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Can You Explain Your Use of the Term “Fundamentalist?”

Question:

I am curious exactly what your definition of Fundamentalist means. Do you define it to mean any Christian (Eastern Orthodox, Protestant) who does not adhere or belong to Catholicism? I find the term Fundamentalist pejorative. When non-Christians use it, it usually signifies any one who is legalistic, takes the Bible literally, or is a complete moron.

Answer:

We use the term Fundamentalist to refer to that group of Protestants who apply the term to themselves. It is not meant to be pejorative. This group tends to be more anti-Catholic than other groups, so it gets more attention from us than other groups, who generally are discussed in proportion to the frequency and intensity of their attacks on the Catholic Church. Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox do not count as Fundamentalists for the simple reason that they do not use the term for themselves.

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