teach the controversy

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

teach the controversy (third-person singular simple present teaches the controversy, present participle teaching the controversy, simple past and past participle taught the controversy)

1. (US, euphemistic, creationism) To teach that life forms may have been created (almost) in their current form by a sentient being in a manner consistent with Christian dogmata, rather than as a result of ordinary evolution, and that the theory of evolution is controversial.
   • 2008, Patrick H. Clancy, Teaching the Controversy: A How-to Guide for Public (Government) School Biology, Xulon Press, →ISBN:

     Recent developments in some of the states suggest that all public high school biology teachers may soon have to prepare themselves - whether they like it or not - to teach the controversy.

   • 2009, Lauri Lebo, The Devil in Dover: An Insider's Story of Dogma V. Darwin in Small-town America, The New Press, →ISBN, page 111:

     Senator Rick Santorum is a Pennsylvanian in the same circles (author of the ' Santorum Language' that encourages schools to teach the controversy) ...

   • 2010, Frank S. Ravitch, Marketing Intelligent Design: Law and the Creationist Agenda, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 93:

     To the extent that ID is a religious idea, and teaching the controversy is not about teaching a real scientific controversy, there are significant endorsement problems .