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78th out of 99 books
—
28 voters
Fundamentalism and American Culture
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 dr...more
Paperback, 351 pages
Published
January 1st 2006
by Oxford University Press
(first published February 1981)
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The thesis of this book parallels that of George Marsden's similar book on American culture, Religion and American Culture, that Fundamentalism shaped and was shaped by the surrounding culture. Marsden builds upon the work of earlier historians of Fundamentalism, namely that of Ernest Sandeen's book The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism. Sandeen's thesis is that Fundamentalism is the outgrowth of the "millenarian" movement that developed in late nineteenth-century Amer...more
A great book on the foundations of Protestant Fundamentalism from a sympathetic but critical writer who has been close to its centre (see the series of letters written between Mark Noll, George Marsden, and Francis Schaeffer on the topic of whether or not America was a Christian nation written in the early 1980's). It has lots of fascinating and disturbing facts and figures mixed with the absurd, such as the infamous Billy Sunday (who couldn't close down Chicago according to the song) hilariousl...more
Like many scholarly works, this book suffers from a bit of wordiness and a certain hesitancy to create a "big picture" narrative for fear of leaving something out. That can be frustrating if you aren't familiar with the subject (the fundamentalist clash with Christian liberalism from 1870-1925), but despite these shortcomings, this book has a lot to offer. It's a fascinating slice of American history that Marsden covers, and his deep and scholarly understanding of Protestant Christianity in Amer...more
Marsden tells the story of American Fundamentalism from its post-Civil War roots to the fundamentalist-modernist controversies of the 1920s. I found this book fascinating, mostly because the early fundamentalists were much different than what we think, due to the fact that the definition of "fundamentalist" has changed greatly over the years. The style is rather easy to read. Marsden added an additional chapter in 2005, analyzing the newer fundamentalism from the 1970s to today. What I found mos...more
In Fundamentalism and American Culture, Marsden explores the influences of the fundamentalist movement. The author believes that Ernest Sandeen overstates his case, that fundamentalism is an outgrowth of the millenarian movement. With a much wider root system, fundamentalism was a militant evangelical movement that was fighting battles on two fronts. 1) They fought against theological liberalism as it made its way into mainline denominations. 2) They were opposing the alarming changes in the cul...more
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...more
An excellent discussion of the development of fundamentalism in the nineteenth century through the Scopes Trail of 1925. Not really intended as a popular history, it nevertheless is an approachable book, especially for anyone from one of the religious traditions that he traces, which include the battles and splits among the Presbyterians and Baptists, along with helpful discussions on Christian and Missionary Alliance, Missouri Synod Lutheranism, and the Evangelical Free church among many others...more
The thesis of this book parallels that of George Marsden's similar book on American culture, Religion and American Culture, that Fundamentalism shaped and was shaped by the surrounding culture. Marsden builds upon the work of earlier historians of Fundamentalism, namely that of Ernest Sandeen's book The Roots of Fundamentalism: British and American Millenarianism. Sandeen's thesis is that Fundamentalism is the outgrowth of the "millenarian" movement that developed in late nineteenth-century Amer...more
Sep 10, 2008
Michael
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those interested in culture and religion
Gives a good background to understand today's militant fundamentalist's. Special attention is given to social, political, intellectual and American Protestant movements. The so called war and has been going on for a long time to root out liberals from Protestant seminaries, churches and colleges. These folks are anti science, anti evolution and intolerant of any scriptural belief outside what they say you must believe to be a Christian. It's pretty black and white in their thinking. They really...more
Nov 27, 2011
Read1000books
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christian-history
A history of the movement, similar to the book by George W. Dollar.
Essential to understand 20th Cent Evangelicalism
Read significant portions and skimmed sections. Enthralling read.
Remains the classic treatment of the subject. The additional chapter in the updated version is very, very good also. Highly recommend.
Marsden's writing enlightened me in my quest for understanding about my spiritual heritage of the past century. He could not have presented the history with less bias; he could not have researched more thoroughly.
Jan 26, 2008
Christine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in church and culture
Shelves:
history
This insightful and academic book traces the history of fundamentalism from its reconstruction roots through the prohibition era, and even to its present day incarnations.
If you are weird like me and enjoy studying fundamentalism then this book is right up your ally.
Talbot Course: Reformation and Modern Theology
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