Lessons from the Scopes Trial
by Dave Demmick, MD, guest writer

The summer of 2005 will mark the 80th anniversary of the infamous Scopes trial. Creationists have drawn attention in recent years to the way in which this event has been distorted by humanists — especially through the
well-known play and movie “Inherit the Wind”.

“Inherit the Wind” portrays Biblical creationists as narrow-minded persecutors of evolutionists, resorting to bad tactics to enforce their own viewpoint. However, the Scopes trial transcript tells quite a different story. To test your knowledge of what really happened, consider the following questions: Which side had its chief spokesman cited for contempt of court?
Which side used a deceptive tactic to deny a fair hearing to the opposition? Which side sought to override the democratic process to force their views on others?

If your answer was “the pro-evolution side” for each of these questions, you were correct. Here are the details:
Conflict developed during the trial about the defense’s expert witnesses for evolution. The prosecution wished to cross-examine the evolution experts, while Clarence Darrow and the defense wanted to shield them from embarrassing questions. When the judge didn’t rule decisively in his favor, Darrow openly insulted him. After due consideration, the judge had Darrow’s words read back from the record. Darrow’s words were plainly abusive, and the judge held him in contempt of court, appointing a future court date for him and assigning a bond of $5,000.

Darrow then offered a rather insincere apology, insinuating that he had actually been misunderstood. The judge graciously revoked the contempt citation, noting that forgiveness is a Christian virtue.

When William Jennings Bryan and the prosecution asked for the right to cross-examine the “witnesses” of evolution, the defense challenged Bryan himself to be cross-examined on the witness stand. This was an unorthodox legal move of questionable propriety. Bryan knew that it would put him at a disadvantage. Darrow could ask him questions in any form he liked while Bryan could initiate nothing himself. Still, Bryan also knew that if he refused the challenge, it would appear to the watching world that he was afraid.

So, he warily accepted the challenge on the condition that he would have equal opportunity to cross-examine Darrow and his colleagues. Bryan then endured a humiliating series of barbed and sarcastic questions in which Darrow did his utmost to heap scorn upon the Bible and conservative Christians.

Afterwards, topping discourtesy with treachery, Darrow suddenly changed his client’s plea from not guilty to guilty. This ended the trial without Darrow having to publicly answer Bryan’s questions.

The Scopes trial was an early example of “judicial activism,” in which an elite minority try to bypass the democratic process by having a liberal higher court declare a law to be unconstitutional. It was the defense’s intention all along to appeal the lower court ruling to a higher court for this purpose, and they were eventually successful.

The Scopes trial reminds us that creationists are not only confronted by distortions of evidence and outright lies, but also by smear tactics, ridicule, and unfair suppression. The bad tactics used by evolutionists at the Scopes trial are still with us today.

In the face of such opposition, what should our response be? First of all, we must remember that Christians have always been called upon to return blessing for cursing, and good for evil. As always, we should maintain a Christ-like standard of truthfulness and sound judgement. In addition, we should make it a particular point to maintain a Christ-like love for those who ridicule and persecute us.

Editor’s Note:
The complete Scopes trial transcript is available in hard-bound copy from Bryan College, Dayton, Tennessee 37321, under the title of: “The World’s Most Famous Trial” (reprinted 1990).


Unlocking the Mystery of Life
by Dave Nutting



Here is a video that is really unlocking some minds about the so-called fact of evolution. Below, in the following article, you can read about the impact it is having in other parts of the world. It is not religious in nature, but does an excellent job of showing that the origin of life could not have happened by accident. Virtually anyone with an ounce of openness would have to conclude, after viewing it, that atheism cannot explain the intricate details of life on a cellular level.

A professor interviewed in the film had actually written a college textbook relating to an atheistic and naturalistic origin of life. However, after honestly considering the astounding evidence that indicates life was created by a designer, he switched from atheistic evolution to intelligent design.

The computer-animated graphics clearly illustrate the breathtaking complexity going on inside the cells of your body. This video is good for inquiring and deep-thinking minds. I would like to see this video shown in public schools across the country and the world.

So why is it being banned on a public broadcasting station? I believe the core reason is because it does such a good job of exposing the bankruptcy of evolution.

If you use this excellent, nonreligious video, make sure you are ready to sow the seeds of truth that God is our personal Creator and the true author of life!

This video is available from AOI for $20 (VHS and DVD).

Clearing the fields in the Ukraine: Three Kinds of Reactions
by Dave Nutting

We received a report of creation activity in the Ukraine which is relating much of what we have seen when ministering in that region. Here are some excerpts from the communication that was forwarded to me in which Sergei Golovin reported that the video, Unlocking the Mystery of Life, is being widely used and having a tremendous impact in that region. This is the very same video that a public broadcasting station in New Mexico has banned from their programs — right here in the good old “land of the free.”



“We work mostly with unbelievers . . . Our culture is more eastern than western, so when the ideas of people are challenged, and they do not have any arguments, they just keep silence. This kind of reaction is the most usual. From the other hand, . . . when the mind of a person was formed by ideas of atheism and Darwinism, and he did not really think about the truth of the ideas. After seeing the film, the person is overwhelmed, and he starts telling everyone about what he had seen. At first he tries to reconcile it with his earlier beliefs, but then he understands that those two beliefs cannot be combined and confesses the new point of view.

“The most wild reaction usually comes from believers, who say that their hearts believed in Christ but their minds were saying absolutely different things (because our brains were washed with the communist system of education that was based on Darwinism), and now they finally found peace by reconciliation of their hearts and minds.”

“We understand apologetics as destruction of the barriers on the way to faith, and preparing the soil for sowing, so that the seeds brought good crops. The most wonderful example was when we received a letter from a women from Baltic countries, who somehow got our video materials and showed them to her husband, who was [an] unbeliever. She had been a believer for 8 years, but her husband only made fun of her faith. When she let him see the video, he did not even watch it to the end, and said: “Is it really true that God created all of us?!” Next Sunday he went to church and accepted Christ. The problem was in the fact that the lady was sowing her seeds on the asphalt, but the video broke the stronghold, and the crops were immediate.”

The ministry of AOI has been and will continue to be, one of preparing the soil for the Gospel — both here and abroad.

Creation's Tiny Compasses
by Kim Guthrie

I can find my way! I don’t need any help to find the trail!” I exclaimed as I headed up the mountain. But after my guide left, one glacier looked just like another, and I was lost in the wilderness! This was just one of the many times my sense of direction, or lack of it, got me in trouble. I almost invariably turn in the opposite direction that I should go. That’s why, when I heard about the world’s smallest compasses, I was totally amazed.

These tiny compasses were discovered by Richard P. Blakemore in 1975. As he was studying some of the cultures he had grown from some foul-smelling mud, he noticed some of the bacterium behaving in a strange way. No matter what environmental conditions he put the little bacterium in, they would always swim northward in the water! Could it be that these little bacterium were able to sense magnetic north?

Blakemore placed a bar magnet near the slide and, sure enough, the bacteria changed direction! Wow! This opened up a whole new field of study in which it was found that other organisms such as algae, insects, slugs and pigeons also use sophisticated magnetic compasses.



Why on earth would tiny bacterium need the ability to find their way? If you were a tiny bacteria swimming underwater, it could be hard to tell which way was up. Things like surface tension could really be confusing and you might end up swimming the wrong way.

For these little critters, it’s a matter of life or death. They cannot handle very much oxygen so they need their direction-finding ability to swim down into the sediments and away from highly-oxygenated environments.

What an amazing solution to the problem of “which way is up!” This incredible design for even the smallest of creatures points to an all-knowing and creative Designer! Blakemore’s discovery of these exquisitely designed compass creatures opens yet another window that we can look through to see our Creator’s handiwork. Now, if only I could get one of those built in compasses...

**Kim Guthrie was an intern at AOI and is using her creation training to further her camp ministry in Texas. Thanks Kim, for a great article!

Oh My!! What Next?
by Dave Nutting

Have you heard of the Atlanta Georgia school district’s battle with the ACLU over a sticker? The district put a sticker in the textbooks which merely informs the students that evolution is a theory, not a fact.

It seems the humanists and atheists were up in arms that students were actually being allowed to question the so called “fact” of evolution.

You might rightly ask, “Now what harm could one little sticker do? Good question! The federal judge who ruled in the case and ordered that the sticker be taken out of the evolutionary high school biology textbooks said the sticker is an “unconstitutional endorsement of religion.”

Why?? They said, “By denigrating evolution [to a theory??], the school board appears to be endorsing the well-known prevailing alternative theory, creationism or variations thereof, even though the sticker does not specifically reference any alternative theories.” (US District Judge Clarence Cooper).

You be the judge: Does this really endorse religion? The sticker read: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.” That is the total statement!

Pretty mild, huh? It seems reasonable enough but unfortunately, the evolutionary humanist groups have a stranglehold on the public education system and they don’t want any inkling that their pet theory is a theory not a fact!

The public should be outraged! 2000 active parents encouraged the district to discuss alternative theories to evolution. Then, only 5 parents sued against the 2000 and one of our notorious federal judges forced his viewpoint into the situation.
It is time to say, “NO” to the ACLU and the small minority that are wrecking the educational system of this country in their attempt to promote atheistic,
humanistic philosophy!

For more information, see:
www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/13/evolution.textbooks.ruling/