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To: Gamecock

I can't provide a direct correlation between the rise of Dispensationalism, Fundamentalism and anti-alcoholism, but there certainly is an implied correlation.

Dispensationalism led to a wide-spread evangelical movement based on the immminent return Christ, which prompted the beginnings of Fundamentalism in 1878 at Niagra, which continued into the 1920's with C.I. Scofield and leading the pack.

The idea of Christ's imminent return led to prohibitions against being in places of worldly entertainment, including theatres and bars, etc. The idea was, "you wouldn't want to be in a place like that when Christ returned, would you?"

Concurrent with that were fiery evangelists such as Billy Sunday whose messages were heavy on the evils of alcohol. They in turn, walked hand in hand with the prohibitionists, who themselves had a sort of evangelical fervor and bent.

From that time forward, it has been Fundamentalists, primarily, who put heavy stock in total abstinence. For example, attendance at major Fundamentalist institutions such as Wheaton, Moody, Taylor, Trinity, Bob Jones, etc., was dependent on a pledge of abstinence, and in some cases, a statement that one has not engaged in such activity as drinking for at least the past year.

Note: this is a quick overview, not intended as particularly scholarly, but intended to demonstrate a rather (possible) coincidental relationship of anti-alcoholism and Fundamentalism.

Have I included enough caveats?


21 posted on 11/05/2006 9:40:43 AM PST by norge
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To: norge

I agree with your historical assessment too. I think it is tied in with Carrie Nation and Prohibition as well. Assemblies of God, I know, prohibits drinking, and I believe that denomination started up around then.


23 posted on 11/05/2006 10:03:24 AM PST by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: norge

"I can't provide a direct correlation between the rise of Dispensationalism, Fundamentalism and anti-alcoholism, but there certainly is an implied correlation."

That is just nonsense. The temperance movement started out as part of the Women's Sufferage movement of the 19th century and was picked up by the Weslyan Methodist Church and spread throughout most denominations, including the Quakers. A quote from the WCTU's history:

"The crusades' primary participants were middle class Evangelical Protestant women. Many felt a national organization should be established of these crusaders. In August of 1874, Martha McClellan Brown, a long-standing temperance worker from Ohio, Jennie Willing, corresponding secretary of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist church and a professor of English language and literature at Illinois Wesleyan University, and Emily Huntington Miller used their extensive church network contacts to circulate a letter to all the women's temperance organizations that had cropped up across the country urging elect a delegatefrom each congressional district to send to a national organizing convention. 16"

"In the Second Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, November 18, 1874, 300 women assembled to establish the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Sixteen states were represented, with 135 women registered as delegates. At this convention, the organization was put in place with elected permanent officers and a constitution. Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer was elected president, with Miss Frances E. Willard as corresponding secretary, Mrs. Mary Johnson as recording secretary, and Mrs. Mary Ingham as treasurer. 17 It was also at this meeting that the rule of only women as voting delegates and office holders was firmly incorporated"


123 posted on 11/05/2006 5:11:04 PM PST by blue-duncan
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