Readers accustomed to handbooks that are stylistically encyclopedic will likely find The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism refreshing. Featuring chapter-length essays, editors David Ceri Jones and Andrew Atherstone’s volume is comprised of the work of scholars whose expertise ranges from the theological perspectives of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Americans to culture wars over race, class, and sexuality. While the essays are not especially groundbreaking, the contributing authors’ depictions of historical actors, analyses of significant events, and discussions of key primary and secondary sources make this a valuable resource for students new to fundamentalism’s history and seasoned scholars alike.

Jones and Atherstone set the tone for the rest of their book in an insightful introduction (“Defining and Interpreting Christian Fundamentalism”) that establishes the central events and historiographical arguments that framed fundamentalism’s heritage. They also explain one of their most significant editorial decisions – namely, having the contributing authors focus on how “the language of fundamentalism has been used and applied among Protestant Christians” (p. 6) rather than upon establishing a central definition of Christian fundamentalism. Approaching the topic as an ongoing discussion is consistent with how scholarly interpretations have expanded over time, moving from initial debates about the nature of American Christian fundamentalism to studies about various religious groups across the globe that are characterized by militancy, reactionary politics, and the dogmatic defense of a central religious text. While its focus on Christianity leaves little room for comparative religious studies, The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism maintains a global emphasis by examining communities that existed well beyond fundamentalism’s American origins.

Jones and Atherstone organized their book into five thematic sections – Historical Developments; Fundamentalist Convictions; Fundamentalists and Personal Morality; Fundamentalism and the “World”; and Fundamentalist Futures – that are complimentary enough to provide an extensive account of the movement’s nature and significance. The essays in Part One deal with the trajectory of fundamentalism’s historical development. While they cover familiar ground such as the construction of The Fundamentals, the Scopes Trial, and the rise of Billy Graham and his fellow New Evangelicals, the authors in Part One draw readers into their stories through compelling narratives and engagement with significant historiographical questions. Part Two seeks to explain how “convictions” about biblical inerrancy, creationism, separatism, and eschatology shaped fundamentalists’ beliefs and practices. By focusing on what concerned fundamentalists (e.g., Darwinian evolution) and what they advanced (e.g., biblical literalism), the seven authors in this section show how a mixture of fear, apprehension, and hermeneutical certitude shaped fundamentalist mentalities.

Fundamentalists regularly discuss their future heavenly citizenship, but their behavior is primarily driven by present-day conflicts over human institutions. Part Three explores fundamentalist interactions with the broader world under the theme of “Personal Morality.” Personal does not always mean private for fundamentalists when it comes to moral standards, a fact that the section’s authors convey when they examine fundamentalist attempts to establish cultural norms on issues like education, alcohol, gender, and sexuality. The authors in the last two sections – “Fundamentalism and the ‘World’” and “Fundamentalist Futures” – go even further in analyzing the tension that derives from fundamentalists attempting to evangelize and sanctify the broader world while still striving to preserve purity within their subculture. While no singular strategy for resolving this tension ever emerged, most fundamentalists moved into the twenty-first century preferring activism to quietism. This meant, these scholars persuasively argue, that fundamentalists had to be more strategic and pragmatic in their interactions with unbelievers than their doctrinaire rhetoric about maintaining purity suggests.

To make sense of fundamentalism’s global influence, Jones and Atherstone designed their handbook to look beyond the borders of the United States, which as the birthplace of Christian fundamentalism tends to dominate conversations about the movement. To be sure, some readers will undoubtedly see the book’s scope as too limited, especially because more attention is paid to Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States than to the rest of the world. Still, numerous chapters contain the type of cross-cultural comparisons necessary for readers to comprehend how fundamentalists’ adaptations to communal practices gave rise to variation within the movement.

While they highlight fundamentalism’s growing global influence, the contributing authors acknowledge that the only way the world’s estimated 100 million self-identified fundamentalists (p. 694) shape politics and culture is through establishing allies for their causes. As they expound upon this topic, these scholars give particular attention to “the porous boundaries that often exist between fundamentalism and evangelicalism” (p. 6). Since so much of The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism’s focus is on the movement’s public actions, it makes sense that fundamentalists’ relationships with conservative evangelicals who share many of their perspectives and tactics have a prominent place in the book. And yet, because there is no central definition of either fundamentalism or evangelicalism in the work, the “boundaries” between these groups often shift from chapter to chapter. Some readers may find this lack of consistent elucidation frustrating, but the contributing authors’ approach is consistent with ongoing scholarly debates over questions such as what, if any, differentiation exists between fundamentalists and evangelicals.

To their credit, the contributing authors engage this and several other relevant historiographical topics without losing sight of their main goal of explaining how fundamentalists have been and remain a powerful force throughout much of the world. As such, those seeking an introduction to studies about the history and nature of fundamentalism will find The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism to be an excellent resource. Those already familiar with the topic will also find value in the work, especially because its thoroughly researched essays are both thoughtful and engaging.