BEMA Episode Link: 202: AD 1925 to Today
Episode Length: 19:24
Published Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:00:00 -0800
Session 5
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings bring the story to our current day, seeing what this last century has done to the world of faith that we call our own. What is Christian fundamentalism and where did it come from? And how does evangelicalism fit into all of this? As believers, we make many assumptions about the world around us, but knowing why it exists is often helpful in accepting what it is.

AD 1925 to Today Presentation

Discussion Video for BEMA 202

“Jacob Neusner, Judaic Scholar Who Forged Interfaith Bonds, Dies at 84” — The New York Times

Jacob Neusner — Wikipedia

Transcript for BEMA 202

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 202: AD 1925 to Today - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: 202 - AD 1925 to Today Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: The history of Christian fundamentalism, evangelicalism, and the intersection of Christianity with secular humanism from 1925 to the present day

This episode traces the major theological and cultural shifts in Christianity over the last century, from the battle between fundamentalism and secular humanism through World War II, the rise of modern evangelicalism, the Jesus Movement, the academic rediscovery of Jewish context, and the emergence of postmodernity. The discussion explores how these movements shaped contemporary Christianity and set the stage for understanding faith in our current cultural moment.

Key Takeaways

  • By 1925, Christianity had split into two primary camps: fundamentalism (conservative) and theological liberalism, both of which seemed like inadequate options in retrospect
  • World War II shattered the optimism of secular humanism, revealing humanity’s capacity for genocide and destruction, which gave Christianity a renewed cultural relevance
  • The modern evangelical movement, led by figures like Billy Graham and Bill Bright, democratized evangelism and created tools like the Four Spiritual Laws for everyday believers
  • The 1970s saw the Jesus Movement, a grassroots revival that brought personal faith experiences to the forefront of Christianity
  • Jacob Neusner’s scholarly work in the 1970s brought Jewish and Christian academic worlds together for the first time in 1800 years, fundamentally changing biblical interpretation
  • The rise of the internet has dramatically shortened the timeline from academic discovery to congregational knowledge, from 20-30 years to almost immediate
  • Postmodernity and the Emerging Church movement challenged evangelicalism’s certainties, creating conversations that continue to shape Christianity today
  • Despite appearing chaotic, each generation finds itself uniquely positioned for its particular cultural moment

Main Concepts & Theories

The Split of Early 20th Century Christianity

In the 1920s, Christianity faced a bifurcation that shaped the entire century. Fundamentalism emerged as a defensive reaction against modernism and secular humanism, while theological liberalism attempted to accommodate scientific and critical thinking. This split created what Marty describes as “two equally bad options” for most 20th-century Christians.

Fundamentalism emphasized:

  • Biblical inerrancy and literal interpretation
  • Separation from cultural engagement deemed “worldly”
  • Defensive posture against modern scholarship
  • Certainty in doctrine and theology

Theological Liberalism appeared to many as:

  • “A weak take on humanism with Jesus slapped on the label”
  • Accommodation to modern scientific thought at the expense of orthodox belief
  • Loss of distinctive Christian identity
  • Overemphasis on social concerns without theological grounding

The tragedy of this split was that valuable elements existed in both camps, but the polarization prevented synthesis. Those grounded in fundamentalism received deep love for Jesus and Scripture, while those in liberal Christianity engaged seriously with critical scholarship and cultural questions.

The Impact of World War II

The Second World War served as a devastating refutation of secular humanism’s optimistic vision. The 19th and early 20th centuries had been characterized by belief in inevitable human progress. Humanism suggested that humanity, given enough education and rational thought, could create utopian societies.

World War II shattered this illusion through:

  • The Holocaust and unprecedented genocide
  • Communist oppression in Stalin’s Soviet Union
  • The development and use of nuclear weapons
  • The revelation that educated, cultured societies could commit atrocities

As Marty summarizes: “Simply put, humanity isn’t as great as we thought it was.” This collapse of humanistic optimism created space for Christianity to re-engage culture with renewed relevance. The evangelical movement emerged from this opening.

The Modern Evangelical Movement

Post-World War II evangelicalism represented a “broader, softer version” of fundamentalism. Key figures like Billy Graham and Bill Bright pioneered new approaches to faith communication:

Characteristics of Modern Evangelicalism:

  • Mass evangelistic campaigns (Billy Graham crusades)
  • Campus ministry movements (Campus Crusade for Christ, now Cru)
  • Simplified gospel presentations (the Four Spiritual Laws)
  • Democratization of evangelism - not just clergy, but “normal, everyday parishioners”
  • Cultural engagement rather than separation

Historical Significance: Marty suggests this era might be viewed similarly to the printing press or Reformation - a technological and methodological revolution in gospel distribution. The Four Spiritual Laws, regardless of theological critiques, created a framework where “college students, co-workers, and soccer moms could articulate the movement of Jesus in simple language.”

The Jesus Movement (1970s)

This grassroots revival emphasized:

  • Personal relationship with Jesus
  • Emotional and experiential dimensions of faith
  • “Jesus living inside of me” - indwelling presence
  • Testimonies and personal stories
  • Countercultural expression of Christianity

Many current believers’ parents came to faith during this movement, making it a foundational experience for contemporary evangelicalism.

The Academic Revolution: Jacob Neusner and Jewish-Christian Scholarship

Perhaps the most profound development occurred largely unseen by popular Christianity. Jacob Neusner, a Jewish literary scholar with Orthodox roots, created unprecedented dialogue between Jewish and Christian academic worlds.

Context of the Divide: For approximately 1800 years - since the early Gentile church expelled Jewish believers and divorced from its Jewish roots - Christian scholarship had proceeded independently of Jewish thought. Christianity developed councils, reformations, and theological movements entirely within a Gentile framework.

Neusner’s Contribution:

  • Brought modern Christian scholars (primarily Catholic at first) into conversation with Jewish scholarship
  • Christian academics discovered interpretive frameworks “that had gone missing some 1800 years ago”
  • Established that Christian scholarship could no longer proceed “without the aid of their Jewish brothers”
  • His 950 books (written and edited) fundamentally reshaped hermeneutics

Implications for BEMA: Marty states emphatically: “BEMA is not just indebted - this whole discussion would not happen without the work of Jacob Neusner, period.” The recovery of Jewish context for understanding Scripture represents a paradigm shift comparable to the Reformation.

The Timeline Problem: Academic discoveries historically took 20-30 years to reach congregations:

  1. Discovery occurs in scholarship
  2. Vetting for academic viability
  3. Integration into seminary curricula
  4. Teaching to future pastors
  5. Those pastors getting positions
  6. Rising to teaching/preaching roles
  7. Finally communicating to congregations

The internet has dramatically accelerated this timeline, though Marty notes it distributes “all information, good and bad.”

Quantum Science and the Challenge to Modernist Certainty

The scientific revolution of the early 20th century paralleled theological shifts:

  • Newtonian Physics had suggested a mechanistic, predictable universe - supporting modernist certainty
  • Quantum Mechanics revealed fundamental unpredictability and observer-dependent reality
  • Basic principles that had seemed absolute “no longer applied in quantum science”
  • The scientific world “reeled in the implication of this development”

This scientific uncertainty reinforced broader cultural shifts toward questioning absolute knowledge, contributing to the postmodern turn.

Postmodernity and the Emerging Church

By the late 1990s, the cultural question became: “What do we truly know anyway?”

Characteristics of Postmodernity:

  • Suspicion of metanarratives and absolute claims
  • Recognition that perspective shapes understanding
  • Questioning of previously unquestioned authorities
  • What evangelicalism perceived as “moral relativism”

The Emerging Church Response:

  • Attempted to bring the Gospel into postmodern cultural conversation
  • Largely rejected by evangelicalism as dangerous
  • Seen as “the den of iniquity and the spawn of Satan himself” by conservative critics
  • No longer viable in its original form, but started necessary conversations
  • Morphed into new expressions of Christian thought

Current Landscape: The episode concludes in “Today” - characterized by:

  • Decentralized consumerism (Uber, Airbnb models)
  • Social networking reshaping human interaction
  • Uncertainty about the future of Christianity
  • Questions about what God approves in contemporary efforts
  • Yet confidence that “we find ourselves - as every generation has - perfectly placed for this future”
BEMA as Synthesis

Throughout the episode, Marty positions BEMA itself as a bringing together of previously separated streams:

  1. Fundamentalist Heritage: Love for Jesus and Scripture, personal faith
  2. Critical Scholarship: Textual criticism, Jewish context, academic rigor
  3. Cultural Engagement: Willingness to ask hard questions

“BEMA is, 100 years later, a bringing back of these two worlds, where these two worlds took two separate paths for a while to navigate some of these nuances.”

Examples & Applications

The Four Spiritual Laws

Bill Bright’s creation of the Four Spiritual Laws exemplifies the democratization of evangelism. While acknowledging potential theological limitations (“That’s all I’m going to say about that”), Marty recognizes these simple propositions empowered ordinary believers to share their faith. This represents a shift from clergy-centered ministry to participatory Christianity.

The Culture Wars

Contemporary evangelical “culture wars” (Marty humorously references the “Merry Christmas” coffee cup controversy) are interpreted not as the final spiritual battle or the promised land, but as:

  • “The awkward phases of a modern evangelicalism that is going through a sociological puberty”
  • Or potentially “the final gasping breaths of a movement coming to a very unflattering end”

This perspective offers distance and critical evaluation rather than frantic engagement or dismissive rejection.

N.T. Wright and Kingdom Theology

N.T. Wright serves as an example of how Jewish-Christian scholarly dialogue produces new theological frameworks. Wright “stands on the shoulders of a conversation that started just right in front of him, bringing a whole new set of questions to scholarship.” His Kingdom theology movement demonstrates how recovered Jewish context reshapes Christian understanding.

Brent’s Mother and the Jesus Movement

Brent’s personal connection - his mother’s 1975 conversion during the Jesus Movement - illustrates how these broad historical trends touch individual lives. This personalizes the abstract historical narrative, showing how “so many of our parents’ generation experienced that.”

The Catholic-Jewish Scholarly Connection

The timing question about Vatican II (1962-1965) and Neusner’s work raises fascinating questions about how Catholic reforms might have intersected with renewed Jewish-Christian dialogue. Brent’s question - “If they had a new council today, in light of all of this interaction with Judaism, how much would happen?” - suggests unexplored theological territory.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Historical Questions
  1. What specific theological positions distinguished fundamentalism from theological liberalism in the 1920s?
  2. How did World War I contribute to the fundamentalist-modernist controversy?
  3. What were the specific mechanisms by which World War II rehabilitated Christianity’s cultural standing?
  4. How did Billy Graham’s approach differ from previous revivalists?
  5. What were the Four Spiritual Laws, and what are the theological critiques?
Jewish-Christian Scholarship
  1. What specific interpretive insights were “lost” for 1800 years?
  2. How did Catholic scholars specifically engage with Neusner’s work?
  3. What role did the Dead Sea Scrolls (mentioned by Brent) play in this scholarly revolution?
  4. How has Protestant scholarship engaged with Jewish thought compared to Catholic?
  5. What are the practical implications of recovering Jewish context for reading Scripture?
The Emerging Church
  1. What were the core distinctives of the Emerging Church movement?
  2. Why did evangelicalism react so strongly against it?
  3. What conversations did it start that continue today?
  4. Into what has the Emerging Church “morphed”?
  5. How does BEMA relate to or differ from Emerging Church theology?
Postmodernity and Christianity
  1. Is postmodernity compatible with Christian faith, or are they fundamentally opposed?
  2. How does one maintain truth claims in a postmodern context?
  3. What is the relationship between quantum science and postmodern philosophy?
  4. How should the church respond to epistemological uncertainty?
  5. What does cultural engagement look like in a post-Christian society?
Contemporary Questions
  1. How is the internet changing the relationship between scholarship and congregational knowledge?
  2. What dangers and opportunities exist in rapid information distribution?
  3. How do decentralized platforms (Uber, Airbnb) parallel changes in church structure?
  4. What does it mean to be “perfectly placed” for our current cultural moment?
  5. Where is evangelicalism heading in the 21st century?
Theological Integration
  1. How can fundamentalism’s love for Scripture and liberalism’s critical engagement be synthesized?
  2. What does faithful cultural engagement look like without compromise?
  3. How do we maintain doctrinal commitments while remaining open to new insights?
  4. What is the relationship between academic theology and popular faith?
  5. How does recovering Jewish context change our reading of the New Testament?

Comprehension Questions

  1. What were the two main options available to Christians in 1925, and why does Marty describe them as “equally bad options” from today’s perspective?

    Answer: The two options were fundamentalism (conservative, emphasizing biblical inerrancy and separation from culture) and theological liberalism (which appeared to many as “a weak take on humanism with Jesus slapped on the label”). Marty calls them “equally bad” because fundamentalism was overly defensive and anti-intellectual while theological liberalism seemed to sacrifice distinctive Christian beliefs. From today’s perspective, we’ve learned to integrate critical thinking with robust faith, making both extreme positions seem unnecessarily limited.

  2. How did World War II change the trajectory of Christianity’s relationship with secular humanism?

    Answer: World War II shattered secular humanism’s optimistic belief that humanity could create utopian societies through reason and progress. The Holocaust, communist oppression, and nuclear war revealed that “humanity isn’t as great as we thought it was.” This collapse of humanistic optimism created an opening for Christianity to re-engage culture, leading to “a great and sudden turnaround that ushered in what I call the modern evangelistic era and the eventual rise of the Evangelical Church.”

  3. What was Jacob Neusner’s contribution to biblical scholarship, and why does Marty consider it so foundational to BEMA?

    Answer: Jacob Neusner, a Jewish literary scholar, brought Christian and Jewish academic worlds together for the first time in approximately 1800 years. Through his work (950 books written and edited), Christian scholars discovered interpretive frameworks and Jewish context that had been lost since the early Gentile church separated from its Jewish roots. Marty states, “BEMA is not just indebted - this whole discussion would not happen without the work of Jacob Neusner, period,” because recovering Jewish context is essential to BEMA’s entire approach to Scripture.

  4. Why did academic discoveries historically take 20-30 years to reach congregations, and what has changed this timeline?

    Answer: The traditional timeline required discoveries to be vetted academically, integrated into seminary curricula, taught to future pastors, and then preached by those pastors after they obtained positions and rose to teaching roles. This multi-stage process naturally took decades. The rise of the internet has dramatically accelerated this distribution, though Marty notes it now distributes “all information, good and bad.”

  5. How does Marty characterize the culture wars of contemporary evangelicalism, and what does this perspective suggest about how we should view them?

    Answer: Marty describes the culture wars as “not the great promised land of our day, nor are they the last and final Armageddon that we often want them to be.” Instead, they are either “the awkward phases of a modern evangelicalism that is going through a sociological puberty” or “the final gasping breaths of a movement coming to a very unflattering end.” This perspective suggests we should view culture wars with critical distance rather than investing them with ultimate significance, recognizing they may be transitional rather than definitive.

Summary

BEMA Episode 202 provides a sweeping overview of Christianity’s tumultuous journey through the 20th century into our present moment. The episode reveals how what might appear as random chaos is actually a series of collisions and reconciliations between different streams of thought.

The century began with Christianity fractured between fundamentalist certainty and liberal accommodation, neither of which proved adequate. World War II’s horrors discredited secular humanism’s optimism, creating space for Christianity’s re-engagement with culture through the evangelical movement. Figures like Billy Graham and Bill Bright democratized faith-sharing, while the 1970s Jesus Movement brought experiential, personal faith to the forefront.

Simultaneously, in the academic world, Jacob Neusner’s groundbreaking work reunited Jewish and Christian scholarship after 1800 years of separation, fundamentally changing biblical interpretation. This recovery of Jewish context, combined with shifts in science (quantum mechanics) and philosophy (postmodernity), created the conditions for new theological frameworks like N.T. Wright’s Kingdom theology.

The Emerging Church attempted to navigate postmodern culture but was largely rejected by evangelicalism, though it started conversations that continue today. Now, with the internet accelerating information distribution and decentralized platforms reshaping social interaction, we face an uncertain but potentially promising future.

BEMA itself represents the synthesis that eluded the early 20th century - bringing together fundamentalism’s love for Jesus and Scripture with critical scholarship’s rigor and cultural engagement. Rather than choosing between previously polarized options, contemporary Christianity has the opportunity to integrate insights from multiple streams. While the path forward remains unclear, Marty concludes with confidence that “we find ourselves - as every generation has - perfectly placed for this future.”

The episode encourages listeners to view our current moment not with anxiety about decline or triumphalism about culture wars, but with informed perspective about how we arrived here and cautious optimism about where we might be going.

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