Creationism on Trial: Evolution and God at Little Rock

by Langdon Brown Gilkey and Langdon Gilkey

Book Overview

Creationism on Trial is Langdon Gilkey's fascinating, blow-by-blow account of his experiences as a witness for the ACLU at the 1981 creationist trial in Little Rock, Arkansas. This courtroom drama between state-supported "creation science" fundamentalists and ACLU-supported scientists, theologians, and liberal teachers was an engrossing spectacle at the time and has been much talked about since. Gilkey, a renowned theological writer, brings to life...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0866837809
• ISBN13: 9780866837804
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Winston Press
• Length: 301 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Intensely personal and erudite, yet highly readable

Creationism on Trial is but one of the many books by the highly acclaimed and superarticulate theologian Langdon Gilkey. In this book, Gilkey recounts his participation in the Arkansas "balanced treatment" case. The first part of the book reads almost like a novel as Gilkey playfully and skillfully tells his story of how the ACLU contacted him, and how he eventually came to be one of the major witnesses for the plaintiff in the 1982 McLean vs. The Arkansas Board of Education trial that struck down the 1981 action of the Arkansas legislature, Act 590. Act 590 required science educators to teach biological and physical origins from two different perspectives: From a purely scientific point of view and from a recent creationist point of view. Gilkey states that upon reading the act, he was immediately sure that this act required the teaching of religion in the science classroom, and he then spent his time preparing to articulate why this was the case. The next portions of the book recount his deposition, testimony and cross-examination during the trial, and impressions of the other witnesses for the plaintiff. The portions of the book that cover Gilkey's deposition and testimony tend to read like a textbook on philosophical theology. Gilkey almost certainly relied on the court transcripts and one must salute his desire for accuracy. Abbreviation and summaries of some of this admittedly complex material would have made the book more readable, as would have interludes that revealed what was rolling around in his highly productive mind. Of particular interest were Gilkey's impressions of the other witnesses in the Little Rock trial. His description of Michael Ruse and Francisco Ayala were particularly entertaining and lively. However, a major disappointment of this portion was that Gilkey did not see the creationist witnesses and compare them to the witnesses for the ACLU. Gilkey states that he did not stay for their testimony and therefore he was not able to comment on them, which is certainly fair and just. However, his perspective and comparison of the two groups of witnesses would have been worth their weight in gold. Gilkey's description of the Little Rock trial also provides an interesting perspective relative to the other participants. For example, Michael Ruse's description of the trial in "But Is It Science?" provides a stark contrast to Gilkey's account, since Ruse sees himself as having narrowly escaped defeat during his testimony, while Gilkey sees Ruse as almost playing with the defense attorneys. Another interesting contrast can be found between Gilkey's work and the account in "The Creator in the Courtroom," written by Gilkey's counterpart, Norman Geisler. Geisler was the religion expert retained by the defense, who argued that Act 590 did not establish religion in the science classroom, but was somewhat embarrassed on the stand by his answer to questions about the nature and existence of UFOs. Geisler views Act 590 as being flawed legis