Red Dynamite - (Religion and American Public Life) by Carl R Weinberg (Paperback)

About the Book

"Red Dynamite examines how opponents of teaching evolutionary science in the United States over the course of the twentieth century used anticommunist politics to demonize Darwinism"--

Book Synopsis

In Red Dynamite, Carl R. Weinberg argues that creationism's tenacious hold on American public life depended on culture-war politics inextricably embedded in religion. Many Christian conservatives were convinced that evolutionary thought promoted immoral and even bestial social, sexual, and political behavior. The "fruits" of subscribing to Darwinism were, in their minds, a dangerous rearrangement of God-given standards and the unsettling of traditional hierarchies of power. Despite claiming to focus exclusively on science and religion, creationists were practicing politics. Their anticommunist campaign, often infused with conspiracy theory, gained power from the fact that the Marxist founders, the early Bolshevik leaders, and their American allies were staunch evolutionists.

Using the Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a starting point, Red Dynamite traces the politically explosive union of Darwinism and communism over the next century. Across those years, social evolution was the primary target of creationists, and their "ideas have consequences" strategy instilled fear that shaped the contours of America's culture wars. By taking the anticommunist arguments of creationists seriously, Weinberg reveals a neglected dimension of antievolutionism and illuminates a source of the creationist movement's continuing strength.

Thanks to generous funding from Indiana University and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access volumes from Cornell Open (cornellpress.cornell.edu/cornell-open) and other repositories.

Review Quotes

Red Dynamite is an engaging and richly sourced narrative. It is especially relevant for historians of education studying science pedagogy, curricular backlash, textbook wars, and Christian homeschooling.

-- "American Educational History Journal"

Red Dynamite offers stunning new depth to a relatively familiar tale; this cogent work demonstrates just how interactive even seemingly very narrow ideological, spiritual, and religious beliefs can be with larger social, political, and cultural trends in American history.

-- "The Journal of American History"

[A]n important step in itself and something to which scholars of American religion and conservative politics should pay special attention.

-- "Church History Review"

Splendid chronicle.

-- "Evolution: Education and Outreach"

About the Author

Carl R. Weinberg is Adjunct Associate Professor of History and Senior Lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington. He is the author of Labor, Loyalty, and Rebellion. His website is https: //carlrweinberg.com/. You can can also follow him on X @Euclid585.