"Towards a Definition of Fundamentalism for Today"

Moderator and Respondent:
Harold K. Bush, Jr., Dept. of English, St. Louis University

Panelists:
Margaret Bendroth, Dept. of History, Calvin College
Arthur Versluis, Dept. of American Thought and Language,
Michigan State University
Timothy Hall, Dept. of History, Central Michigan University

What does it mean to be a fundamentalist? How is this contentious term currently configured? Does fundamentalist even mean anything anymore, or is it just an  epithet that is more destructive and invective, rather than descriptive? The three  panelists will each give a 10 min. response, each focusing on different themes of  what might be included in an attempt to define fundamentalism, such as gender,  political campaigns, media representation, or religious doctrine. The respondent  will attempt to tie all three presentations together and then go beyond them toward  a sketch of how the term is currently used. These responses will all take into  consideration a brief, 2-3 pp. set of basic definitions from folks like Grant Wacker,  George Marsden, Joel Carpenter, Mark Noll, and Martin Marty. This document  will be copied and given to all conference registrants prior to the panel session.  Our talks will be in response to these basic definitions. Following the formal  presentation, there will be ample time for moderated Q&A from the audience.