Christian fundamentalism began in the late 19th- and early 20th-century among
British and
American Protestants as a reaction to
theological liberalism and cultural
modernism. Fundamentalists argued that 19th century modernist theologians had misinterpreted or rejected certain
doctrines, especially
biblical inerrancy, that they viewed as the fundamentals of Christian faith. A few scholars regard
Catholics who reject modern theology in favor of more traditional doctrines as fundamentalists. Scholars debate how much the terms
"evangelical" and "fundamentalist" are synonymous.