American Genesis

Download or read book American Genesis written by Jeffrey P. Moran and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2012-03-15 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution has been a perennial flash-point in American politics. But it is not merely a political issue. In American Genesis, Jeffrey P. Moran explores the ways in which the evolution debate has reverberated beyond the confines of state legislatures and courthouses. Moran shows that social forces such as gender, regionalism, and race have intersected with the debate over evolution in ways that shed light on modern American culture. He investigates, for instance, how antievolutionism deepened the cultural divisions between North and South - as when northern elites embraced evolution as a sign of sectional enlightenment while southern opponents defined themselves as the standard bearers of true Christianity. Evolution debates also exposed a deep gulf between conservative Black Christians and secular intellectuals such as W. E. B. DuBois. In addition, Moran explores the motives and methods of antievolutionism, and the ways in which the struggle has played out in the universities, on the internet, and even within the evangelical community. Throughout, Moran shows that evolution has served as a weapon, as an enforcer of identity, and as a polarizing force both within and without the churches.