Inherit the Wind & Salvation
Salvation belongs to the Lord alone. It does not belong to and therefore cannot spring from man. [Deutueronomy 32:34-43; Isaiah 12; Romans 1:14-19; Ephesians 2:1-10] Man finds salvation so that he may do good works, and does not find good works so he can do salvation. [Proverbs 16:1-5; James 2:14-26] We see this dilemma in Jerome Lawrence’s and Robert Edwin Lee’s Inherit the Wind. In this play, two men battle each other over differing beliefs, and yet both claim faith in Christ. Both men believe they are working on the behalf of Christ. This can be true, even though the two oppose each other, but this is determined not by their actions, good or bad, but by the faith they have and how it is tested.
The play starts with Brady’s faith on full display. He comes into the town of Hillsboro with the intention of upholding a law forbidding the teaching of Darwin. This is the first time the law has been exercised on someone, so whether or not it is upheld depends in good portion on how the proceedings go. Brady describes himself this way: "I am here to defend that which is most precious in the hearts of all of us: the Living Truth of Scriptures!"[1] Brady is no upstanding citizen, however. He is idolized by the townsfolk and accepts the idolatry – starts seeking it even by the end of the play, starts lamenting its absence. Even upon arriving the day before the proceedings, Brady is filled with pride and arrogance: "The whole world will be watching our victory over Drummond. (Dramatically) If St. George had slain a dragonfly, who would remember him."[2] When his fight against Drummond begins, Brady decays further. Brady wants to win this fight badly, and by the time we are put into it, a few days in, Brady's pride is even fuller. On the attack in the courtroom, Brady pressures one of the teacher's coworkers and friends into testifying against said teacher. He puts their private matters on the stand to influence the decision. Once put on the defense, Brady is even more arrogant, not saying much beyond things like "I do not question or scoff at the miracles of the Lord – as do ye of little faith."[3] It is also apparent that Brady's theology is not quite straight. Consider this quote:
"DRUMMOND: I'm not asking you what you think of sex as a father, or as a husband. Or a Presidential candidate. You're up here as an expert on the Bible. What's the Biblical evaluation of sex?
BRADY: It is considered 'Original Sin.'"[4]
"Original Sin," even though sex is among the mandates made to Adam and Eve after Eve's creation, well before the Fall. Through all of this, though, Brady does stand on the foundational truths of the Bible and values them above most things. Even as he weakens throughout Drummond's attacks, even as he comes off of the rails at the end, he makes an attempt to stay committed to Scripture. "We must not abandon faith! Faith is the important thing!"[5] is as he puts it. His faith leads him to stop the Reverend in his hateful speech against the schoolteacher once it spills out to the Reverend's own daughter on one of the nights during the court proceedings. His values are real and not just a political platform.
Though Drummond is introduced as "the devil," coming to defend the person who broke the Darwin law, one of the characters will remark at the end of the play,
"HORNBECK: You hypocrite! You fraud!
(With a grand sense of discovery)
You're more religious than he was!
(DRUMMOND doesn't answer. HORNBECK crosses towards the exit hurriedly.)"[6]
Drummond, in truth, arrives in Hillsboro for fundamentally the same reason as Brady – to uphold Christian values. It is only in that private moment, and then under pressure, that Drummond shows anything of the depths of his faith. A humble faith may be a better way to have faith, but it is not a better faith – and Drummond is in truth not so humble. In his fight against Brady, Drummond completely falls apart. Brady's stonewalling of witnesses induces a rage in Drummond that he can barely keep under control. Despite suffering these attacks (or perhaps because of it,) Drummond returns the favor in equal force and merely insults Brady's faith on the stand in retaliation. He says to Brady, "DRUMMOND: It frightens me to imagine the state of learning in this world if everyone had your driving curiosity. (DRUMMOND is still probing for a weakness in Goliath's armor. . .)"[7] Notice how this isn't done to prove a law as just or prove the defendant as innocent, but merely to strike down Brady. He is looking for a "gotcha moment," a sense of humiliation – as is his profession and as the court dictates, he is looking for a killing blow. He is looking to have the court on his side – he makes them laugh and sneer at Brady through witty comments against the man. The "Original Sin" quote aforementioned testifies to this, as Drummond is merely quizzing Brady on Bible topics, the discussion of the schoolteacher having left everyone's mouths since the day before and will not return until the day after. Drummond too similarly expresses his unorthodox theology as Brady did in that scenario. He says, "Darwin moved us forward to a hilltop, where we could look back and see the way from which we came. But for this view, this insight, this knowledge, this edge, we must abandon our faith in the pleasant poetry of Genesis."[8] A direct denial on what Scripture has to say on human creation, as Brady directly denied Scripture's say on human design and purpose. Even so, Drummond is fighting against the oppression of the Imagio Dei by the government – if man cannot think, then he is not elevated above the animals in any meaningful way, so to ban thinking certain ways is to inhibit man's image of God. Drummond would not see this happen, and so fights to have the law overturned.
At the end of the first scene of the second act, Brady says to Drummond, "There used to be a mutuality of understanding and admiration. Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?"[9] Drummond makes this comment at the end of the play: "DRUMMOND: A giant once lived in that body. (Quietly) But Matt Brady got lost. Because he was looking for God to too high up and too far away.'[10] It is clear from this line that both parties at least at one point considered each other equals, the same. While it is difficult to determine the status of faith of another person, one cannot argue in good faith for the salvation of one of these characters and the damnation of the other. Not one character acts a buffoon in the court room, but both do at the same time. Both characters show outwardly signs of devotion to Christ while also outwardly showing great sin. Both characters stand on shaky ground Scriptually but believe in upholding biblical values. Both characters honor the Scripture at the same level – not near enough; both characters deny parts of Scripture outright, deny the Lord's vision of humanity outright. Either both character's faith is genuine or both character's faith is apostate, never existing. Either both are followers of Christ or neither are followers of Christ. Either both character’s theology is good enough or neither character's theology is. It is important to remember that Christ died for the sin of bad theology (though not absent theology) too. All of the sins of Brady and Drummond can be forgiven by the grace of Christ, them and tenfold more, for His grace is never ending, so long as they submit their sins and the rest of their lives to Him. As different as they may seem to be, submission to Christ can & should – and seems to have some time before – bind them together. The separation, as the statements themselves reveal, is artificial, not based on any real differences. The question the reader must then ask is if both characters have changed since before the start of the play or if neither of them have. It cannot be one and the other.
We should not be arrogant and label this kind of thing a "dilemma" or any synonymous term. The Lord will have mercy on who He has mercy, Christ shall walk with who He walks with, and the Holy Spirit shall indwell whomever it pleases. None of us are qualified for this gift. All of us are destined for eternal damnation, and only the eternal springs of life that are the Triune God would allow even one person among all who ever lived to have been saved, but Christ is good to save everyone, from every tribe and nation. A man like Brady can be saved with as much ease and haste as a man like Drummond can be saved. Surely, if Christ can save you, die for your sins, then He can save anyone, everyone; die for the sins of anyone, everyone. However, just as easily can Brady and Drummond deny this grace. Christ will not bring anyone to Heaven who does not want to be there. No one who keeps himself enthroned in life and does not submit to Christ will go to Heaven, but will suffer in Hell, and even the most religious may never call Christ "Lord."