Langdon Gilkey dies

Theologian Langdon Gilkey died on November 19, 2004, at the age of 85, in
Charlottesville, Virginia. Gilkey testified for the plaintiffs in McLean v.
Arkansas, the case that challenged the constitutionality of Arkansas's
"Balanced treatment for creation-science and evolution-science act" of
1981. In his account of his experiences, Creationism on Trial: Evolution
and God at Little Rock (1985), he explained his antipathy to the law: "I
came to the conclusion that this law and ones similar to it are ... in fact
dangerous to the health of our society; and that through its wide enactment
it would represent a disaster to our common life, especially our religious
life. ... This law, I was convinced -- and this was my subsequent argument
-- would serve to establish a particular form of the Christian religion in
the teaching program of the public schools; therefore, it presented a grave
threat to the free religious life of our country."

For the Washington Post's obituary of Gilkey, visit:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3049-2004Nov21.html

Dick Fischer - Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org
Received on Wed Nov 24 19:26:29 2004