Intelligent Design and Fundamentalist Opposition to Evolution

The rise of political Christian fundamentalism has brought with it an increasingly well-organized attack on evolution. Recently, proponents of Intelligent Design (ID) have, with successes and failures, pushed the debate over evolution into a more public arena—ID is a contentious issue for local and state school boards, and the necessity of including ID in school science curricula is a key political issue in the United States and other predominantly Christian nations.
This book analyzes fundamentalists’ scientific and political attempts to advance creationism over evolution through the new medium of Intelligent Design. The first chapter discusses the development of evolution from Darwin’s original work to its standing as a supported tenet of modern science. Subsequent chapters trace the history of fundamentalism, the twin threats fundamentalists perceive from evolution and criticism of the Bible, and the ways that fundamentalists historically argued the case for creationism. The final chapters examine conflicting biblical interpretations and the Bible’s historical accuracy, and offer case studies that show evolution’s benefits to human welfare. Appendices include tables of contents for all 12 volumes of The Fundamentals, a list of medical breakthroughs over the past 100 years, extracts from the December 2005 U.S. District Court ruling over ID in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and a glossary of terms.

Angus M. Gunn, professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, has written numerous books—as well as articles and media productions—on such topics as education, geography and environmental science. A native of Scotland, he lives in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Angus M. Gunn
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 215
Bibliographic Info: photos, glossary, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2743-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0001-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Introduction      1

1. Understanding the Theory of Evolution      13

2. Identifying American Christian Fundamentalism Today      37

3. Opposing Biblical Criticism, 1865 to 1900      63

4. Circling the Wagons, 1910 to 1915      89

5. Attacking Evolution in New Ways After 1960      112

6. Interpreting the Bible      135

7. Using Biological Research Findings for Human Welfare      164

Conclusion      175

Appendix A: Preface and Tables of Contents for The Fundamentals:

A Testimony to the Truth, Volumes One to Twelve      179

Appendix B: Medical Breakthroughs Over 100 Years      189

Appendix C: Extracts from the Judgment of United States District

Court, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, December 20, 2005,

Regarding the Dover Area School District      191

Glossary      197

Bibliography      201

Index      203

“recommended”—Choice.