They have succeeded in getting a gay marriage ban before Kansas voters.

Could the teaching of evolution in public schools be the next target for conservative clergy activists?

It could.

The Reverend Terry Fox is the pastor of Wichita's Emmanuel Baptist Church, and a leader of successful lobbying efforts to get lawmakers to pass the proposed marriage amendment to the state constitution.

With a statewide vote on that issue set for April, Fox says he and other clergy intend to weigh in on the creation-evolution debate.

The state board of education is expected to review revised state science standards in April. The board has a conservative majority, but evolution critics say they are not yet seeking equal status for creationism. They say they only want more criticism of evolution.

The Reverend Jerry Johnston, pastor of First Family Church in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, calls the marriage amendment victory ``a new day for evangelicals.''

He says it proves that if conservative Christians band together, they can effect change in statewide politics.

Fox, Johnston and others say their agenda also includes restricting abortion and preventing the expansion of gambling.

The Reverend Bo Graves is the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, in the Wichita suburb of Haysville. He says the evangelical agenda concentrates on social issues -- as opposed to tax or budget issues -- because congregations are more united on such issues as abortion and gay marriage.

But an attack on evolution runs the risk of political backlash.

In 1999, a conservative-led board removed most references to evolution in the science standards. Voters then elected less conservative members, resulting in the current, evolution-friendly standards.