''The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth'' (generally referred to simply as ''The Fundamentals'') is a set of ninety essays published between 1910 and 1915 by the Testimony Publishing Company of Chicago. It was initially published quarterly in twelve volumes, then republished in 1917 by the
Bible Institute of Los Angeles
Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...
as a four-volume set. Baker Books reprinted all four volumes under two covers in 2003.
According to its foreword, the publication was designed to be "a new statement of the fundamentals of Christianity." However, its contents reflect a concern with certain theological innovations related to
liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, also known as Liberal Theology and historically as Christian Modernism (see Catholic modernism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 bill ...
, especially biblical
higher criticism
Historical criticism, also known as the historical-critical method or higher criticism, is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts in order to understand "the world behind the text". While often discussed in terms of ...
. It is widely considered to be the foundation of modern
Christian fundamentalism
Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...
.
The project was conceived in 1909 by California businessman
Lyman Stewart
Lyman Stewart (July 22, 1840 – September 28, 1923) was a U.S. businessman and co-founder of Union Oil Company of California, which eventually became Unocal. Stewart was also a significant Christian philanthropist and cofounder of the Bible Insti ...
, the founder of
Union Oil
Union Oil Company of California, and its holding company Unocal Corporation, together known as Unocal was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headqu ...
and a devout
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
and
dispensationalist
Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...
. He and his brother Milton anonymously provided funds for composing, printing, and distributing the publication. The project had three successive editors:
A. C. Dixon
Amzi Clarence Dixon (July 6, 1854 – June 14, 1925) was a Baptist pastor, Bible expositor, and evangelist who was popular during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. With R.A. Torrey, he edited an influential series of essays, publish ...
, Louis Meyer, and
Reuben Archer Torrey
Reuben Archer Torrey (28 January 1856 – 26 October 1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. He aligned with Keswick theology.
Biography
Torrey was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of a banker. He graduated from ...
. The essays were written by sixty-four different authors, representing most of the major Protestant Christian denominations. It was mailed free of charge to ministers, missionaries, professors of theology,
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
and
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
secretaries,
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
superintendents, and other Protestant religious workers in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Over three million volumes (250,000 sets) were sent out.
The volumes defended orthodox Protestant beliefs and attacked
higher criticism
Historical criticism, also known as the historical-critical method or higher criticism, is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts in order to understand "the world behind the text". While often discussed in terms of ...
,
liberal theology
Religious liberalism is a conception of religion (or of a particular religion) which emphasizes personal and group liberty and rationality. It is an attitude towards one's own religion (as opposed to criticism of religion from a secular position, ...
,
Romanism
Romanism is a derogatory term for Roman Catholicism used when anti-Catholicism was more common in the United States.
The term was frequently used in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Republican invectives against the Democrats, as par ...
,
socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
,
modernism
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
,
atheism
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...
,
Christian Science
Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...
,
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to various aspects of t ...
,
Millennial Dawn
''Studies in the Scriptures'' is a series of publications, intended as a Bible study aid, containing seven volumes of great importance to the history of the Bible Student movement, and the early history of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Origin
The author o ...
(whose members were sometimes known as
Russellites, but which later split into another group, adopting the name
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
),
spiritualism
Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...
, and what it called
evolutionism
Evolutionism is a term used (often derogatorily) to denote the theory of evolution. Its exact meaning has changed over time as the study of evolution has progressed. In the 19th century, it was used to describe the belief that organisms deliberate ...
.
''The Fundamentals'' essays
arrangement of the original 12-volume set:
* Volume I:
**
The Virgin Birth of Christ -
James Orr
**
The Deity of Christ -
Benjamin B. Warfield
** The Purposes of the
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...
-
G. Campbell Morgan
Reverend Doctor George Campbell Morgan D.D. (9 December 1863 – 16 May 1945) was a British evangelist, preacher, a leading Bible teacher, and a prolific author.
A contemporary of Rodney "Gipsy" Smith, Morgan preached his first sermon at ...
** The Personality and Deity of the
Holy Spirit
In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...
-
R. A. Torrey
Reuben Archer Torrey (28 January 1856 – 26 October 1928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. He aligned with Keswick theology.
Biography
Torrey was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son of a banker. He graduated from ...
**
The Proof of the Living God -
Arthur T. Pierson
** History of the
Higher Criticism
Historical criticism, also known as the historical-critical method or higher criticism, is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts in order to understand "the world behind the text". While often discussed in terms of ...
-
Dyson Hague
Dyson Hague (1857–1935) was a Canadian evangelical Anglican presbyter, author, and lecturer.
Early life and education
Hague was born in Toronto in April 1857 to Sarah Cousins and George Hague. He was educated at Upper Canada College before ...
** A
Personal Testimony -
Howard A. Kelly
* Volume II:
** The Testimony of the Monuments to the Truth of the Scriptures -
George Frederick Wright
George Frederick Wright (January 22, 1838 – April 20, 1921) was an American geologist and a professor at Oberlin Theological Seminary, first of New Testament language and literature (1881 – 1892), and then of "harmony of science and revelati ...
** The Recent Testimony of
Archaeology to the Scriptures -
Melvin Grove Kyle
** Fallacies of the Higher Criticism - Franklin Johnson
** Christ and Criticism -
Robert Anderson
**
Modern Philosophy
Modern philosophy is philosophy developed in the modern era and associated with modernity. It is not a specific doctrine or school (and thus should not be confused with ''Modernism''), although there are certain assumptions common to much of it ...
-
Philip Mauro
Philip Mauro (January 7, 1859 – April 7, 1952) was an American lawyer and author.
Biography
Mauro was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a lawyer who practiced before the Supreme Court, a patent attorney, and a Christian writer. He prepared ...
**
Justification by Faith
''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, f ...
-
Handley Carr Glyn Moule
Handley Carr Glyn Moule (23 December 18418 May 1920) was an evangelical Anglican theologian, writer, poet, and Bishop of Durham from 1901 to 1920.
Biography
Moule was schooled at home before entering Trinity College, Cambridge in 1860, where ...
** Tributes to Christ and the Bible by Brainy Men not Known as Active Christians
* Volume III:
**
Inspiration of the Bible—Definition, Extent, and Proof -
James M. Gray
** The Moral Glory of Jesus Christ a Proof of Inspiration -
William G. Moorehead
** God in Christ the Only Revelation of the Fatherhood of God -
Robert E. Speer
** The Testimony of Christian Experience -
E. Y. Mullins
** Christianity No Fable - Thomas Whitelaw
** My Personal Experience with the Higher Criticism - James J. Reeve
** The Personal Testimony of
Charles T. Studd
* Volume IV:
** The
Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
in the Wilderness: Did it Exist? - David Heagle
** The Testimony of Christ to the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
William Caven** The Bible and Modern Criticism
F. Bettex**
Science and Christian Faith -
James Orr
** A Personal Testimony -
Philip Mauro
Philip Mauro (January 7, 1859 – April 7, 1952) was an American lawyer and author.
Biography
Mauro was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a lawyer who practiced before the Supreme Court, a patent attorney, and a Christian writer. He prepared ...
* Volume V:
** Life in the Word - Philip Mauro
** The Scriptures -
A. C. Dixon
Amzi Clarence Dixon (July 6, 1854 – June 14, 1925) was a Baptist pastor, Bible expositor, and evangelist who was popular during the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. With R.A. Torrey, he edited an influential series of essays, publish ...
** The Certainty and Importance of
the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead - R. A. Torrey
** Observations of the Conversion and Apostleship of
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
-
Lord Lyttleton (analyzed and condensed by J. L. Campbell)
** A Personal Testimony - H. W. Webb-Peploe
* Volume VI:
** The Testimony of
Foreign Missions
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a M ...
to the Superintending Providence of God - Arthur T. Pierson
** Is There a God? - Thomas Whitelaw
**
Sin
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
and
Judgment to Come - Robert Anderson
**
The Atonement - Franklin Johnson
** The God-Man - John Stock
**
The Early Narratives of Genesis - James Orr
** The Person and Work of Jesus Christ -
John L. Nuelsen
**
The Hope of the Church - John McNicol
* Volume VII:
**
The Passing of Evolution - George Frederick Wright
** Inspiration - L. W. Munhall
** The Testimony of the Scriptures to Themselves - George S. Bishop
** Testimony of the Organic Unity of the Bible to its Inspiration - Arthur T. Pierson
**
One Isaiah -
George L. Robinson
** The
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse with a 6th century BC setting. Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon", it combines a prophecy of history with an eschatology (a ...
- Joseph D. Wilson
** Three Peculiarities of the
Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...
- Andrew Craig Robinson
** Millennial Dawn: A
Counterfeit of Christianity - William G. Moorehead
* Volume VIII:
** Old Testament Criticism and
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
Christianity -
W. H. Griffith Thomas
** Evolutionism in the
Pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
- Anonymous
** Decadence of
Darwinism
Darwinism is a scientific theory, theory of Biology, biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of smal ...
- Henry H. Beach
** Paul's Testimony to the Doctrine of Sin - Charles B. Williams
** The Science of
Conversion
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
- H. M. Sydenstricker
** The Doctrinal Value of the First Chapters of Genesis - Dyson Hague
** The
Knowledge of God - James Burrell
**
"Preach the Word" -
Howard Crosby Howard Crosby may refer to:
* Howard Crosby (minister)
Howard Crosby (27 February 1826 – 29 March 1891) was an American Presbyterian preacher, scholar and professor. He was Chancellor of New York University.
Biography
Crosby was born in New Yor ...
** Mormonism: Its Origin, Characteristics, and Doctrines - R. G. McNiece
* Volume IX:
** The True Church -
Bishop Ryle
** The Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch - George Frederick Wright
** The Wisdom of this World - A. W. Pitzer
** Holy Scripture and Modern Negations - James Orr
**
Salvation by Grace -
Thomas Spurgeon
Thomas Spurgeon (20 September 1856 – 17 October 1917) was a British Reformed Baptist preacher of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, one of the fraternal twin sons of the famous Charles Spurgeon (1834–92).
Life
Thomas and his twin brother were bor ...
** Divine Efficacy of
Prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...
- Arthur T. Pierson
** What Christ Teaches Concerning Future Retribution - William C. Procter
** A Message from Missions - Charles A. Bowen
** Eddyism: Commonly Called Christian Science - Maurice E. Wilson
* Volume X:
** Why Save the
Lord's Day
The Lord's Day in Christianity is generally Sunday, the principal day of communal worship. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is said in the canonical Gospels to have been witnessed al ...
? - Daniel Hoffman Martin
** The Internal Evidence of the
Fourth Gospel
The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
- Canon G. Osborne Troop
** The Nature of Regeneration -
Thomas Boston
Thomas Boston (17 March 167620 May 1732) was a Scottish Presbyterian church leader, theologian and philosopher. Boston was successively schoolmaster at Glencairn, and minister of Simprin in Berwickshire, and Ettrick in Selkirkshire. In additio ...
** Regeneration—Conversion—Reformation - George W. Lasher
** Our Lord's
Teachings About
Money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...
- Arthur T. Pierson
**
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
and His Kingdom - Mrs.
Jessie Penn-Lewis
Jessie Penn-Lewis (28 February 1861 – 15 August 1927, née Jones) was a Welsh evangelical speaker, who wrote several Christian evangelical works. Her religious work took her to Russia, Scandinavia, Canada, the United States and India.
Early l ...
** The Holy Spirit and the Sons of God - W. J. Erdman
**
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
- Henry W. Frost
** The
Apologetic
Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...
Value of
Paul's Epistles
The Pauline epistles, also known as Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. Among these epistles are some of the earliest ext ...
- E.J. Stobo
** What the Bible Contains for the Believer - George F. Pentecost
** Modern Spiritualism Briefly Tested by Scripture -
Algernon J. Pollock
Algernon James Pollock (14 October 1864 – 5 January 1957) was an evangelist and writer from the Plymouth Brethren movement.
Life
Pollock was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He made a profession of faith in Christ at the age of 11, and was introdu ...
* Volume XI:
** The Biblical Conception of Sin - Thomas Whitelaw
** At-One-Ment by Propitiation - Dyson Hague
** The Grace of God -
C. I. Scofield
Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (August 19, 1843 – July 24, 1921) was an American theologian, minister, and writer whose best-selling annotated Bible popularized futurism and dispensationalism among fundamentalist Christians.
Biography Childho ...
**
Fulfilled Prophecy A Potent Argument for the Bible -
Arno C. Gaebelein
Arno Clemens Gaebelein (August 27, 1861 – December, 1945) was a Methodist minister in the United States. He was a prominent teacher and conference speaker. He was also the father of educator and philosopher of Christian education Frank E. Gaebel ...
**
The Coming of Christ -
Charles R. Erdman
** Is Romanism Christianity? - T. W. Medhurst
** Rome, The Antagonist of the Nation - J. M. Foster
* Volume XII:
** Doctrines that Must be Emphasized in Successful
Evangelism
In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...
- L. W. Munhall
** Pastoral and Personal Evangelism, or Winning Men to Christ One-by-One -
John Timothy Stone
John Timothy Stone (1868–1954) was an American Presbyterian clergyman.
Biography
He was born in Boston and graduated from Amherst College (1891) and from Auburn Theological Seminary (1894). He was pastor of churches at Utica and Cortland, New ...
** The
Sunday School
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
's True Evangelism - Charles Gallaudet Trumbull
** Foreign Missions or World-Wide Evangelism - Robert E. Speer
** What Missionary Motives Should Prevail? - Henry W. Frost
** The Place of Prayer in Evangelism - R. A. Torrey
** The Church and Socialism -
Charles R. Erdman
** The Fifteen Books Most Indispensable for the
Minister or the Christian Worker
References
Online texts
* The Fundamentals, in the 12-volume scheme:
*
Volumes I-VII multiple formats at archive.org
*
Volume IV-IX page images at HathiTrust
*
Volume X multiple formats at archive.org
*
Volume XI multiple formats at archive.org
*
Volume XII page images at HathiTrust
*Torrey's 4 volume set (downloadable PDFs) at Northwestern Theological Seminary
Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3Volume 4
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
The Fundamentalson ''Theopedia''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fundamentals
1910 non-fiction books
1910 anthologies
Christian fundamentalism
Essay anthologies