Is anyone left to fight this battle? Anyone? Anyone?

Missourians who believe that they are not the great-great-great grandchildren of apes, now have an unlikely advocate on their side.

Hollywood. Ben Stein is an actor, writer, former college professor, game show host political analyst and former presidential speech writer and now you can add spokesman for Intelligent Design to his resume. Although he is probably most well known for his role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, his latest movie, a documentary called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed [see A Rough Cut's review here], is coming to the defense of Intelligent Design and all those who would question Darwinism. I attended a screening of the PG film in the Capitol Rotunda where the entertainer introduced it and answered questions.

Stein, it should be noted, is Jewish. Expelled, which Stein narrates with his droll, monotone, will not lead the viewer to Christ nor will insist you believe that the Judeo-Christian God created the earth in six days. It does however, equip the viewer with the tools to question the strangle hold Darwinism has on the academic community. Stein is a strong ally for many Christians and others who are seemingly being denied academic freedom because they refuse to believe in a certain scientific theory. This is what prompted Stein to make the movie.

“Nothing can be questioned about Darwinism, unless you want to be in severe academic jeopardy,” he said. “I have been very troubled by this strangle hold Darwinism has on academic pursuits and by the fact that if you raise the slightest question about Darwinism, you can get fired, lose you job, grants and websites. This didn’t seem to us to be constant with the doctrines of free speech and freedom of inquiry that are basic to the functioning of the United States of America. So many people did not give their lives so that one certain dogma could have a stranglehold on academic pursuits while everything else was expelled.”

The scientific alternative being suppressed and the focus of the film is called “Intelligent Design.” The idea says biological evidence suggests that life is too complex to be explained by random mutation (Darwinian evolution) and that the origin of life and the diversity of species on our planet is best explained by the existence of a Creator. It’s proponents argue that it is not a religious theory and that creator isn’t necessarily God. But, as Stein points out, God’s role in creating the universe makes at least as much sense as Darwin’s proponents. The movie contends that Darwinism itself and many of the scientists who believe it are openly and vocally hostile toward Christians.

“I am not a scientist,” he said. “But I am someone who can draw conclusions from overwhelming evidence.”

Kerry Messer, lobbyist for the Missouri Baptist Convention was present at the screening and gives it two thumbs up and said students, teachers, parents and church leaders need to see Expelled.

“This is one of the most well-made documentaries I’ve ever seen,” Messer said. “It weaves all the elements of the debate together in an entertaining, funny way but in engaging way too. The most important part is that you have a man like Ben Stein basically challenging us: ‘Why are you being silent? Why are you sitting there while your kids are being taught lies?’

“Everyone should go see this movie, especially students and parents of students. While this movie does focus on higher academia, the same things are going on in elementary and secondary education regularly as well. Every pastor in the State of Missouri needs to see this movie so they understand the culture their parishioners live in.”

Expelled will be released April 18 and will be playing in 1000 theaters across the country, including many in Missouri.

But promoting a movie was just part of Stein’s purpose. He was also at the Capitol adding a loud, prominent voice in favor of two bills in the Missouri Legislature that would protect academic freedom and allow for alternatives to Darwinism to be taught and would ensure that students in Missouri’s colleges and universities do not have to sacrifice their faith to satisfy a professor’s whim. In fact, he said the bills were just as much the reason for his trip to Missouri as the movie.

“When we found out these bills were pending in the legislature here in Missouri, we want to come here, wave the flag and show our support for academic diversity and freedom of speech,” Stein said.

House Bill 2554, introduced by Rep. Wayne Cooper, would offer a shield of protection should a professor want to teach an alternative to Darwinism and acknowledge that there are legitimate scientific alternatives. It does not require the teaching or exclusion of any theory.

House Bill 1315, also known as the Emily Brooker Higher Education Sunshine Act, has been introduced by Rep. Jane Cunningham and would “develop methods to ensure that conflicts between personal beliefs and classroom assignments that may contradict such beliefs can be resolved in a manner that achieves educational objectives without requiring a student to act against his or her conscience.”

The bill is named after Emily Brooker, who questioned Missouri State University’s right to force her to lobby and act in favor of issues she believed to be morally wrong, in this particular case lobbying in favor of homosexual adoptive couples. She sued in 2006 and settled out of court.

“I never want to see anyone being forced to do academic chores that are repugnant to their faith and their core personal conscience,” Stein said. “All we’re doing is giving more of an opportunity for freedom of speech. You just have to keep inquiring, keep talking and keep debating. That’s the purpose of our movie. That’s the purpose of these bills here in trying to get academic freedom. I don’t see any reason why you should surrender your freedom or inquiry rights when you pick up your registration card for high school or college.”

Messer said Missouri Baptists should support these two bills. But, he said, the larger issue goes beyond these two bills.

“It’s just another area of public policy where the Church needs to reclaim it’s rightful place in culture as the Bible says is our responsibility. The reason these things go on is because the church has been disengaged for too many years. These are fundamental bills, not only education but to our culture. More and more, the university is molding our students’ worldview. The church should be doing that and engaged is this debate.”

Stein said seeing legislation such as this crop up is the true goal of the film.

“The threshold of success for this movie will be if we can get bills like this moving and if we can get people to understand we are about academic freedom and not suppression,” he said. “We’re about freedom of thought, and of inquiry. The kind of freedom that makes this country great and makes Missouri great. Is anyone left to fight this battle? Anyone? Anyone?”