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A review by wfryer
Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion by Edward J. Larson
5.0
Well written and researched, so relevant to modern day
Despite the passage of 94 years, the 1925 Scopes Trial remains an important and relevant cultural event in the United States which we need to both study and understand to effectively work in the religious and scientific context of the 21st-century. I was struck by how powerfully media interpretations of events, like the play and movie, “Inherit the Wind,” have and continue to shape public perceptions of historical events, even when the authors explicitly state that they are not fully intending to do so. (That book and movie was more a commentary on McCarthyism of the 1950s than it was the religious and scientific debates of the mid-1920s.)
I also found the deep dive into the politics and ideas of William Jennings Bryan as well as Clarence Darrow and the ACLU extremely enlightening. Too often as humans we want to paint with stereotypical brushes, and pretend we completely understand people or events because we perceive a few facts vaguely. That may be the case with William Jennings Bryan. One thing which is not mentioned at all in the book is the way in which DNA evidence has and continues to inform our understanding of evolution and origins from common ancestors, as well as the incredibly rich complexity of life. Of course this is not a book solely focused on evolution, it is focused on the 1925 Scopes Trial, but there is much food for thought here. We continue to be informed by both science and historical analyses. I highly recommend this book and found it to be enlightning. I am looking forward to sharing it with our Sunday school class this Sunday, as we are continuing our study titles, “Curiosity and Questions: Jesus and Faith.”
Learn more on http://followJesus.wesfryer.com
Despite the passage of 94 years, the 1925 Scopes Trial remains an important and relevant cultural event in the United States which we need to both study and understand to effectively work in the religious and scientific context of the 21st-century. I was struck by how powerfully media interpretations of events, like the play and movie, “Inherit the Wind,” have and continue to shape public perceptions of historical events, even when the authors explicitly state that they are not fully intending to do so. (That book and movie was more a commentary on McCarthyism of the 1950s than it was the religious and scientific debates of the mid-1920s.)
I also found the deep dive into the politics and ideas of William Jennings Bryan as well as Clarence Darrow and the ACLU extremely enlightening. Too often as humans we want to paint with stereotypical brushes, and pretend we completely understand people or events because we perceive a few facts vaguely. That may be the case with William Jennings Bryan. One thing which is not mentioned at all in the book is the way in which DNA evidence has and continues to inform our understanding of evolution and origins from common ancestors, as well as the incredibly rich complexity of life. Of course this is not a book solely focused on evolution, it is focused on the 1925 Scopes Trial, but there is much food for thought here. We continue to be informed by both science and historical analyses. I highly recommend this book and found it to be enlightning. I am looking forward to sharing it with our Sunday school class this Sunday, as we are continuing our study titles, “Curiosity and Questions: Jesus and Faith.”
Learn more on http://followJesus.wesfryer.com