Fundamentalism and Modernism

Nancy Ammerman briefly examines the “shifting terrain” at the close of her essay in Denominationalism. Choice seems to have taken over the religious landscape, displacing ethnic associations, family and upbringing. Many change denominations during their lifetimes; fewer think it important to marry within their denominations. Congregations function independently of the head office, gathering educational, liturgical, musical, and other resources from the potluck of consumer religion.

There is something holding denominations together, though: Money. “In the most concrete of terms, if the congregation refuses to give . . . the congregation has left the denominational fold. Short of that, it may deviate and have alternative allegiances on a host of other matters of policy and practice” (125). 

She follows with this shrewd observation about the informal signals that churches have come up with to identify their flavor – especially to identify themselves as liberal or conservative: “Links to nondenominational education and mission agencies have held the fundamentalist network together for most of [the 20th] century. When fundamentalists moved from one town to another, they were able to find another ‘Bible believing’ church, without the aid of denominational labels, mostly by looking for programmatical and liturgical clues.” This wasn’t just pragmatism on the part of fundamentalists: “This loosely linked, entrepreneurial organizational strategy was part of the fundamentalist refusal to accept the rational/legal, bureaucratic terms dictated by ‘modernity’” (125).

There’s an ironic twist to this story: As fundamentalists have taken the reins in several denominations, they have had to accommodate to modern organizational expectations. Meanwhile, “other groups that long ago accepted modern organizational imperatives are now moving in postmodern fashion toward structures that look rather like what fundamentalists have been using all along” (125). For fundamentalists, to be told that they were on the cutting edge of ecclesial organization is at best a mixed compliment.