"Journeying together to share our Christian faith"

Next year will be a significant one in relation to the life and works of Charles Darwin. Not only does the bicentenary of his birth fall in 2009, it also marks 150 years since he published ‘On the origin of species’. Darwin’s theory of natural selection and his argument that human beings have evolved from a common ancestor to modern apes created a shock wave which impacted the whole of society.

The reaction of many in the Church, not least some Anglican bishops, has been regularly replayed including the famous debate between the Bishop of Oxford Samuel Wilberforce and Thomas Huxley. The bishop’s amusing quip as to whether Huxley was descended from the apes on his grandmother or grandfather’s side has frequently been used as a stick to beat him. The popular image is of scientists on side and Church leaders on the other; the former questing for truth, the latter defending their traditions and resisting fresh understanding. However, this is a long way from the reality.

Michael Roberts is an Anglican priest, scientist and historian with a long-standing interest in Charles Darwin. A number of years ago he pointed out that there was considerable hostility to Darwin among his scientific peers and openness to the notion of evolution from many in the Church of England, including bishops. Wilberforce himself was a Fellow of the Royal Society and seems to have argued against Darwin’s thesis primarily on the grounds of a lack of evidence. The lines of resistance to Darwin’s proposals were certainly not as clear cut as they are frequently painted.

In our own day, Charles Darwin continues to be a centre of controversy and division. Over the past 20 years we have seen a rise in an aggressive and militant atheism, typified in the contributions of people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Darwin has given birth to ‘Darwinism’, and is trumped as the one whose theories sounded the death knell for faith in a Creator God. On the other side ‘Creationist’ believers have rejected any place for evolution through natural selection and made it a test of orthodoxy and fidelity to Scripture.

These extreme and opposing voices have polarised opinions and reinforced the perception that science is an enemy of Christian faith. Too often I am asked questions which assume they are incompatible, for example, "Do you believe the Bible’s account of creation or evolution through natural selection?" An email posing exactly this came in as I was composing this message! The question assumes these are incompatible alternatives rather than complementary accounts addressing rather different concerns. The question also fails to appreciate that the Bible itself has two distinct creation accounts in its opening chapters (Genesis 1:1-2:4a and 2:4b-3:24).

It seems to me that 2009 offers a real opportunity for Christians to speak into false polarities and build bridges between science and faith. There are plenty of people who have a deep sense that they are not the product of random events or blind chance but also feel that overly simple ideas about creation do not stack up. They need us to help them make coherent connections between the Bible and scientific perspectives and, with God’s grace, discover that truth in Jesus Christ which sets all of us free.

+Lee