The movement grew out of the Niagra Bible Conference of 1895, which posited Five Points of Fundamentalism as necessary standards of belief. Christ's imminent bodily return to earth. The Fundamentals was published. It insists that it is right, and those opposing it are wrong. Bitter battles have split colleges and seminaries, even Protestant denominations.
Fundamentalism opposes, among other things, evolutionary biology.
Because many in the academic world favor an evolutionary understanding of life, they treat those opposing them as anti-intellectual bigots. However, many conservative theologians and laymen who were convinced that the Five Fundamentals were valid were themselves quite involved in academia. It is from them that the modern Evangelical movement took root. Since salvation of sinners is considered God's primary purpose in dealing with sinful humanity, doctrines were considered more fundamental as they dealt more closely with saving faith. The Bible is often used as a moral code or standard of behavior.