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From: nlt@duke.UUCP (N. L. Tinkham)
Newsgroups: talk.religion
Subject: Re: Fundamentals
Message-ID: <8544@duke.duke.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 10-Sep-86 10:38:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: duke.8544
Posted: Wed Sep 10 10:38:51 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Sep-86 04:29:58 EDT
References: <3373@ism780c.UUCP>
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Organization: Duke University CS Dept.; Durham, NC
Lines: 24
Summary: definition of "Fundamentalism"


> I realize that I don't know what fundamentalist christianity means.  Would
> someone list the beliefs that are necessary for a person to be a
> fundamentalist Christian?
> 
> 				 Marty Smith


     The term "fundamentalist" originally came from a book (early 20th century,
I believe) which listed, in reaction to "modernism", 5 "fundamentals" of
the Christian faith:  1) the Virgin Birth; 2) inerrancy of the Bible;
3) substitutionary atonement; 4) the bodily resurrection of Jesus; 5) Christ's
second coming.  (That list is from memory, but I think it's correct.) 
     In addition to the theological definition, there are also emotional
connotations to "fundamentalist".  When a person describes himself as a
fundamentalist, he probably means something like "defender of the foundational,
orthodox doctrines of Christianity".  When a person calls someone else
a fundamentalist, it's most often meant as an insult, meaning something
like "closed-minded illiterate who still thinks the earth is flat".
(Note that I'm not equating these definitions, just pointing out that
the word is used in different ways!)

                                   N. L. Tinkham
                                   nlt@duke