''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

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 -

* Volume V: ** Life in the Word - Philip Mauro ** The Scriptures -

** 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

External links

The Fundamentals
on ''Theopedia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fundamentals 1910 non-fiction books 1910 anthologies Christian fundamentalism Essay anthologies

''The Fundamentals'' essays

References

Online texts

Further reading

External links