Fundamentalism
As American as apple pie
Where does it come from?

A set of 12 tracts published from 1910 – 1915
under the editorship of A. C. Dixon called
“The Fundamentals.”
Fundamentalist theological beliefs:
Naïve literalism
 Biblical inerrancy
 19th century millenarianism

Dispensational Millennialism
There are seven ages of human history –
“dispensations.”
 We live in the sixth age – the age of grace.
 Soon this will end and we will enter a final
period of tribulation – the millennium.

The Rapture
The faithful would suddenly disappear at the
start of the millennium.
 It was important to calculated the date
accurately from evidence in the Bible.
 For this reason it was necessary to read the
Bible literally.

Sources of opposition to evolution
After WW I it seemed something had gone
terribly wrong.
 Social exclusion – the loss of the “old order.”
 Shift from an agrarian society to an urbanized,
industrialized society.
 Less educated people were not able to follow
the “higher criticism.”

More trouble
High school textbooks were being written by
NE elite intellectuals.
 The remedy – ban the teaching of
fundamentalism!

The Scopes “Monkey Trial”
In 1925 Tennessee passed the Butler Act
forbidding the teaching of evolution in public
high school.
 The ACLU was looking for a test case. John
Scopes volunteered to be the plaintiff. Dayton
was chosen for the trial.
 All Hell broke loose.

Inherit the Wind
Clarence Darrow, a famous (or infamous) trial
lawyer was the defense attorney.
 William Jennings Bryan was the attorney for
the prosecution.
 There was so much publicity that the
courtroom threatened to collapse.

Guilty!
Scopes was found guilty and fined $100.
 The conviction was later overturned on a
technicality.
 The Butler laws stayed on the books until
1965 when the Supreme Court declared them
unconstitutional.

The “Equal Time” Strategy
A new strategy – equal time should be given
for classroom instruction in evolution and
“creation science.”
 What’s that?

The creationist taxonomy
General creationists: affirm only in a
nonspecific way that God is the ultimate
creator.
 Special creationists: assign Him one or more
“special” roles in creation.


Special creationists

Progressive creationists: interpret the six days of
Genesis allegorically.
Some view God’s actions as single or very few.
 Others a large, perhaps infinite number of acts.


Strict creationists
One group adheres to the gap theory: a long epoch
between the initial creation and the six days.
 Young earth creationists reject geological time.

Creation Science
Represents strict creationists, biblical
literalists, generally of the young earth variety.
 In 1987 the Supreme Court recognized
creation science as a religious doctrine not a
science.
 Most major Christian denominations lined up
with the Supreme Court on this issue.
 “Intelligent design” is the latest creationist
strategy.
