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So far this season I've covered William Jennings Bryan, a man who enjoyed the nickname "Mr. Fundamentalist". But he wasn't really a fundamentalist. Experts point to another man as the true face of fundamentalism. That man was William Bell Riley. He was a famous preacher in his day, bouncing around the midwest until he settled in Minnesota. He founded the Northwestern schools to spread his vision of Christianity and picked debates with modernists at the University of Chicago. He formed the World's Christian Fundamentals Association to help deliver denominations from modernism.

But... he lost. A bunch.

In this episode we explore the life of William Bell Riley to discover why he and the fundamentalists burned brightly, only to fizzle out a few years later.

Helpful Links:

God's Empire by William Vance Trollinger
Minnesota History article about Riley
New Hampshire Confession
Fundamentalism and American Culture by George Marsden
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald

Discussion Questions:

How should we react to heresy?
Do you look for strong leaders like William Bell Riley or do you prefer calm leaders? Why?
Do you have a creed you live by? Does your church profess one? Why or why not?
How do Bible schools shape our world? Have they impacted your life or the lives of friends?
Riley and his friends lost in part because they were all trying to be leaders. Do you think you could submit to the leadership of others? If so, who?

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Mr. Fundamentalist | Christian Fundamentalism Series