The essays in "The Fundamentals" focussed on the defense of the core doctrines of conservative Protestantism. The most prominent was belief in the literal truth in the Bible, which had been challenged in the 1800s by a new approach which cast the Bible as a mixture of folklore, history and poetry rather than a divinely authored text. Other elements of the essays were belief in the virgin birth, resurrection, the second coming and attacks on other Christian faiths.

The essays were inspired by conflict in the 1800s between conservative Protestants and an increasing number of liberals who sought to accomodate scientific beliefs, for example in evolution. Another factor was that in the 1800s, the large evangelical Protestant factions dominated the American religious landscape. Now not only was there increasing secularism and dissesnsion in the ranks, but increasing competition from Jewish and Catholic immigrants.

The most significant issue was the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. In fact, during the 1890s, conservative Presbyterians brought formal charges of heresy against three prominant seminary professors who did not strictly follow the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. Two were dismissed and the third resigned.

Another important development within conservative Protestism in the late 1800s was the widespread acceptance of the doctrine of dispensational premillenialism, a supernatural interpretation of history based on a literalist reading of the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelations and first made popular by John Darby. According to this doctrine, all of history is divided into distinct eras (or dispensions). Within each era, God sets a test for humanity which it ultimately fails so that each era ends in a catastrophic event e.g. the flood. The present age is the "Church age" which is the sixth or next-to-last era. Most people have failed to achieve salvation and Christianity itself has been corrupted by heresy. At the end of this dispension, will be the rapture of true Christians followed by catastrophe. The last era will be marked by the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the final judgement. This became one of the most distinctive features of conservative Protestantism in the 19th century.

An important development beginning in the 1870s were a series of non-denominational Bible conferences which brought together conservatives to discuss and reaffirm their beliefs. It was in these conferences as well as Biblical schools such as founded by evangelist Dwight L. Moody that the doctrine of biblical inerrancy and dispensational premillenialism became popularised amongst conservatives.

Only after the civil war did liberalism become an important force in the US religious scene. They believed that religious beliefs should be reconciled with modern scientific findings even if they contradicted traditional doctrines e.g. the abandonment of the account of creation where God created the world in 6 days. They also approached the Bible in a way known as "higher criticism" where the Bible was the work of human rather than divine origin. Liberals strongly emphasised the concept of free will. Sin was a form of error or the product of social ills rather than an intrinsic component of human nature. This fostered belief in humanity's redemption through the spread of Christianity. They thus rejected the catatrosphe and Second Coming theory espoused by conservatives.

At this point the chapter continues with discussion of confrontation between conservatives and liberals wihin different Churches, the Scopes Monkey trial as an example of how after failing to change the denominations from within, conservatives attempted to target teaching in public schools and finally the transformation to the modern potent political force they are today.
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