Darwin and God

Darwin and God by Nick Spencer was published by SPCK in February 2009 and is our 13368th best seller. The ISBN for Darwin and God is 9780281060825.

This February is the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and in November it is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin of the Species, so this new release is very timely.

On 27 December 1831, Charles Darwin boarded HMS Beagle in Plymouth and embarked on a voyage that was to last nearly five years and, in other ways, a lifetime. Before the trip Darwin had been ‘a sort of Christian’: ‘orthodox’ in a conventional, rational, Anglican kind of way. What he experienced on the Beagle set him on a journey from Christianity, through theism, to the muddled agnosticism of his old age.

Nick Spencer draws on Darwin’s autobiography, manuscripts, notebooks and letters - as well as his world-famous publications - in exploring Darwin’s view of design, purpose, morality, the universe and the human mind. The author argues that, although Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection did undermine his Christian convictions, it was the age-old problem of suffering - first in theory, then through the dreadful loss of his favourite child - that caused his faith to break down.

Darwin and God is the first full-length account of Darwin’s religious beliefs to be published in the UK. Meticulously researched, it presents the moving, compelling and tumultuous story of one of the world’s greatest scientists.

Nick Spencer is Director of Studies at Theos, the public theology think tank. He has written a number of books, most recently (with Bob White) Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living (SPCK).

“This fascinating and readable book fills a big gap in the Darwin literature and provides a well-researched overview of Darwin’s religious struggles.” Denis Alexander, Director, The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion

“When misconceptions abound concerning Darwin’s religious views, it is good to read such a sensitive, reliable and absorbing account.” John Hedley Brooke, Emeritus Professor of Science and Religion, University of Oxford