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170 ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ Chapter 11 A Question of Conscience Minnesota’s Norwegian American Lutherans and the Teaching of Evolution Kurt W. Peterson The seven speakers of the World’s Christian Fundamentals Association who have touched nearly every considerable center in Minnesota during the last five weeks, bear uniform testimony to the fact that Lutheranism stands solidly for the greater fundamentals of the Christian faith, and with very, very few exceptions favors the anti-evolution bill.1 A great majority of the Lutherans in Minnesota, while they accept the fundamental beliefs as taught in the Bible, are opposed to Dr. W. B. Riley’s attempt to have the state legislature pass any laws to prohibit the teaching of the evolutionary theory in public schools.2 On March 8, 1927, hundreds of Minnesota’s concerned citizens packed the Minneapolis State House chamber to hear debate over proposed legislation that would forbid the teaching of evolution in the state’s tax-supported primary, secondary , and university institutions. Three hours before the meeting was scheduled to begin the seats were filled, and by the time the hearing got under way the aisles were so crowded that the speakers could barely make their way to the stage. President Lotus Coffman of the University of Minnesota needed a police escort to negotiate the throng. Senator Thwing, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, warned the audience at the outset that demonstrations would not be permitted. Hardly had the first speaker finished, however, when the audience began to boo and hiss the legislation’s backers. Several times Senator Thwing had to gavel the crowd down, and on more than one occasion he threatened to clear the room. The Minnesota Daily reported the following day, “sentiment seemed predominately against the bill. Statements of speakers favoring the bill were several times interrupted by prolonged laughter from the galleries , and speeches denouncing the measure were greeted with heavy applause.” The morning after the hearing, the Minnesota state senate killed the bill by a vote of 55 to 7. Although the vote was decisive, Minnesota had come closer than any other northern state to passing such legislation.3 A Question of Conscience ❖ 171 In the midst of the dozen or so speakers seated on the stage at the senate hearing on the proposed anti-evolution legislation were four Norwegian American Lutheran leaders. Lars W. Boe, president of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota , and Reverend J. A. O. Stub, pastor of Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis , spoke in opposition to the bill; and G. T. Rygh, member of the Minnesota Anti-Evolution League and former professor at St. Olaf, and L. A. Vigness, former president of St. Olaf, spoke in support of the legislation. The presence of these four men on stage indicates the importance of ethnic Lutherans in this story as well as how divisive the issue could be. Riley himself gave the Minnesota Lutheran population a prominent role in his grassroots campaign and in his speech at the hearing. He remarked, “nearly one half of the population of Minnesota belongs either directly or indirectly or by family connection to the great Lutheran bodies, and up to date I have not heard of one-half dozen Lutherans who oppose this bill.” A month earlier Riley had proclaimed, “Lutheranism stands solidly for the greater fundamentals of the Christian faith, and with very, very few exceptions favors the anti-evolution bill.” He naturally thought the state’s ethnic Lutheran population would join in his crusade.4 Despite his optimistic predictions, however, Riley was unable to garner more than a fraction of the expected Lutheran support. Not only were two of Norwegian American Lutheranism’s most prominent leaders speaking against the bill in a public forum, the two Lutheran ministers’ conferences of the state refused to support the bill and the presidents of every major Lutheran college also came out against it. Although virtually all ethnic Lutherans thought evolution was a danger to faith and country, most did not agree with Riley’s approach to solving the problem.5 While several cultural forces were drawing Norwegian American Lutherans into the orbit of fundamentalist social activism, a heritage of ethnic, confessional Lutheranism allowed them to maintain a particular identity in the midst of the politically charged debate over the teaching of evolution in tax-supported schools. On one hand, a high view of scripture, antimodernist theological commitments , accommodation among subsequent immigrant generations, fear of the demise of American civilization, and pragmatic concern for their children enrolled in...

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