Whereas at the end Act I Lawrence and Lee depict the evolutionists (primarily Drummond), in this first scene of Act II, they depict the people on the opposing side of the conflict — the fundamentalists. As the scene opens, Drummond, who in the last scene is shown to be caring and compassionate, is once again referred to as "the Devil" by workmen who decide to leave up the "Read your Bible" banner. The fundamentalist Brady casts Drummond as the enemy of the faithful when he concludes a press conference with reporters and proclaims that he is "fighting the fight of the Faithful throughout the world," while Drummond is "challenging the faith of millions."
As the townspeople congregate for the prayer meeting, the stage directions point out that "the prayer meeting is motion picture, radio, and tent-show to these people," and Reverend Brown is their movie star. Because the prayer meetings are obviously the only form of entertainment for the townspeople, attendance is high. Lawrence and Lee hint at the possibility that some of the townspeople may not truly be fundamentalists, foreshadowing a lack of support and ultimate devastation for Brady.
Brown bases his sermon on the creation story in the Bible. Lawrence and Lee use the creation story and Brown's sermon to both remind the audience of the creation story as it is told in the Bible and to illustrate how narrow-minded these anti-evolutionists are. In this scene, the playwrights mock not only the fundamentalists but also the people who participated in McCarthyism and anyone who favors censorship.
