A comment to my previous post raises what might be an interesting question. I am not enough of a constitutional scholar on the Establishment Clause to know the legal ramifications, but what sort of church/state issues would the purchase of Dr. King's center by the National Park Service raise? My understanding is that the Court's current take involves the traditions of the site in question when it determined whether the Ten Commandments could be part of state displays or not. To the extent that Dr. King's works reflect religious teachings and doctrine, what sort of management, display, or ownership problems would the religious nature of his writings impose on the Park Service?

I'm sure there must be historic churches that are on the National Historic Register. How are they managed? Are services still allowed to occur at those sites? Could legal challenges be raised to services continuing at such sites? Would explaining the religious beliefs of Dr. King and continuing the study of his writings at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Center under Park Service ownership create a state/church conflict?

UPDATE: An article from today at law.com shows the current state of flux in the Supreme Court's Establishment Clause jurisprudence.