Fundamentalism and Education in the Scopes Era: God, Darwin, and the Roots of America’s Culture Wars

259 Pages·2010·2.329 MB·English

by  Adam Laats (auth.)

Fundamentalism and
Education in the Scopes Era
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Fundamentalism and
Education in the Scopes Era
God, Darwin, and the Roots
of America’s Culture Wars
Adam Laats
fundamentalism and education in the scopes era
Copyright © Adam Laats, 2010.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2010 978-0-230-62372-9
All rights reserved.
First published in 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United
States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world, this
is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered
in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire
RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and
has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the
United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-38507-2 ISBN 978-0-230-10679-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230106796
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library
of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Scribe Inc.
First edition: May 2010
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Transferred to Digital Printing in 2011
Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Part I: Fundamentalism and Fundamentalists
1 A New Kind of Protestant 11
2 What’s in a Name? 23
Part II: God and School
3 Campus Skirmishes 43
4 Early Legislative Battles 61
5 Of Monkeys and Men 77
Part III: Monkeys and Modernism
6 School Legislation after Scopes 99
7 College Controversies after Scopes 121
8 Fundamentalists, Bibles, and Schooling in the 1920s 139
Part IV: Fundamentalism Transformed
9 Fundamentalists and the New Fundamentalism 159
10 Fundamentalists Outside the New Fundamentalism 175
Conclusion 189
Epilogue: Into the Future 193
Notes 201
Index 247
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Preface
The research for this book was not motivated by a desire to defend or to attack
fundamentalism. I was not raised in a fundamentalist or evangelical church. My
family was loosely attached to a number of different liberal Protestant churches
and now I attend Catholic services. Nevertheless, as every historian must do,
I have tried to develop a sympathy for the goals of fundamentalists and evan-
gelicals in order to gain a fuller understanding of their educational campaigns.
In the end, however, I take the position of an outside observer. This distance
has probably made me slower to pick up some of the nuances of fundamen-
talist language than an insider might be. But it has also allowed me to avoid
the temptation to gloss over the parts of fundamentalism that do not match
my ideals. Of course, no writer can avoid coloring his research with his own
perspective. However, this study has been motivated by an academic interest in
a complex theological and educational movement, not by a desire to justify or
condemn the activism and ideas of fundamentalists in the 1920s.
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Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without generous assistance from a
number of sources. The National Academy of Education and Spencer Foun-
dation provided a postdoctoral fellowship that helped me expand, revise, and
polish the manuscript. Travel grants from Binghamton University’s Research
Foundation and School of Education, from the University of Wisconsin’s Grad-
uate School and History Department, and from Marquette University High
School in Milwaukee allowed me to include archival material from around the
country. Archivists such as Lolana Thompson at Dallas Theological Seminary,
Patrick Robbins and Jennifer Sackett at Bob Jones University, Joe Cataio at the
Moody Bible Institute, Grace Mullen at Westminster Theological Seminary,
and Wayne Weber and Bob Shuster at the Billy Graham Center Archive all
extended themselves graciously to help me locate materials. The interlibrary
loan staff at Binghamton University’s Bartle Library helped immensely with
their ability and willingness to track down obscure state law journals.
I was lucky to have not one, but two exemplary mentors throughout the
years I have worked on this book. The work was guided from the outset by
Ronald Numbers. Ron’s early interest and continuing support and advice have
been invaluable. And Bill Reese inspired both the idea for this book and its
development. He has gone far beyond his original role as faculty adviser to help
shape my ideas and approach.
I also need to thank colleagues who read all or part of the manuscript in vari-
ous stages and offered helpful comments, ideas, and suggestions. Bill Trollinger,
Jim Carpenter, Andy Cavagnetto, David Bernstein, and Eric Pullin all helped
improve the work. Carol Mikoda spent many hours helping with the manu-
script. Of course, the final responsibility for any errors is mine.
Ain and Virginia Laats provided unflagging support, without which I could
never have devoted the required time and energy to this project. Most of all, I
thank Sandra for encouraging me to write this book when it seemed a remote
possibility. Even with the endless hours of talk about fundamentalists, educa-
tion, and the 1920s, her energy and enthusiasm never let up.