Fundamentalism In The 1920s

Words: 994
Pages: 4
Open Document
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
Perhaps it was words such as these that stirred the modern fundamentalist movement. Certainly this movement was strong in America, as Christians sought to hold to Biblical standards against the ever-changing, modernizing culture. The book Fundamentalism in American Culture, …show more content…
Certainly the societal condition influenced the trend of fundamentalist criticism and development. The decadent 1920s provided ample measure for reform, and social crisis associated with World War I nourished the strong convictions. Furthermore, although many fundamentalist leaders avoided politics and refused to associate fundamentalism with any form of politics, political concerns were still a part of the shaping of the fundamentalist movement. The political topics, such as Bolshevism, anti-Semitism, and the Prohibition, found their way into fundamentalist literature. There was most definitely an intellectual struggle, as fundamentalists strongly opposed the popularizing evolutionary teaching. Perhaps this struggle is best exemplified in the Scopes’ Monkey Trial and the debate between Darrow and the fundamentalist Bryan. The ongoing debate was how much science, philosophy, and religion were compatible. And while fundamentalism was a worldwide movement, Marsden points out that there were certain factors in America that accentuate American fundamentalism. First of all, the diversity in America, as opposed to the set nature of England, provided more room for development. In addition, the foundation of America was evangelical Protestantism and was very familiar with revivalism and Biblicism. America was later in accepting modernism that …show more content…
It emerged most distinctly after the Civil War to its climax in the 1920s. Despite that all fundamentalists had the opposition to liberalism in common, the movement was still greatly divided in its theology and definition. Some fundamentalists supported complete separation from mainstream Christianity, while others were not willing nor saw a reason to completely branch off. Fundamentalists were also divided on how much to be involved with society, especially in the area of politics, in order to influence it. Some went as far as embracing some of the liberalism of the day. Marsden clearly states his thesis in the introduction of the book, as well as his purpose and outline for such a long, detailed book. He supports his thesis with evidence from the lives of the fundamentalists themselves, as well as the occurrences and aspects of fundamentalism. Though it only focuses on this one part of Christianity, the book is very thorough in its examination of the history of American fundamentalism. Marsden presents the work as history, simply stating the facts as they occurred. Despite its length and wordiness, this is a valuable book for two reasons. First of all, this book is very useful for those who would like to study the history of fundamentalism, or even the history of Christianity in general in America. This book gives good background for fundamentalism and contains
Show More

Related Documents: Fundamentalism In The 1920s

Essay on Dbq 17: a National Clash of Cultures in the 1920’s

DBQ 17: A National Clash of Cultures in the 1920’s With the arrival of the 1920’s, new battles fought between traditionalist rural society and modernist urban civilization arose in the postwar United States. These urban-rural culture wars of this time period represent the everlasting conflict between conservatives and liberals. The 1920 census demonstrated to traditionalists that their views were under attack by the modernists who gradually came to outnumber them. Traditionalists were disturbed…

Words 946 - Pages 4

Lemya Tirba Essay

introduced a new style of filmmaking marked by epic plots and complex characters. He also created biblical epics. Babe Ruth- he was a legendary player who had an outstanding seasons during the 1920s and attracted new fans. He was one of sports favorite. Known as Sultan of Swat, he dominated baseball from 1920’s to 1934. He led the New York Yankees to 4 World Series championships. And he had a total of 60 home runs (record). Jim Thorpe- student played intercollegiate sport offered at his school. He…

Words 687 - Pages 3

Chapter 24: 1920 Essay examples

Honors United States History 3A Chapter 24: The 1920 1. After reading the introduction on page 717, list characteristics of the modernists and traditionalists. (5 each) Modernists • • Running headlong into the future • Decade of fun rather than reform • Good times rather than high ideals • Modern – home, marriage, women, technology • Science better guide to life than religion • Various life styles • Sex for fun for both partners not just for procreation • Minorities need…

Words 1918 - Pages 8

GREAT GATSBY CONTEXT Class Essays

the national window, and these types of views were discouraged - instead, wild and fast living became the national way. Politically speaking, this was a time of growth and prosperity, as well as a time of corruption. President harding was elected in 1920, and he began to focus on the rebuilding of the country following the war. He had much to deal with – including labour strikes, issues such as minimum wage, child labour and the fight for female equality. As well as this, Harding enacted tax legislations…

Words 402 - Pages 2

United States Citizen Essay

1. Important terms: a. Flapper- a "new breed" of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior; excessive makeup, drinking, treating sex in a casual manner, smoking, driving automobiles b. Red Scare-a period of general fear of communists c. Scopes Trial-The 1925 trial of John T. Scopes, charged with violating Tennessee state law for teaching evolution in…

Words 795 - Pages 4

Eassy history Essay

and Hollywood cinema was very popular because of the start of celebrity culture. The biggest thing was broadcast radio (NBC) and (CBS) where some of the first nation stations these are main source of entertainment in the roaring twenty’s. Fundamentalism played a big role in religion as they insisted on the Bible’s inerrancy and literal truths, including the genesis accounts of creation. They also targeted Darwin’s theory of evolution some states refused to teach it to the school children. Now…

Words 504 - Pages 3

AP CHAP 24 LEP WS 1 Essay

24 Pages 813 – 847 Pages 814 – 822 1. What did Harding mean by “a return to normalcy?” 2. What did the word modern mean in the 1920s? 3. What groups opposed these modern changes? 4. What did World War I do for the American economy? 5. Why was there an economic depression from 1919 – 1921? 6. What was the focal point of economic growth in the 1920s? 7. How did the advent of the following affect Americans? [a] stylish clothes [b] refrigerators and vacuum cleaners [c] radios…

Words 1034 - Pages 5

The Roaring 20 s Essay

The Roaring 20’s -Mario Snyder Roaring Twenties  Is a term sometimes used to refer to the 1920s in the United States, characterizing the decade's distinctive cultural edge in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and many other major cities during a period of sustained economic prosperity. Prohibition  is the legal act of prohibiting the manufacture, storage, transportation and sale of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries…

Words 2337 - Pages 10

The Scopes Monkey Trial Summary

Tennessee Legislature in March, 1925, which suggested that students who learn biology in public schools would lose their Christian faith (Lyons). This implies the idea that political leaders in Tennessee had sided with the theory of Christian Fundamentalism rather than the foreign ideas of Darwinism. This would make a noticeable bias against Darwinists and therefore would have kindled the anger which evolutionists used to create the tension in the Scopes case. Furthermore, Darrow and the ACLU General…

Words 1524 - Pages 7

1920 s Essay

03 October 2014 1920s For the United States of America, the decade following the end of World War I was a time of profound change. The prosperity of the 1920s was a time for the growing nation to experience crucial transformations in the way it earned its keep, organized work affairs, and enjoyed leisure activities. Attributes like technology, business corporations, organized crime, women’s rights, equality, and media were developing and becoming more prominent aspects of daily life in the 1920s. The…

Words 1753 - Pages 8