The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism

Christian fundamentalism is a significant global movement which originally took its name from The Fundamentals, a series of booklets defending classic evangelical doctrines, published in the 1910s. The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism traces the roots of fundamentalism from the late nineteenth century and explores the development of the movement up to the present day. Since its inception, fundamentalism has proved a highly contested category. By some the label is recognised as a badge of honour, by others a term of abuse. This volume does not offer a simple definition of fundamentalism. Rather, it acknowledges its many interpretative and definitional complexities, and allows multiple identities to jostle together under the 'fundamentalist' label. The boundaries are porous between fundamentalism and conservative evangelicalism, so the Handbook includes analysis of some conservative expressions of Christianity which show fundamentalist characteristics, even in groups which refuse to define themselves as 'fundamentalist'. The relationship of fundamentalism to Pentecostalism and charismatic renewal is also explored in detail.

Research-led chapters cover significant historical developments, key doctrines such as biblical inerrancy, creationism and separatism, and an extensive range of moral and cultural issues to which the contribution of fundamentalism has been significant, including popular music, alcohol, sport, and family life. Contributors also chart the evolution of the movement globally--far beyond its North Atlantic origins. Recognising the prominence of fundamentalism beyond the Church, the Handbook explores its contribution to public debates concerning political influence, education, human genetics, civil rights, business, global warning, sexuality, Israel and the Middle East, the shaping of contemporary culture, and much else. Christian fundamentalism, this Handbook ultimately shows, is one of the most significant movements operating in today's world.

Author: Andrew Atherstone, David Ceri Jones
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 02/16/2024
Pages: 736
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 3.20lbs
Size: 9.50h x 7.20w x 2.80d
ISBN: 9780198844594

About the Author
Andrew Atherstone is Latimer Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and a member of Oxford University's Faculty of Theology and Religion. His recent books include Repackaging Christianity: Alpha and the Building of a Global Brand (2022) and, as co-editor, Transatlantic Charismatic Renewal, c.1950-2000 (2021). His research focuses on evangelicalism and Anglicanism in the 19th and 20th centuries.

David Ceri Jones is Reader in Early Modern History at Aberystwyth University and a native of Port Talbot. His most recent books include, as co-author, A History of Christianity in Wales (2022), and as co-editor, George Whitefield: Life, Context and Legacy (2016). He is currently working of a multi-volume edition of the letters of George Whitefield, and a new history of evangelicalism in modern and contemporary Wales.