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concepts of natural selection and evolution. Poteat reconciled his scientific conclusions with a modernist or liberal form of
Christianity. His beliefs were not shared by more conservative Baptists, who tried to remove him. Poteat fought back and survived, and helped persuade the
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for many years. His brother Edwin McNeill Poteat was a minister and educator, serving as president of Furman
University from 1903 to 1918. William Louis Poteat went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest College (then located in
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Ferris, Charles Joseph. "SOUTHERN BAPTISTS AND EVOLUTION IN THE 1920'S: THE ROLES OF EDGAR Y. MULLINS, J. FRANK NORRIS, AND WILLIAM LOUIS POTEAT" (PhD dissertation, University of
Louisville, 1973; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,
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Sanchez, Paul A. "Christianity at the
Crossroads: William Louis Poteat and Liberal Religion in the Baptist South" (Dissertation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020; ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 27833825).
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in the South, and a champion of higher education. Though a
Baptist, he defended the teaching of evolution as the "divine method of creation", arguing it was fully compatible with Christian beliefs.
66:) in 1877. Shortly after graduating, he was hired by his alma mater as a natural science instructor. He was a public intellectual and leading theological liberal among Baptists in the South.
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He was the first layman to be elected president in Wake Forest
College's history. "Dr. Billy" continued to promote growth, hired many outstanding professors, and expanded the
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curriculum. He also stirred upheaval among North
Carolina Baptists with his strong support of teaching the theory of
122:, but he effectively withdrew himself from consideration by not attending an interview with the Board of Trustees.
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He first taught himself biology before studying at the
University of Berlin. His studies convinced him of the
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but eventually won formal support from the
Baptist State Convention for academic freedom at the college.
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to defeat a bill that would have banned the teaching of evolution (as other states had done; see
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Thompson, James J. "Southern
Baptists and the Antievolution Controversy of the 1920's."
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29:–1905) and then the seventh president (1905–1927) of Wake Forest College (today,
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Linder, Suzanne Cameron. "William Louis Poteat and the evolution controversy."
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33:). Poteat was conspicuous in many civic roles becoming a leader of the
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161:"Advocate: Wake Forest president embraced eugenics movement"
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In 1934, Poteat expressed interest in becoming President of
22:(1856–1938), also known as "Doctor Billy", was a professor (
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William Louis Poteat: A Leader of the Progressive-Era South
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William Louis Poteat: A Leader of the Progressive-Era South
386:(acting, 1854–1856), (president, 1856–1862 and 1866–1879)
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191:"Poteat Residence Hall - Wake Forest University Events"
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Poteat Residence Hall, overlooking the university's
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16:7th president (1905–1927) of Wake Forest College
53:, slave-owning family; among his siblings was
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307:(University of North Carolina Press, 1925)
142:. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 49-59.
507:People from Caswell County, North Carolina
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286:Woodard, John R. "Poteat, William Louis,"
252:William Louis Poteat: Prophet of Progress
517:People from Yanceyville, North Carolina
290:Dictionary of North Carolina Biography,
217:Stetson University: The First 100 Years
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171:from the original on January 28, 2021
497:Presidents of Wake Forest University
347:Presidents of Wake Forest University
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159:Railey, John (December 9, 2002).
91:Presidency at Wake Forest College
305:Can a Man be a Christian To-day?
259:North Carolina Historical Review
214:Lycan, Gilbert L. (1983-01-01).
244:(University of Kentucky, 2000)
81:North Carolina General Assembly
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47:Caswell County, North Carolina
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502:Wake Forest University alumni
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220:. Stetson University Press.
64:Wake Forest, North Carolina
10:
533:
288:in William S. Powell, ed.
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276:The Mississippi Quarterly
250:Linder, Suzanne Cameron.
167:. Winston-Salem Journal.
416:Francis Pendleton Gaines
138:Hall, Randal L. (2000).
303:Poteat, William Louis.
512:Theistic evolutionists
261:40.2 (1963): 135-157.
31:Wake Forest University
384:Washington M. Wingate
408:William Louis Poteat
278:29.1 (1975): 65-81.
110:, is named for him.
57:, who taught art at
35:Progressive Movement
20:William Louis Poteat
392:Thomas H. Pritchard
85:Scopes Monkey Trial
55:Ida Isabella Poteat
45:Poteat was born in
424:Thurman D. Kitchin
120:Stetson University
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229:Further reading
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410:(1905–1927)
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198:. Retrieved
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173:. Retrieved
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492:1938 deaths
487:1856 births
458:(2005–2021)
442:(1967–1983)
434:(1950–1967)
426:(1930–1950)
418:(1927–1930)
402:(1884–1905)
394:(1879–1882)
378:(1848–1853)
370:(1845–1848)
362:(1834–1845)
360:Samuel Wait
114:Later years
27: 1880
481:Categories
200:2023-11-03
126:References
108:Upper Quad
466:(2021- )
235:1304750).
175:March 10,
101:evolution
76:Darwinian
70:Evolution
41:Biography
169:Archived
97:science
51:Baptist
309:online
280:online
270:online
263:online
254:(1966)
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177:2020
144:ISBN
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.