Inherit the Wind

From the Director T hank you for coming to our play . Inherit the Wind is one of the 20th century’s most popular American plays. Since it was authored in 1951 by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, who both taught at The Ohio State University, this play has been translated into 34 languages with more than 20 million copies in print. The popularity of this play worldwide is a matter of record but it may seem a strange choice for a Christian, Bible- believing institution like Cedarville University. While the authors state that the major theme of their play is “the dignity of the individual human mind,” Phil Johnson states in his text, Defeating Darwinism , “ Inherit the Wind is a masterpiece of propaganda, promoting a stereotype of the public debate about creation and evolution that gives all virtue and intelligence to the Darwinists.” If this be true, why are we presenting this play at Cedarville University? You see, Cedarville University is committed to the literal 6-day account of creation. The University doctrinal statement states: “We believe in the literal 6-day account of creation, that the creation of man lies in the special, immediate, and formative acts of God and not from previously existing forms of life (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7-9, 16, 17; 3:1-19).” As a University family, we believe that the theory of evolution is an empty philosophy and deceiver of many in our culture today. Furthermore, our faculty believes that the literal Genesis account is rich in meaning and is a guide to understanding scientific observations about the universe and its origins. Inherit the Wind was chosen for production because it is a powerful drama and also because of the unique role it can play in meeting the educational mission of the theatre program and the University. As the theatre faculty labored over the 2001-2002 theatre season, we considered the inescapable impact that theatre has in and on our culture. Our University theme this year is “Transforming Culture with Christlike Compassion.” Our beautiful new theater and our new theatre major are dedicated to the belief that theatre is a compelling force through which to influence culture. It is also a powerful tool for strengthening the critical thinking skills of our students. The mission of Cedarville University is “to provide an education consistent with biblical truth.” Here are two of Cedarville University’s institutional objectives: 1. To undergird the student in the fundamentals of the Christian faith and to stimulate each student to evaluate knowledge in the light of scriptural truth. 2. To increase each student’s awareness of the world of ideas and events which are influencing our contemporary culture and to prepare each student to participate knowledgeably in our society. The ability of the media to influence social thought cannot be denied. The fact that many people incorrectly believe that Inherit the Wind constitutes the historical account of the Scopes trial testifies to this power. (Please note the links provided on the Cedarville theatre Web site and the display in front of the theatre if you are interested in the actual history of the Scopes trial.)