In the Beginning: Fundamentalism, the Scopes Trial, and the Making of the Antievolution Movement (H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series)

The current controversy over teaching evolution in the public schools has grabbed front-page headlines and topped news broadcasts all across the United States. __In the Beginning__ investigates the movement that has ignited debate in state legislatures and at school board meetings. Reaching back to the origins of antievolutionism in the 1920s, and continuing to the promotion of intelligent design today, Michael Lienesch analyzes one of the most formidable political movements of the twentieth century. The current controversy over teaching evolution in the public schools has grabbed front-page headlines and topped news broadcasts all across the United States. "In the Beginning" investigates the movement that has ignited debate in state legislatures and at school board meetings. Reaching back to the origins of antievolutionism in the 1920s, and continuing to the promotion of intelligent design today, Michael Lienesch analyzes one of the most formidable political movements of the twentieth century. Applying social movement theory and using extensive original sources, 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 took place of college campuses and in legislatures throughout the country. In a central chapter, Lienesch retells the story of the 1925 Scopes "monkey" trial and reinterprets its meaning. He then reviews the mvoement from that time to today, following it through 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 an essential source for understanding past, present, and future debates over the teaching of evolution. -- from dust jacket The current controversy over teaching evolution in the public schools has grabbed front-page headlines and topped news broadcasts all across the United States. In the Beginning investigates the movement that has ignited debate in state legislatures and at school board meetings. Reaching back to the origins of antievolutionism in the 1920s, and continuing to the promotion of intelligent design today, Michael Lienesch skillfully analyzes one of the most formidable political movements of the twentieth century. 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.

Reaching back to the origins of antievolutionism in the 1920s, and continuing to the promotion of intelligent design today, Michael Lienesch skillfully analyzes the creationism movement, one of the most formidable political movements of the twentieth century. With fresh insights, 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.

Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 1 IDENTITY: Fundamentalist Foundations 21 2 MOBILIZATION: Activists and Organizations 47 3 FRAMING: The Campaign against the Colleges 72 4 ALIGNMENT: Debating Darwinism 96 5 OPPORTUNITIES: Storming the State Legislatures 128 6 STAGING: The Drama at Dayton 152 7 CLIMAX: Completing the Cycle of Contention 184 8 RENEWAL: The Continuing Re-creation of Creationism 211 Conclusion 240 Notes 254 Index 334 A 334 B 335 C 336 D 338 E 339 F 340 G 341 H 341 I 341 J 342 K 342 L 342 M 343 N 344 O 345 P 345 R 347 S 347 T 350 U 350 V 351 W 351 Y 351 Z 351 Examining the political origins of creationism, a study of the role of fundamentalism in the antievolution movement through the 1920s details early twentieth-century debates over Darwinism in educational institutions and government, analyzes the Scopes trial and its significance, and traces the rise of creation science and the theory of intelligent design.