Books in the George H. Shriver Lecture Series in Religion in American History series

Until about 1820, even learned Americans showed little interest in non-European religions-a subject that had fascinated their counterparts in Europe since the end of the seventeenth century. Fostered especially by learned Protestant ministers, this new discipline focused on canonical texts-the "bibles"-of other great world religions.

Reviews the key aspects of the creation-evolution debate in the United States. This book discusses the response to Darwinism, the US controversy over teaching evolution in public schools, and the religious views of American scientists. It looks at the 2006 Dover, Pennsylvania, court decision on teaching Intelligent Design and other such cases.