The God of Monkey Science

August 14, 2023
Ray (Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark?) zeroes in on the long-standing evangelical animosity toward science in this enlightening if flawed study. According to the author, the primary rupture between evangelical Christianity and science can be traced back to the 1925 “Scopes monkey trial,” when a Tennessee schoolteacher was taken to court for teaching evolution; the ensuing controversy resulted in the evangelical community’s adoption of “a choose-your-own-adventure approach to all science” that prized “values and beliefs” over facts, framed evidence as optional, and engendered an anti-intellectualism that eventually led to suspicion of vaccines, Covid-19 policies, and climate change. Though Ray assures readers “there is a faith that makes room for trusting science,” which involves accepting that “all truth is God’s truth, including scientific truth” and acknowledging that “parts of the Bible can be truth without being literally, historically, and scientifically true,” she mostly fails to explain how exactly one might go about this. Nonetheless, the author tussles bravely with pressing questions related to such issues as anti-intellectualism, denominational siloing, and the role of religion in American politics, and she persuasively uncovers the roots of evangelicalism’s anti-science bent and its potential future harms. Christians questioning received anti-science narratives will find this an accessible and thoughtful resource.