In CreationismÆs Trojan Horse, Forrest and Gross document the agenda and advances of ôIntelligent Design,ö the most recent manifestation of American science educationÆs perennial affliction: creationism. Explaining and analyzing what ôdesign theoristsö call their ôWedge Strategyöùan attempt to substitute ôtheistic scienceö for natural science in the public mindùthis book documents the WedgeÆs aggressive, decade-long public relations campaign to implement the strategy. The most notable feature of it purportedly new scientific paradigm is the failure of its creators to produce either a scientific research program or any original scientific data to support their claims. Instead, the design movement maintains a crowded schedule of popular publications for its mostly conservative Christian constituency, lectures, and media appearancesùsustained by lucrative funding from religious benefactors. The Wedge has intruded itself successfully into educational politics at local, state and now national levels.
Forrest and Gross provide detailed accounts of the efforts of intelligent design proponents to influence state science standards in Kansas and Ohio, and to influence federal education legislation through the so-called Santorum amendment of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. They also demonstrate the continuity of intelligent design with traditional creationism and expose its religious core and motivation. Highlighting the design movementÆs alliances with Religious Right extremists, the book reveals the meaning of William DembskiÆs statement that the intelligent design movementÆs challenge to the ôevolutionary naturalism of Darwinö is ôground zero of the culture war.ö The bookÆs analysis makes clear the Wedge StrategyÆs threat to public education and to the separation of church and state.
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