Inherit the Spin: How the Scopes Monkey Trial Changed the Narrative episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 21, 2025 · 49 MIN

Inherit the Spin: How the Scopes Monkey Trial Changed the Narrative

from Tom the Preacher · host Tom Short

Monday, July 21st, marks the 100-year anniversary of what I believe to be one of the most significant trials in American history.It didn't have 24-hour cable news coverage, but it was the first trial to ever be broadcast nationally on live radio. Although the trial was held in a small town in Tennessee, the celebrity attorney for the defense hailed from Chicago, and the prosecutor was a three-time presidential candidate. Books, a Broadway play, and movies have been made about this trial. Have you heard of it?It's popularly known today as "The Scopes Monkey Trial." John Scopes was charged with violating state law by teaching that humans came from monkeys. He was convicted and fined $100. But though "the evolutionists" lost the case, they won in the court of public opinion, for they successfully advanced a narrative that those who believed the Biblical account of creation were a bunch of uneducated, red-necked, hillbillies, summarized in a term used in their day -- yokels. "Science" had conquered the Bible. Modernity had dealt a fatal blow to faith. Embarrassed and humiliated, many who continued to believe in the infallibility of Scripture retreated from the public square into their own separate world, seeking to remain unstained by the world. Within two generations, America had become a "secular" nation. To this day, we continue to see the effects of this Scopes decision in our schools as well as the broader culture.I recently sat down to have an in-depth discussion with Dr. Richard Suplita about the Scopes trial and its impact on our nation. I think it's well worth listening to if you are concerned about the waning effect of the church upon our broader culture and how some believers are rising up to right that ship.To find Tom on Instagram, Facebook, TiKTok, and elsewhere, go to linktr.ee/tomthepreacher To support our work, go to www.campusamerica.com************ Do you want to have all your sins forgiven and know God personally? Check out my video "The Bridge Diagram" at    • The Bridge Diagram:What You Must Do to Be ...  *********Check out my website, www.CampusAmerica.com, to learn more about my ministry and sign up for my daily email. And make sure to request a copy of my book, Takin' it to Their Turf, when you visit my website.*********Check out my videos on this channel to learn how to answer tough questions challenging our faith.

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Monday, July 21st, marks the 100-year anniversary of what I believe to be one of the most significant trials in American history. It didn't have 24-hour cable news coverage, but it was the first trial to ever be broadcast nationally on live radio. Although the trial was held in a small town in Tennessee, the celebrity attorney for the defense hailed from Chicago, and the prosecutor was a three-time presidential candidate. Books, a Broadway play, and movies have been made about this trial. Hav...

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Inherit the Spin: How the Scopes Monkey Trial Changed the Narrative

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