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Fundamentalist Institutions and the Rise of Evangelical Protestantism, 1929–1942

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

Joel A. Carpenter
Joel A. Carpenter
Affiliation:
Mr. Carpenter is assistant professor of history in Trinity College, Deerfield, Illionis.
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Extract

In April of 1952 an article in Christian Life magazine proclaimed Chicago “the evangelical capital of the U.S.A.” To back this claim, editor Russell T. Hitt cited a host of evangelical agencies in greater Chicago: mission boards, denominational offices, colleges, Bible institutes, seminaries, publishing concerns (including Christian Life itself) and youth organizations. In total, the author mentioned over one hundred different agencies such as Youth For Christ International, the Slavic Gospel Association, Scripture Press and the Swedish Covenant Hospital. At first glance, the article appears to present a confusing list of unrelated organizations, but closer inspection reveals a coherent pattern.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , March 1980 , pp. 62 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1980

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References

1. Hitt, Russell T., “Capital of Evangelicalism,” Christian Life 5 (04 1952):16.Google Scholar

2. Ibid., pp. 16–18, 46–48. Christian Life itself was an interesting symbol of a growing evangelical wing of Protestantism. Christian Life was formed in 1948 by enterprising young evangelical publishers who wanted a market for a breezy, “Christian” version of Life magazine. Christian Life 1 (07 1948):3.Google Scholar

3. “The Third Force in Christendom,” Life (06 9, 1958):113–121;Google Scholar and Van Dusen, Henry P., “The Third Force's Lesson for Others,” Life (06 9, 1958):122, 125.Google Scholar See also McLoughlin, William G., “Is There a Third Force in Christendom?” Daedalus 96 (Winter 1967):43–68;Google ScholarHudson, Winthrop S., American Protestantism (Chicago, 1961), pp. 153–176.Google Scholar

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5. Hudson, , American Protestantism, pp. 155–165.Google Scholar Here I am especially indebted to my colleagues in a research project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, “The American Evangelical Mosaic.” For information on evangelical groups, see Sandeen, Ernest R., The Roots of Fundamentalism, British and American Millenarianism, 1800–1930 (Chicago, 1970);Google ScholarSmith, Timothy L., Called Unto Holiness, The Story of the Nazarenes: The Formative Years (Kansas City, Mo., 1962);Google ScholarKendrick, Klaude, The Promise Fulfilled: A History of the Modern Pentecostal Movement (Springfield, Mo., 1961);Google ScholarMurch, James DeForest, Christians Only: A History of the Restoration Movement (Cincinnati, 1962);Google ScholarBarnes, William Wright, History of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1845–1953 (Nashville, 1954);Google ScholarRudnick, Milton L., Fundamentalism and the Missouri Synod (St. Louis, 1966);Google ScholarKromminga, John Henry, The Christian Reformed Church: A Study in Orthodoxy (Grand Rapids, 1949);Google ScholarDyck, Cornelius J., ed., An Introduction to Mennonite History (Scottdale, Pa., 1967);Google ScholarFrazier, E. Franklin, The Negro Church in America (New York, 1964).Google Scholar

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12. Kincheloe, Samuel C., Research Memorandum on Religion in the Depression, Social Science Research Council #17 (New York, 1937), p. 93.Google Scholar See also, “Why No Revival?” The Christian Century 52 (09. 18, 1935);1168–1170;Google Scholar“Billy Sunday, the Last of His Line,” The Christian Century 52 (11. 20, 1935):1476.Google Scholar

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18. “Bible Schools That are True to the Faith,” Sunday School Times 72 (02 1, 1930): 63 (hereafter cited as SST).Google Scholar

19. Sandeen, Ernest R. suggests this development, pointing out in The Roots of Fundamentalism (pp. 241–243)Google Scholar that the scope of Bible institute activity was such that the schools functioned as denominational surrogates.

20. Showers, Renald E., “A History of Philadelphia College of Bible,” (M.Th. Thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1962), pp. 69, 81, 86;Google ScholarBrief Facts About the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago (Chicago, 1928);Google ScholarMoody Bible Institute Bulletin 12 (11 1932):14;Google Scholar 16(November 1936):15.

21. “Institute Items,” The King's Business 3 (11 1912):295–296;Google ScholarShowers, , “Philadelphia College,” pp. 69, 89;Google ScholarA Brief Story of the Bible Institute Colportage Association of Chicago: Forty-five Years of Printed Page Ministry (Chicago, 1939).Google Scholar

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24. Moody Bible Institute Bulletin 12 (11 1932):14;Google Scholar 16 (November 1936):15; “Miracles and Melodies,” MM 42 (04 1942):487.Google Scholar Figures on radio staff itineraries compiled from Annual Report of the Radio Department of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago for the years 1929–1941; “President's Report,” Moody Bible Institute Bulletin 17 (10 1937):3;Google Scholar typescript table taken from file six, “Enrollment,” The Moodyana Collection, Moody Bible Institute; “And Now For 50,000,” MM 41 (09 1940):4;Google ScholarN. W. Ayer and Son's Dictionary of Newspapers and Periodicals, 65th anniversary edition (Philadelphia, 1933).Google Scholar

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29. Several such colleges were advertised in MM issues from September 1930 to August 1931.

30. Albus, Harry J., “Christian Education Today,” Christian Life 1 (09 1948):26, 46;Google Scholar quoted in Gasper, Louis, The Fundamentalist Movement (The Hague, 1963), p. 104.Google Scholar

31. “The World Is Wondering About Wheaton,” Baptist Bulletin 3 (03 1938):14;Google Scholar“Wheaton College, ‘For Christ and His Kingdom,’” Baptist Bulletin 1 (11 1935):5, 11–12;Google Scholar“Dr. Buswell to be President of the National Bible Institute,” SST 83 ( 0524, 1941):434;Google Scholar“Wheaton Annuities,” SST 79 (09 4, 1937):61;Google Scholar“Wheaton College,” Watchman-Examiner 29 (10 16, 1941):1067.Google Scholar The survey of higher education in the October 11, 1936 issue of The New York Times, section 2, p. 5, confirms the claims for that year.

32. “Wheaton College, Harvard of the Bible Belt,” Change 6 (03 1974):17–20;Google ScholarMcLoughlin, , Modern Revivalism, p. 486;Google Scholar Carl FHenry, F. H., “Twenty Years a Baptist,” Foundations 1 (1958):46–47.Google Scholar

33. Dixon Wecter reported that as many as thirty-five million Americans went on vacation trips each summer in the thirties. Wecter, , The Age of the Great Depression, 1924–1941 (New York, 1948), p. 225.Google Scholar

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37. “Forthcoming Conferences,” MM 30 (06 1930):517;Google Scholar“Forthcoming Conferences,” MM 41 (06 1941):614.Google Scholar

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39. Ibid.

40. “Why Attend A Summer Conference?” SST 79 (05 15, 1937):348.Google Scholar

41. Herman S. Hettinger, “Broadcasting in the United States” and Spencer Miller, J., “Radio and Religion,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 177 (01 1935):6, 140CrossRefGoogle Scholar; “Fortune Survey: Radio Favorites,” Fortune (01 1938): 88;Google Scholar“A Directory of Evangelical Radio Broadcasts,” SST 74 (01 23, 1932):44–45.Google Scholar

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45. “Another Year of Miracle Radio Broadcast,” p. 720; Fuller, , Give the Winds a Mighty Voice, pp. 113–122.Google Scholar

46. Untitled listing of radio programs, SST 73 (04 12, 1931):184;Google Scholar“The Sunday School Times Radio Directory,” SST 73 (05 30, 1931):313;Google Scholar Charles E. Fuller File, Baptist Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board Registry, the Samuel Colgate Library of the American Baptist Historical Society, Rochester, New York; Gasper, , The Fundamentalist Movement, p. 77;Google Scholar “Another Year of Miracle Gospel Broadcast,” p. 720; Fuller, , Give the Winds a Mighty Voice, p. 140.Google Scholar

47. Gasper, , The Fundamentalist Movement, pp. 19–20, 76–78;Google ScholarDollar, George A., A History of Fundamentalism (Greenville, S. C., 1973), pp. 255–257;Google Scholar“Hear WMBI Favorites On Your Station,” MM 41 (09 1940):31.Google Scholar

48. Laws, Curtis Lee, “Shall Baptists Go Out of Business?” Watchman-Examiner 24 (01 2, 1936): 13;Google Scholar“The Tragedy of the Northern Baptist Convention,” Watchman-Examiner 24 (06 11, 1936):699;Google Scholar“The Tragedy of It All,” Baptist Bulletin 6 (07 1940):1;Google ScholarAnnual of the Northern Baptist Convention, 1937 (Philadelphia, 1937), p. 28.Google Scholar

49. A classic fundamentalist exposé of the missions situation is in Ketcham, Robert T., Facts for Baptists To Face (Chicago, 1937), pp. 5–15.Google ScholarBrown, Lewis A., “A Missionary Speaks Plainly,” Watchman-Examiner 25 (03 18, 1937):300,Google Scholar and Thomas, Carey S., “Is Non-Cooperation Justifiable?” Watchman-Examiner 25 (02 18, 1937): 179–181,Google Scholar are lamentations of the nonsupport of conservatives.

50. Handy, , A Christian America, pp. 190–196.Google ScholarHocking, William E., ed., Rethinking Missions (New York, 1932)Google Scholar is the major report of the findings of the Laymen's Foreign Missions Inquiry.

51. Glover, Robert Hall, “What Is a Faith Mission?” Missionary Review of the World 58 (09 1935):409–411;Google Scholar“Suggestions for Your Christmas Giving,” SST 73 (12 26, 1931):737;Google ScholarGordon, Ernest, “A Survey of Religious Life and Thought,” SST 81 (06 24, 1939):430;Google ScholarGlover, Robert Hall, “Decrease in Missions Giving—Its Real Cause and Cure,” Revelation 7 ( 06 1937):241.Google Scholar

52. “Suggestions for Your Christmas Giving,” SST 73 (12 26, 1931):737;Google Scholar“A New Missionary Board for the Old Faith,” SST 76 (05 5, 1934):287;Google Scholar“The Presbyterian Controversy,” MM 35 (05 1935):411;Google Scholar“Suggestions for Your Christmas Giving,” SST 83 (12 6, 1941):1010–1111;Google ScholarGordon, , “A Survey of Religious Life and Thought,” p. 430.Google Scholar

53. President's yearly reports, MBI Bulletin 12 (11 1932):5;Google Scholar 13 (April 30, 1933):3; 14 (November 1934):4; 16 (November 1936):6; 17 (February 1938):3; 18 (February 1939):3;19 (February 1940):8; 20 (February 1941):6; 21 (February 1942):5; The Appeal of the Century (Chicago, ca. 1937), p. 5.Google Scholar

54. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Denominations; Landis, Benson Y., ed., Yearbook of American Churches, 1941 (New York, 1941);Google Scholar compare Ahlstrom, , A Religious History of the American People, p. 920.Google Scholar

55. McLoughlin, , Modern Revivalism, pp. 480–487.Google Scholar

56. Sandeen, , Roots of Fundamentalism, pp. xviii–xxiii.Google Scholar

57. Gerlach, Luther P. and Hine, Virginia H., People, Power, Change: Movements of Social Transformation (Indianapolis, 1970), pp. xvi–xix.Google Scholar