Defenders of God: The Fundamentalist Revolt Against the Modern Age

In Lawrence's assessment, fundamentalists are ``the righteous remnant turned vanguard,'' last-ditch defenders of God, fighting what they perceive to be dangerous modernist values of personal autonomy and relativism. Fundamentalism, asserts this Duke University historian, is a form of ideology rather than a theology, and as such, it is a multicultural and ``cross-creedal'' outlook common to certain American Protestants, Muslims and right-wing, ``quasi-Hasidic'' Israeli parties such as Gush Emunim. In the first half of this bold, original study, Lawrence lays the philosophical and historical groundwork for his analysis by discussing Eurocentrism, nationalism and the marginalization of religion. The second half consists of case studies drawn from the three major monotheistic religions. He predicts that, in the long run, fundamentalism will not be able to control public discourse or activity in any major nation-state. (Nov.)