A Review- David Beale’s Christian Fundamentalism in America: The Story of the Rest from 1857 to 2020

Reversing Paul Harvey’s familiar maxim, “The Rest of the Story,” this book is a story that frequently reveals the rest of many untold truths hidden from years past.

As one reads through Beale’s book on American Fundamentalism, he is impressed with just how much Beale is at home with the vast amount of sources (many of them original sources) of biographical and organizational material he includes in his study. His present book is a revision and great expansion of his earlier work on the topic of Fundamentalism, bringing it up to date (2020). His book shows his careful research regarding many of the leading individuals who preached and wrote to promote the key issues with which Fundamentalism was concerned. While this book centers on Presbyterian and Baptist groups, it also includes vital issues and events leading up to Fundamentalism. For example, smaller groups, such as developments at Grace Seminary and the Grace Brethren denomination. Beale’s book clearly explains the many controversies that distinguish Fundamentalism from Broad Evangelicalism. These would include ecclesiastical separation and dual affiliation, as well as personal separation standards and entertainment issues. Dr. Beale has done a wonderful thing for Fundamentalists, by giving us a current history of our movement and helping anyone to understand where we have been in the past and where we may be going in the future.

A review by Dr. George Houghton, retiree, Faith Baptist College and Theological Seminary, Ankeny, Iowa.

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