This volume shows that the Bible does not support biblical fundamentalism. Biblical fundamentalists regard themselves as 'Bible Christians', but they ask the Bible to be things that it is not. Some call it the 'cornerstone' or 'foundation' of our faith; terms which scripture itself reserves for Christ. In Muslim understanding, when you hear the Qur'an read in Arabic, you hear the voice of Allah. There has never been an equivalent claim in Christianity, but the fundamentalist doctrine of plenary verbal inspiration comes close. Most fundamentalists also expect scripture to be plain-meaning and factually inerrant. The chapters in this book set out to show that such views of scripture fall outside of orthodox Christianity, and can be held only by distorting the nature of the Bible.

Social, moral and theological implications of such distortion are explored through more than 15 case-studies, which look at: the attractions of fundamentalism; attempts to 'heal' homosexuals; how fundamentalist marriages handle demands for wifely submission; arguments over creation science in schools; fundamentalist techniques for harmonising factually conflicting passages of scripture; 'post-conservative' attempts to reframe Christianity outside of a fundamentalist mould; and struggles with guilt and doubt.

Harriet A. Harris is Chaplain of Wadham College, Oxford and teaches Theology and Philosophy in the University of Oxford. She has written Fundamentalism and Evangelicals for Oxford University Press, numerous articles on Protestant fundamentalist thought and activity, and some comparative reflections on fundamentalisms across the world faiths.