I'm Krista Tippett, today evolution and wonder, understanding Charles Darwin.

As the bicentennial of Darwin's birth is celebrated, we seek to understand the world that

formed him, and what his observations about the natural world really said about God.

Darwin took religion seriously, but he understood creation as an unfolding process.

He rejected the Victorian idea of a God who had fixed every detail, including every social

flaw and injustice at the beginning of time.

Darwin's understanding of nature never departed from a theological point of view.

Always I believe until his dying day, at least half of him believed in God.

He'd said he deserved to be called an agnostic, but he did make the point later in life

that when I wrote the origin of species, my faith in God was as strong as that of a bishop.

This is Speaking of Faith.

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This public radio podcast is supported by the Fetzer Institute as part of its campaign

for Love and Forgiveness online at loveandforgive.org.

I'm Krista Tippett.

This hour as the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth is celebrated, we take a fresh look

at his life and work.

From the scope's trial to school board controversies in our day, Darwin and his theory of evolution

are often portrayed as a refutation of God.

We'll learn about the world in which he formulated his ideas, and we'll hear his own words.

Darwin, it turns out, did not argue against God, but against a simple understanding of the

world.

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