Creationist Debate

Arthur McCalla is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy/Religious Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Canada.

• Preface Introduction Part One: Before Deep Time 1. Newton's Two Books 2. Natural Theology 3. Pre-Adamites 4. A Sacred Theory of the Earth 5. The Chain of Being 5. History of the Gentiles 7. High Noon for the Design Arrangement Part Two: The Birth of Deep Time (1750-1850) 8. Birth of Deep Time 9. The Higher Criticism 10. Dialectic of Faith and Doubt Part Three: Deep Time and Natural Selection 11. Darwinism 12. Omphalos Part Four: Deep Time versus Creationism 13. Darwinism in America 14. Schools and Courts 15. Revival of Creationism 16. Intelligent Design Conclusion

'The historical context of American creationism typically begins with early 20th-century American fundamentalism and biblical literalism. The Creationist Debate provides a much richer historical framework for understanding creationism in  America by situating it within the long history of biblical interpretation. Prof. McCalla frames the evolution-creationism controversy in the U. S. by weaving it into a discussion of western European religious history and its intersection with the history of western science. In doing so, he also illuminates the historical underpinnings of intelligent design creationism, providing the historical context of the intelligent design movement's reactionary resistance not only to evolutionary theory, but to most of the intellectual accomplishments of the modern world." Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University and co-author with Paul R. Gross of Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design