Kansas State Board of Education: Holloway versus Gamble

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. The debate on evolution rages strong in my home state, and the effects are being felt well beyond our boundaries. Linda Holloway, who currently serves on the Kansas State Board of Education, opened Pandora's box when she and others on the Board voted to disallow the teaching of evolution, at least macroevolution. She is now in a closely watched race to maintain her seat, but a challenger has emerged...Sue Gamble.

It is amusing to drive down the affluent streets of Johnson County, Kansas, and see the alternating signs of Gamble versus Holloway. To many it's akin to God versus Satan. To the educated and enlightened, it's a vote for ignorance (Holloway) or sanity (Gamble).

As I have explained to my children, it is okay to accept scientific principles and still believe in God. I have to imagine the struggles that scientists faced when first describing that the world was round or that the Earth was not the center of the Universe or even the Galaxy. Should we ignore gravity if it's not mentioned in the Bible? No.

Whether you believe in a deity or not, the Bible is a treasure of lessons. The Bible uses history, some science and a lot of metaphors, parables and stories. It was never meant to be an historical and scientific thesis of the world.

Let's get a grip and allow our children to make their own decision on evolution.

Mike W., August 2000