is not a doctrine that is invented by theologians and forced on the church. Quite the contrary, the Bible reflects an attitude toward itself that every word was placed there by God, hence it is God's Book and has God's authority [1]."
Inerrancy means that every word of the Bible is God-breathed, God-inspired, and without error. Yet, not everyone believes that the Bible is truly inerrant. In the article, "The Last Hurrah Of The Inerrancy Doctrine," for example, which was written in 1990 by Mr. Farrell Till, the author states that archaeological studies have "completely debunked the old myth that says the Bible is absolutely inerrant in matters of history, geography, and science, as well as faith and practice [2]." In the article, "Catholic Reaction To Fundamentalism," written in 1996, Mr. William Shea mentions a lecture given to a group of Catholics and Fundamentalists by Archbishop John Whealon, of Hartford. In that lecture, the archbishop commended Fundamentalists for their dedication to Christ and moral standards, but then pointed out that they are deficient in their devotion to Mary and the saints and that they are mistaken in their notion of inerrancy [3].
Statements, like these fairly recent accounts of people speaking out against biblical inerrancy, have been somewhat commonplace in Twentieth Century Christianity. In fact, at the turn of the century, the religious movement was characterized by a similar struggle between the two main thoughts of liberalism and conservative evangelicalism. According to the authors of The Fundamentalist Phenomenon, the battle which ensued between these two forces gave birth to the whole Fundamentalist Movement, and inerrancy was one of the key issues of their conflict [4].
Defining the struggle (1900-1918). The first eighteen years of this century were marked by a definition of the struggle that was developing between the conservative evangelicals and the Liberals [5]. The evangelicals, in becoming more fundamentalist about their beliefs, made a particularly strong effort to define and articulate those beliefs. Between 1909 and 1915, a series of twelve fundamentalist booklets, entitled "The Fundamentals: A Testimony of Truth," were published, and their primary purpose was to define and defend the Fundamentalist position. Also in 1909, the first Schofield Reference Bible was published, along with its later amplification in 1919.
The twelve fundamentalist booklets emphasized what are now called the five fundamentals of the Faith: (1) the infallibility of the Bible, (2) the virgin birth of Christ, (3) His substitutionary death, (4) His bodily resurrection, and (5) His second coming. According to Mr. George Marsden, in Fundamentalism and American Culture, one third of the articles took on higher criticism and attempted to defend the inerrancy of Scriptures. Another third dealt with apologetics, the Trinity, and the doctrines of sin and salvation. The remaining third dealt with a wide variety of theological issues, with the final volume focusing especially on evangelism and missions [6]. In all of them, the single point of reaching the lost was a primary concern.
In 1909, the Schofield Reference Bible was published. Its chief purpose was to expound on Mr. C. I. Schofield's beliefs about Dispensationalism [7]. This Reference Bible, which sold over two million copies in its first two years, has been a major publication of the Twentieth Century. Moreover, renowned theologians of the early Twentieth Century, such as William G. Moorehead, James M. Gray, Elmore Harris, William J. Erdman, Arno C. Gaebelein, A.T. Pierson, and Henry G. Weston, served as contributing editors to that original work [8]. A special expression, which was popularized during that time, was based on what Mr. Marsden has described as the dispensationalist's belief of inerrancy [9]. That expression, which stressed the importance of "rightly dividing the Word of truth," also became the title of a book written by Mr. Schofield [10]. In his book, Mr. Schofield emphasized his belief that an individual can study the divisions of the "inerrant" Word of God and understand the "exact" revelations of God.
In 1922, Henry Emerson Fosdick, a liberal Baptist pastor of a Presbyterian church in New York City, preached a sermon which had been intended to promote greater unity and understanding between the Fundamentalists and Liberals [11]. His objective was not accomplished, and in the process, he caused such an uproar that he eventually had to resign his pastorate. Biblical inerrancy, along with the virgin birth and the second coming, was one of the major themes of his sermon. In attacking Fundamentalists as anti-intellectual and unwilling to bend, Mr. Fosdick preached that a person could be a Christian yet still not necessarily hold to the traditional fundamentalist teachings. He took the attitude that one should be tolerant of others concerning their acceptance of the fundamentals of the Faith. However, Mr. Clarence Macartney, a Presbyterian minister from Philadelphia, challenged Fosdick's sermon and won a convincing victory for the Fundamentalist cause.
In 1925, the Scopes Trial led to another clash between Fundamentalists and Liberals, and again, biblical inerrancy was an important issue. This time, however, the Liberal cause, which was championed by Mr. Clarence Darrow, was successful in making the Fundamentalists look ill-equipped and unable to defend their position [12]. In a cross examination of Mr. William Jennings Bryan, Mr. Darrow outsmarted Mr. Bryan and caused public opinion to frown on the narrow-minded views of Fundamentalism. Concerning biblical inerrancy, Mr. Bryan had not been able to convince his audience that the Bible is completely inspired and without error.
During the forties, the American Council of Christian Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals were established. Biblical inerrancy was not one of the central issues at that time, but the result was still a split that led to the formal identification of the Fundamentalist and Evangelical groups. Both groups were firm in their position on inerrancy, yet they were divided on their approaches toward opposing Liberalism [16]. Fundamentalists were the much more militant of the two.
An important development during the 1950s, which led to the establishment of many aggressive, fundamentalist, soul-winning Baptist churches, was that of the Baptist Bible Fellowship [17]. This fellowship, by way of the "Baptist Bible Tribune," published a statement affirming its commitment to biblical inerrancy, the virgin birth, Christ's substitutionary death, His resurrection, ascension, and Second Coming. These are the same five fundamentals of the Faith that were proclaimed in the early 1900s by "The Fundamentals: A Testimony of Truth."
The sixties, with Dr. Billy Graham playing a key role, saw an even greater split between the Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. Many of Graham's critics, including Dr. Charles Woodbridge, Dr. Noel Smith, and Dr. John R. Rice, condemned him for his apparent waffling on the biblical inerrancy issue. In a sermon in Honolulu, Dr. Graham had stated that the account about the Garden of Eden could be interpreted either literally or figuratively [18]. Of course, Fundamentalists were not pleased by such remarks. But despite this conflict and further split, Fundamentalism still continued to grow throughout the seventies and into the eighties.
In the seventies, biblical inerrancy again became an issue, and this time, it was within the Southern Baptist Convention. When a publication, entitled the Broadman Commentary, suggested that the early chapters of Genesis could be interpreted liberally, the conservative leaders of that convention were upset and adamantly opposed such a teaching [19]. This debate has led to a division within the Southern Baptist Convention into conservative and liberal Southern Baptists, even though both sides still view themselves as Fundamentalists.
Even though the debate between Fundamentalists and Liberals has revolved around various issues, such as the deity of Christ, His substitutionary atonement, His resurrection, and His second coming, the real argument has always been over the inerrancy of Scriptures. Fundmentalists hold to the belief that every word of the Bible is God-breathed and God-inspired and that every word can be accepted and believed without hesitation.
The Liberals, on the other hand, do not accept the literal validity of the Bible. Where the Fundamentalist assumes a supernatural view of many biblical events, such as Creation and all of the other miracles, the Liberal tries to fall back to a more natural explanation. According to Mr. Millard J. Erickson, in Christian Theology, the Liberal is perfectly content to accept evolution as the single explanation for man's existence [20].
The Liberal sees God as being in man, whereas the Fundamentalist says that man must answer to God. Liberals see a natural goodness in man, while the Fundamentalist maintains that all have fallen short of the glory of God. The Fundamentalist says that the Word of God is God-inspired, but the Liberal simply says that the Bible is an inspiring book. These types of contrasting positions have greatly influenced the development of the Fundamentalist Movement during the Twentieth Century, and each one, either directly or indirectly, has centered around how a person deals with the issue of inerrancy.
During the past seventeen years, this battle between the Liberals and Fundamentalists has not diminished, and even the Evangelicals have gotten involved. Today, these forces still engage in debate and conflict.
If there were no God and if there were no life after death, then the battle between the Fundamentalists and the Liberals would not matter. If man could spend eternity with his Creator merely by being the best person that he can be, then the whole debate of biblical inerrancy would have little or no significance. However, it is because these things are true that the Fundamentalist battles against the moderate and liberal forces of this world.
There IS a God, and as the Bible teaches, He is worthy of our praise. There IS life after our separation from this life, and only those in Christ, again as the Bible teaches, will be ready for that life. The Liberals' lack of commitment toward the Scriptures and their insistence upon teaching their message to others is the reason that the Fundamentalist Movement has grown throughout the Twentieth Century and continues to grow. In carrying forth the banner of Fundamentalism, every Christian shows his or her love first for the Lord Jesus Christ and then for others. It is not that we strive to prove ourselves right so that we might proclaim victory over our enemies. It is that our desire, as it was with the early Fundamentalists of this century, is to see others come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
1. Elmer Towns, Theology for Today (Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989), p 64.
2. Farrell Till, "The Last Hurrah Of The Inerrancy Doctrine," The Skeptical Review Volume 1, 1990: p 6.
3. William M. Shea, "Catholic Reaction To Fundamentalism," Theological Studies 1 June 1996: p 7.
4. Ed Dobson, Ed Hindson, and Jerry Falwell, The Fundamentalist Phenomenon (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1986), p. 46.
5. Ibid, pp 48-50.
6. George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture - The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism (1870-1925) (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1982), pp 119-120.
7. Dobson, Hindson, and Falwell, pp 41-42.
8. C. I. Schofield, Holy Bible - The Schofield Reference Edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1967), pp vii-viii.
9. George M. Marsden, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), p 40.
10. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture - The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism (1870-1925), p. 59.
11. Dobson, Hindson, and Falwell, p 52.
12. Ibid, p 54-58.
13. Dobson, Hindson, and Falwell, pp 81-82.
14. Griffin Jones, "Student Videotape Course Worktext For History of Fundamentalism, CHHI 686," (Lynchburg, Virginia: School of Lifelong Learning, Liberty University, 1991), pp 18-3, 4.
15. Dobson, Hindson, and Falwell, p 90.
16. Ibid, pp 91-94.
17. Ibid, pp 96-98.
18. Ibid, pp 100-101.
19. Ibid, pp 108-109.
20. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1985), pp 205, 304-306.
Dobson, Ed, Hindson, Ed, and Falwell, Jerry. The Fundamentalist Phenomenon. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1986.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1985.
Jones, Griffin. "Student Videotape Course Worktext For History of Fundamentalism, CHHI 686." Lynchburg, Virginia: School of Lifelong Learning, Liberty University, 1991.
Marsden, George M. Fundamentalism and American Culture - The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism (1870-1925). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982.
Marsden, George M. Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991.
Schofield, C. I. Holy Bible - The Schofield Reference Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1967.
Shea, William M. "Catholic Reaction To Fundamentalism." Theological Studies 1 June 1996: p 7.
Till, Farrell. "The Last Hurrah Of The Inerrancy Doctrine." The Skeptical Review Volume 1, 1990: p 6.
Towns, Elmer. Theology for Today. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989.
Tom of Spotswood "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
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