Theology After Darwin
M. S. Northcott & R. J. Berry (Eds) £14.99
This book is something I have been looking for – it assumes the general truthfulness of Darwinism and starts it theological considerations from there. Many books are still discussing the issue, and although this may be needed it does leave a gap for those Christians who want to have a robust theological position that embraces evolutionary theory. Coming as it does in the anniversary year of the Origin of the Species it is guaranteed to contribute to the debate.
The book is a selection of essays from authors whose backgrounds include the sciences, theology and ethics from both sides of the Atlantic. The opening essay from R J Berry, Biology after Darwin disassembles some of the myths surrounding Darwin, such as the idea that the Church was universally hostile (in fact many evangelicals embraced the theory) or that the 1860 Oxford debate was about evolution-versus-creationism or that Huxley won (it was really more about epistemology and culture, and contemporary views were that it was a draw).
The real stand-out for me was Charles Kingsley’s Christian Darwinism by Amy Laura Hall. My wife recently read The Water Babies to our (then) eight and eleven year-old children, and it is easy to forget the power of this book both in the ability to explain Darwinism, and in its powerful attacks on reactionary religion and education that is focused on tests and examinations. John Bimson’s essay Doctrines of the Fall and Sin After Darwin is a thorough and very helpful discussion of the relationship between these core Christian doctrines and evolution, and deals with many of the objectors to the theory on the grounds of where it leaves the account of how sin entered the world.
I think it is particularly worth noting that, despite being published on the Paternoster imprint, the language and style remain accessible to the non-theologian. Overall, an excellent, timely and challenging book.
Review by Ian Matthews
Published by Paternoster/Authentic.
