Historical Theology: The Christian Theologies of Fundamentalism and Liberalism in the Early 20th Century
The year in which fundamentalism had its beginnings is often debated. Some say as early as the year 1900, while other credit the first point at which fundamentalists call themselves fundamentalists seems to be in the year 1920 when a group known as the “Fundamentalist Fellowship founded by the editor of a leading conservative Baptist magazine known as the Watchman-Examiner. Curtis Lee Laws was at first more moderate than W. B. Riley and tried to maintain fundamentalism as a movement within the broader church for the preservation and defense of the true fundamentals of the faith” (Olsen 562). It would seem, however that a significant event that took place before that cited above would be a clearer marker for the foundations of modern fundamentalism. The event took place in 1910 where a series of booklets called “ The Fundamentals insp...