Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion

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If you haven't seen the film version of Inherit the Wind, you might have read it in high school. And even people who have never heard of either the movie or the play probably know something about the events that inspired them: The 1925 Scopes "monkey trial," during which Darwin's theory of evolution was essentially put on trial before the nation. Inherit the Wind paints a romantic picture of John Scopes as a principled biology teacher driven to present scientific theory to his students, even in the teeth of a Tennessee state law prohibiting the teaching of anything other than creationism. The truth, it turns out, was something quite different. In his fascinating history of the Scopes trial, Summer for the Gods, Edward J. Larson makes it abundantly clear that Truth and the Purity of Science had very little to do with the Scopes case. Tennessee had passed a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution, and the American Civil Liberties Union responded by advertising statewide for a high-school teacher willing to defy the law. Communities all across Tennessee saw an opportunity to put themselves on the map by hosting such a controversial trial, but it was the town of Dayton that came up with a sacrificial victim: John Scopes, a man who knew little about evolution and wasn't even the class's regular teacher. Chosen by the city fathers, Scopes obligingly broke the law and was carted off to jail to await trial.

What happened next was a bizarre mix of theatrics and law, enacted by William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. Though Darrow lost the trial, he made his point--and his career--by calling Bryan, a noted Bible expert, as a witness for the defense. Summer for the Gods is a remarkable retelling of the trial and the events leading up to it, proof positive that truth is stranger than science.

Book Description

Reissued with a new preface: the Pulitzer Prize-winning book that is "quite simply the best book ever written on the Scopes Trial and its place in American history and myth."

In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the 20th century's most contentious dramas: the Scopes trial that pit William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes into a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education.

That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day--in Dover, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Cobb County, Georgia, and many other cities and states throughout the country. Edward Larson's classic, Summer for the Gods, received the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998 and is the single most authoritative account of a pivotal event whose combatants remain at odds in school districts and courtrooms. For this edition, Larson has added a new preface that assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution, and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved.

Customer Reviews:

De-simplification.......2007-08-21

A Tennessee newspaper called the Scopes trial at the time a 'publicity stunt'. Meaning publicity for the city of Dayton.
America never ceases to surprise me. Until not so long ago I had never heard of the Scopes trial. I stumbled over it once in a while when reading about the disputes between Christian fundamentalists and 'science', specifically evolutionists. I imagined something like a fight of the titans, Evolution versus Creation.
Not so. Now I learn from Larson that everything was a little different. (This is by now also a cliche: things are not what they seem. Are they ever?)
Actually it had aspects of a farce.
The more interesting aspects are not the farcical ones though, but rather how this event was the focal point not so much of two strong opponents clashing, but of a much more diverse field of issues.
I had forgotten that evolution, by the mid 20s, was a different thing from what it seems now. First of all, the so-called Darwinian synthesis had not yet happened, which led to 'neo-Darwinism', basing Darwin's theory of natural selection on knowledge of genetics (of which Darwin himself had had no idea yet).
In the 20s, Darwinism was much more attached to the smelly and dead ideology of so-called Social Darwinism (for which Mr.Darwin should not be blamed), than it is nowadays. At that time, eugenics were still considered an honorable pursuit, it appears. That was the attempt to improve mankind's genetic substance by a kind of human breeding program. Going for Nietzsche's Uebermensch. Now we know how it ended with the Nazis' euthanasia programs. Even World War I, which had been over not so long past, had brought implications of 'Darwinism' in the ideology of Wilhelminian militarism. Overall a rather dubious surrounding and not as squeaky clean as pure science.
At the same time there was the aftermath of the social earthquakes that WWI had shaken loose: the Russian revolution, the spreading hysteria in America about the 'Red Scare', labor prosecution, leading to McCarthyism later on. And among the Christian denominations the fight between the modernists and the fundamentalists, whose primary opponent seems to have been their deviating fellow Christians more than the evolutionists, who became sort of a derived target.
The trial itself is a ridiculous affair about a substitute teacher who used a book which mentions evolution, which broke a newly introduced law against teaching evolution in Tennessee. What a joke. Particularly as the teacher volunteered to be the defendant in this mock trial.
The book also de-simplifies the aftermath by showing how the real events were mystified in later texts, and by showing how fundamentalism, rather than accepting defeat, just moved away from the general public into an own strong subculture.

The Facts, yes--but still more Drama than Debate.......2007-08-15

In order to be credible to all sides in a highly-partisan cultural war, professor of law and history Edward J. Larson in his book "Summer of the Gods: The Scopes Trial And America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion" had to present the facts and nothing but the facts ("so help him God" or not). This is the book's necessary strength and its unfortunate weakness. I would like to have heard more reflection.

Much light could come just from placing the historical scene in a larger context. For example, what connections can be made between the meaninglessness and despair of World War I, the recent Marxist-Leninist revolution, the red scare of the 20's, Darrow's agnosticism and membership in the Communist party, and the fears of an attack on traditional values and beliefs this all must have engendered?

The facts about this "great," or at least highly significant, all-American trial are so often the exactly opposite of the myths that survived so long! Perhaps we now need a anthropologist of culture and religion to analyze how we could go so long believing utter falsehoods, and all without force of propaganda or threat of gulag.

Surely on the deeper issues of the philosophical debate between science and religion as reflected in American culture, Mr. Larson, whose background is exactly in this type of historical study, could lend a hand. Certainly he has done us a great service by his meticulously objective work for this well-deserved Pulitzer Prize winning effort, but there is little philosophical thought to be found.

The Scopes courtroom led to more drama than debate, more chance than justice or toleration. Both sides claimed to win, but all sides actually lost. Both the real trial and the mythic one reflected in the movie "Inherit the Wind" (and other cultural renderings passed down as folklore)--both failed to even satisfactorily debate let alone struggle with the underlying conflicts or seek answers to America's larger quest for clarity of identity.

Neither built toward a consensus. Hence our ongoing crazy cultural wars with Ten Commandments tablets allowed here but not there, all supported by highly reasoned legal arguments on both sides that will all look more like myth and superstition to the next eon--hopefully. Our capitalistic Mark Twainish show trial was mercifully free of the menace of Stalin's show trials of the 30's. Nevertheless, by failing to address the challenges of this chapter in our over-politicized mythic struggle, we neither evolve nor practice true religion.

Nevertheless, as a starting touchstone "Summer of the God's" deserves a place on all our book shelves. It has inspired me to want to read a biography about William Jennings Bryan, and Darrow's autobiography as well.

Great coverage of the trial; of its aftermath, not so much..........2007-07-05

The author did a great job of demystifying the trial, a task long overdue. The question was whether a state or community could prohibit teaching any theory or doctrine in the public classroom, and jury had decided that it could. If young Scopes was teaching Marx's theory of class struggle in history class, I think the outcome would have been the same, though I doubt there would have been even a fictionalized account opening on Broadway, thirty years later.

Yet somehow, because the theory in question was Darwinism, and because the trial was held in the Bible Belt, it has been misrepresented from the get-go as another icon in the ever continuing "...debate over science and religion." Unfortunately, this is the subtitle of this work, and the reason at least one star was dropped from my rating.

The author continued to equate "anti-evolutionists" with "Fundamentalists" throughout his book, which extended into the last decades of the 20th Century, long after the equation was valid. By this time, several scientists, many without any strong religious beliefs, had poked serious holes in Evolutionary theory, developing a formalized concept called "Intelligent Design." Furthermore, several other scientists, though not willing to dispute macro-evolution overall, had serious reservations about supporting Darwin's Natural Selection mechanism for the development of new species. Thus, Punctuated Equilibrium appeared on the scene, championed by the late Harvard paleontologist, Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, which weakened the theory most often taught in school, and understood by the public, even more.

Unfortunately, the author decided not to include these scientific controversies, perhaps not wanting to "dirty up the water."

But in doing so, he chose to represent the ongoing reluctance of some state and local school boards, some far from the Bible Belt, to teach Darwinism as anything more than a theory, as purely a product of "Fundamentalism."

He probably should have stopped his narrative about a chapter earlier...

The Echoes of the Past .......2007-05-28

Summer for the Gods

The echoes of the past continue to reverberate. Although it's been eighty years since the Scopes Trial, the debate over the teaching of the origins of life goes on.
The monumental intellectual battle pitted Williams Jennings Bryan against Clarence Darrow following the indictment and arrest of a Dayton, Tennessee public school teacher for violating a state law forbidding the teaching of evolution.

The controversy focused attention...not much of it favorable... on the South, which was still smarting from the Civil War and Reconstruction.
In "Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's continuing Debate over Science " Edward J. Larson takes the reader through the background of the Scopes matter; the involvement of the ACLU, which was seeking a test case at the time; and the role of the Prosecution and Defense. The media (or, the Press at the time) had an important role as well -- the Baltimore Sun's acerbic H.L. Mencken covered the story, and on one day of the trial journalists filed 200,000 words by telegraph. Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning account is an enjoyable and entertaining read. His "afterword," which compares the Scopes matter to the current debate between Science and "Intelligent Design", is especially useful. The recent attempts to restrict academic freedom in Kansas and other jurisdictions illustrate the currency of the debate.

A recent Google search revealed 29,600,000 hits for "intelligent design." There are societies, institutions, and now even a Museum designed to promote Creationism. (Interestingly, William Jennings Bryan founded his own college, Bryan College, to promote his views, much as the late Rev Jerry Fallwell.)

Larson makes ample use of the papers of Bryan, Darrow and other principals in the trial and contemporary news accounts. His book is an entertaining, enlightening, and gracefully-written addition to the literature on the subject.
As another reviewer has noted, the legal background of the story is of particular interest... particularly given than in 1925, many general principles which we take for granted today (for example, the application of the Establishment of Religion Clause to State as well as Federal law ) didn't exist at the time.

Pulitzer-prize winning book.......2007-04-30

It's easy to see why Edward Larson won a Pulitzer prize for this book. It's a fascinating, well-written account of the Scopes trial that avoids the hyper-partisanship that usually surrounds the issue.

Larson doesn't come across as an obnoxious evolutionist or an obnoxious creationist. Instead he comes across as a truly professional historian who gives a thorough and fair account of this famous trial.

40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin®, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania

Average customer rating:

A Declaration of War
Fascinating Trial; Mediocre Account
21St CENTURY SCOPES TRIAL: DARWIN: 40 INTELLIGENT DESIGN: 0 (ID STRIKES OUT)
Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover
Like a box of chocolates: tasty, and with lots of nuts

40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin®, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania
Matthew Chapman
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061179450
Release Date: 2007-04-10

Book Description

In this fascinating story of evolution, religion, politics, and personalities, Matthew Chapman captures the story behind the headlines in the debate over God and science in America

In Kitzmiller v. Dover Board of Education, decided in late 2005, a Republican judge rendered a surprising verdict in a case that pitted the teaching of intelligent design (sometimes known as "creationism in a lab coat") against the teaching of evolution. Taking place in a small Pennsylvania school district, the case had national repercussions, all the way up to President Bush, who said he believed intelligent design should be taught as "an alternative theory" to evolution.

Matthew Chapman, the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, spent several months covering the trial from beginning to end. Through his in-depth encounters with the participants—creationists, preachers, teachers, scientists on both sides of the issue, lawyers, theologians, the judge, and the eleven parents who resisted the fundamentalist proponents of intelligent design—Chapman tells a sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, and above all moving story of ordinary people doing battle in America over the place of religion and science in modern life.

Written with a filmaker's eye for character and detail, and including insights only a descendent of Darwin could bring forth, Chapman paints an entertaining, yet disturbing picture of America today.

Customer Reviews:

A Declaration of War.......2007-08-28

I like to think of Forty Days and Forty Nights as the first salvo of a battle to take our country back from the evangelicals who have intimidated our elected officials into ritualistic declarations of faith and foolish legislation. Matthew Chapman tells how ordinary people in a small Pennsylvania town stood up courageously to the faithbound who tried to insert their brand of religious creationism into public education. These ordinary citizens risked their reputations and in some cases their livelihoods to preserve the constitutional wall between Church and State. By following the citizens' litigation opposing the local school board's purchase for use in classroom biology of a textbook espousing "intelligent design" as an alternative to the teaching of evolution, Chapman uses the recorded testimony of the combatants to expose the "inanity" (the judge's final word) of the school board's case. The lesson is clear: only such fearless opposition can break the hold which the evangelicals have gained in our country over public policy.

Fascinating Trial; Mediocre Account.......2007-08-06

Chapman's account of the issues and personalities that shaped the famed Kitzmiller v. Dover case in Pennsylvania is a truly entertaining read. There's so much great material here that one can't help but be fascinated by the trial transcripts, interviews, and examples of Intelligent Design (ID) "literature" that Chapman includes here.

In particular, Chapman does a fine job of illustrating the contrasting personalities that made up the school board which introduced ID to Dover-area public schools. Without editorializing too much, Chapman shows how the board did the public a disservice by letting their religious views blind their commitment to the education of an increasingly lethargic student body. It's sad to hear how Dover-area kids were let down by a cohort of fundamentalists who, as the trial proceedings demonstrate, actually had very little to no knowledge of what constitutes evolution and what constitutes ID (much less what the scientific method is all about). So as the board was busy legislating religion in Dover, students were tuning out amidst a crumbling school infrastructure and an uninspiring curriculum. That's the most unfortunate aspect of this tale.

For me, the problem with this book is simple: there's so much great material to work with here, but Chapman is a mediocre storyteller at best. There are long sections of the book where he quotes from transcripts or interviews without any narrative insight. He describes at least six or seven of the trial participants as "good-looking." His tone alternates between flippant and cavalier -- rarely sensitive to detail and nuance. His account of the trial's finale is reduced to saying, "You've heard this before, so I'll only quote this part of X's closing statement..." And the conclusion to his narrative, "Revelation," puts forth a bizarre rant that attempts to link the rise of religious fundamentalism in America with the demise of the so-called Protestant work ethic.

I wish Chapman had engaged the trial -- the issues and the personalities -- with more tact and intelligence. This is a fun read, but it's too much "wink wink, nudge nudge" and not enough well-rounded description and analysis. For a far better account of this trial, see Margaret Talbot's article in The New Yorker, which appeared just after the trial's completion.

21St CENTURY SCOPES TRIAL: DARWIN: 40 INTELLIGENT DESIGN: 0 (ID STRIKES OUT) .......2007-07-31

Not since early Hunter S. Thompson or Tom Wolfe have I had as much fun reading a witty, provocative piece of journalistic writing as I've had in screenwriter Matthew Chapman's "40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, GOD, OxyContin AND OTHER Oddities ON TRIAL IN Pennsylvania". It's an enthralling, often humorous tome, that owes more to the mordant humor of Frank McCourt, in his bestselling memoirs "Angela's Ashes" and "Teacher Man", than it does to the rather dry, but never dull, prose of Chapman's great-great-grandfather, Charles Darwin, in his scientific classic, "Origin of Species". In the fall of 2005, Chapman attended the Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District Trial, as an accredited journalist and filmmaker, intent on making a documentary film on the trial, the town and its people. However, this would soon become a personal trek of self-reflection and discovery, in which he would make a most remarkable conclusion on the teaching of creationism in science classrooms. A trek which took him back to Dover, PA often, holding substantive conversations with the key players on both sides of the issue. And while Chapman truly strives for a cinematic narrative, fading in and out between brief discussions of the 20th Century Scopes Trial, the Discovery Institute, and his illustrious ancestor's revolutionary scientific research, the book's emphasis remains focused upon himself and his conversations with the people of Dover. So those in search of an extensive, truly profound, overview of the trial's origins and history might be best served elsewhere, most notably by reading Edward Humes' definitive, well-written account of the trial in his book "Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul", but they would miss much of the personal drama that Chapman has vividly recorded, using his prose as though it was his video camera lens, exquisitely recording all of the detail present.

Chapman's narrative is more linear in focus than Humes' comprehensive account, and adheres more closely to a chronological perspective. One that starts with the Dover Area School District board's decision in the fall of 2004 to teach Intelligent Design alongside evolution, unexpectedly starting a civil war within the town itself, led by the ardent Fundamentalist Christians on the board, against those in the Dover community who were appalled by the board's decision. Among the most sympathetic figures is unexpectedly the board's firebrand, Bill Buckingham, who ruefully admits to Chapman that he's addicted to the painkiller OxyContin, and blames it, not himself, for some of his most outlandish comments, at the board's meetings, that were reported accurately by the local press. Chapman's truly moving, poignant portrayal of him strongly hints that he is, indeed, a lost soul afflicted by drug addiction. It is through moving portraits like those of Buckingham, and his arch-nemesis, former board member Barrie Callahan, that we get a strong sense of the political and religious strife which embroiled the people of Dover for more than a year, beginning in the summer of 2004, when the board left the Dover High School science teachers twisting in the wind, simply because Buckingham had objected to the teaching of "Darwinism" - and that mentioned only briefly - in the newest edition of a popular high school textbook co-authored by Brown University cell biologist Kenneth R. Miller, who, himself, is the subject of a sympathetic portrayal by Chapman in which he explains the rationale for science's faithful adherence against "dealing with issues of meaning or purpose" during his court testimony.

However, it isn't Kenneth R. Miller who emerges as the hero of Chapman's vividly told tale. Instead, the honors rest upon the attorneys for the plaintiffs, most notably, lead attorney Eric Rothschild, and, quite unexpectedly, philosopher of science Barbara Forrest. Rothschild is depicted as a most congenial, yet still quite, astute, legal warrior in the courtroom, who is able to pry gently from leading Intelligent Design advocate - and star defense witness - Lehigh University biochemist Michael Behe a surprising admission that astrology could be viewed as scientific, based on Behe's own broad definition of what science is, one that includes the potential study of supernatural phenomena; a definition which runs counter to the one subscribed to by the National Academy of Sciences and mainstream science: a rational enterprise that is completely divorced from the supernatural realm (During this memorable "duel" of a cross-examination between Rothschild and Behe, Chapman observes Behe "smiling defiantly" as Rothschild reads the infamous disclaimer posted on the website of Lehigh University biological sciences department acknowledging evolution's scientific validity, but noting too Behe's academic freedom to pursue "research" on Intelligent Design. He draws the conclusion that Behe feels intense pain from this rejection by his own departmental colleagues.). Chapman demonstrates why philosopher Barbara Forrest may have been the plaintiffs' most effective witness. Led on by attorney Rothschild, she begins her testimony with an elegant overview of the history of the creationism, especially during the last two decades of the 20th Century, emphasizing the origins and early history of the "Intelligent Design" movement. And then she reveals the pivotal "smoking gun" in an accurate, yet dramatic fashion, documenting the text changes made in the early drafts of the Intelligent Design textbook "Of Pandas and People", noting the ample instances in which "creation" was substituted with "design", not scores of times, but at least more than one hundred different instances in the text itself. Later, she ends her testimony in a memorably tedious cross-examination by lead defense attorney Richard Thompson that drags on for nearly a day and a half.

Chapman concludes "40 Days and 40 Nights" on a most idiosyncratic, personal note, and one that he has alluded to ever since the very first page of his memoir. He contends that we should allow creationism into the science classroom, so that it can be "dissected", in much the same fashion as it was during the Kitzmiller vs. Dover Area School District trial, by allowing teachers to "explore the limitations of faith through the revelatory methods of science", and resulting in "verdicts" identical to Republican Federal Judge Jones' conclusion that Intelligent Design wasn't scientific. Emotionally, it is a sentiment that I found myself quite unexpectedly, at first, to be in complete agreement. However, on second thought, I concur with Ken Miller's observation that introducing Intelligent Design into science classrooms would be a "science stopper". It would conflate most students' understanding of what exactly is the difference between religious faith and science, though I suppose that some truly gifted students, like those attending prominent American high schools such as Alexandria, Virginia's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and New York City's Bronx High School of Science and Stuyvesant High School, might readily understand and appreciate these distinctions. And yet I am inclined to agree more with the harsh view articulated by distinguished British paleontologist Richard Fortey in his essay published in the January 30, 2007 issue of the British newspaper Telegraph, contending that it is an absolute waste of time arguing with Intelligent Design advocates, and that they ought to be dismissed as "IDiots"; by extension, so would be the teaching of Intelligent Design alongside evolution in a science classroom. I would rather see talented students from Thomas Jefferson, Bronx Science and Stuyvesant engage themselves fruitfully in genuine scientific research of the highest caliber, than in trying to understand the metaphysical, religious nonsense known as Intelligent Design and other flavors of creationism. I think, in hindsight, so would Charles Darwin.

Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover.......2007-07-26

Alas, Darwin's great-grandson has not been well served by his publisher. Athough Chapman's description of the dramatis personae of the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial is both engaging and illuminating, the book's presentation suffers from a lack of attention by its publisher and/or editor.

The cover itself seems to advertize a work of pulp fiction, not an entertaining account of a trial with historic implications. It's reference to " . . . Oxycontin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania" is not only false, but unnecessary; the actual content of the book would be its best advertisement.

Another reviewer has commented on the hilariously unflattering photo of the author, which implies that the publisher does not take this book seriously. And a firmer editorial hand might have spared us such phrases as the Center for Thought and Ethics having provided certain documents "thoughtfully and ethically," and a book with a panda on the cover being referred to as "unbearable."

Apart from the general cutesiness of the author's attempts at puns, the account of the trial and its aftermath make for entertaining and informative reading.

But the final chapter, in which Chapman argues that Intelligent Design should be taught in schools so that its falsity can be demonstrated is tedious. Worse, Chapman apparently fails to appreciate the irony: he is, in essence, arguing FOR the first step of the "wedge strategy" advocated by the Discovery Institute, that is, to "Teach the Controversy," thus elevating "Intelligent Design" to a level apparently competitive with evolution. Given Chapman's obvious viewpoint expressed in the book, his failure to appreciate the implications of his final disquisition is disappointing. Not to mention that demonstrating the falsity of Intelligent Design in athe classroom might well run afoul of the Establishment clause of the Constitution.

40 Days and 40 Nights has the appearance of having been rushed into print with little attention to serious editing. The publisher should be embarrassed.

Like a box of chocolates: tasty, and with lots of nuts.......2007-07-05

This book is about the famous Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Board case.

The school board, controlled by science-illiterate, religious fanatics and following the advice of other, science-illiterate, religious fanatics at the Thomas More Law Center, overruled Dover High's own science faculty and forced through a policy mandating that the freshman biology course include a statement that misrepresented and criticized evolutionary theory and provided information about an untested creationist alternative called "intelligent design." (Intelligent design is a "scientific" theory whose primary advocates are yet another bunch of religious kooks at the Discovery Institute.)

After the school board passed that policy, several parents sued, alleging that the policy violated the First Amendment's provision regarding separation of church and state. After a full trial, the court eventually ruled that, duh, ID was a religious theory and had no place in science class.

The book has three main ingredients. The trial itself serves as the unifying theme for the book, so the first ingredient, of course, is a description of the courtroom action, including very brief summaries of some of the testimony of the experts for both plaintiffs and defendants on the main points of the trial. Chapman does comment on some of the technical aspects of the trial, but only occasionally and very briefly. In general there is very little analysis of the merits of the scientific, legal, or philosophical arguments that both sides presented, so if you're looking for detailed information about those issues, you may want to look elsewhere.

The second ingredient is a brief summary chapter in which Chapman argues in favor of teaching creationism/ID in science classes.

The book's third and most important ingredient is the "human interest" or background stories about many of the characters on both sides of the tragicomedy of the trial; and it is this ingredient that makes the book such a tasty read. The anecdotes and revealing glimpses into the personalities, backgrounds, and motivations of the main actors are generally presented with warmth, sensitivity, and, frequently, with a great deal of humor. Many of the anecdotes were downright hilarious. Unfortunately, several anecdotes were of a more disturbing nature.

The anecdotes revealing the dishonesty of the board members and the hypocrisy of the Thomas More Law Center will probably not be surprising to anyone who has followed the evo/crevo dispute in any detail, but the reports about the school board's arrogant, religious bigotry may be shocking simply for how open and public it was. The cowardice of the Discovery Institute's William Dembski and Stephen Meyer in failing to testify was also interesting, and Dick Carpenter's unexplained disappearance was simply mystifying. (Carpenter is associated with Focus on the Family, another group of religious cranks.) Other anecdotes report on the school board members' appalling lack of intellectual curiosity about the changes they were making to the science curriculum. That will probably not surprise anyone who has followed the dispute in any detail either, since many of the pro-ID statements from school officials in Kansas a couple of years ago were just as appallingly ignorant. The vicious hate mail and personal attacks that the plaintiffs and their school-age children endured show once again that freedom isn't free. In sharp contrast to Dembski's and Meyer's cowardice, the plaintiffs showed a lot of courage in standing up to the religious bullies on the school board and in the local pulpits. If the Christian God is indeed a God of love, then some of those clergymen are going to have to answer some day for their hateful actions and comments.

Again, if you're looking for detailed, technical analyses of any part of the evo/crevo debate or a formal, historical treatment of the trial, this book is probably not going to satisfy you, but the human interest stories in this book are truly a feast.

P.S. Even if you don't buy the book, at least take a look at the inside jacket cover. The picture of Chapman is hilarious.

Average customer rating:

Disturbing
Judgment at Night
Amazing and Insightful
A Trial of Faith
A huge disappointment

The Trial of God
Elie Wiesel
Manufacturer: Schocken
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Continental European | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0805210539
Release Date: 1995-11-14

Customer Reviews:

Disturbing.......2006-11-14

This is a disturbing book that tells a disturbing story. Since other reviewers have done a great job providing a synopsis of the book I will go right to the matter of what I think of it. In many ways I was dissapointed. I would have much rather that Wiesel wrote about the trial that he witnessed in Auschwitz rather than placing it in a Ukrainian villege. However, I think he tried and for some reason could not do it. My personal opinion is that the original trial was too painful. So, the play seems to have been inspired by actual events but goes off in another direction entirely. Or does it? I have trouble deciding.

There are many layers to this play - just like the four levels introduced by Bachya ben Asher for the interpretation of scripture: peshat, or "plain meaning"; derash, or "rabbinic aggadah"; derekh hassekhel, or "philosophical"; and sod, or "kabbalistic." The discerning, or knowledgable, reader will find all those levels present in this work. Wiesel is never an easy writer to read or to understand, and this play is no different.

Judgment at Night.......2006-01-01

As with all of Elie Wiesel's work, the central premise is to explore the question of Jews and their suffering throughout history. "The Trial of God" is an interesting departure from his better-known works, in that it is a drama, a play staged during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Based on events that Wiesel witnessed while in Auschwitz, "The Trial of God" accuses the Creator of the Universe of being guilty of neglect to his chosen people. And even though the trial takes place in the seventeenth century, the modern world is very much alive in the facts and accusations.

The trial takes place in 1649, in a Ukrainian village that has been decimated by a pogrom; only two Jews remain, Berish the innkeeper, and his silenced daughter Hanna. Three traveling minstrels arrive and upset Berish. They want to stage a Purim play for all the Jews in the village, without knowing about the devastation of the recent raids. Berish allows them to enact a play as long as he can choose the subject matter; he wishes for a trial to condemn God over what has happened to the Jews and he will serve as prosecutor. The minstrels accept, but can find no one to play the defense attorney for God, until a stranger (who seems to be known by all) arrives to defend God and his actions (or inaction).

Much of the course of the play is devoted to setting up the trial (which doesn't begin until Act Three). Until that time, the reader learns much about the history of Berish and what he witnessed, as well as what makes him so angry towards God. When the stranger arrives to defend God, he does not allow Berish to use the dead as proof or witnesses for one must only think of the living. Tension mounts throughout the course of the play, thanks to news that a mob is gathering once again to kill the remaining Jews. Finally the trial must be abandoned in order for the men to defend themselves, and the play ends, questions unanswered, no verdict given.

The ending may seem like a disappointment to some readers, but it is the only one that is realistic. As Mendel (the minstrel who acts as head judge) puts it, "The verdict will be announced by someone else, at a later stage. For the trial will continue - without us." For how can humanity cast judgment upon God, upon themselves, when they don't have all the answers? As Wiesel once said, "I do not have any answers, but I have some very good questions." The most important thing is that questions are raised, even when the may go unanswered. It is not for us to explain away and answer the desperate plight of the Jewish people, but it is for us to ask and question and to make sure that what has happened is never forgotten.

Amazing and Insightful.......2004-07-22

As in all his works, Elie Wiesel shares with his readers in "The Trial of God" the simultaneous pain and hope that he feels when he thinks about the role that God has played in his life. This play--and it's exactly that, a play--is full of banter between the characters, humor, and even sexual innuendo, but it also addresses a very serious issue... one man's conflict with the God that he feels has betrayed him. I am a Christian, but I still truly enjoyed reading this and thinking about my personal relationship with this same God. I would encourage anyone to read this - it's a great purchase!

A Trial of Faith.......2001-05-31

While interred in Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel witnessed a trial. While such things are not unusual, this trial was. It was unusual because of the defendant: God. God was tried for violating the covenant by turning his back in silence on the Jewish people in their greatest hour of need. God was tried in absentia, without anyone present being willing to take on the role of God's defense attorney. God was declared guilty, after which the "court" prayed. Contradiction? Perhaps. But this incident, which served as the inspiration for *The Trial of God*, is part of the long Jewish tradition of arguing with God. While Job is God's most famous interlocuter, we cannot forget the dispute the founder of the Jewish people, Abraham, had with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The trial of God is really a trial of faith; this is why the "court" prayed. They are torn between their devotion to God and their complete disappointment in God's silence. This struggle of faith is the story of *The Trial of God*, in which it is the least faithful of all, Satan, that comes to God's defense. Wiesel is fond of retelling a story about two Holocaust survivors, one a rabbi, who meet after liberation. The survivor asks the rabbi how, after all that has happened, he can continue to believe in God. The rabbi retorts by asking how, after all that has happened, can the other *not* believe in God. Wiesel has often echoed this paradox in his own sentiments. This is the paradox which *the Trial of God* presents us; it is a story of doubting trust and trusting doubt which, as Wiesel suggests, might be reconcilable only in protest. Perhaps *The Trial of God* is Wiesel's act of faith; perhaps it is an act of condemnation. I suspect that for Wiesel it is both. Anyone who pays careful attention to this work will be highly rewarded by it, not because of the answers it gives (for it gives none), but (in good Wieselian style) for the questions it raises.

A huge disappointment.......2001-03-29

The vast majority of the book has no relation to the title. There are great passages, but they are largely buried under dozens of pages of yammering prelude, silly bickering, and attempts at drunken humor. James Morrow's Blameless in Abaddon covers the same theme with much greater depth and breadth.

To An Unknown God: Religious Freedom On Trial

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First Amendment Struggles Brilliantly Told
A complex and engaging legal narrative
A concise analysis of one of a critical legal case
Don't miss this book
Humanizing the Law

To An Unknown God: Religious Freedom On Trial
Garrett Epps
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312262396

Amazon.com

To an Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial is the story of one of the most important Supreme Court cases of recent years involving religious freedom--the case that resulted in the passage of one of the most sweeping civil rights laws since the 1960s, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. Author Garrett Epps writes with the simplicity and suspense of an investigative journalist (he was formerly a reporter for The Washington Post) and the precision and authority of a legal scholar (he teaches law at the University of Oregon). Both skills are necessary for bringing to life this strange and complicated tale, in which a routine unemployment dispute grew into a showdown regarding the right of Native Americans to worship God with the use of peyote. In addition to the book's deft analysis of the many legal questions the case raises, To an Unknown God describes a cast of memorable and intriguing characters, principal among them Al Smith, a 70-year-old drug-and-alcohol abuse counselor to Native Americans, and Dave Frohnmayer, a Harvard-educated politico who balanced his prosecution of this case with his commitment to caring for three children with a rare bone disease. Like A Civil Action and other classics of investigative journalism, To an Unknown God examines questions that arise in peculiar circumstances, and frames them with such skill and sensitivity as to make their universal relevance unquestionable. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Told with the grace of a novel, To an Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial is a modern legal epic chronicling the six-year duel between two remarkable men with very different visions of religious freedom and of America. Neither man sought the conflict that would erupt into one of the most provocative and influential Supreme Court decisions.Al Smith, a nationally known counselor to Native people suffering from alcohol and drug abuse, wanted only to earn a living.Dave Frohnmayer the Harvard-trained Attorney General of Oregon was planning his campaign for governor and tending to his three desperately ill daughters.But a series of miscalculations transformed a routine unemployment dispute into a constitutional confrontation.Before it was over, Frohnmayer and Smith would twice ask the United States Supreme Court to decide whether the First Amendment protects the right of Native Americans and others to seek God in the form of peyote, a form of worship some scholars believe to be more than 10,000 years old.And the Court would finally answer no; it would say, for the first time in the history of the Constitution, that the Bill of Rights provided no protection for obscure and minority religions if the legislature chose not to recognize their needs.The Court's decision produced a fierce backlash from religious leaders and ordinary citizens culminating in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993), one of the most sweeping civil-rights statutes of the past 30 years.Now that the Court has invalidated the Act, some say it will end to a Constitutional amendment and a radical change in the American law of church and state.In the tradition of A Civil Action and Gideon's Trumpet, Garrett Epps tracks the case from the humblest hearing room to the Supreme Court Chamber, skillfully building the suspense and tension so much a part of litigating a great case.Expertly weaving together a fascinating legal narrative with dramatic personal stories, To an Unknown God is a riveting look at how justice works-and doesn't work-in America today.AUTHORBIO: Garrett Epps, a former reporter for The Washington Post, has written for The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books, The Nation, and The New Republic.The author of three novels, he is currently an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Oregon.

Customer Reviews:

First Amendment Struggles Brilliantly Told.......2001-04-06

The very first part of the essential, very first amendment to our Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This ringing phrase, so seemingly simple and obvious, has been the focus of an enormous amount of controversy and clarification. It is a great legacy, but what does it really mean? We are still struggling to find out. In _To an Unknown God: Religious Freedom on Trial_ (St. Martin's Press) by Garrett Epps we learn how one of the latest struggles is turning out. It is a fine book to show in detail how a specific constitutional decision came to be made.

On one side of the story was Al Smith. Smith was born into the Klamath tribe, but was pulled out of it to go to Catholic boarding school. Rather late in his life he was introduced to sweat lodges and Native American religion. He was also introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous, and eventually became a respected counselor, speaker, and organizer of treatment centers for alcohol and drug abuse. As he traveled to different reservations to set up recovery programs, he came across peyote religion. It seemed to give some of his clients spiritual strength, and they seemed to do better in overcoming substance abuse if they participated in its religious ceremonies. He began to consider participating in peyote religion. He was told that taking peyote at a ceremony would violate the rules of the treatment center in which he worked, and so he did so. He was thereupon fired, and he filed for unemployment compensation. That filing set the stage for a subsequent battle within the Supreme Court and beyond.

On the other side was Oregon Attorney General David Frohnmayer. He had tried in his political offices in Oregon to mend fences with the tribes of his region. He was, however, very worried about the dangers of drug abuse, and so he felt he was doing the right thing in trying to squelch community acceptance of drugs, ceremonial or not. He approached the Supreme Court proceedings with the mantra, "Drugs are bad. Slippery slope." Not only was peyote illegal, but it was used in a minority religion; if it were allowed, then surely someone would be asking to use other drugs for religious purposes. But he did reflect sadly to his legal team, "How did we get to be the Indian bashers?"

Epps is not only a journalist and lawyer, but also a novelist. His ability to describe personalities and anecdotes serves him well, for although this is a legal story, the human stories within it are what make it live. He has used process of the legal arguments as a springboard for an examination of many connected subjects: the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the story of Alcoholics Anonymous; the tale of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the Oregon town that was taken over by his devotees; the saga of the Road Man who is the ceremonial leader of the peyote religion. These set pieces are fascinating, and strengthen the main story. It is disconcerting that there is no pat final resolution, but Epps writes, "The law of religious freedom remains unsettled." Thus may it ever be.

A complex and engaging legal narrative.......2001-03-16

Epps' book is one of the best in recent memory to explore a Supreme Court case. Examining the case of Oregon v. Smith, Epps deploys his skills as both a journalist and a novelist to plumb the depths of Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights. The only quibble one can have is that the book spends too much time on the minutae of Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer's life. Other than that minor matter, this is an elegantly told tale. As an aside, Epps presents a concise yet complete recouncting of the Rajhneesh cult saga of the '80's, relying to good effect of the work of Oregon Magazine Editor-in-Chief Win McCormack.

A concise analysis of one of a critical legal case.......2001-03-16

This book is one of the best looks at a Supreme Court case in quite some time. Examining Oregon v. Smith, one of the most important yet unheralded legal battles of our time, Epps' book plumbs the depths Indian rights, religious freedom and states rights in a manor which devestates the intellectual pretensions of Court conservatives such as Justice Scalia. The only quible one can have with the book it that it has too much detail on Oregon Attorney General Frohnmeyer. Other than that minor matter, this is a top rate book. Of additional note, the book provides an exceptionaly concise yet comprehensive overview of the Rajhneesh cult afair in Oregon, relying to good effect on the journalism of Oregon Magazine's Win McCormack.

Don't miss this book.......2001-02-27

This book could easily have been a bore--yet another detailed legal explication of a Supreme Court case you know you should be interested in, but aren't, because you can't follow the jargon. But in Epps' hands an amazing story comes to life. This is serious constitutional law, with enormous consequences for our country, and it reads like a novel. Anyone concerned with religion and free expression should read it. Or you could just read it because it's a great read!

Humanizing the Law.......2001-02-25

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this book, and I found it astonishingly good. I had loved Epps's work as a novelist (his "Shad Treatment" is one of the best first novels I know) and I had always wondered if he could apply his writerly powers to non-fiction, as well. "To an Unknown God" draws on all the creative gifts that fans of Epps's earlier books will remember. He takes an important Supreme Court case about religious freedom (he's now a law professor) and tells the story through the remarkable personalities who were involved in the case: Al Smith, the Native American member of a peyote cult who was the plaintiff, and David Frohnmeyer, the all-American Republican wunderkind attorney general of Oregon, who argued that peyote use wasn't protected as an exercise of religious freedom. Epps deconstructs these billboard identities to provide a rich and very moving account of the real people and the heartbreaking pressures that shaped their actions in this legal case. This is a rare book--taking the sometimes dry subject of law and filling it with life. I hope it's a promise of more books to come from Epps, who is a vastly talented writer.

When God is Silent: Choosing to Trust in Life's Trials

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Encouraging?

When God is Silent: Choosing to Trust in Life's Trials
Charles R. Swindoll
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1404101470

Book Description

This positive book of encouragement and hope is compiled from text in the newly released Job by best-selling author Charles Swindoll. His practical application of the Bible to everyday living makes God's truths a reality to people experiencing loss, uncertainty, and doubt. This book will be directed at a broad audience of both genders.

The object is to create a book that will provide encouragement, comfort and direction for the matrix of modern life. Based on guidelines gleaned from the life of Job, the book will focus on:

a) Seven things Job teaches us about ourselves

b) Seven things Job teaches us about God

Customer Reviews:

Encouraging?.......2007-06-12

I hate this book. I am being treated for cancer and I received this from a fellow Christian to encourage me.

Beautiful cover, lush photos, nice paper and words inside that basically say, "God's in control, you have nerve to question your situation, so suck it up". I almost felt like I was being scolded for not cheerfully accepting my fate. Very surface level stuff - nothing doctrinally deep at all. And unless you have read the book of Job or were familiar with scripture (Paul's story especially) there is nothing to really relate to in this book.

I would never give this book to an unbeliever because they would walk away feeling like they were nothing more than a pawn in some cosmic game. I have received much better devotionals devoted to getting me through this hard time with faith and hope - this book bolstered neither.

God on Trial: The Book of Job and Human Suffering

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A Strong Theological Examination of the Book of Job

God on Trial: The Book of Job and Human Suffering
Bill Thomason
Manufacturer: Liturgical Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

A Strong Theological Examination of the Book of Job.......2000-01-20

Much of the book is devoted to a summary and literary analysis of Job--rather like Cliff's notes, but Thomason effectively tackles the Book's profound logical dilemma:

1)Good is good 2)God is omnipotent 3)Suffering exists

Does God punish good people, as He harmed Job, whom He himself called "blameless"? Can a perfectly good God create a world in which so much evil exists? Is God powerless to control *all* evil? What role does human freedom play in moral evil? The author examines these persistent questions in language easily accessible to a lay person.

He also examines the "meaning" of the Book of Job. It isn't saying, by any means, simply "Keep the faith an you will be rewarded." Instead, it is a commentary on mankind's--the sufferer's--relationship to God, and the nature of faith.

Book Description

When All the Gods Trembled narrates the drama of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial, and describes the varied attempts by early 20th century Americans to accommodate Darwinism into their religious traditions. Conkin's sweeping narrative about this complex relationship is destined to change the way all Americans think about Darwin, the Scopes trial, and American religious and intellectual thought.

Customer Reviews:

6 essays on how darwin changed american religion.......2003-07-26

Even if you disagree with every word he writes, you can't put the book down. it is that good. I have a hard time pointing out exactly what it is that makes this such a good book: partly he is an extraordinarily interesting writer, partly the book is chock full of absolute gems, i highlighted something on nearly every page. Partly the attentiveness to what lies underneath the surface, what isn't obvious about the topic in his hands becomes insight, the ah-ha experience that has you saying "why didn't i see that before?" But mostly, he is an addictive writer, drawing you into his comprehensive research, sharing his love of the ideas he presents, pulling you into his intellectual world more like a good novelist than the historian he is.

He spells out the topic on the first page of the preface:
"What follows are six essays. They involve large, often cosmic issues. They involve a challengeable assumption--that the most foundational beliefs of Americans, almost all of which derive from the Judeo-Christian tradition, faced such an array of intellectual challenges in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as to amount to a major crisis of faith. This crisis first climaxed in the mid-1920's, but the issues have remained at the very center of cultural conflict. The crisis involved the credentials of age-old beliefs in the existence of a god, in a world that exhibits some extrinsic or intrinsic purpose, in the divine origin and special destiny of humans, and in moral values that have some transhuman sanction."

One feature of the book that is admirable is the accuracy he presents the beliefs of people he disagrees with. For instance, his portrait of J.Gresham Machen is one of the best i've ever read, even though the author is not a discipline of Machen's tradition. This desire to be a good responsible historian makes the book at places where a lesser author would distort the record. You instinctive trust the history presented because you know the places he could have fudged, he didn't/

One of his big conclusions, is i believe, the BIG issue in the current Creation-Evolution-Design debate. In his own words, pg 141--"For many, the important issue was not which one of several competing gods fit reality, but whether a belief in either a supernatural or an immmanent god any longer made sense. Could anyone, in a post-Darwinian world, justify such a belief? Theism was now at stake. And those who felt themselves most attuned to the full implications of a Darwinian understanding of nature joined Darwin himself in rejecting any transcendent god (any god outside or beyond nature) and any purposeful divine mind or force within nature (and thus any cosmic teleology)."

I deeply appreciated the book, it interested me enough in the short sketches of several thinkers that i will pursue studies of them. While at the same time it put several pieces into place for me because of the unique and systematic way the author built his case. I hope you find it as fruitful an afternoon with the book as did i.

thanks for reading this short review.

A well-balanced, intellectual and thoughtful discourse.......2002-03-17

When All The Gods Trembled: Darwinism, Scopes, And American Intellectuals by Paul Conkin (Distinguished Professor of History, Vanderbilt University) is a collection of superbly reasoned and presented historical essays about the overwhelming impact science has had upon American religious thought, especially during the 1920s when "all the gods trembled" before the evolutionary theories of Darwinism. A well-balanced, intellectual and thoughtful discourse on the very serious and perplexing questions that science poses to faith When All The Gods Trembled is highly recommended reading for both students and general readers with an interest in the impact of 19th and 20th sciences on religious belief systems in the United States.

Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job

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OUTSTANDING!
Putting Sutherland on Trial
Putting Sutherland on Trial

Putting God on Trial: The Biblical Book of Job
Robert Sutherland
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1412018471
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

Highly praised by scholars. "Very impressive, authoritative," (David Clines); "Extremely well written grabbing the interest of many educated folk." (Normal Habel); "A perspective and analysis meriting serious consideration." (Gerald Janzen).

Customer Reviews:

OUTSTANDING!.......2007-04-03

This is a beautifully argued book and has provided this Presbyterian preacher with a foothold into a better understanding of the book of Job. This is a great resource and I recommend it highly--as I congratulate the author on a very clear, easy to read, believable argument/ thesis on the central issue of the book of Job. I have decided to preach a sermon series on Job following Easter this year and needed a good introduction and overview of the issues involved. There are loads of resources. Out of all the books that I am currently working through on Job, I have found this is be the most helpful. Sutherland has done an outstanding job (no pun intended!). [Well, maybe].

Putting Sutherland on Trial.......2004-06-27

Sutherland argues that legal distinction between causal responsibility for evil and moral blameworthiness for evil is at the heart of a Hegelian theodicy in the Book of Job, where God's authorship of evil may be excusable on the grounds that it is necessary for the production of a higher good. I found this approach new and innovative. It is significant improvement on the traditional Augustian theodicy which draws heavily on the Book of Genesis and blames man for all the natural and moral evils in the world. The connection between human sin and natural evils just isn't there. It is a significant improvement on the tradional Irenean theodicy which draws heavily on the Epistles of Paul and views everyting as a means to character development. Job is just not in need of character development. And the evils he suffers are just too excessive for any normal character improvement.

I think his background as a Canadian criminal defense lawyer really helps his presentation of the legal arguments in the Book of Job.

I think his background as a Senior Fellow at the Mortimer J. Adler Centre for the Study of the Great Ideas really helps his presentation of the moral arguments in the Book of Job.

And I found the reviews I read helpful.

1. Dr. David Clines, author of Job 1-20 (Word Biblical Commentary) "I found the work very impressive, personal and authoritative. I am sure he is right about the centrality of the lawsuit metaphor, and who better than he to explore that."

2. Dr. Norman Habel, author of Job (Old Testament Library) "The text is extremely well written, provocative and should grab the interest of many educated folk. The court metaphor is indeed central to The Book of Job. God as the source of evil will shock some. I like the direction of this argument. His forceful focus on the Oath of Innocence is great. I agree that at the end Job does not sin or confess sin or repent of sin. Nor does God really answer the charge of unwarranted suffering. Yet Job is declared innocent implying, as he says, that God is the cause of this suffering."

3. Dr. Gerald Janzen, author of Job (Interpretation) "I am impressed with his achievement. His work in ancient Near Eastern sources is apt, and his attention to other studies on Job, by biblical scholars and others, is exemplary. Many, of course, have worked on issues of law and trial in Job; but few bring the expertise to it that his own training and experience as a lawyer furnish him. Regardless of whether one is in agreement with its various details or overall thrust, one will want to take seriously into account the perspective and analysis he provides."

4. Dr. James Crenshaw, author of Old Testament Wisdom and "Job" Anchor Bible Dictionary: Volume 3 "An engaging book, one that sustained my interest even when I disagreed with the argument."

5. Dr. Edwin Good, author of In Turns of Tempest: A Reading of Job with Translation "He certainly makes the case that the image of the trial is absolutely central to the book."

6. Rev. Dr. Don Thompson, General Secretary, Colleges and Universities of the Anglican Communion Association of Episcopal Colleges "I would identify its main strength as being absolutely thorough and rigorous in its presentation of the legal arguments of the "trial". But he has added to it a very solid breadth of knowledge, setting it in context of Canaanite and Egyptian legal frameworks, putting Job's Oath of Innocence at the very centre of it all."

I would strongly recommend this book.

Putting Sutherland on Trial.......2004-04-13

I really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating bedtime reading. It opened up the Bible in ways in never imagined possible and deepened by faith in God. I shared it with my next door neighbour who has cancer, and he found very stimulating and helpful in his journey.

The Bible Story 1-10 Volume One - Ten 1 The Book of Beginnings 2 Mighty Men of Old 3 Trials and Triumphs 4 Heroes and Heroines 5 Great Men of God 6 Struggles and Victories 7 Wonderful Jesus 8 Prince of Princes 9 King of Kings 10 Onward to Glory

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The Bible Story 1-10 Volume One - Ten 1 The Book of Beginnings 2 Mighty Men of Old 3 Trials and Triumphs 4 Heroes and Heroines 5 Great Men of God 6 Struggles and Victories 7 Wonderful Jesus 8 Prince of Princes 9 King of Kings 10 Onward to Glory

Manufacturer: Pacific Press/Review and Herald
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FJD2B0

Product Description

Set of 10 Ten Volumes I - X. Bible Stories from Genesis to Revelations. Illustrated with color drawings. Child friendly format. Index in volume 10 of all 409 stories. Four seperate index formats makes locating the lessons easy.

Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution and Christianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine)

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Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution and Christianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine)
Peter J. Bowler
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674026152

Book Description

From the beginning, Darwin's dangerous idea has been a snake in the garden, denounced from pulpits then and now as incompatible with the central tenets of Christian faith. Recovered here is the less well-known but equally long history of thoughtful engagement and compromise on the part of liberal theologians. Peter J. Bowler doesn't minimize the hostility of many of the faithful toward evolution, but he reveals the existence of a long tradition within the churches that sought to reconcile Christian beliefs with evolution by finding reflections of the divine in scientific explanations for the origin of life. By tracing the historical forerunners of these rival Christian responses, Bowler provides a valuable alternative to accounts that stress only the escalating confrontation.

Our polarized society, Bowler says, has all too often projected its rivalries onto the past, concealing the efforts by both scientists and theologians to find common ground. Our perception of past confrontations has been shaped by an oversimplified model of a "war" between science and religion. By uncovering the complexity of the debates sparked by Darwin's theory, we might discover ways to depolarize our own debates about where we came from and why we are here.

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