This document summarizes the expansion and contraction of religious movements in America from the 1970s onward. It describes the rise of the New Age movement and new forms of spirituality emphasizing personal experience and healing. It also outlines the resurgence of evangelical Christianity and fundamentalism through organizations, media, and engagement in politics. Both religious trends showed expansion through grassroots communities but also contraction into distinct subcultures. The document concludes that patterns of both religious expansion and contraction are normal and interdependent parts of the pluralistic American cultural system.

1. Albanese Ch 10:
Fundamentals of the New Age

2. Pluralism and Postpluralism
• Helen Cohn Schucman -
“This is a course in
miracles. Please take
note…” (1976).
• Expansion and contraction
• “culture wars”?

3. Expansion: The New Age and
New Spirituality
1. Introduction
2. Roots of the New Age
3. Religion of the New Age
4. New Spirituality

4. Introduction to Patterns of
Contemporary Expansion
• “If we think of the nation’s
culture as the work of the
social body made up of all
Americans, we understand
it as a system. Expansion
and contraction, then,
become self-correcting
devices for the culture.
Each has its strengths,
and each its weaknesses”
(228).

5. From Movement to Spirituality
• New Age movement
• Theosophical Society
• Ascended masters
• Channels
• UFO’s
• Shirley MacLaine’s Out
On a Limb (1983)
• Millennialism to healing

6. Roots of the New Age 1
• Transcendentalists
• New Thought (affirmations)
• Theosophists
• “I AM” movement of Guy
Ballard (1878-1939)
• Arcane School of Alice
Bailey (1880-1949)
• Aetherius Society of
George King (1954)

7. Roots of the New Age 2
• Quantum physics
• Humanistic
psychology
• Parapsychology
• Holistic healers
• Astrologers
• Asian gurus
• Native American
teachers

8. New Age Religion
• Social thinkers: ordinary religion, ethics
• Individually oriented actors: extraordinary religion, ritual
and “symbolic behavior”
• “universe” and “energy” and “chakras” and “planet” and
“healing” (credo)
• New Age ethic = personal responsibility and progress
• Ritual work = small groups and communities, not
churches, includes meditation.
– Harmonial ritual (Reiki)
– Imaginal ritual (Shamanic journeying)
• New Spirituality
– Robert Bellah and “Sheilaism”
– Deepak Chopra
– Eckhart Tolle, etc.

9. Contraction: Conservative
Religion Comes of Age
1. Introduction
2. Fundamentalist and Evangelical
Identity
3. The Religion of the Fundamentalist-
Evangelical Movement

10. 1. Introduction to 20th
century Protestant
Fundamentalism
Four Characteristics of 19th-century American
Christianity influencing emergence of
Fundamentalism:
1. Biblical Realism or Conservative Christianity
2. Limited view of Science
3. Dispensationalism or Prophetic Movement
4. Holiness Movement

11. Dispensationalism
• Postmillennialism: belief that gospel will spread with the supernatural help of
the Holy Spirit; optimistic view of American civilization as the “New Israel”, the “city
on a hill”; culture would be transformed into the Kingdom of God - a golden age of
Christianity culminating in the return of Christ. This was dominant view until 1875.
• Premillennialism (millenarianism): as postmillennialism was secularized
into the Social Gospel, the supernatural agency of the Holy Spirit seemed to be left
out; evangelicals turned to a more pessimistic view of American civilization and
culture; world seen in declension with dramatic supernatural return of Christ before
establishing the golden age of Christianity. Based on biblical prophecy (e.g. Daniel
9:24, Rev. 20:4-6).
• Dwight L. Moody: “I look upon this world as a wrecked vessel. God has given me a
lifeboat and said to me, ‘Moody, save all you can.’”
• Prophecy: Old Testament had been viewed as foreshadowing of New
Testament and life of Jesus - as continuous. New view of prophecy stresses
discontinuity - distinct “ages” or dispensations (5=age of law, post exodus Israel;
6=current age of grace; 7=age of tribulation, 7 years of tumult followed by millennial
kingdom of Christ).
– Pretribulation: most believe Christians get “raptured” before the 7 years of suffering.
– Posttribulation: some believe Christians will suffer for the sins of this dispensation, and
get “raptured” after the years of suffering.

12. 20th Century Setting
1. Publication of The Fundamentals - a
development from within Conservative Christianity in America.
2. World War I - an influence from outside America
3. Higher Criticism - another influence from outside, but
taken up by Liberal Christians within America.
4. Teaching Evolution in Schools and the
Scopes Trial - the militant reaction against secular
culture and modernism.

13. • Curtis Lee Laws (1868-1946) coined
the term “fundamentalist” in 1920 during
a protest of the Northern Baptist
Convention.
* 12 booklets published 1910-1915,
edited by A. C. Dixon, authored by
conservative scholars and popular
writers.
* 3 million copies distributed free by
wealthy businessmen Lyman and Milton
Stewart.
1. The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the
Truth
1) Inerrancy of Scripture 2) Divinity of Jesus 3) Virgin Birth 4) Trinity
and 5) Christ’s Death, Resurrection, and Second Coming

14. More on “The Fundamentals”
• Nothing said about dispensationalism or premillenialism,
social or political issues - all this gets associated with
Fundamentalism later…
• Other topics besides Biblical authority and the
theological issues mentioned above are: evangelism,
missions, prayer, personal piety, and the menace of
Mormonism, Catholicism, Liberalism.
• Main point is that Christian faith must be defended, “real”
science would “prove” the faith - if it is not biased against
supernaturalism (essential to the faith).
• Many authors later regretted being associated with
“Fundamentalism” - never very popular, but important as
basic tenets.

15. 2. World War I
• Seen as result of modernism,
Nietzschean Philosophy (equating
power with moral superiority), and
higher criticism.
• This is what we will become if we
abandon “true religion”…
• Political events associated by
Preachers with personal sin - like
smoking, dancing, going to theatres….
• Sound familiar?

16. 3. Higher Criticism of Bible
German Theologians: Friedrich
Schleiermacher (1768–1834), and
Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–1872)
apply rational, naturalistic, and
historical principles to the Bible.
Multiple authors for Old Testament,
inconsistencies in New
Testament, Q-Source, redactions,
2 authors of Isaiah, etc.
Thomas F. Curtis’s The Human
Element in the Inspiration of the
Sacred Scriptures (1867)

17. 4. Militancy and Battle
Fronts
• Scopes “Monkey” Trial:
Dayton, Tenn. July 1925.
• Found guilty, then reversed on
technicality.
• William Jennings Bryan (Dem.
2-time Pres candidate, fiery
rhetorician) is cross-examined
by Clarence Darrow (super-
smart trial lawyer) and looks
bad. Press makes it even
worse.
• Viewed as science v. religion,
urban v. rural, North v. South
• Another front was the winning
over of congregations and
forming new churches (often as
splinter groups and new
denominations).

18. Decline and Resurrection
• After Scopes Trial in 1925, due to press and public
opinion, Fundamentalism was caricatured as poor,
uneducated, stubbornly narrow-minded, simple, etc.
• Went from a loose, but influential coalition of
conservatives in 1920’s to a rigid, militant, and defensive
subculture after 1925.
• Written off as marginal and obscure by Conservatives
and Liberals alike.
• Internal strife and defections left only the splinter
churches and new denominations struggling for
membership.
So how did they make their come back?

19. Why the Success of Fundamentalism?
• A sense of certainty and refuge in the midst of a hostile anti-
Christian culture.
• Lack of national cohesion allows grass-roots development.
• Evangelicalism, Depression, WWII.
• Role of Church to save souls and make everyone lay evangelists
- limited and simple, but it worked.
• Bible schools,
Sunday-school
curricula, summer retreats,
radio shows.
• Irony of appropriation of
modern technology to
spread the gospel.

20. Billy Graham (b. 1918)
Graham’s 1949 L.A. Crusade:
1) followed a period of Graham’s
own self-questioning - he is
“fully surrendered” and
“convicted”.
2) friction from local clergy,
unsure how much support to
give
3) lots of media attention
because of Hollywood
celebrities; and
4) was VERY successful and
popular. 3 weeks expanded
to 8 weeks.

21. Contemporary Contraction
• American Council of
Christian Churches
(fundamentalist)
• National Association of
Evangelicals
(moderate)
• Fuller Theological
Seminary
• “new evangelicalism”
• Christianity Today

22. Culture Wars?
• School Prayer
• Teaching of Evolution in Schools
• Gay rights/marriage
• Ten Commandments in Courts
• Abortion
• Divorce
• Religious Organizations in Schools
• Faith-Based Initiative
• Religious Discourse in Politics

23. Fundamentalist or Evangelical
• 1995 Left Behind series
of 14 books Tim LaHaye
& Jerry Jenkins - 55
million sold
• 1970 Late Great Planet
Earth by Hal Lindsey
• Premillennial
dispensationalism (Fund.)
• Sin AND grace in the
world (Evangelicalism)

24. Regional Religion (Contraction)
• Megachurches (2000+
members)
• Saddleback Church:
80,000 members
• Christian
Reconstructionism
• Dominion Theology
• Vineyard Christian
Fellowship - 600+
churches (holiness-
pentecostal)

25. Televangelism
• Pat Robertson “700 Club”
• Jerry Falwell’s “Old Time
Gospel Hour”
• Rex Humbard’s
“Cathedral of Tomorrow”
• Jim Bakker’s “PTL Club”
• Jimmy Swaggart
• Robert Schuller’s “The
Hour of Power”

26. “Armchair Religion”?
Televangelism:
• The “Electronic Church”
• Some Pentecostal, some not
• Most promoted right-wing causes with little relationship
with religion (economic success = God’s approval)
• All directed at upwardly mobile
• All VERY ambitious, modern-day prophets
• Demanded little action except mailing in checks
• Evangelicals and their constituents not very political, less
inclined to register and vote UNTIL 1980….

27. Politics and
Religion
• 1950’s Fundamentalist Anti-
Communist organizations:
– Billy James Hargis’ “Christian
Anticommunist Crusade”
– American Council of Churches
• 1979: Moral Majority (Jerry
Falwell)
• Ronald Reagan, 1980
• 1980: 29% evangelical
ministers registered
Republican, by 1984, 60%.
• Christian Coalition (Pat
Robertson)
• Focus on the Family (James
Dobson)

28. Progressive Evangelicals
• Radical Evangelicals
• Sojourners Ministries
• Sojourners magazine
• Jim Wallis and Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School
(1975)
• Evangelical Environmental
Network (EEN)
• Creation Care magazine

29. The Religion
• (creed) “getting saved” and “coming to Jesus” and the
“sinner’s prayer” and being “born again”
• “holiness” = strict morality (code)
• (cultus) “worship life” = bible groups, bible study,
prayer, mission, witnessing; rhetorical and emotional
patterns
• Bill McCartney’s Promise Keepers (1990-1997) related
to the Men’s Movement of the New Age
• Strict separation of ordinary and extraordinary, clear
boundaries, high “walls to consolidate a community”
(250).

30. Conclusions
• Pluralism -> conflict
• Postpluralism -> expansion, combinationism
• Liberals and conservatives actually very similar?
– Millennial themes
– Direct experience
– Personal transformation
– Ongoing revelation
– Need for healing
– Common language
– Literalness in belief
– Democracy of believers
– New forms of community
• Patterns of expansion and contraction are BOTH part of our
cultural system, related, and mutually dependent…!! ***