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.
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