Evolution was at home today in the oldest church in Kansas during a forum about the controversy of science standards for public school students.

“There is no conflict between evolution and the Christian faith,” said the Rev. Peter Luckey, the senior pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church, which is in downtown Lawrence at 925 Vt. St.

Details set for debate on science standards (4-20-05)

Scientists gathered at the forum, designed to promote the teaching of evolution as essential for Kansas students to understand science and to compete for jobs in the growing bioscience industry.

About 75 people were in attendance during today’s forum at the church, which traces its roots to Lawrence’s pre-Civil War days. Today’s meeting was expected to feature no speakers from the Intelligent Design side of the science standards conflict.

Next month, a subcommittee of the Kansas State Board of Education has planned hearings to listen to both proponents of Intelligent Design and to scientists who say teaching about creation has no business in science classrooms.

For more on this story, see the 6News reports at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunflower Broadband’s channel 6 and pick up a copy of Friday’s Journal-World.