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How BYU Went From Banning Evolution to Teaching It

Benjamin Park, Historian

7,141 views

How did evolution become a standard part of biology at BYU after decades of opposition? Historian Benjamin Park explores the life of geneticist Duane Jeffery, who helped bring evolution courses back to Brigham Young University, and interviews evolutionary biologist Steven L. Peck about his new biography, Duane Jeffery: A Mormon Evolutionist.

Their conversation traces the 1911 BYU evolution controversy, the conflict between biology and religion faculty, and the different views LDS leaders have expressed about science. Benjamin also shares an encounter from his own time teaching religion at BYU that shows why the question of Mormonism and evolution still matters.

Peck’s biography of Jeffery: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books...

Jeffery’s classic 1973 article on evolution: https://www.dialoguejournal.com/artic...

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Video Chapters:
00:00 Evolution at BYU
01:06 Meet Duane Jeffery
02:17 Peck’s New Biography
03:12 Jeffery’s Early Life
04:11 Evolution Returns
05:06 Public Backlash
06:11 Science and Faith
07:12 Meet Steven Peck
09:40 LeBaron Encounters
14:03 BYU’s Science Gap
18:15 Faculty Conflict
19:11 A Lost Tradition
22:13 Encyclopedia Dispute
28:17 Evolution Today
35:25 Why Read It
36:20 Benjamin’s BYU Story

#BYU #MormonHistory #Evolution #ldshistory

About This Channel:
Welcome to the channel! I’m Dr. Benjamin Park—historian, author, professor, and unapologetic history geek. If you're tired of hearing that everything is unprecedented or nothing like this has ever happened before, you're in the right place. This channel dives into the complex (and fascinating) intersections of American religion, politics, and culture. I bring history out of the ivory tower and into real-world conversations—making it relevant, accessible, and even a little fun. Expect weekly deep dives, quick takes on current events, book recommendations, and sharp insights from the past to help us understand our present. From Mormon history to the abolitionist movement and beyond, let’s unpack how we got here—and where we might be going. Subscribe and geek out with me on the power of the past.

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Views expressed on this channel are those of the presenter and not his employer.

20 Comments

@jarommaia294 11 days ago

I am a faithful Brazilian member of the Church, and I love your approach to complex topics in our history. As a physician and the son of a biologist, I have always found it very difficult to reconcile scientific knowledge with CES manuals and various quotes from President Smith and Elder McConkie. Virtually all the literature available to the average Church member outside the US relies on Church manuals, and our access to this kind of discussion is limited (or non-existent). This type of debate is very interesting! Thank you!!!

@stephenjackson7797 11 days ago

I was lucky enough to have Dr. Duane Jeffery as a professor in one class at BYU. I repeated what he said and got a fireside set up for him in my ward. I got into trouble for setting up that fireside.

@ChrisRobison 11 days ago

My grandfather was a professor at BYU in what was BioAg at the time. He told me stories of the fun conflicts evolution created because it was such an obvious scientific observation, but it didn’t square with the legalist take of the Q15 religious department hardliners. Crazy to me how people will bend over backwards for unfalsifiable claims about creation and heavenly parents, but won’t open their eyes to what is right in front of them. It’s identity politics, not truth seeking.

@kevinblatter2369 11 days ago

While serving in a married ward bishopric in the 1980's at BYU, I had the privilege of knowing and associating on a weekly basis with Dr. Jeffery, who was our HC representative. I had several discussions with Dr. Jeffery and I would look forward to our weekly discussions. A common topic was "faith promoting rumors" that were rife at BYU at the time. He also taught an EQ lesson at the time where debunked several of "faith promoting rumors."

@bezoar7735 11 days ago (edited)

I was in his bio 200 class. Great class! I did not know any of his background. He shared many of us would go east for grad school and he would teach us evolution better and deeper than any Ivy League bio course and we could go in confident that our foundation trauning was as good or better than any other USA trained grad students. By bio ethics course made it clear that the church had no firm policy. I was proud of my byu training.

Now 20 years in an east coast school university I look back with gratitude to him.

It was a message I needed as I needed to clarify so many extreme beliefs.

Sadly my son in Idaho is getting an inferior education.

@colewarner 11 days ago

Saw you at the tabernacle yesterday. Loved the lecture. Thanks for coming this way

@freesparrowsomeday 8 days ago

My geology professor at Rick’s believed in evolution and suggested ways it could fit with gospel teachings. I shared it with my mom and she shut it down real fast. I never forgot his ideas and appreciate him planting a seed of truth that I now can explore.

@OldManLikesToWalk 10 days ago

In the 1980s when I was an undergraduate at the University of Utah I read an essay by Dr. Jeffery in Dialogue. I was so impressed that I sent him a brief message with my name and phone number. To my delight, he called me and we spoke at length. I don't think the conversation was meant for public consumption so I will bypass the details. But, his perspective on faith, Mormonism, and science was so engaging that to this day it has shifted my own world-view. He acknowledged the ultimate supremacy of facts and truth over faith and tradition. He combined this with the value to be found in religion. He remains one of my all-time favorite individuals with whom I have had contact during my lifetime.

@drsamlyman 11 days ago (edited)

I graduated in 1984 with a baccalaureate degree in microbiology from BYU. Duane taught my undergraduate genetics class. He was hard! At the time, I never learned anything at BYU to challenge the fundamental premises of Darwinian organic evolution. Much later, I left the LDS church over the usual historical issues. Later still, I gave up belief in any gods because of my understanding of evolution and the lack of any evidence that would make me want to believe in God. Thank you BYU for teaching me excellent critical thinking skills. I teach genetics, biology, and environmental science at a for-profit university and I’m challenged about evolution all the time by my students. I am continually amazed that there are so many students of science that still do not accept the validity of evolution through natural selection.

@Starbasekolob 11 days ago

Very glad I was taught evolution at byu.

@hambinger 11 days ago

My Dad, a Cornell PhD professor of science, taught me as a child that there has never been a conflict with science and mormonism. The only caveat he gave about both sides is when they overreach. One side a religion proclaiming that evolution is evil is just overreach. The other side when evolutionary biology makes the leap that God doesn't exist because of it. Both are extremes and no one likes that kind of complexity.

@GoodChance-rl3tb 11 days ago

When I was at BYU (1976-1979) I took a Persuasive Writing class in which we chose a subject to persuasively write about. I chose a pro-evolution stance. I was guided to Duane Jeffery who plied me with many purple mimeograph copies of letters sent to the first presidency requesting confirmation of the churches stance on evolution and their replies.

My recollection is that every reply was to the effect that the brethren didn’t pretend to know and that, regardless of the “how” the creation of human beings in their current form occurred, it is still miraculous. (Akin to the “Hinkley response”).

He invited me to attend several class sessions (I think it was an Evolutionary Biology class for pre-dentistry students) and I learned about a lot, including “atavisms and vestigials”!

Dr. Jeffery changed my life by taking his time to mentor me. And as a student who felt academically and especially scientifically inadequate, he showed me my own ability, one that I had previously shied away from.

Even though he was in my life for a very short while — he had a huge effect on me.

@JeffreySmith-if6ey 11 days ago

As an active LDS and 63 year old retired pathologist (MD), computer scientist, and electrical engineer (who worked on the human genome project as a graduate student) I can relate well with this discussion. I have long resolved my own personal cognitive dissonance on this subject by understanding that the creation was described in scripture thousands of years ago in predominately symbolic terms. There was no science to help describe it. We do not even remotely understand how God created everything, including mankind.

It is alright (not a sin) to see evolution as compatible with our theology. Our theology makes space for scientific explanations such as evolution as Dr. Peck discussed. Differences of opinion on this subject, even in GAs within the church, are not a concern to me.

I personally think of evolution as a God given gift of knowledge to us on how he could have created our bodies. It is still only an embryonic start to what God will teach us in the future however.

One of the best things about our faith is that we have living prophets, that are yes fallible, but we are also not locked into a non-progressing existence. God reveals truth line upon line and sometimes with a little pain in getting to it.

@personanongrata987 11 days ago

This video is hugely educational and thought-provoking. Thanks for producing it and conducting such a great interview. Now: What is the history of LDS teachings on the age of the Earth?

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@MrDevanjensen 11 days ago (edited)

Dr. Duane Jeffrey taught evolution to my BYU honors colloquium.

@Mike-r4z8v 8 days ago

Thank you!

@ajackass5950 7 days ago

Duane is one of the coolest people in history. I'm beyond lucky to know him.

@valkyriefencingclub4567 8 days ago (edited)

He was my first professor of my very first class at BYU. Probably my favorite professor. And then 30 years later, my daughter married his nephew. Lol. The Jeffrey family is salt of the Earth.

@Zelig_G 11 days ago

Likewise, they didn’t teach documentary hypothesis till super late. I got caught up in that controversy.

@brettkeeler8822 11 days ago

Anytime I hear anti evolution comments in Sunday School, I love being able to just point out…”well you know…BYU teaches evolution.”

Also “A Short Stay in Hell” is easily the most disturbing book I’ve read in recent memory.