Abstract
The conclusion considers the substantial cultural changes within evangelicalism, from the age of William Jennings Bryan to the era of Donald Trump. The most successful feature of the creation science platform has been the social argument of the moral dangers of evolutionary theory to evangelicalism—but Huskinson argues that this may be difficult to maintain, given the current conservative evangelical political partnership with a figure with no evangelical bona fides. Future scholarly work on American evangelicalism must admit that its subject has reinvented itself, with knock-on effects on such standard elements of evangelical faith and life as creation science and intelligent design. Huskinson relates observations from his fieldwork at several creation science sites, and concludes with a consideration of the future of science communication, particularly with American creationists, as an endeavour which must alter its course if it is to reach an audience which has become increasingly insular since the 1960s.
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Notes
- 1.
For example, see Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, American Religious Identity Survey, Summary Report (Hartford: Trinity College, 2009), 7.
- 2.
“Religious Landscape Study: Racial and ethnic composition,” Pew Research Center, 2018, http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/racial-and-ethnic-composition/.
- 3.
Sarah P. Bailey, “White evangelicals voted overwhelmingly for Trump, exit polls show,” Washington Post (Washington, DC), November 9, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/11/09/exit-polls-show-white-evangelicals-voted-overwhelmingly-for-donald-trump/?utm_term=.2d9f9e2077c9. See also Carl Bialik, “No, Voter Turnout Wasn’t Way Down From 2012,” FiveThirtyEight, November 15, 2016, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/no-voter-turnout-wasnt-way-down-from-2012/.
- 4.
Leinz Vales, “Evangelical leader Franklin Graham says Trump is a ‘changed person’,” CNN Politics, January 24, 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/24/politics/graham-evangelicals-support-trump-don-lemon-cnntv/index.html.
- 5.
It bears mentioning that at the time this book is being edited for publication, two articles of impeachment against Trump have been passed by the House of Representatives: one for abuse of power and another for obstruction of Congress. There are also indications that the House may consider additional articles of impeachment, including one for obstruction of justice. See Kevin Breuninger, “House Judiciary Committee says it could draft ‘new articles of impeachment’ against Trump,” CNBC Politics, December 23, 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/23/judiciary-panel-says-it-could-draft-new-articles-of-impeachment-against-trump.html.
- 6.
The petition lists more than 100 Evangelical leaders as its authors. At the time of this writing, there are more than 23,700 signatures. See “A Declaration by American Evangelicals Concerning Donald Trump,” Change.org, https://www.change.org/p/donald-trump-a-declaration-by-american-evangelicals-concerning-donald-trump.
- 7.
I had originally requested access to the archives of ICR, but had been refused. Despite the materials being in the possession of AiG, there remained the possibility of ICR’s consideration that AiG might simply be temporary caretakers of the materials. I therefore concluded it would be unethical to include the materials in my research. CSRC had also denied me access to their archives, citing how their previous cooperation with scholarly projects had left them feeling mischaracterized.
- 8.
Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion (Boston: Houghton Mufflin, 2006).
- 9.
Richard Dawkins, Personal Interview, Oxford, United Kingdom, 20 March 2018.
- 10.
Frank M. Turner, Contesting Cultural Authority: Essays in Victorian Intellectual Life (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 179.
- 11.
Peter J. Bowler, Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution and Christianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007), 4.
- 12.
Ronald L. Numbers, “An Overview of the Bibliography on Science and Religion,” (lecture, Science and Religion Summer School, Kolympari, Crete, June 5, 2017).
- 13.
See www.biologos.org.
- 14.
See “Religious Landscape Study—Evangelical Protestants,” Pew Research Center, http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/evangelical-protestant/.
References
“A Declaration by American Evangelicals Concerning Donald Trump.” Change.org. https://www.change.org/p/donald-trump-a-declaration-by-american-evangelicals-concerning-donald-trump.
Bailey, Sarah P. “White Evangelicals Voted Overwhelmingly for Trump, Exit Polls Show.” Washington Post (Washington, DC). November 9, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/11/09/exit-polls-show-white-evangelicals-voted-overwhelmingly-for-donald-trump/?utm_term=.2d9f9e2077c9.
Bialik, Carl. “No, Voter Turnout Wasn’t Way Down From 2012.” FiveThirtyEight. November 15, 2016. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/no-voter-turnout-wasnt-way-down-from-2012/.
Bowler, Peter. Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007.
Breuninger, Kevin. “House Judiciary Committee says It Could Draft ‘New Articles of Impeachment’ against Trump.” CNBC Politics, December 23, 2019. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/23/judiciary-panel-says-it-could-draft-new-articles-of-impeachment-against-trump.html.
Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion. Boston: Houghton Mufflin, 2006.
Kosmin, Barry, and Ariela Keysar. American Religious Identity Survey, Summary Report. Hartford: Trinity College, 2009.
Numbers, Ronald L. “An Overview of the Bibliography on Science and Religion.” Lecture at Science and Religion Summer School, Kolympari, Crete, June 5, 2017.
“Religious Landscape Study—Evangelical Protestants.” Pew Research Center. http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/evangelical-protestant/.
“Religious Landscape Study: Racial and Ethnic Composition.” Pew Research Center. 2018. http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/racial-and-ethnic-composition/.
Turner, Frank M. Contesting Cultural Authority: Essays in Victorian Intellectual Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Vales, Leinz. “Evangelical Leader Franklin Graham says Trump is a ‘Changed Person’.” CNN Politics. January 24, 2018. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/24/politics/graham-evangelicals-support-trump-don-lemon-cnntv/index.html.
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Huskinson, B.L. (2020). Conclusion. In: American Creationism, Creation Science, and Intelligent Design in the Evangelical Market. Christianities in the Trans-Atlantic World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45435-7_7
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