Yesterday, the Church of England opened a new section od its website (www.cofe.anglican.org/darwin) which is all about the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth in 1809 and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of the Species in 1859. In presenting the event, the bishop of Swindon, rev. Lee Rayfield, writes: "I hope this new section will not merely be a source of information and notions about Charles Darwin, but will be a source of more wisdom and understanding". The website which explores in several sections the relations between "Darwin and the Church" and "Darwin and Christian faith" also contains a contribution from Rev. Malcolm Brown, in charge of public affairs for the Church of England. His contribution ends with a personal "mea culpa" to the English scientist. "Charles Darwin: 200 years after your birth, the Church of England owes you an apology for not having understood you, for having had a wrong reaction, encouraging others to disavow you". "The battle for your reputation is not over" and points at "those who falsely blame you in order to further their personal interests. A good religion needs to work constructively with a good science".
