New webpage highlights Darwin's church work

The Church of England has added a new page to its website highlighting the work of English naturalist Charles Darwin in his local parish of Downe, Kent.

The 'Darwin at Downe' page is being launched by the Church to demonstrate that science and church work are not mutually exclusive and to mark the 200th anniversary on Thursday of the birth of Charles Darwin, who introduced the theory of evolution to the world.

The information contained in the page tells of how Darwin used to supervise church and school finances, founded a “Friendly Club” of which he was the treasurer for 30 years, and ran the local Coal and Clothing Fund for 21 years.

He also built a strong friendship with the local parish priest, Rev John Brodie Innes, who wrote, “I never saw a word in his writings which was an attack on religion. He follows his own course as a naturalist and leaves Moses to take care of himself.”

The page notes that whilst Darwin lost his own faith in the Christian religion, he still supported the church and its activities and did not become anti-religious.

The Rt Rev Dr Lee Rayfield, Bishop of Swindon and a former biological scientist, said, “This bicentenary is providing a much needed opportunity to gather a more rounded appreciation of Charles Darwin, his life and his work. I hope these pages will assist broader reflection on the relationship between religious conviction and scientific endeavour in ways which will be creative for our own time.”

The Darwin section includes a brief history of the scientist, his relationship with the church, his ideas on faith and the essay ‘Good Religion Needs Good Science’ by the Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, Director of Mission and Public Affairs.

In his essay Dr Brown says that the Church of England misjudged its initial reactions to Darwin. He writes, “Christian theologians throughout the centuries have sought knowledge of the world and knowledge of God. For Thomas Aquinas there was no such thing as science versus religion; both existed in the same sphere and to the same end, the glory of God.”

The webpage can be found at: www.cofe.anglican.org/darwin/downe.html