In the Beginning
Fundamentalism, the Scopes Trial, and the Making of the Antievolution Movement
Michael Lienesch
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 04/2007
Pages: 352
Subject: History, Social Science, Religion
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9.78E+12
eBook ISBN: 9780807884003
DESCRIPTION
Applying extensive original sources and social movement theory, Lienesch begins with fundamentalism, describing how early twentieth-century fundamentalists worked to form a collective identity, to develop their own institutions, and to turn evolution from an idea into an issue. He traces the emerging antievolution movement through the 1920s, examining debates over Darwinism that took place on college campuses and in state legislatures throughout the country. With fresh insights and analysis, Lienesch retells the story of the 1925 Scopes "monkey" trial and reinterprets its meaning. In tracking the movement from that time to today, he explores the rise of creation science in the 1960s, the alliance with the New Christian Right in the 1980s, and the development of the theory of intelligent design in our own time. He concludes by speculating on its place in the politics of the twenty-first century. In the Beginning is essential for understanding the past, present, and future debates over the teaching of evolution.