The Church, the Schools and Evolution

In Short

Written in 1922 by evangelist and Bible teacher J. E. Conant, The Church, the Schools and Evolution offers a fundamentalist polemic against the integration of evolutionary theory into Christian institutions. Conant argues that evolutionary thought is an unproven philosophical guess that directly contradicts biblical doctrines like total depravity, the virgin birth, and substitutionary atonement. Divided into an analysis of the controversy and a proposed spiritual cure, the text urges a complete rejection of evolutionary philosophy in favor of absolute biblical inerrancy. It endures as an authentic artifact of the early twentieth-century Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy in American religion.

The Story

Conant opens by defining the boundary line between evangelical Protestantism and educational institutions dominated by modern philosophy. He asserts that the theory of evolution is an unproven hypothesis utterly lacking factual support from true science. Quoting figures such as George McCready Price, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Thomas Hunt Morgan, he claims that scientific consensus around Darwinism and the inheritance of acquired characters is breaking down. However, Conant contends that the Church’s primary opposition to evolution is not merely scientific; it is fundamentally spiritual. The logic of evolution asserts continuous upward progress, which directly denies the biblical reality of man’s total depravity, fall into sin, and downward moral trajectory throughout human history.

As the argument progresses, Conant demonstrates how evolutionary logic dismantles essential Christian doctrines. If life evolves naturally from lower to higher forms, Jesus Christ becomes merely the natural product of human development rather than the virgin-born, incarnate Son of God. Consequently, the doctrine of atonement by substitution is replaced by a humanistic gospel of moral example and religious education. Conant insists that any attempt to combine evolutionary theory with biblical faith is an impossible compromise that forces the Church into spiritual suicide.

In the second half, Conant presents his cure for the ongoing controversy: a strict epistemological separation between the natural and spiritual realms. Relying on Christ’s statement that whoever wills to do God's will shall know the doctrine, Conant argues that spiritual truth can only be apprehended through heart faith and absolute surrender, not through unregenerate human intellect. He accuses rationalists and modernists, such as Shailer Mathews, Gerald Birney Smith, and Ernest DeWitt Burton, of misapplying natural scientific methods to the spiritual realm where they lack spiritual sight. True scientific inquiry, according to Conant, requires giving faith precedence over human reason.

Ultimately, Conant issues a sharp challenge to evolutionists teaching within Christian institutions. He demands that educators either accept Christ's formula of faith and surrender to an inerrant Bible, or step down from denominational schools and churches. He concludes with an urgent plea for the Church to abandon reliance on human scholarship, culture, or organization, and to rely instead on the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to defeat destructive unbelief.

How It Unfolds

The nature of the threat Conant establishes that evolutionary philosophy has captured the public and denominational educational systems, creating an irreconcilable conflict with evangelical faith. He defines evolution as a structural change brought about by internal forces without external divine aid, arguing it lacks any real factual foundation in nature.

The doctrinal destruction The author shows how evolutionary concepts directly attack foundational Christian doctrines, including the fall of man, total depravity, the virgin birth, and substitutionary atonement. He demonstrates that substituting natural development for divine intervention reduces redemption to mere moral education and social programming.

The spiritual cure Conant introduces a methodology for resolving the crisis based on distinguishing natural truth from spiritual truth. He asserts that spiritual realities can only be known by heart surrender and faith in the revealed Word of God, placing faith firmly ahead of human rationalizing.

The call to separation The book concludes with a stern ultimatum directed at rationalist educators occupying positions in Christian schools. Conant calls on true believers to reject compromise, demand the removal of unbelieving teachers, and trust entirely in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to uphold biblical inerrancy.

The People

• J. E. Conant – The author, an evangelist and Bible teacher, seeks to defend traditional evangelical orthodoxy against modernism. He stands firmly against compromising biblical authority, facing off against modern educators to preserve the absolute inerrancy of Scripture.
• The Modern Rationalist – Represented by figures such as Shailer Mathews and Ernest DeWitt Burton, this collective entity seeks to harmonize Christian theology with evolutionary science. Driven by intellectual scholarship, their approach undermines miraculous doctrines by placing human reason above divine revelation.
• The Creationist Scientist – Exemplified by figures like George McCready Price, this group supplies scientific citations to challenge Darwinism. They aim to show that empirical observations align with biblical creation rather than macro-evolutionary theories.
• The True Believer – The idealized Christian reader who approaches spiritual truth through heart surrender rather than mere mental assent. This figure achieves spiritual certainty by submitting completely to the will of God and the authority of the Bible.

In Its Own Voice

"The technical meaning of the term may be said to be a structural change in the direction of development into higher forms of existence, brought about by internal force without external aid."

Conant provides his core definition of evolution to show why the theory inherently excludes divine intervention.

"There is no middle ground. To compromise would be to commit suicide."

The author warns evangelical churches against seeking any middle path with modern evolutionary thought.

"The grammarian, the philologist, the historian, the naturalist, the philosopher, therefore, have no service they can perform here."

Conant emphasizes that human intellectual tools are useless for discerning purely spiritual truths.

What It's Really About

At its core, The Church, the Schools and Evolution is an argument about authority and epistemology. Conant addresses the question of how human beings arrive at ultimate truth: whether through human reason examining the natural world, or through divine revelation received by spiritual faith. The book asserts that naturalistic assumptions cannot be applied to sacred matters without destroying the foundational claims of Christianity. It reflects the intense cultural anxiety of early twentieth-century conservatives who believed that modern education was systematically eroding religious faith in American youth.

Why Read It Today

This text offers a clear window into the intellectual framework of American fundamentalism on the eve of the Scopes Trial. Readers interested in church history, the history of science and religion, or early twentieth-century polemics will appreciate its direct, uncompromising style and its dense synthesis of conservative theological arguments.

The reading experience is intense and uncompromising, structured like a prolonged sermon or conference lecture. It relies heavily on itemized lists, categorical distinctions, and lengthy quotations from contemporary scientists and theologians.

Prospective readers should be aware of its historical limitations. The text reflects the rigid polemical tone of its era, presenting complex scientific debates in stark black-and-white terms. Its scientific citations rely on early twentieth-century creationist arguments that do not reflect modern evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, for anyone seeking to understand the historical roots of the creation-evolution debate in America, Conant's work remains an illuminating primary document.