Description: It is often claimed that the Scopes Trial of 1925 was a public relations defeat that sent fundamentalism into retreat from mainstream culture. This book argues that such a characterization is misguided, and that fundamentalists remained fully active in seeking to transform the culture for Christ through the rise of Billy Graham's ministry.
Brief description: Madison Trammel is editorial director at the Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.
Review Quotes:
"The fundamentalists who censured theological modernism in the 1920s are often supposed to have been inactive in the public square because they believed in concentrating on saving souls. However, in Fundamentalists in the Public Square, Madison Trammel clearly demonstrates that they were strongly engaged in opposition to evolution and in support of prohibition. By drawing on a wealth of evidence from the press of four states, he also shows that they suffered less condemnation at the hands of public opinion than might be expected."
--David Bebbington, University of Stirling
"A solid and deft study that contributes to the new interpretive paradigm concerning fundamentalists and the public square. Trammel makes a compelling case that during the post-Scopes Roaring Twenties and beyond, fundamentalists never left the building."
--Barry Hankins, Baylor University
"This book may change the way the story of American fundamentalism in the Twenties is told."
--John Woodbridge, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School