A welcome

from Rt Revd Dr Lee Rayfield SOSc, Bishop of Swindon

One of the distinctive symbols of office for a bishop is a pectoral cross. Quite often bishops will choose a design that reflects a significant aspect of their spiritual journey and convictions about God. When I was consecrated a bishop in 2005, I chose the emblem of The Society of Ordained Scientists – a cross surrounded by a 'halo' of DNA, the physical building block of life. The cross of the Ordained Scientists reflects my own journey of faith as a biological scientist and my conviction that scientific insights and Christian belief are meant to be companions not competitors.

The anniversaries associated with the life, discoveries and writing of Charles Darwin will no doubt prompt many to take a different view. On the one hand, that Darwin's theories on the origin of species sounded the death knell for belief in a Creator God. On the other, that accepting a place for evolution in the development of homo sapiens is tantamount to atheism and flies in the face of Scripture. Such extreme and opposing voices are loud and hard to ignore. However, those using this site will find here a more balanced assessment of the role Charles Darwin has played in the conversation between the Church and the Academy.

Theology and science each have much to contribute in the assertion of the Psalmist that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139). I hope that this site will not only provide a source of information and knowledge about Charles Darwin and his work, but that it will prove to be a resource for growing in wisdom and understanding.