Schedule set for Scopes Trial Centennial Symposium
Second week of Scopes Trial festival focuses on scholarly research
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
9 – 10 a.m. Nick Spencer – Science, Religion & How We Got Here
Dr. Nick Spencer is Senior Fellow at Theos, a think tank in Great Britain focusing on religion, politics and society. He is the author of a number of books and reports, including Magisteria: the entangled histories of science and religion (Oneworld, 2023), and is host of the podcast Reading Our Times. Outside of Theos, Nick is Visiting Research Fellow at the Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London and a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion. (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/nick-spencer- 1085967)
10 – 10:30 BREAK
10:30 – 11:30 Jerry Summers – The Trial and Its People
Attorney Jerry Summers is a lifelong resident of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Tenn, and an experienced trial lawyer. With a lifelong love of history, he has published eight books dealing with law, regional history, and Tennessee trivia. He has a special interest in the Scopes Trial, having argued numerous cases in the Rhea County Courthouse Scopes Trial courtroom. (https://www.summersfirm.com/attorneys-and-staff/jerry-h-summers/ )
1 – 2 p.m. Ed Larson – How the Trial Affected Society
Dr. Edward J. Larson holds the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and is University Professor of History at Pepperdine University. Recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in History and numerous other awards for writing and teaching, Larson is the author or co-author of fourteen books and over one hundred published articles, including Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, which won the Pulitzer Prize in History. (https://law.pepperdine.edu/faculty- research/edward-larson/
6 p.m. Dinner at Trinity Chapel – Randy Moore – John Scopes
Randy Moore is Professor of Biology and H.T. Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin-Cities. He teaches courses about evolution and the evolution- creationism controversy, and is the author seven books about the Scopes trial and its place in American History, including the recently published John Thomas Scopes: A Biography, and Causes Go on Forever…A Chronology of the Scopes Trial.
Thursday, July 17
9 – 10 a.m. Neal Doran – Science at the Scopes Trial
Dr. Neal A. Doran serves as Professor of Biology at Bryan College. His research has included a focus on macro- and microevolutionary patterns in the fossil record, the metaphysical implications of the punctuated equilibrium debate for biology and geology, and dinosaur paleontology. His interests center on broader questions on the relationship between science and Christianity. Dr. Doran's forthcoming book, Morphospatial Patterns in the Dinosauria, will address philosophical and scientific questions regarding dinosaur classification. (https://www.bryan.edu/staff/dr-neal-doran/)
10 – 10:30 BREAK
10:30 – 11:30 John Hawks – Human Origins
Dr. John Hawks studies human evolution and genetics, examining almost every part of our evolutionary story, from the very origin of the human lineage more than six million years ago up to the present day. His work on recent evolutionary changes has strong connections to global health, especially adaptations to agricultural and sedentary lifestyles and new diseases. (https://www.anthropology.wisc.edu/staff/hawks-john/)
1 p.m. – Joel Duff – Christians and Evolution after the Trial
Dr. Joel Duff is professor of biology at The University of Akron. His research focuses on understanding biological diversity by examining differences in DNA sequences and genome structure. He has worked on numerous plant and animal systems and has authored more than 40 research articles in science journals. (https://www.uakron.edu/ib/faculty-staff/faculty-detail.dot?u=rjduff
2:30 p.m. – Todd Wood and Paul Garner – A History of Creationism and the Future of the Creation/Evolution Debate
Dr. Todd Charles Wood earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Virginia, with an emphasis in computational biology and protein evolution. He launched Core Academy of Science, a creation ministry that nurtures the next generation of Christ-like creation researchers to explore the hardest problems in creation. He has authored or co-authored more than 60 technical papers, including papers in Science, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, and Answers Research Journal. (https://creationwiki.org/Todd_Wood)
Mr. Paul Garner is a full-time researcher and lecturer for Biblical Creation Trust in Cambridgeshire, England. He earned a Master’s Degree in Geoscience from University College, London, and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London. (https://www.biblicalcreationtrust.org/people.html)
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