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)



Originally posted by Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation via Locable
Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation

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