Darwin And Darwinism 150 Years Later

In 1859 Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It has affected the worldview of generations since encouraging them to think that they are the products of chance random process that ultimately have no reason for existence. The book has had an incredible effect on western society and has never been out of print since the first edition of 1,250 copies was sold out the first day. Why was the Origin of Species so popular? There can be no reason other than the UK public were ready to embrace an alternative to the biblical creation account. The new spirit of the age was one of unbelief even although there were religious revivals in Scotland and Ireland about that time. There are two strands to Darwinism. The first is that all life evolved over long time periods from a single prototype cell. The other is the notion of ‘natural selection’. This book reviews Charles Darwin’s religious ideas and questions his evolutionary claims in the light and authority of the Bible which sets forth a worldview consistent with faith in God.